It was noon before I managed to roll my ass out of bed and get ready for the day. I was tempted not to show up at 2 pm, but given the amount of times Greyson had called me just this morning, I was pretty sure he would kill my cell battery simply by calling it a lot.
I moaned when the hot water from the shower soothed my aching muscles. You would have thought that I had run a marathon with the way I was going on, instead of just staying out late. I guess I was officially 'that old'. Next thing you know I'll be standing on a sidewalk yelling at clouds or something.
After the shower took the brunt of my tiredness, I got dressed and headed into the kitchen.
Now, most people spent a ridiculous amount of money on a high-tech coffee machine, but me? I spend a ridiculous amount on a high-tech hot chocolate machine. I guess, if we were being technical, it also makes espressos, lattes, macchiatos, and coffee, but I only use it for hot chocolate, so it was a hot chocolate machine as far as I was concerned.
Taking a sip of the frothy goodness I left my condo for the long drive to the House Mansion. I guess that Stephanie had some things to go over with me before my 2 o'clock meeting. Just wondering what new pile of shit was waiting for me was making me edgy. Coupled with a lack of sleep and I was already hoping that there would be extra chocolate peanut butter ice cream in the freezer.
My phone rang as I was halfway to the mansion and I answered it without bothering to look at the caller ID. Greyson had been calling me using a Private Caller ID, I assumed that meant he was at his office, so I had a 50/50 chance of it being another Private Caller.
"Hello?" I answered as I continued my drive, never taking my attention off the road. Thank God for Bluetooth because I was pretty sure that answering the phone was illegal in this state. And by pretty sure, I meant that it had been banned for over 20 years…
Huh, have cell phones been around that long?!? Crap, I really am old!
My head was so lost in the conversation that I was having with myself that it took me a while to realize that whoever was on the other end of the call hadn't said anything. "Hello?" I said again, my forehead scrunched in confusion. Did my Bluetooth not pick the call up?
"You have been a naughty little girl, haven't you?" A deep, raspy voice came through the line. My eyebrows rose so high they almost met my hairline.
"I haven't been a naughty little girl since I was 5. And yuk," I said with a scoff. I have had a lot of crazy people call me over the years, but this was the first time I had been called 'a naughty little girl', and it definitely gave me the creeps.
"You shouldn't have killed Jenny," the voice continued as if I hadn't said anything. I chuckled under my breath.
"You are right, I should have killed her a lot sooner. Would have saved myself so many headaches. But I think that is besides the point. Good manners would suggest that you introduce yourself. I mean, you seem to know me, but I have no idea who you are."
"You don't need to know me," said the voice with a sneer of his own. "It is enough that I know you and where you are."
"Now, that is some first-level stalker shit right there," I said with a laugh. If I was a regular human female I might be concerned. But I was hardly regular or even a human for that matter.
What was he going to do? Rip my limbs off? Been there, done that. Peel my flesh from my body? Done that too.
"I think you fail to understand just how much trouble you are in, little girl." Okay, now I was getting cranky. I normally loved being called little girl, or even little cub. It made me smile every time I heard it and caused me to break out in goosebumps. But to hear this piece of shit calling me it… well, I wanted to reach through the phone and pull out his tongue.
Apparently, I woke up and chose violence.
Taking another sip of my hot chocolate, I allowed its warmth to seep through me. Taking a deep breath, I cracked my neck from side to side. "And I think you fail to understand just who you are pissing off. So please, explain to me just how much trouble I am in."
Pulling out my phone, I pressed the recording button to record this conversation before putting it back on the center council before a police officer saw me with it in my hand.
"You know, recording this conversation is not going to help you, right?" came the raspy voice of a man that had smoked too many packs a day.
"I wasn't expecting it to. It was more to help my memory. I tend to forget things easily," I said, but I was more than a bit weirded out that he knew I was recording the conversation. I have used this function when serial killers called me and not one of them ever knew about it.
"Fine, then I should only have to say this once: You have interrupted my plans, so you can either take Jenny's place, or I can find another Head of House to do it."
I burst out laughing at his words. "Do you really think that I am like Jenny?" I asked. Despite his words, he didn't seem to actually know who I was.
"I don't know, but I highly suggest that you become more like her. You'll end up living longer that way."
"I am not too worried about dying early, but thank you for that," I said as the corner of the right side of my mouth lifted in a smirk. I was literally the definition of indestructible. Well, I hadn't tried being blown up by an atomic bomb, but a regular one didn't do anything so I think I was fine with those or nuclear ones.
"Ah, but I can drag you down to the depths of Hell," he chuckled.