The Prey: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Oakmount Elite Book 3)

Tanya saunters into the kitchen and stops just behind Elyse. “I don’t pay you to stand here looking like a statue,” she snipes at Elyse, who jolts forward. In a flurry, she rushes past Aries and straight to the cleaning closet on the other side of the room.

Tanya stares after her for a whole second and then crosses to the counter, her skintight dress riding up as she walks. Aries watches her closely, but not in a sexual way, more like how you’d watch a rattlesnake that’s about to strike. I always thought he was smarter than he looks, especially concerning human nature. He’s a true Casanova and a playboy, but he’s also manipulative and cruel when he needs to be.

It’s probably how he manages to see Tanya for the snake that she is.

“Oh my, what a pleasant surprise. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen you all.” Tanya eyes Aries curiously, while I have to stop myself from vomiting on the floor. “You sure have filled out.”

“What do you want?”

“Do I need to want something to walk into my own kitchen?”

I release the spoon in my hand and let it fall into the bowl. I can’t fucking stand her, but I can’t make her disappear either. Closing my hand into a fist, I press it against my thigh beneath the island and sink my nails deep in my palm. Pain lances across my flesh, awakening my senses and grounding me.

“It’s not your kitchen. It belongs to me, according to the Arturo estate.”

After my grandfather’s death, it became clear to me that I couldn’t simply write Tanya off. I wanted to so fucking badly, but there were certain stipulations, certain things that she owned a stake in by virtue of her marriage, and I needed to play it smart if I wanted to ensure that when I left, it would be with my entire slice of the pie. So while I despise her presence, she’s nothing more than a necessary hurdle to me getting what I want.

And knowing just how much her touch and mere presence pisses me off, she leans into my side and slices her fingers through my hair. It takes serious self-control to force myself to stay still because any out-of-place reaction will only entice her further. Even with me in control of the Arturo empire, I still can’t make her disappear. She’s got connections and knowledge. Plus…there’s truth in that old saying that it’s safer to keep your enemies close.

“Your grandfather was not in his right mind when he finalized the will.”

Here we go again. I’m not about to get into another argument with her about what belongs to her or doesn’t belong to her. According to the will, I’m to ensure she lives comfortably. It says nothing about whether that’s in a shallow grave or a foreign country.

“So you’ve told me half a dozen times. Now did you need something?” I ask more politely this time, trying to modulate my tone enough that she will get on with it and leave us the hell alone.

She shrugs. “Not really. I only came down for a drink, but I see we have guests, so…I’ll stay a moment and chat.”

I open my mouth to tell her to leave, but Lee cuts in. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Arturo. It has been a while now that you mention it. I was surprised I didn’t see you at the elder Mr. Arturo’s funeral.”

Her fake-ass megawatt smile slips a little. “Well, I was in Europe when he passed. By the time the funeral was arranged, I was only being notified of his death. Not that those things matter now.” She wraps a protective arm around me, hugging me tight around the shoulders. The scent of her perfume is cloying, and I breathe through my mouth to escape it. “All that matters now is that I’m here to take care of my boy and help in whatever way he needs me.”

Help? More likely to cause problems.

Her gaze returns to Aries, and there’s no missing the way she checks him out, up and down. “I’m here for you boys, too, if you need anything. Anything at all.”

Fate clearly isn’t on my side today because Elyse chooses that moment to come out of the cleaning closet. Like always, my gaze automatically goes to her. There’s no escaping the hold she has on me. I can’t look away.

I fucking hate it. Hate that I’m attracted to her. Hate that her existence makes my heart beat a little heavier. Hate that she’s the one true weakness I have, and that when all the pieces missing from her puzzle come back together, I’ll be the person she sees as the enemy.

Tanya’s hand closes around the back of my neck in a vise. “That girl needs to know when and where it’s appropriate for her to show up. Real staff are never seen.”

I turn my attention to Lee, who is staring straight ahead, but it’s too late. Tanya turns to press her chest against my arm, her hand still on my neck, and focuses all her attention on the weakest prey in the room. Elyse.

“Ely, dear, could you grab me a drink, please. These young men have me so distracted I forgot why I came in here in the first place.”

Ely drops the bucket and items in her hands to the floor. “Oh, of course, Mrs. Arturo. What would you like?”

Tanya winces at the falling objects but recovers with a small smile. “Water.” She doesn’t say thank you, or please, nothing.

It shouldn’t bother me because I don’t say those things to Ely either, but it does. Especially because the look in Tanya’s eyes says I can and I will squish you like a bug.

Like always, Elyse plays aloof to Tanya’s bullshit and grabs a bottle of sparkling water from the refrigerator. She brings it over, placing it on the countertop, the glass bottle clicking against the granite.

Tanya smiles, and I swear if she gets any closer, she’ll be in my lap. “Oh dear, could you grab a glass, as well? And ice.”

To her credit, Ely does nothing more than spin on her heel and grabs a glass with ice, placing it right in front of Tanya as she asked. I survey Lee’s and Aries’s faces, but their expressions give nothing away. Whatever they’re thinking, they’re keeping under lock and key.

Ely turns to leave, and Tanya gasps. “Oh dear…”

I huff, grab the sparkling water, crack it open, and pour it over the ice. “Enough already. You have your drink.”

Tanya glares at me and steps away. Small mercies.

I don’t look at Elyse as I speak, but she knows my words are for her. “Get what you need, and return to your duties.”

At my word, she scrambles to gather up the cleaning supplies and flees from the kitchen like her ass is on fire.

“Why do you coddle her, Sebastian?” Tanya whines, taking a delicate sip of water, leaving a red lipstick print on the edge of the glass.

“I don’t coddle her. Her job is to clean the house, not get you something to drink.”

Tanya shrugs. “If I’m paying her, she’ll do whatever I want her to do.”

“Then I guess it’s good you aren’t paying her. I am,” I snap.

This time, I know I’ve pushed her too far when her eyes narrow to slits. “Watch your tone, Sebastian. I’d hate for your friends to think you make it a habit of disrespecting your mother.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her she’s not my mother, that she never will be nor has she ever been, but I bite the retort back. Her husband—my uncle—may have been like a father to me, but despite being my aunt, she was never a motherly figure. I don’t think she has a motherly bone in her body if I’m being honest.

Lee pats the back of her hand gently. “Will you excuse us, Mrs. Arturo; we have some very important planning that we need to finish up.”

Tanya huffs and scans Lee’s face, assessing him. I pinpoint the moment she decides she doesn’t have a use for him. It’s nauseating. I watch Lee’s face, and I know he sees it too. The moment she disregards him, underestimates him.

Not that I’d enjoy her taking an interest in any of my friends. The fewer of my friends she interacts with, the better. I’m just grateful Drew isn’t here; he’d have shoved her out the door by now, most likely in tears.

Her attention shifts back to Aries, and I can’t stop the smile that curves my lips. Aries would love nothing more than to break her, and if she tried to take him to her bed, she’d learn that, but only after it was too late.

She nods and gives my neck one last squeeze. “I’ll let you boys be boys. Don’t get into too much trouble without me.”

What the hell is she trying to accomplish here?

I’m cautious in her presence, watching as she grabs her glass of water and exits the kitchen. Once she’s finally gone, the weight on my chest is lifted, and I can breathe again.

“What a raging witch,” Aries states with disgust.

They know about her flirting; they’ve seen it, but they don’t know the worst of it.

The molestation, the abuse. It goes far deeper than any of them could fathom. I can handle it, though. I have for years, and I will continue to.

“I don’t want to talk about her. Just tell me what you need, Lee. I’m tired as fuck and running thin on both time and patience.”

He frowns. “I think I can handle it. I just…I feel like you and Drew have abandoned us. Planning The Hunt was your favorite activity. Now I’ve taken over because it needs to be done… and it just… it doesn’t feel the same anymore.” I can hear how upset he is, but I don’t know how to fix it or if I even can. “I mean, are you even going to show up?”

I nod. “I’ll have to show my face, right? People would think it’s weird if I wasn’t there. Is Drew running?”

Aries chimes in. “He is, and he’s bringing Bel.”

Fantastic. Just what I need, to see my best friend and my sister fucking in the woods. What a perfect highlight to an already stellar few months.

“Wonderful. I’ll be sure to steer clear of them.”

Lee grins. “This might be exactly what you need. Come to The Hunt. You’ve been off since last year when everything went down with Drew and after finding out Bel was your sister.”

I let out a long sigh and sink down, my shoulders falling away from my ears. “Yeah, well, there’s nothing like learning the world you live in is a lie. That everything is a lie.”

When I found out the truth about Drew’s father actually being my father, I didn’t know what to think. I still haven’t really wrapped my head around it. Not that it mattered. I wanted nothing from that man. DNA didn’t make him a parent. It made us related. That was all there was between us.

“Is there something you want to share? Do you need us to take care of someone? Dispose of a body?”

I need to get out of this fucking house, away from that woman, and out of this life. But there is no quick fix for any of that. This goes deeper than fucking with someone or pissing someone off. There’s nothing they can do to help me. I’ve dug the hole, and I’ll have to lie in it.

“No, I’m good, but if I do need something, you’ll be the first to know.”

Aries nods, and Lee shifts on the stool. “Go take a nap, Mr. Grumpy Gills. I’ll finish planning without you. But I don’t want to hear you complaining on race day if something isn’t the way you like it.”

Aries grins and looks at me. “Oh, I think he’ll like what we’ve already planned just fine.”

Cryptic. I study them both for a second and then stand. “Call me later if you still need help.”

“The phone only works if you actually answer it.” Lee purses his lips.

“I know, and I’ll answer it, asshole. Now get out of my hair.”

“Love you, too.” He chuckles.

I leave them in the kitchen. They will find their own way out, the same way they found their way in. I feel lighter after the interaction, like maybe not everything is a piece of shit that’s been lit on fire. Then I round the corner, and Tanya’s voice pierces my ears. I stop mid-step and spot her at the top of the stairs talking to Elyse.

I’m tempted to intervene because I know how Tanya is, and even if Elyse’s presence is unbearable to me at times, that doesn’t mean she deserves to be on the receiving end of whatever shit Tanya is stirring up.

But tempted as I might be, I don’t move. I don’t even breathe. I wait, standing there to hear if she has anything else to say.

“I don’t know what his infatuation is with you, but if you aren’t going to do the job you were hired to do, then I’ll have you fired.” The venom in her tone is unwavering.

“I’m so sorry. I will do better.” Elyse tells her, and I don’t miss the slight worry in her tone. Does she actually think I would let Tanya fire her?

“I sure hope so,” Tanya sneers.

I take a step forward, preparing to step in since Tanya is obviously losing her mind but also to put Elyse at ease. Just as I do, Elyse sprints away, and Tanya continues her path of destruction up the stairs.

Standing there, I get lost in thought. I can’t help but worry that all this time I’ve been too soft on Elyse. Can Tanya see through the deception? The only thing she wants more than me is the throne, and I’m not desperate enough to offer her that—not yet, at least.

If she discovers Elyse means something to me, big or little, good or bad, she’ll consider her a weakness, and there won’t be anything to stop her from using her against me. All over again, Elyse will become the casualty of another war she has no business being a part of.