Queen of Wild Cards novel Chapter 259

After lounging around the house for most of the day, Stella got a call from Julius saying he had a business dinner that evening and wouldn't be home.

In reality, he was heading to the Jeter residence, but he specifically chose not to bring her along. He knew Yvonne had crossed paths with Stella at the office, and he didn't want his wife dealing with that headache.

Figuring she had the evening to herself and hadn't seen the old lady in a few days, Stella decided to head over to the Blackwood Manor to keep Nadine company for dinner.

She left the house around four in the afternoon, planning to arrive early so they could chat and maybe take a nice stroll after the meal.

Halfway through her drive, her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. She was being tailed. Again.

Was it the same crew from yesterday?

Thinking back on her deductions, she was almost positive this was Gideon Kaye's doing.

He must have taken one look at her and decided she was exactly the kind of prey he needed.

His endgame was undoubtedly to drag her into his sick 'Siren's Scent' operation.

And this Snaggletooth guy was definitely on his payroll.

Since they were stupid enough to follow her again, she figured she might as well see exactly what they wanted—and maybe reel in the big fish while she was at it.

If they truly wanted to kidnap her, she was more than happy to play the bait.

Why wait for Julius's security team to track him down after he snatched some other poor girl?

Consider it her good deed for the day. She would infiltrate their little operation, map out the layout, and obliterate Gideon's sick enterprise from the inside out.

Who knew how many innocent women the psychopath was planning to butcher for his twisted perfume?

The man was utterly deranged.

So, if they wanted to play a game? Fine. Let's play.

Instead of continuing toward the estate, Stella casually veered onto a quiet side road.

Surrounded, she shifted into park.

She killed the engine and stepped out. The men in the other cars did the same.

Stella let her gaze sweep over them. Six of them. Quite the welcoming committee.

Leaning casually against the door of her sports car, she asked coolly, "You've been riding my bumper for miles and went through an awful lot of trouble to herd me out here. What exactly is it you want?"

The man they called Lynch was aggressively chewing tobacco. He wore a loud, gaudy shirt, his face pockmarked and scarred, with a distinct mole near his jaw.

Had Zane Morton been there, he would have instantly recognized him as his contact from the convenience store.

Spitting a dark stream of tobacco juice onto the dirt, Lynch sauntered closer, taking a slow, exaggerated inhale of her scent. A sleazy grin spread across his face. "Ms. Hawthorne, why don't you come take a ride with us? Someone's very eager to meet you."

The girl was drop-dead gorgeous, and that intoxicating natural fragrance radiating off her was unbelievable. No wonder Mr. Kaye was so obsessed with locking her down.

Snaggletooth's orders were crystal clear: acquire the target by any means necessary. And Lynch wasn't leaving without her.