Page 21 of Vicious Kingdom

I leaned back in my seat, creating space between me and the table while keeping my eyes locked on Annaliese.

“Princess doesn’t quite capture it,” I said, my voice low. “More like a queen who has no kingdom.”

The flash of hurt in those blue eyes should have been a victory.

Instead, my gut twisted.

The bartender returned with their drinks. Annaliese took hers, swirling the amber liquid before taking a sip. She didn’t wince. Queens never did.

“And what does that make you?” Annaliese’s eyes gleamed, her tongue darting out as she captured a rebellious drop on her lower lip. Teasing and tempting, she set the trap just as neatly as she always did. “The court jester?”

The quickness of her comment made the table erupt in laughter. Kevin slapped Dominic on the back. Even Kristy, ever-wary of losing her grip on the spotlight, smirked. But I merelysmiled, slow and deliberate, letting the words settle in the air like smoke from a freshly lit cigarette.

“I’ve been called many things, but never that.” I locked eyes with Annaliese, daring her to take another shot, to push the boundaries we both knew far too well. The tension between us was electric, a live current that could shock or ignite with the smallest provocation. I didn’t care which. But before she could respond, the shrill sound of her phone shattered the moment.

“Ooh, who’s David with a heart emoji?” Dominic purred, displaying the name for the entire table to see, like a cat with a fresh kill.

I stiffened, every muscle in my body coiling tight and hard.

Annaliese rolled her eyes and snatched the phone back, nonchalance in every gesture.

“None of your business,” she shot over her shoulder. But I caught the lilt in her voice. The soft inflection that said this was, most definitely, my business. This David. This interruption. This complication.

The bastard.

Annaliese excused herself, threading her way through the crowded restaurant and tripping lightly to the front door where she could take the call outside without the noise.

Once she left the table, my vision tunneled, and the others faded to white noise. I couldn’t let this go. Not this time. Maybe she had changed.

But I fucking doubted it.

It was probably just another arrow in her quiver. Playing with hearts, exactly like the spider she was. I had to believe that was the case.

Because the alternative, that she’d been gone for five years, only to have moved on….

Fuck, I shouldn’t care!

The smart thing was to walk away. To acknowledge that Annaliese had her victory and let her live her life.

But my determination steeled. David was just another way to exact my revenge. In the end, I would drive Annaliese from my life once and for all.

“We’re going to the Basin tonight,” Kristy interrupted, snapping me out of the turbulent thoughts running through my mind.

Annaliese had a David.

Who the fuck was he, and how did I hurt him?

Turning to the bitchy little woman, I leaned on my elbow. “What time?”

Chapter 9 – Annaliese

Leo confused me.

I paced in front of the pizza parlor, worrying my bottom lip. “Uh-huh,” I murmured absently into the phone.

David continued to prattle about something.

But it was the dark-eyed businessman just beyond the door who consumed my every thought. Heflirtedwith me. There was no internal switch to flip and make him want me again. Not one that erased the past. No, this newfound attention came from a darker place.