Chapter 118


    Alexi is avoiding me. Party in full swing on our first night and I ampletely in control of the event. I


    would go as far as saying our first night is a sess, minus one tiny little detail …


    Tyler, my ex-drug dealer, that beat me half to death hase as a guest; I was too preupied


    because of Alexi to check the bloody guest list beforeing down here to see. Joanne, the tit of a girl,


    obviously ignored the list of banned names when looking through this, or else it was deliberate, and


    she’s in need of a good p. It just adds a level of extreme anxiety to my night and has me looking


    over my shoulder constantly always aware of where he is.


    I may have nothing to fear from him anymore, but he still tried to kill me and that won’t just go away. My


    stomach is swirling with nerves knowing he’s here, and I just cannot rx. I keep biting my lip and


    picking my nails and then scalding myself for showing my unease so obviously. I’m better than this and


    need to get with the program.


    So far, I have caught him looking my way more than once and I hope he has the sense to stay away


    from me for the rest of the night. I’ll have security beat him to death if hees too close to me. He’s


    getting ck-listed after this and Alexi doesn’t seem to have noticed him either.


    Alexi is being who I expected him to be though, no surprises there on that front. He’s sitting among a


    bunch of suited and booted men, deep in conversation, with a woman gyrating on the table amidst


    them all. She keeps lifting her leg and sliding her foot over Alexi’s shoulder to draw his attention


    seductively, but so far, he hasn’t actually moved her from table top.


    Not that I am keeping tabs on him across the room or anything.


    He isn’t knocking her back either and the other brte who keeps sliding up beside him to stroke the


    tattoo on his neck and flirt shamelessly isn’t getting rebuffed at all. He hasn’t returned the favour, but it


    doesn’t mean he won’t. Alexi likes to work up to picking a ymate and then will just swoop on one and


    take her off to be screwed mercilessly. I did what he wanted and plied him with 3 brtes who are


    under orders to y up to him, pander and pet. If he screws them I don’t want to know. They are not


    from our pay packet but one time hires for tonight. I wanted him to think I just didn’t care at all, and so


    far, he doesn’t seem all that interested in them, surprisingly.


    I seem to be more torn up and bothered about them and I should just stop looking his way altogether.


    He can do whatever he wants, with whoever he wants. I don’t care.


    If I tell myself that enough times maybe the heavy slicing pain in my chest will finally fuck off.


    I watch the room, intermingle with guests and keep tabs on the flow of booze and food. Like before, it’s


    security that passes out product, and they know the limit per member when ites to the substances.


    They are on specific orders to keep tabs on volume. It’s back in ce. Keeping everyone merry, not


    wasted and avoiding overdoses.


    We want them pliable, not dead.


    ‘You look pretty.’ Mico sidles up beside me, eyes scanning where Alexi is sitting, always aware of his


    cousin and always protecting him, even on a party night. It’s a sense of reassurance knowing Mico is


    ever watchful and always on guard.


    ‘Thank you. It was a tad extravagant, but I figured tonight was a special night.’ I run my hands down my


    sparkling dress which keeps catching in the lights and giving off tremendous little flickers and shimmers


    as I move. You can’t miss me in the room anyway; I’m like a disco ball.


    A ssy one, I hope.


    ‘Back at war, huh?’ He nudges me and then nods at Alexi, who catches my eyes on him and I look


    away quickly.


    ‘Don’t know what you mean. It’s all business over here,’ I answer airily. I won’t show even Mico that


    he’s getting to me. I am done being second guessed when ites to my feelings for that man.


    ‘Sure, it is. You two are so alike sometimes, it’s terrifying.’ He watches Alexi intensely and I focus on his


    profile instead as he then scans the room andes back to my face.


    ‘Please … I am not a raving sociopath who beats people out of some sense of ownership.’ I feel a little


    insulted to get thatparison.


    ‘He doesn’t think sometimes, Cami. He reacts. Jealous and overprotective … You care about him, he


    cares about you, yet for some reason, neither of you are capable of putting down the guns for five


    minutes to see what could be.’ Mico looks right at me with a frown across that handsome brow as


    though trying to push the point, and I just shake my head at him. Wrinkling that forehead as his frown


    deepens but it just annoys me on some level and I sigh heavily at him.


    ‘It’s frustrating to watch.’ He adds with a nudge against me as though it’s going to soften me in some


    way.


    ‘That’s a lie … I told him I loved him, then he let me use HIS gun on MY self. Please don’t try to make


    me feel something for him again. It’s dead … this is only about the club, or else I wouldn’t be here.


    What he did in Miami was inexcusable and controlling, as usual; Nothing else.’ Despite how cold I


    sound, Mico has touched a nerve and any time I think about that night I get the same panging ache in


    my heart. That little hurt I just cannot let go of.


    Alexi hurt me, he broke me, and when I threw myself at his feet, he let me rot. It’s the one factor that


    keeps me clinging to my loathing of the man.


    I won’t ever forget that and it’s behind every resentment I feel for him. If he cared about me, even a tiny


    ounce of a sliver, he would havee to the hospital to see if I was okay … but he didn’t. Cracked my


    skull and left me there, after pushing me to the verge of dying. He didn’t have enough remorse to even


    muster being by my bedside for thirty seconds, to make sure I would live, and it’s with me all the time.


    Mico exhales heavily, clearly frustrated.


    ‘Cami, open your eyes. Alexi doesn’t waste his time on people he gives no shits about, yet he


    protects you at every turn. The girls … he’s obviously no interest in them, so I am guessing he asked


    for them to just piss you off.’ He nods back his way a lot more forcefully.


    ‘What are you talking about?’ I turn to Alexi and watch him for a moment as he pushes the brte


    who’s slid onto hisp off, and shoves her away harshly. No nice and friendly manner when dealing


    with fuck buddies anyway. Picks up his drink and puts his foot on the table so she can’t do it again. He


    doesn’t look like a man who is enjoying the female adoration, and as he is normally exactly that type of


    man, it stops me in my tracks. I have no response.


    Maybe he’s just not in the mood and maybe they aren’t his type.


    ‘He pushed you away to protect himself, and you. Everything he has done has been his fucked-up way


    of trying to handle a situation, badly. I didn’t get it at first … not until you were gone.’


    I look at him like he has two heads. Not pulled in by this BS and definitely not about to fall for some


    touching deeper understanding of his cousin. Alexicks depth … there is no hidden emotionalyer. I


    have found that out time and time again.


    ‘Humiliating me and making me feel worthless? That’s not keeping me safe, that’s just a sadist who


    likes to screw your head up. He doesn’t get off on physically hurting women; he gets off on control and


    destruction of their emotions and mind. Mico, I adore you … but please. When ites to Alexi just


    ept that I will never let him hurt me again, and you don’t know the half of what he did to me, only


    what you witnessed. Your loyalty is cute but misguided, and Alexi is just a cold bastard who sees dor


    signs written all over me. I can live with that, I have epted it is what it is. What I mean to him.’ I pat


    him affectionately on the shoulder. Pushing down all he’s making me feel and refusing to get mad or


    upset at this. I slide past behind him, signalling the end of this stressful conversation, to see what the


    girl at the bar is pping her hands at. She is waving at me erratically and distracting me, thankfully.


    Mico just lets me walk off with a lingering look of mild agitation and am relieved to let that topic go to


    bed.


    ‘What is it?’ I snap at her when I get close, leaning over the bar and look down to see blood sttered


    all over her skirt and shirt. I realise she’s pping around a sliced finger and there’s a smashed ss


    on the floor.


    ‘For God’s sake, stop that, put something on it and go see Mike at the back door. He is the first aider.’ I


    tut at her and slide into the bar via the lift hatch on the counter to take over for a minute. Wiping down


    the blood she leaves behind with a cloth and disinfectant spray and chuck it in the sink for her to deal


    with.


    I take a few minutes to sweep up the ss and clean up her mess before she appears back beside me


    with a bandaged hand and a smile on her childish face.


    ‘Mike’s hot … I so would.’ She blushes, assuming we have some girly camaraderie, and I ignore her as


    she heads back to the far end to serve someone who has staggered over. Disinterested in which men


    my staff would fuck in here.


    I let myself out the open end which leads to the hall and walk smack bang into the smug prick I have


    been avoiding all night.


    Just bloody great!


    Fuck my night!


    Not Alexi this time, but Tyler, as he makes his way to the restroom beside the kitchen. It’s like being


    shocked with a taser and my blood runs cold as every part of my skin prickles with hatred. I exhale


    heavily.


    ‘Well, well, look what the cat dragged in?’ He slurs my way, obviously intoxicated and the stench of


    booze on his breath hits me in the face. He looks me up and down, blocking my escape and leans out


    in front of me with a hand on the wall, so I can’t get past. Dressed like a typical street goon in a cheap


    suit and tie, a little step up from his usual attire but still … he looks like shit.


    I take a deep breath and try not to show him that every part of my body has hit the adrenaline shakes,


    and my mind is practically wing at me to get the hell away from him—instant ustrophobia. I stand


    taller, rest my hands across my chest as I cross them and do a good job of holding my own.


    ‘Tyler.’ I try for polite and lift my chin a little higher, refusing to be intimidated by this creep, even if he


    did try to kill me and dump me in the river. My time with him is long gone, he’s nothingpared to


    Alexi in terms of torment. If I can handle Carrero, then Tyler is nothing but an irritating fly in my soup.


    ‘Cami, Cami.’ He slurs again, obviously a littlex on the booze, and he takes a long, slow, sleazy


    appraisal of me. Eye raping me disgustingly and let’s his putrid eyeballs nestle on my tits for the


    longest time.


    ‘Can I help you with something?’ I try not to show my obvious hatred for the moron or the way my skin


    is crawling; Business tone on and a charming fake smile—Hostess under pressure.


    ‘Check you, looking all Queen Carrero in his little kingdom. Never pegged you for the manager type.


    What did you do to win the big guy’s favour? Bend over and take it anytime he wants it to get this job?


    Suck him off like the pro you are and wrap him around those little fingers, you devious bitch.’ Heughs


    at his ownment, a snarly, almost creepy smile, and I just push down the urge to punch him in the


    throat. Obvious jealousy that someone he deemed fish food found a higher standing than him in his


    own world. That must bite like a bitch.


    ‘ssy. Can see you have no concept of someone’s usefulness.’ I sigh heavily again and try to move


    past him to get away from this agonising conversation, but he blocks my way for a second time. Moving


    himself physically in front of me and halts my passing. I simmer my anger and try to just hold my shit


    together.


    ‘I remember how useful you were … makes me get an ache in my pants. Baby, you look so very


    fuckable in this get up.’ He breathes on my face, leaning forward, and I lean back away from it.


    Dodging booze stink and trying not to gag at both his shite on lines and the smell of the little rat.


    ‘Fuck off Tyler, go have a wank somewhere that’s not my club. No one needs to witness those levels of


    horror.’ I try for a third attempt to get past him, but he blocks me again, bodily moving in right against


    me this time, running a grubby finger down my arm and I shrink away, pping at it.


    ‘Don’t touch me!’ I warn, hackles rising as irritation moves to anger at the nerve of him. I hate that the


    creep still thinks he has a right to put a hand on me.


    ‘Touch you? I used to have these pretty red lips wrapped around my dick anytime I wanted. I miss


    them, figured when Carrero tosses you in the trash we might make ourselves a new little arrangement.’


    He runs his finger up over my lips and I recoil as though he has just burned me; Shoving his fingers


    away with so much rage swimming through me. Despising the very air he breathes.


    He literally makes my skin crawl and I step back, putting some space between us and cringe visibly.


    Nausea swirling up from both anxiety and the fact he is vile.


    ‘Look, baby. I sucked your tiny little prick because I had no alternative to get what I needed. It was so


    bad; I think I might only eat girls for the rest of my life. You left me traumatised. Not even battery acid


    could remove the taste of your rotten shrimp from my mouth, for months.’ I flutter myshes at him


    innocently, words steeped in venom, and that nasty snarl spreads across his face as fury ignites.


    ‘Soon as he cuts you loose, you and I are going to y. Put you back where you belong. Your face in


    myp.’ He grinds his teeth at me, obviously angered and losing his cool. The threat in the tone is


    genuine and he means every word.


    As much as I stand and smirk and act like I don’t care, the rage inside of me is eating me up. I open my


    mouth to retort with a sassy put-down to show this little prick where his ce is, and then jump when


    Alexi’s voice moves in behind me. My body freezes with the approach of body heat at my back and


    then strangely sags as soon as I know for sure it’s him. I can sense it’s him, even without his voice, and


    I physically rx. Not triggered with him behind me the way I normally am, because he signals safety.


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    Tyler is in so much trouble now.