This is kinda sharty but I'm trying...
Chloe's POV
I wasn't supposed to be out here, not in the thick of it. Usually, I stayed behind the scenes—calculating, plotting, running things from the comfort of my lair. But here I was, in a grimy alley, injured and hiding from the last person I wanted to see. Jay.
The bastard had been a thorn in my side for over a year now, always one step ahead, always disrupting my plans. If it weren't for them, I'd be untouchable by now—at the top. But no, Jay had a way of making sure I stayed just out of reach of real power.
I could go on about how unstoppable I should be, if not for the gunshot echoing down the alley. Too close.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Jay's voice rang out, calm, teasing.
If it weren't for the sharp pain in my thigh, I'd be gone, already speeding down the street on my bike. But I was stuck, blood slowly soaking through my pants, and with every move, I felt the fabric cling tighter to my skin. I shifted, but the movement caused a tin can to scrape against the pavement.
Jay's steps paused. Then, I heard it: the click of their gun. Shit.
"There you are," they said, amusement threading through their voice. Their silhouette loomed larger as they drew closer. "Thought you'd run off and leave me behind?"
They leaned against the wall, looking down at me like they had all the time in the world. My heart pounded, anger simmering just beneath the surface. Yet, there was something else too. The alley seemed to close in around us, the air heavier, more charged than I wanted to admit.
Jay crouched down in front of me, their fingers brushing my chin with a touch that sent a spark through me. Rough fingertips, coated in a light sheen of grime from the alley, tilted my head up.
"Look at you," they murmured, their eyes gleaming. "Still think you're in control, don't you?"
I bit the inside of my cheek, my breath unsteady. The cold night air barely cut through the heat I felt crawling up my neck. A streak of blood ran from the wound in my leg, staining the edge of my shirt, but I barely noticed. Jay's gaze held mine, steady, unreadable.
Their thumb hovered at the edge of my jaw, brushing the skin just enough to make me focus on the contact. "You never were good at running," they whispered, their voice softer now, almost... gentle.
The smell of iron lingered in the air, mixing with the scent of leather and sweat. But it was the way Jay watched me, not just with that smug confidence, but with something else, something more dangerous. I hated how my body responded, how my pulse quickened.
And Jay knew it.
"Don't look so angry," they said, standing back up but not moving away. "After all, we're not done yet..."
Hope you liked it :) I kinda rushed it but I knew I wanted to start the book.
Anyways thank you for reading and don't forget to vote!!
DRINK SOME FUCKING WATER!!! YEA IM LOOKING AT YOU!! ☹︎
(540 words)
