“Good,” I devalued.
I tuned out the rest of their conversation, only muttering an acknowledgment when Zahra spoke to me, and ignoring the use of the word “sir” from her lips.
When she stood up to leave, I watched to see if any of the Street members were around the area to stay with her, but the woman had gone to the bar to get a drink. I loathed how eyes tracked her movements like she was a specimen they couldn’t wait to get their hands on. I could do things to those violating eyes belonging to men and women. The gore the results would bring. Food to my deranged soul.
When I turned my eyes away from people looking at her, I found one of them already making a move to talk to her… They exchanged a few words… but her stance, her composure… Something was off.
When she glanced my way, it wasn’t a plea for help, but a glance saying,This can’t be happening.
Whoever that man was, she knew him.
She looked away from me and then back to him; I watched them for a few seconds before breaking contact when Kareem moved to shake my hand and thank me for coming tothe event. And then, after a few exchanges, his attention was needed in another area of the room, and he left.
When I turned back in Zahra’s direction, what I saw had me frowning. The man was grabbing her arm with a gloved hand, and she looked uncomfortable.
I didn’t know how I’d been sitting watching them one second and was already halfway toward them the next.
“Is it?” The man bit the question at her.
“Vitale—”
“Problem?” My voice cut into whatever conversation they had been having, making Zahra flinch. The man dropped her arm. But his eyes were still locked on hers while she stepped back, looking as uncomfortable as I felt with this man still breathing.
“N-no problem,” shestuttered, her cheeks flushed, her previous composure completely deformed.
I watched the man pick up his drink. He was about two inches shorter than me, but when he removed his gaze from her and looked at me, his stare was leveled, unflinching, unafraid, like he had been expecting my arrival. “We were just having a friendly catch-up.”
I tore my gaze from him and looked at the arm of the woman beside me, the bruise from his hold tainting her skin, tainting my control, tainting the shred of humanity I had brought into this event. I didn’t hear or see anything or anyone; my focus returned to the man.
There were a thousand ways—morethan a thousand ways I could kill him here and now—something quick, something sharp, somethingpainful. The image slashing through my head tickled my brain; the anger flowing through my veins removed all rational thought.
Suddenly Arturo’s manor didn’t matter, suddenly I didn’t care about burning it all down, suddenly my goal in life was to kill this man, and I wouldn’t be okay until I did it.
I didn’t know what was happening; I knew Zahra wassaying something to me and then to Vitale, who unfortunately turned his gaze from me. When I didn’t get out of my head, even after he raised his glass in mock salute, said my name, and walked away, I knew the deed had been done.
I watched him walk away, knowing there was no way he was getting out of this cruise alive.
When he was out of sight, I got out of my head just in time for Zahra’s voice to reach my head.
“He was Manu—”
I raised a finger, not bothering to regard her. “Do not…” I forced out, “speak to me,” I finished, turning to leave, but she reached out to grip my arm, and she was in front of me.
Regretful but determined eyes searched mine. “I want to speak to you.”
“I gave you a chance,” I reminded her. “Multiple times.”
A small breath left her parted lips. “I know, but just give me another one; I’ll clear everything up,” she said, sincerity lingering in her stare. “Please?” Her voice softened, getting straight into my head. “The benefit of the doubt?”
I looked away, fighting my head, my gut, my heart, and my damn mind at the same time. It was always a battle with this woman.
“If you still don’t want to speak to me after I explain everything that went on in that bus, I promise I’ll back off,” she added.
I knew I wasn’t strong enough to deny her this. All I had to do was remain passive; no matter what she said or revealed, I wouldn’t acknowledge it. I couldn’t afford any form of distraction for what I had planned.
I nodded. “Okay, come with me.”
When we got to my suite, I looked around for the cats but couldn’t find them. It appeared they were tucked somewhere around, and I appreciated that. I was in no mood to acknowledge their presence or answer questions from Zahra.
