“How do you know?”
He stepped closer, closing the distance between us until his shadow completely covered mine. His hand slid to the back of my neck, his warm fingers pressing firmly against my pulse.
“Because I’m not the same man I was,” he said, his voice dropping into that low, even vibration. “And you’re not the same woman.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “What does that even mean?”
“It means that if I don’t think you’ll like the outcome, I won’t do it,” he said, looking down at me. “I’ve reformed.”
“Maya says sociopaths don’t reform.”
“Maya talks too fucking much.”
Before I could fire back a response, my phone buzzed.
I pulled it out. The screen lit up with a name I hadn’t seen in months.
Cooly.
We had kept in touch despite the chaos. I still talked to Diamond too. When I really sat down and thought about it, neither one of them had truly betrayed me in New York. They just hadn’t been completely truthful. And even now, after everything we’d been through, some small, stubborn part of me couldn’t let them go completely.
Malachai’s eyes dropped to the glowing screen. His jaw flexed once before he forced his features back to calm.
“Go ahead and answer it,” he said quietly.
This was the new, slightly less possessive Malachai Kael had beaten into his head.
I looked up into his gray eyes. “It’s not important.”
“Answer it, Indigo. You want to.”
I hesitated, then swiped the green bar and pressed the phone to my ear.
“Hey.”
“Midnight.”
Cooly’s deep, gritty New York accent rolled through the line, sending a strange wave of nostalgia through my chest.
“Congratulations,” he said softly. “I heard you’re doing it again.”
“How did you—”
“Diamond.” He paused, a low chuckle vibrating through the receiver. “Don’t worry. I’m not there in Jamaica. I’m not coming to disrupt your day. I just… wanted to hear your voice. You sound happy.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, looking out at the turquoise water.
“For not coming?” he laughed.
“That too.”
The line went quiet for a beat.
“Hand Malachai the phone.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You heard me, Midnight. Put the Hand of God on the line.”
