Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Tyler whistled as he stepped out of the hotel. His driver Steven sat behind the wheels of a sleek Mercedes-Benz, grinning like an idiot at him. He couldn't help it, he grinned back and jumped into the backseat.

"Here are your clothes Boss," Steven told him passing a bag to the back.

Tyler rummaged through and nodded. "And my new hotel room?"

If he was going to avoid being caught, he had to move at light speed.

"Booked. Got you the dandiest room in the bloody hotel." Steven replied with a smirk and he nodded, ripping his old shirt off.

"Move. I'll change as we go. They better be keeping that fucker in one place." He ordered and Steven kick-started the car. They soon hit the highway and Tyler stared through the window. It was time to meet the snitch.

When he had drafted his gang out of his father's, he had made it explicitly clear to those who followed that all he wanted was their loyalty, nothing more, nothing less. Tyler thought that was damn reasonable and not too much to ask. But apparently , Benito thought it was a huge burden. The bastard had got himself caught in a pickle with the cops and exposed the identity of Don Tien.

"Bastard." He hissed, balling his hands into a fist.

The car swerved off the highway and took a sharp bend into the woods. Pulling up into the driveway of a homey-looking cottage.

Tyler stepped out of the car and brushed off his stiff black coat with both hands. "Get me the toolbox."

Steven immediately swung into action. He went to the car trunk, pulled out a square metal box and handed it to Tyler. He knew the severe look on his boss' face and knew shit was about to get down.

"Benito is gonito." He whispered jokingly and Tyler cackled evilly.

"Stay back. This shouldn't take too long."

Surveying the area with dark vicious eyes, he noticed two men dressed in back plain trousers over black tee shirts, standing by the entrance. To anyone else, they may have looked like they were lounging by the door, tossing seeds at each other, but in reality, they were guarding the doors.

"Welcome boss!" They chorused when he reached them, standing at attention. They both had a Glock dangling at their hips.

Tyler acknowledged with a nod. "The son of a bitch?"

"Inside the garage. Maggie asked us to wash the place up this time." The man standing on the right replied and turned on his heels leading Tyler to the rusty old garage. He was blonde and slim compared to Tyler and his fellow guard.

Pushing the door open, he stepped in. A man was sitting on a stool in the centre of the empty room, his head lowed, his hands tied behind him with thick ropes and when the lights came on, the blonde haired lifted his head. A dirty rag was tied around his mouth, there were bruises on his forehead and his eyes had lumps underneath them. He looked sore.

"Mahn, you all really did a number on him." Tyler hummed in satisfaction, walking towards Benito and holding his head up, dropping his toolbox at the man's feet. The man gazed at Tyler's hardened face and began trembling like a victim of severe electrocution.

"Bb...BBB"

"Aww, he's all speechless. He's no fun now." He murmured grabbing a sharp blade from the box. Behind him, the door closed and the man looked up to Tyler with pleading eyes, struggling to catch his breath. The dagger was already plunging its edge into the man's flesh causing fresh blood to drop on the blade. Tyler smiled and bent his head toward the man as if he was about to lock lips with him.

His malicious stare alone was enough to send the man to his tomb. If there wasn't a rag sealing his mouth, the blonde haired would have dropped to his knees and pleaded for mercy. Even though Tyler wasn't going to forgive him, he would at least beg.

"If I die?" He asked, dark merciless eyes staring deep into his betrayer's.

Tears kept rolling down the poor man's cheeks. He struggled to speak but Tyler's tight fingers slid into his hair almost pulling it off his scalp.

"You broke my heart, Benito." He whispered into Benito's ears. "This... isn't working for me anymore. I'm afraid, I'll have to let you go."

And in a few frozen seconds, Benito's body drooped to the floor in a thump and Tyler rose to his feet, wiping the dagger with a piece of cloth.

The coldness accompanied by death hovered around the room.

"Get rid of the body," He instructed the men and walked out of the garage. His revenge was done. Now he had to find survival.

*********

Tyler cleared the smoke taking charge of his vision with one hand and dipped the edge of the cigarette in the little ceramic bowl beside the bottle of vodka on the table. He was sprawled on his bed, facing the glass window.

Steven hadn't lied. This was a prissy dandy room although he had to admit it was a wonderful alternative compared to the shitty ones he had been staying in the past week. It gave him the liberty to look out to the street whether he was standing or settled on his bed.

"Imagine sharing this with a pretty lady." He hummed rubbing his bare chest and smiled. He could think of one woman he would like to share it with.

"Kimberly Lockwood." He breathed. Damn, she had been fiery. The bulge in his trousers grew as his mind drifted to the night he had with Kim. The way she rode him like a typical texas cowgirl, her heat enveloped and drove him mad with desire. She had felt so supple, so sweet, his tongue watered as he recalled the taste of her nipples, of her wet warm flesh.

Thirsty he went for the bottle of vodka. She wanted to take charge of the intercourse so badly. She was fucking domineering and he loved it. She might be a brute but there was no denying that her energy in bed deserves some encomium.

Tyler grabbed the phone resting on the bed beside him and placed a phone call.

"I need you and Sniper in my room right away."

A few minutes later, two men walked in dressed casually.

"Boss?"

"That woman...." he had a half smile on his face and continued. "The one I was with the other night. You know her?" Tyler demanded and emptied the whole content of the bottle into his mouth.

The men lifted their heads in unionism. They both were there when Kimberly had bumped into him that night at the club.

"I need more information about her. I want to know every damn thing about her in two hours" he directed and motioned with his head for them to get out.

****

He was facing the glass window, his legs apart, both hands glued to the glass. He was staring at nothing in particular, lost in deep reflections. There were a few times like this when felt almost human. Almost. The sound of the doorbell crashed into his thoughts and he turned around, wearing just boxers and hulking dominantly in the room.

"Come in."

The men he had sent out about two hours ago returned. Tyler walked and settled by the edge of his bouncy bed and looked up at them with expectant eyes. He was as excited as a schoolboy getting his first blowjob.

"Speak."

The tallest of the two men spoke. "She's Kimberly Lockwood."

"No shit. You know what I need Sniper." He muttered.

The shorter one grinned. "She's a big fish, boss."

Tyler smirked. "Big fish huh? I knew it the moment I made her give me a ride that day."

Sniper held out his phone. "We asked Talco to scope on her. He sent these pictures of her when she was stepping out of the Lockwood Industries a while ago. Owns the fucking place. Stinky rich." the man reported gruffly. Tyler suspected his sensibilities were offended that he had to tail a woman.

"And hot too. She's freaking hot." his colleague added with a mischievous smile.

"Anything else?" Tyler asked.

"If we get more time, there could be more," Sniper grunted. So far, she has no link to her family. She's loaded and living alone."

"This gladdens my heart." Tyler declared and licked his lips. The thought of her alone, primed and ripe for him made his boxers feel tighter.

"Boss if I may ask, why do you need details about the chic?"

He turned away with a warm smile. "So I can give a lollipop. Stay sharp. We need to collect more information on her." He dismissed them with a wave and they dashed out.

Reclining on his back, he stretched his legs forward, resting against the wall. His hands wrapped around his head and a ploy began to form.

Sweet Kimberly would be his bait. Her money, fame and power were exactly the distraction he needed to stay off the police radar.

To say Kimberly was pissed was an understatement. She was crazy furious. But as usual she maintain a calm look. Her dark hair bounced as she strutted out of her company, grey eyes sizzling with anger.

Lockwood Industries loomed tall in Austin. It was the number one dealer in fashion and had ruled the fashion world for years even before Kimberly had been old enough to take possession of it. Her parents had built it from scratch. With her mother's talent for illustration and her father's knack for business, they were indeed a force to be reckoned with. They had dictated the fashion in Texas and the entire United States, rising through the ranks faster than anyone could say catapult.

Kim had always been proud of her parents. Of the legacy, they laid down for her. Even after their deaths, she had not suffered. Her parents had ensured that should anything bad befall them, she would be well taken care of. Her grand-aunt helped run the company until she was eighteen and old enough to do so. Ever since, for six years, she had ruled her company with an iron fist, determined to protect and salvage her parent's legacy.

And she would be darned if she allowed a simpleton to try to ruin all those many years of hard work.

Ignoring the bowing heads of her Security guards and the fixed gazes of her workers, she stormed into the back seat of a silver Ford, her lips pressed together in displeasure.

"Please drive." She said

"Home Miss Lockwood?" Andrew asked and gulped when he met her eyes in the rearview mirror. She was an intimidating woman. Andrew had worked for her for a full year and he was the only chauffeur who had lasted that long. People often asked how he was able to survive that long but Andrew had learnt early. As long as he talked less and listened to her more, he got paid and didn't get screwed. That was it.

Shutting his mouth, he switched on the engine and slowly pulled out of the company's compound.

Kimberly fished out her phone and tapped the screen, Her clean sharp nails clicked against the screen severally.

"Mateo, send me the address of that man." She said as soon as the head of security picked up her call.

"Yes ma'am." He answered promptly.

Fixing her eyes on the window, she stared at the streets as Andrews drove past them. They were filled with humans who lingered and loitering. Some seem happy and others, she couldn't tell.

Wishing she was one of them for a moment, she thought as refocused her thoughts on her phone. Mateo's heavy breathing filtered through as he worked and she found that it irked her to no end.

"Please hurry up? She was trying her best to remain patient and calm, but seems like she'd be crossing her limit soon." She sniped and from the corner of her vision, she saw Andrew wince. "Please watch." She said, seeing a child was trying to cross the road inappropriately.

"Yes ma'am." He muttered.

Her phone tinged and Mateo's voice echoed through. "I've sent it ma-"

"Thanks."

She cut the call before he could reply, swiping open the text message that had just entered her phone.

"Jeremy Williams." She seethed as she read his address.

He would regret the day he had played her for a fool. The day he crossed paths with the lioness and hoped to go scot-free. Oh, she would make him suffer. Her eyes hardening into icicles, she spouted the address to Andrews who promptly followed her command.

And then she made one last call.

"Send the boys. We're going on a visit."

****

Thirty minutes later, a hefty man slammed down the door to a suburban house, paving the way for a determined Kimberly to enter.

"What the hell is this?!" A middle-aged man, with partly balding hair, jumped to his feet from the sofa he had been reclining on. His watery blue eyes watched as three severe-looking men tripped into his home and amidst them was none other than the deadly Kimberly Lockwood.

He gasped then swallowed his saliva, holding his head up high. Kimberly laughed at the wimp's pathetic attempt to look unaffected, dark eyes glaring as she walked to sit opposite him on his sofa.

"Well hello, Mr Williams." She greeted drily, crossing her leg over the other. The grey pencil dress she wore, framed her features elegantly making her look severe. "Fancy seeing you here."

"M...Miss Lockwood." He stuttered. "How...what do you want?"

"Let's cut the crap, shall we? I don't have time to waste and I would rather we get straight to the point."

Jeremy Williams glanced at the three me that came to stand at her side and gulped visibly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kimberly sighed. She should've known he would be this way. The man had carted millions away from the company right under her nose and she hadn't seen it coming. It pissed her off to no end.

"So we're going to play it this way aren't we?" She hummed and inclined her head towards him.

Two of the men left her side and stalked toward Jeremy. Terrified, he scrambled and tried to dash out the door. But one of the men caught him by his shirt's collar and threw him back onto the sofa. He landed with a yelp, gasping for air as the two men closed on him.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" He yelled as one of the men hoisted him up and smacked him across the face.

His screams of pain bounced off Kimberly's ears and she cleared her throat.

"Ready to talk Mr Williams? Or shall I give you a little more incentive?"

"I..." He wheezed. "I'm.sorry... Mis Lockwood-"

"Spare me the bull." She stated coldly, watching as he writhed under the crushing hand of her security. "Where the hell is my money?"

"Please... Please. I never meant to, I just-"

"Ah!" She scoffed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she rose to her feet. In slow menacing steps, she stalked toward the quivering man. He was pushed to the ground and she watched him, her nose up in the air in disgust. Raising her heels she pressed the flat sole onto the man's head. "The thing about scum is this. They lie and cheat like the filth they are, but when caught, they always beg."

Leaning down until she could look him in the eye. "I'll ask one last time Mr Jeremy Williams. Where is my money?"

He blubbered and coughed then whispered. "A...A fixed deposit. To... be unlocked in two years. Please...I needed it for my daughter-"

For a moment she felt pity, or some sort of sympathy. But he didn't go through it the right way, yes she might be horrible, but not that horrible to turn down his request when it has to do with his daughter. She was going to leave the money for him. But first, she need thought him a lesson.

Giving the security men a pointed look she turned on her heels and walked out.

****

A loud crash resounded in Kimberly Lockwood's residence and screams of expletives exploded in air.

Kimberly stood in the dining room, wrapped in a bathing robe, her hair dripping water to the floor. Four maids hunched against the walls of the dining in fear, staring at their furious mistress.

"What is this?!" She asked and as usual they cowered in fear. "What is this... This thing in my shampoo?!"

One of the maids, brave enough to speak, peered at the mess on the floor and whimpered. "It's a lock of hair ma'am."

Kimberly nodded, laughing, a wild look in her eyes. Her head pounded mercilessly and she felt her brain turn to mush slowly. Everything spun too fast and sounded too loud and she ignored the urge to cover her ears. She knew she was being irrational. A part of her which was still sane warned and begged for her to come to her senses.

But Kimberly was done. She had the most hectic day at work, found out some useless worker of hers had stolen her money and put it in a freaking fixed deposit, which couldn't be unlocked until two years! Two fucking years!

And then she tried to sleep when she came back from work. Nightmares had plagued her and forced her to stay awake. Thinking a bath would help, she had gone to her bathroom only for her to see a lock of hair in her bathroom.

"What colour is this?" She bit out nastily, holding the cluster up for the maids to see. She was a long way away from them but they still shivered from her angry gaze.

"Blonde ma'am." The brave maid murmured.

"Good. You have eyes." She grinned maniacally. "Now make sure this doesn't repeat itself. "

A few minutes and all those drama later, Kimberly stumbled into her bedroom and flopped on her bed, feeling extremely exhausted. Her face hit the soft duvet and she felt the corner of her eyes burn. At least now that she was exhausted, she would have no choice but to sleep.

As the tendrils of sleep enveloped her, her mind floated and drifted towards certain deep black eyes and strong arms that had plagued her thoughts all day.

C

Kimberly let out a clumsy yawn and covered her mouth with the back of her left palm, suppressing the yawn. She gazed at the golden wall clock that hung above her head. She was seated before a square table in her study room.

"Midnight?" she mumbled in disbelief and instantly gathered the scattered documents on the table. She placed them in a single file. That was enough for the night.

It had been two weeks since she fired three of her maids and she had to admit, she had regretted her decision because the last maid had also quit and her house was looking rather disorganized.

She ended up hiring temporary staff from home service.

She stood up, stretched up her hands to the sky and another yawn escaped, followed by a slight groan. She stepped into her fur-covered flip-flops and headed to her room, rubbing her drowsy eyes with the edge of her palms. She had changed into her overall pyjamas right after dinner.

After dinner, she slipped into the study room to go through the proposals her clients submitted only to realize that she had spent the last four hours working on them. As a strict businesswoman, Kim never rushed any process, she ensured all the T's were crossed and the I's dotted. Or a repeat of Jeremy Williams could occur and she couldn't deal with that at the moment.

Pushing open the door to her large bedroom and turning on the lights fell with her face on the extra large bed. She always slept with the lights on and at that moment, all she wanted was an undisturbed snooze. With the file forgotten, Kim pulled the thick grey blanket to her chest and tucked her soft square pillow underneath her head. She laid on her back, shut her eyes and drifted off.

...............

"Run Kimberly. Run and don't look back!"

Little Kim raced down the dark path panting as she ran with all her might, as fast as her little legs could carry her. She stumbled on a small rock and let out a cry of pain. She managed to stand to her feet and continued running. She may not know where she was sprinting to but her mother had told her to run and run she did.

Hefty steps clicked behind her. Her heartbeat skyrocketed and she increased her pace, wiping the hot tears that streamed down her plumpy cheeks and ignoring the biting pain in her ankle. She saw a bright light twinkling on a straight path in front of her. Frightened bit determined, Kimberly was aimed for the straight path when a figure appeared, blocking her way.

She fell to the ground on her butt and gazed up, trembling. The man bent over and she saw his face. It was the same man who shot her father a while ago. It was the man her mother asked her to flee from and now, he was standing before her. Little Kimberly covered her scared face with trembling hands and screamed.

"No!" she yelled and sprung out of the bed. She looked around and realized that she was in her room, dressed in her overall pyjamas.

Heaving a deep sigh, she wiped the beads of sweat that clustered on her forehead and upper lip despite the air conditioner. She grabbed her phone which was resting beside the flower vase on the table and swiped up. It was a few minutes to 2 am. Taking deep breaths to steady her heart rate, she rose from her bed and walked toward the refrigerator in her room.

Pulling out a bottle of water, Kimberly sat by the edge of her bed and wiped the stray tears making their way to her cheeks. She was stronger than this. She had ensured years of pain and torture from her nightmares, she could endure some more.

Even though the nightmares forced her to relieve painful memories, they also allowed her to gaze at the murderer's face, the man who took everything away from her. She could forget everything in the world but not that ferocious face.

She had taken an oath to exert her revenge. She would get her hands on him and make him suffer. He would pay, she would make sure of that with every fibre and everything she could do in her power to get him.

"Coffee!' she mumbled and strolled to the kitchen.

She needed sleep more than air but she wasn't going to subject herself to the torture of her nightmares. It was pointless and It had successfully ruined sleep for her. Al the more reason to find the killer and get rid of him.

And while that seemed impossible at the moment, She would get herself a cup of coffee from the kitchen and try to stay awake the whole night as long as she got to escape from the torturous dream.

After fixing herself a cup of coffee. She leaned against the counter and took slow sips. She was still thinking about the man who took her family away from her when the thought of the man at the club slipped slowly into her thoughts.

She stared down at her coffee and bit her lower lip. Green eyes flickering in uncertainty. She hated men and all they represented but there was something about that man. Far from his physically built self, his offensive words and his tough personality, there was something in him she couldn't bring herself to hate.

Flashes of events from their night together forced Kim to move away from the counter. Sex for her was one-sided. Her satisfaction was all she was after and she didn't give a hoot about what her partner felt or wanted. This man, her body shivered at the thought of him. He touched her in places no man ever did and for the first time in forever, she wanted him to take over. She remembered the way he dug his head into her thighs, the feel of his thick wet, talented tongue flicking at her flesh as he ate her till she convulsed.

Kimberly turned away with an angry look on her face and shook her head in disappointment. She didn't even know the jerk's name yet he gave her orgasms she never thought she could have.

Restless at the thought of him sliding between her thighs and how much she wanted him to do so again, she emptied the whole content of the mug in her mouth.

"Wide awake!" she declared and returned to her room.

Kimberly grabbed her phone and the file containing the proposals she was working on and marched to her study room. It was time to get busy till dawn.

...............

Kimberly was awakened by the continuous sound emanating from her phone. She dozed off in the study room, seated, her head on the table. She opened her eyes slowly and turned off the alarm. It was 7 am. Time to get to work.

Tucking the file under her armpit, she staggered back to her room and stared into the mirror.

God forbid that anyone saw her like that. She mused as she eyed the dark circles underneath her eyes. She would need lots of makeup to conceal them.

Throwing the file on the bed and grabbing her towel, she walked into the bathroom.

About an hour later, Kimberly was standing before her large dressing mirror, fully dressed, adorning her left wrist with a Rolex.

She stepped into a pair of red heels, adjusted her short orange striped maxi dress and grabbed her bag. Kimberly made her way to the dining and saw two of the temporary domestic staff she had hired, smartly dressed in their uniforms setting the table.

The male staff pulled out a chair for her to sit on after mumbling a curt "Good morning, ma'am." His colleague, a woman curtsied and she gave them a brief nod before digging into her breakfast

"Do you need anything else ma'am?" the lady asked.

"No," Kimberly replied. They nodded and took a few steps backwards, their head lowered behind her.

Kimberly stirred her tea into circles with a spoon. She lifted the saucer with her left hand, her right hand on the cup handle and was about to take a sip when a thought struck her. She instantly dropped the saucer and pulled out her phone from her handbag.

"Detective, I emailed you last night," she said immediately after the phone call was picked up. "It's Kimberly Lockwood."

"Kimberly Lockwood? The name rings a bell." replied the detective from his end. He was a middle-aged man who was highly recommended for private investigations by high-class folks.

Kimberly smiled. He was full of crap but she would tolerate his presence as long as he proved useful. "How about we meet up in my office? 2 pm is fine with me and We can have lunch together."

"Miss Lockwood-"

"Detective," she drawled " l want you in my office today. This investigation must commence immediately. I've waited far too long," she stated and glanced at her wristwatch.

"2 pm then." He murmured gruffly.

"Good." She said with a tone of finality and ended the phone call.

It was time to finally seek justice for her parents. Power and money were the obstacles that hindered her from her quest but now she had it all. It was time to bring the murderer to the book.

Kimberly smirked and went for her cup of tea.