“What are you trying to say, Snow? That I killed her?”
He sits farther back in the leather chair, glaring at me.
“I don’t know. You tell me. You enjoy harming people.”
“Yes, I do. I’m bloodthirsty. But I only kill people for assignments—or if someone is a threat to me and my wife.”
Snow folds his arms across his chest. “Define threat.”
A muscle tics beneath my eye. I roll my eyes.
“If someone tries to physically harm me, or has harmed my wife—then I’m going to kill them. We were raised to do that. The only difference is, I enjoy taking revenge on people. You know what? It’s okay for you to kill Savannah, your father, and Samuel Jacobs—those people who were threats to Lyrical. But because I like killing, I’m the problem?
“It’s different.”
I raise my eyebrow. “How so?”
“My father was trafficking women, including Bailey. Samuel Jacobs was paid by my father to kill my wife. And Savannah—she couldn’t take no for an answer to our arranged marriage that my father set up, so she stabbed Lyrical.” He exhales. “Meanwhile, you want to hurt people.”
“So. That’s the only difference between us, Revi. I enjoy the warmth of fresh blood on my fingers; you don’t.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t control yourself.”
This. Asshole. Is. Really. Pissing. Me. Off.
“Shut the fuck up, Snow. I don’t give a fuck if you’re in charge of the club, I—”
“Enough,” one of the board members barks. “We will have order here.”
Neither of us says anything. So quiet you can hear a pin drop.
“You have the same shoe size as the person w—”
“Cut the bullshit, Revi,” I interrupt him. “I have a date with my wife, and right now, you’re working on borrowed time.” I fold my arms across my chest.
A smile stretches across his face. He leans toward me. A brief nose wrinkle. “You are under investigation for the death of Elena Coldmere.”
My heart races. My fists clench. I’ve had enough of Snow’s bullshit. I straighten my spine. I’m not going to let Snow see he got the best of me.
“This is bullshit. I didn’t touch the girl. Ask her cokehead new fiancé. He probably did it. We all know Robert has a drug problem.”
“We’re investigating him too,” one of the board members says.
“Is there anything else?” I snap.
“No. You are dismissed,” Snow murmurs.
I exhale and walk toward the door. I’m getting the fuck out of here before I beat the shit out of Snow.
“Another thing,” Snow says before I leave, and I don’t bother turning around, “if you don’t complete the trials, I’m going to enjoy your execution.”
Lilac
I place my hair into a bun shaped like a bow and spray perfume on my cream sweater. I haven’t been this excited about going on a date in a long time—a date I actually wanted to go on. I want to be good to Irvin because he’s so good to me.
I slide on my gray coat. Irvin texted me that he’s here, so I rush outside, and he leans against his white Mustang, wearing a black dress shirt with matching pants. He opens the passenger door, and I slide inside, strapping the seat belt over my shoulder and sinking into the smooth leather.
Once he’s in the driver’s seat, he switches gears and drives off. The sky is inky black, and stars scatter like diamonds. I crack the window open and inhale a heavy dose of the crisp night air. The cool wind nips at my cheeks. North Haven town roads are packed with cars, and we pass by decayed buildings in a blur. I have a feeling this date is going to be good, which puts me in an even better mood. I glance at Irvin, smiling, staring at his shirt. His face is carefree and smiling. Does he know how hot he looks? He has to. He reeks too much of confidence not to know.
