The second attendant, Masha Mackintosh, shook like a leaf, eyes glossy with horror. The assistant pilot stood frozen, torn between acting and self-preservation.
One of Zaghan’s guards watched, sunglasses on, arms crossed…doing nothing.
What?
My gaze snapped back tohim. A thick vein pulsed along his neck, another branching into a Y at his temple. His sneer was razor-sharp, his expression murderous.
“Calla–Zaghan!” A choked, broken shrill vibrated, and time seemed to freeze . Everywhere went death quiet, you could almost hear a feather move through the wind.
When his attention drew sharply to me, his eyes held no softness, no emotion. They were cold, deadly, and lethal. He looked crazed, dark and depraved. He looked like death itself.
“Go back to bed!” he grounded out, and my feet staggered backward at the power his words carried. “Now!”
“Let her go,” I said, fear etched into every word. “Please.”
“I said, go back to bed!”
“No!” I choked out, my head shaking rapidly. Was he actually going to throw a whole human being down a moving plane? How crazy was this guy? What kind of a monster was standing before me?
“Elizabeth–”
“–Please.” I cut him off. “Let her go, please. I’m begging you.”
His eyes shifted from me to the woman, and his jaw clenched.
An invisible hand of the clock began to tick, the air filled with tension, breaths bated, lips trembling…and he finally did it; he stepped backward, dragging her along before tossing her across the floor. A series of coughs echoed from Nina’s throat, eyes red, cheeks lined with tears. Her team members rushed to her, grabbing her quickly and moving her into another cabinet.
“Zaghan–” My words caught in my throat as he bounded to me, and in a fleeting second, faster than a blink of an eye, he had me pinned against a wall, his long fingers wrapping around my neck.
“What the fuck, man?!” Kenzo yelled, panic and anger leaping into his tone. From the corner of my currently burning eyes, I saw him surge forward in defense, but before he could even attempt anything, a soldier’s hand was locked around his arm, grounding him.
“I am letting you off with a warning.” His voice was raspy and harsh, his hot breath which smelt like coffee, hitting my face,while talons dug into my neck. “Never in your life, interfere with my business again, got it?”
I didn’t even know how to answer that. I was scared for myself and for Kenzo. And I was trembling, my tongue too fucking heavy to speak.
“Answer me!” he growled, his heavy weight crushing me against the wall. “Do. You. Get it?”
“Mhmm.” I nodded, the corners of my eyes burning with tears.
“I did not catch that.”
“Y-yes,” I choked out. “I’m–I’m sorry.”
His cold eyes stared at me for what felt like forever, and with a huff, he finally let go.
Desperately, like I was trapped under water, I fought for air back into my lungs, my chest burning. My back slid down the wall, butt hitting the floor.
Through the curve of my lashes, I saw him walk away, more like cavort. Anger radiated off him; in the trembling of his fingers, in the bold veins at the corners of his neck, and in his steps.
He disappeared behind the drawn curtain, and the sound of the bedroom door being pulled shut echoed. Two seconds later, I heard a loud crash. I had spotted a wine glass earlier while Kenzo was dragging me out of the room. I had a feeling that was what caused that sound.
“Arsehole,” Kenzo cussed at the soldier who held him captive. “Fuck you!”
Then he dashed to me, crouching down. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Yeah.” My voice was raspy, my weight resting on him as he grabbed me gently and hoisted me to my feet. He walked us to the leather chair and sat me down.
“Beth.” The tone of his voice passed the message before he said the next words. “We need to get out of here.”
