Chapter 113


    It all happens so fast, it’s like a blur.


    Getting deposited in a car by Jackson while all around me bes surreal and dreamlike. I feel


    weirdly numb overall but there’s a simmering energy inside of me that has me on edge, overly aware


    andpletely strung out. Snappy with the man ushering me in here and I wrench myself out of his


    grip and throw myself into a window seat childishly, carrying my shoes.


    The bus is a small transport that seats twelve people. Long and low with pairs offortable leather


    seats on each side of the aisle and tinted windows. Like the limousine of buses. The driver looks hired,


    so I know to be hush-hush about what went down and I sulk like a child, crossing my arms over my


    chest and stare out into the dark street, tapping my bare feet against the leg as my heels nestle in my


    lap where I just dropped them.


    Alexi shows up minutes after me looking devoid of any sort of regret, and like an automatic trigger for


    my wrath, my temper bubbles over instantly. Just the sight of him is enough.


    I throw my shoes at him, aiming for the shit head’s face as he enters and hope I at least take out an


    eye. It would be nothingpared to what he did to that man back there and he bloody deserves it.


    He just ps them away with a filthy re aimed at me and carries on as though I am a mere


    annoyance in his day. The devil lurking in those sinister cold eyes and that stiff deadpan persona on full


    show. I hate him with a passion so strong I can almost taste it.


    Jackson is still sitting with me and pulls me to sit back in my seat when I lift up to take a flying attack at


    the man once more. Pinning me down expertly yet gently, and I obediently do so realising this is going


    to get me either knocked out, or left in Miami.


    Even I know my impulsive anger is out of control and I watch him with loathing, holding myself in my


    seat with all my might as he crosses to a seat facing me and slides down. Alexi just scowls my way


    once he is settled, eyes locked in silent battle for a glimmer of a second before he puts his head back


    on the headrest and stares at the ceiling instead. Breaking our connection and fazing me out. I swear


    he starts to count; counting down the seconds until he erupts and orchestrates my demise, no doubt.


    Watch him try. I will use anything to hand to stab that fucker in the eye.


    Violent prick.


    I can’t calm down and when we whizz to the hotel it only takes minutes before we are in the lobby. Mico


    shows up from God knows where to get in the lift with us as we make our way through the quiet


    entryway—Relieving Jackson of babysitting duties. He was acting as a blockade between two people


    who are doing their best to pretend the other is invisible; the air thick with static and tension between


    us.


    He seems relieved to be let loose and throws me a warm smile as he moves to let Mico get between us


    instead. Mico is in boss mode and has Alexi’s normal air ofmand. Alexi, however, is staring at the


    floor, distant and disconnected, and hasn’t said one word in the whole time since he got in the bus. Not


    even an apology, or one utterance or acknowledgement of how wrong it was.


    He hasn’t looked my way since he sat down either. That vibe of closed up, emotionally dead psycho is


    around him like a thick fog and it just fuels my inner temper. I’m so sick of this side of him.


    ‘Go back to the club … make sure everyone thinks these two have just gone back to the hotel together


    … say nothing in front of the girls.’ Hemands Jackson’s way; he nods like an obedient puppy dog


    and takes off quickly. Mico ushers me, more so than Alexi, into the lift. Alexi just follows behind us, and


    yet I am overly aware of his constant heavy presence like a big dark cloud thundering over me. I’m still


    seething inside with this bubbling pot of rage at him for what he did tonight.


    I cannot stop the image sliding into my brain of that man and all that blood—Stomach swirling with


    nausea and anxious despair. That infernal noise he made while trying to breathe will haunt me for a


    lifetime and I have no clue if he is still breathing anymore. How the hell they will clean this up is beyond


    me.


    Mico shoves me a little harshly to the corner once inside, obviously expecting some kind ofsh out


    when we are in confined quarters again. He seems annoyed, even if it’s hidden under an air of


    authority, and stands between us lifting a finger to silence me impulsively when I open my mouth …


    ring the lord of stone’s way.


    ‘Don’t!’ He warns me sternly, eyes narrowed under a very unimpressed frown, and I mp my mouth


    shut before he turns to Alexi with a darker look.


    ‘And you! … What the fuck, Lex? You need to get your shit together and your head out of your ass. If


    this situation is fucking you up this much that you make dumb mistakes, then you either act on it, or let


    it go. You’re the head of the family and you are acting like a juvenile asshole. You’re going to screw


    everything up that you have spent years building.’ Mico is mad as hell—voice tight, body as stiff as his


    cousin’s—bringing my own simmering emotions to a weird sort of lull as more memories from the club


    start filtering through. I have been pushing them down the whole way over here, but now in the quiet of


    the hotel, and reality hitting hard, I cannot shake that man’s face as he gets more invasive in my brain.


    It was horrible, non-recognisable as even a human head, let alone a face and Alexi has probably killed


    him. I think it’s more than likely I just witnessed a second cold-blooded murder.


    ‘What happened to him? The man at the club … is he …?’ I blurt it out tearfully, anger giving way to


    some sort of dyed shock and inevitable crying as soft tears well up and threaten to pour down my


    hot cheeks. Mico just res at me and sends little flickers of fear into my stomach.


    ‘It’s being taken care of, he will be fine. Forget about it.’ There’s more Alexi in his tone than the Mico I


    know, and it serves to remind me that they all have roles and masks in this world and I shouldn’t forget


    that. Mico may be my friend, but he is and always will be a paid killer in the empire Alexi runs. I don’t


    doubt that he has a soul as twisted and scattered with his evil doings as his cousin. He’s not my Mico


    right now; he’s a paid second inmand cleaning up the mess the Mafia King created. And he’s not


    happy about it.


    Alexiughs under his breath, an eerie evil chuckle which draws my eyes to him by Mico’s side,


    bringing a strange cloak to the air. My body hits a new type of awareness, riled by him and my skin


    prickles in reaction.


    ‘The girl who doesn’t care, huh? He was nothing to you … you said. Seems like it.’ Alexi’s sarcasm sets


    me off again, in a way only he can. So little but yet, I react in the extreme. That insta-flip of some inner


    crazy woman who has very little control and I fly to face him, pushing my body towards him in a show


    of hostility. Mico’s arm blocks me from advancing further as he sticks it out.


    ‘He did nothing, youplete fucking sociopath. He did absolutely fucking nothing. For once in my life,


    a guy bypassed groping me to help me stand up. He was a gentleman! Something you know nothing


    about! You killed a man for fucking helping me get up on my feet!’ I spit venomously at him, straining to


    face him down over Mico’s solid forearm, and he sneers back at me.


    ‘Trust me, he’s not dead. Yet! … You seem to have a high opinion of him, for just being a nobody, who


    did nothing.’ He spits back childishly. The fierce in him peeking up and raw hatred mirrored in his


    expression. He turns towards me so we are once again eye to eye.


    ‘What, you jealous? I have more respect and concern for the guy you beat half to death than the


    arsehole who won’t stop trying to fucking control me? Gee, I wonder why that is?’ I ooze sarcasm,


    laughing at him as though he is insane, and roll my eyes for effect.


    ‘Control you? Giving you half my fucking club, the apartment, money and security? How is that trying to


    control you? If I wanted to do that I have tried and tested means of putting you back in your ce. You


    are so fucking self-absorbed and blind to the obvious. You’re not worth the effort.’ Alexi is yelling back


    and Mico is struggling to keep us apart with a hand on each of as we both try to get closer in our bitter


    snarling match … practically spitting venom.


    ‘Stop it right now.’ Mico is trying to control it, but there’s just too much hatred in this tiny space; the air


    crackling around us. My body feels like it’s on fire, heart pounding out of my rib cage, and everything in


    me straining to hold back my limbs as I ache to full-on attack him. He brings out such violent responses


    in me that I never knew I was capable of.


    ‘Don’t think I don’t know the only reason you rolled over and gave in is because it was dying anyway.


    Losing money which I know you hate. I am under no illusion that my usefulness is all that keeps me on


    the sweet side. I’m just a possession in your little treasure trove of toys. You’re spitting out your dummy


    because this toy won’t let you y and you think others are getting at her instead!’ It’sced with


    complete superiority to him. Full on sassy Cami and I throw him a disgusted look as I pull myself


    back and cross my arms petntly. A show of bitch and that I couldn’t give a toss about him or his


    moods.


    ‘Fuck this shit … I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. What’s the point? There’s no pleasing you! I


    try and I still get punished for it … Fuck you, Cam. I am so over this.’ Alexi throws his hands up in


    frustration and ms a palm against the back wall aggressively, making me flinch. The tiny room


    echoes loudly and I swear I feel the tremble under my feet. Mico throws him another angry re, I


    guess a telling off and Alexi just throws it right back.


    ‘What are you talking about, you narcissistic prick?’ I am so sick of these vague statements he makes


    and even though I am engulfed in rage, I cannot back down when ites to him.


    ‘Me? Narcissistic! … Ever looked in the fucking mirror, baby? I think you are the queen of narc! Ever


    the fucking victim when ites to me, right?’ His tone matches the sarcasm in mine and his insult


    riles me back to fever pitch, yanking my arms out as I fly for him once more; a new wave ofplete


    internal moltenva spewing forth.


    ‘You have a fucking nerve, calling me a narc. You have been a grade ‘A’ bastard since the first moment


    Iid eyes on you. You don’t know how to be anything except a prick of epic proportions. You’re such a


    fucking Wanker!!’


    Mico is trying to pull me back, but I p his hands off me and shove him instead, not that it does much


    when he’s built as solidly as Alexi. I just need to vent all this aggression somewhere. If he wasn’t here I


    am pretty sure this would have alreadye to blows and Alexi is shifting from one foot to the other as


    though the feeling is mutual.


    ‘You seemed to like me more when I was exactly that, so maybe it’s how it should have stayed. Get out


    of my face Cam; I swear I am not against choking you. You want to test your little written out


    boundaries with me right now? … See if I can keep my hands off you for much longer?’ The malice


    rings out the truth in the threat and I justugh at him bitterly. Alexi turns away from me and shakes his


    head, Mico yanking me back as the door opens, and even though I am poised ready to attack again, I


    get hauled out the opening door by the upper arm before I can. Mico is simmering but I think it’s anger


    at the situation and our bickering and not one thing in particr. He’s being unusually quiet and yet the


    aura of deathly intent is seeping from him into the air.


    I don’t get a chance to start again, Alexi stalks off towards his door on the left first, no hanging about,


    and Mico drags me to mine and practically throws me in it when he gets it open. Handling me in more


    of an Alexi fashion than a Mico and it sobers me up at just how pissed off he must be to be acting like


    this.


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    ‘Get your shit together; jet’s being wheeled to the runway as we speak. You two need to get out of


    Miami while I do damage control.’ He practically snaps at me, hostility evident in his stilted movements


    and harsh tone. Mico is not being his usual demure solid self, but taking control and acting like his


    tosser cousin instead.


    I don’t have much to pack seeing as I put everything in my bag before we headed to the club and just


    pull off my shoes, to throw them in and slide my ts back on. I chuck a jacket over my dress without


    looking his way and scan my room for makeup and toiletries. Mostly everything is already tidied up.


    ‘You done?’ Mico asks sharply, seeing me standing zipping up my holdall and I nod gently, trying to be


    as obedient and submissive as possible while he’s this way. I don’t like Mico mad and cold. He’s never


    this way towards me and it’s definitely brought me down a peg or two with my spiralling temper, very


    quickly now we are alone … without my catalyst to fuel my fire.


    ‘Good, give it to me.’ He stretches out a hand and with a gesture to hand the bag over, I do so. He


    takes it and pulls my room card out of the slot by the door to turn the lights off as we go. I follow him


    when we leave the room, him using the ess card to lock the door behind us.


    Alexi is in the hall before us carrying a holdall too, still dressed in the same clothes and jacket and now


    with shades on, even though it’s dark. He doesn’t look my way, just walks to lead and seems to take


    control of the problem at hand.


    ‘I can take her home alone. You go back to the club and act like nothing happened. None of the girls


    need to know we went back, just tell them I couldn’t keep my hands off her and we are holed up back


    here. When we don’t show on the flight tomorrow, tell them we’re staying an extra day. They will


    assume it’s a romantic stop-over.’


    The lies just effortlessly ooze out of him and I can see Mico nodding like this is normal. I snort in


    disbelief.


    ‘Yeah, couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.’ I retort sarcastically and Alexi just stops, so I walk into the


    back of him with a minor painful thud, banging boobs and face on that rigid body, and he turns on me


    angrily.


    ‘From now on, just shut up. I don’t want to hear you. I don’t even want to look at you right now. I might


    actually get to the point of throwing you off my ne if you don’t!’ he snaps it harshly, anger fuelling his


    pitch and I just snarl right back, lifting that defiant little chin of mine. I won’t have this arsehole put me in


    my ce or make threats.


    Mico shoves him in the shoulder, both to tell him off for being a dick and to hurry him up, and I just


    stand my ground and fume. I know this is dumb because Alexi of old has no qualms about making me


    suffer in heinous ways, but I really no longer care.


    Alone with him on a flight for three hours means he can do anything at all he wants to me, but I still


    have no shits to give. I hate him so much at the moment that I don’t think there is anything he could do


    to me that I would take lying down. He dares try to use any of his little weapons like he did before and I


    will be the one pushing him off his fucking ne.