There was a dragon living in his eyes. It was starving, eager to eat me up. The energy crackled between us, his power a constant threat. Jacob could have taken me down, conquered me without a whisper of argument.
In a reluctant motion where he lingered on my chin, he let me free. Promptly he choked the steering wheel, like he needed to touch something. His chest swelled, a great gulp of oxygen. Our encounter had left him frazzled.
When I darted my eyes down, I spotted the hard shape of his bulging erection.
Dammit.
The sight had my thighs squeezing, heat rippling into my core. I was wet, I could feel it.
His nostrils flared, like he smelled my arousal, then he settled into his seat. “I understand. This is a lot to throw at you at once.”
My laugh was frail. “Yeah. Just a bit.”
Glancing away from me, he started the car. Just like that, the moment was over. “I'll drop you at Kite's,” he said. “We need to leave by seven for the charity ball. Be ready.”
Ready. What a ridiculous word.
Once, I'd thought I was ready for anything.
But not now.
Not anymore.
- Chapter 18 -
Kite
––––––––
Lars Diani.
That was the name of our target.
Jacob had told me everything when he'd returned to the bar. Then, he'd requested we not tell Marina. Not yet. We needed every bargaining chip we had to keep her in our pocket.
He'd printed a mugshot of Lars he'd found online. That was what he'd handed Marina, wanting to confirm he was our man.
Of course, he'd given her the zoomed, cropped version of the image. If she had seen the rest of it, she'd have seen his name. It was just too soon for that.
Sipping my whiskey, I flicked through my laptop, scrolling through a number of news articles. The Dianis were a large mafia family. They knew which pockets to butter, which palms to rub. It made a lot of sense, now, why the police had never solved the murder of Marina's family. Without a doubt, the Dianis had bribed them.
Money is great for corrupting people, I thought cynically.
My door shook, the knob turning. Marina pushed through, her cheeks glowing from the cold. Sitting up, I quickly closed the laptop and beamed at her. “Welcome back! How was shopping?”
She took one look at me, then bit her lip and stared at the floor.
That... was very much not like her.
“It was fine,” she mumbled. Darting her eyes at me, she then studied her hands. “Um, Jacob said to get ready for seven. Can I use the shower?”
I furrowed my brow tightly. “Sure, go ahead.”
Marina scurried around me, vanishing into the hall. Staring after her, I slid deeper into the couch cushions. Why hadn't she been able to look me in the eye?
Something happened.
I'd cut Marina's existence into my head, so I knew exactly where she'd been this evening.
Who she'd been with.
Jacob.
I tapped my knee, kicked my foot, changed positions... and finally just stood up. I needed answers.
Pushing through my front door, I marched to his apartment. There, I rapped my knuckles above the brass knob. Silence. What the hell is he doing? Counting the seconds, I tested his door. It was locked, but Marina wasn't the only one with a key.
Sliding mine out, I unlocked the door and leaned inside. “Jacob? You in here?”
“The bathroom,” he shouted.
I found him standing in front of the mirror, face covered in shaving cream. He was shirtless, dress pants held up by a black leather belt.
“Hey,” I said, leaning on the entry way
Without looking at me, he spoke. “Why does everyone think it's okay to come inside if I don't answer?”
I ignored his question. “Marina just got in, and she was acting weird. Did something... happen?”
He scraped a razor down his cheek, focusing on his reflection. “She knows about our agreement to share her.”
Shutting my eyes, I tapped the back of my skull on the wood. “Fuck. You told her.”
Thick foam slapped into the sink, the water erasing it down the drain. “She was going to find out eventually.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed. “What else did you tell her?”
This time, he watched me in the mirror. His eyes burned like stones on fire. “I explained that she'd never come between our friendship.”
“She knows about our blood oath?” My heart was racing. Did he tell her about our past? Could he have done that?
“No. Not exactly.” Bending down, he splashed water on his cheeks. “Marina knows we have a bond, and a rule, but she doesn't understand where it comes from.” Wiping himself with a hand-towel, he faced me. “Don't worry, I didn't tell her anything else.”
That made me breathe easier. Our history was a dark weapon... an old wound... and a secret just for us. I planned to keep it that way. “How did she handle it?”
Grinning, Jacob dropped the cloth in a hamper. “You saw her. She's confused.” He slid past me, bare feet quiet as a void.