No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

The only person I knew who was into fish was Dustin, and considering my suspicions about him, I decided to tease, "Oh, your fish can understand human speech? That's cute. I just fed some fish that could actually do that before you caught yours."

I said it just to rile him up.

Brown was the kind of guy whose competitive spirit was as fierce as a storm. You could tell by the way he was itching for a rematch after Ernest had him on the ropes last time.

He couldn't stand the thought of being second best.

"Is that so?" Brown smirked, amusement dancing in his eyes. "The fish you fed probably only understood one thing: 'Time for Felicia's dinner."

I was taken aback, fixing Brown with a stare, trying to figure out if he was pulling my leg or if Dustin really did that when feeding his fish.

The look of shock on my face must have been priceless because Brown burst into laughter.

And of course, I got the message loud and clear.

It seemed he knew Dustin well enough to be aware of how he fed his fish, even naming them after me.

"Come on, let me show you my fish. They don't just get people; they can bust a move too," Brown boasted, clearly someone who loved showing off and proving himself.

He called out to his fish, "Time for the Moneybags to eat."

At his call, the fish congregated in an organized fashion, even forming patterns.

I was shocked. I didn't think they'd listen like that.

And the names he chose for his fish, 'Moneybags,' certainly reflected his own nature: a love for wealth.

So, if he was indeed working for Dustin, it was probably for the money.

"How about that? My fish are better behaved, aren't they?" Brown said proudly, feeding his fish while whistling a tune, playing along with them.

He was having a great time with his

е

fish when the sound of a car engine approached. Though I didn't see who it was, I was sure it was Ernest.

I was about to turn and look when Brown said chillingly, "Moneybags, how about a drink of human blood later?"

That sent a shiver down my spine, and I fixated on Brown instead of checking who had arrived.

When Ernest came in, Brown wasCopyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

still engrossed with his fish but

couldn't resist a jab, "Ernest, you too slow. My fish are re

"Where's Yolande?" was Ernest's immediate concern.

full."

My heart twisted sharply at that. He really did care about Yolande.

Brown laughed, mocking, "Worried about another woman right in front of your girl, aren't you kinda harsh?"

This guy was really rubbing salt in my wounds.

Ernest said seriously, "Brown, let the others go. I'll stay."

Brown sneered, "Why would I keep you?"

He had just mentioned using Ernest's blood to feed his fish.

e

"It was me who ordered them to attack you. If you want revenge, that's your business, but it only involves you and me, not the others," Ernest tried to reason with him.

swnw

"Fair enough," Brown surprisingly agreed with Ernest.

But I knew better than to take his word for it. He wouldn't let us off that easily.

Sure enough, he added, "But since you're all here, it'd be too boring to just let you go. How about we play a game?"

The mention of a game sent chills down my spine, a bad feeling swirling in my gut.