The moment her skin touches mine, I know without a shadow of a doubt—dead or alive—this woman will be mine.
Chapter Five
Calm. That’s the feeling that washes over my entire body when Emmanuel’s hand covers mine. Until that calmness is quickly replaced with fire. I feel like every single nerve ending has just been sparked to life.
My throat goes dry as I swallow a lump. On the outside, I’m giving this man my very well-practiced pageant smile. On the inside, I’m burning up with a need I’ve never experiencedbefore.
“Evie,” I tell him, when I realize I’ve been staring far too long.
Emmanuel smiles, and with that simple gesture, the calmness comes back. He doesn’t remove his hand from mine. It takes me pulling away for him to let go. As soon as he’s no longer touching me, I regain a bit of my senses.
This man is dangerous. It’s not the darkness of his eyes or the tattoos decorating his hands and neck and probably a lot more of his skin if it wasn’t hidden by the custom-fitted black-on-black suit he’s wearing. None of that is what makes me think he’s dangerous. It’s the way I want him to cover my hand with his again, the way I want him to smile at me like he is right now and never stop.
Choosing to ignore that thought and shove it way down in a spot never to be found, I turn my attention to Charlotte’s boyfriend. I really have been eager to meet the guy who’s managed to interest my friend so quickly.
“So, Louie, tell me. How’d you do it?” I ask him.
“Do what?” Louie looks at me.
“How’d you kill Charlotte’s ex and make it look like an overdose?” I keep my eyes fixed on his face. His expression. Waiting for any sign that he’s uncomfortable with the question. He doesn’t give anything away as he assesses me right back.
“He didn’t,” Emmanuel says. “I did.”
His voice… it shouldn’t sound so good. Especially when admitting to murder. “Do you just go around killing all of your friends’ girlfriends’ exes?” I’m sure that he’s joking. They didn’t really kill Owen. At least that’s what I’ll continue to tell myself.
“Only the ones who leave bruises on my friend’s girlfriends,” Emmanuel replies, his gaze firmly on mine. Is he trying to throw me off?
“So, are you like an assassin or something?” I cant my head as I wait for his answer.
“No, but ever heard of the De La Sangre Cartel?”
“Fucking hell,” Louie groans from the other side of the table.
Ignoring him, I keep my focus on Emmanuel. Because, well, it’s not a hardship. The man is fucking gorgeous. “No, should I have?”
“Probably best you haven’t. I run the organization.”
“Emmanuel, really?” Louie grunts, shaking his head.
“So, you’re supposed to be a big, scary drug lord or something?” I ask Emmanuel. “I don’t see it. You don’t look that scary.”
It’s a lie. He’s plenty scary—although I wouldnever have expected a drug lord to be so damn good looking.
“He’s full of shit. That’s why. We didn’t kill Owen,” Louie says in adon’t ask questionskind of way before turning to Charlotte. “What happened?”
So he’s allowed to ask questions. We’re not. Got it.
“Rachel said he was found in a hotel room. Overdosed. But it’s strange… I mean, I know the guy was an asshole, but he didn’t do drugs. He wasn’t an addict,” Charlotte repeats what we both heard from Rachel.
It’s odd, though. Charlotte was with Owen for years and doesn’t seem even the slightest bit upset over his death. I’m not judging my friend. I’m not the least bit bothered either.
“We also didn’t think he wasdoingsisters but he did that too,” I chime in. “I say good riddance. The asshole broke your heart. I just wish I could have been the one to end him. I even bought a shovel.” I didn’t, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to find one. I bet if I asked theso-calleddrug lord sitting next to me, he’d be able to help me.
“He didn’t break my heart. My sister did,” Charlotte corrects me.
“Semantics. So, tell me more about this cartel of yours. What exactly do you do other than kill people?” I shift my attention back to Emmanuel, toavoid discussing Charlotte and her sister. I know my friend and she is not ready to open that can of worms just yet.
Before Emmanuel can answer, he’s interrupted by Louie. “You hungry? Let’s order food.”
