I cease listening to whatever else he’s saying. His words are drowned out by the deafening pounding of my pulse in my head. My heart lodges in the base of my throat, the rapid beat nearly strangling me, while a shower of heat pours over me.
The door to a room a little farther down the hall opens, and Aryn walks out with Asad behind her. This shouldn’t have fury and humiliation pumping through me. Slivers of betrayal for damn sure shouldn’t be sliding between my ribs like splinters under fingers. A terrible… ache shouldn’t be yawning wide inside me like an empty, dark abyss.
And yet…
Yet, as I stand in this hallway with Kareem as a witness to my goddamnfiancéexiting a room with his lover after probably fucking her in apology, all of that shit is coursing through and over me.
“I told you,” Kareem murmurs, not bothering to hide the pity in his eyes as they head in our direction. “I warned you. He didn’t wait until you were out of the house to go back to her. I’m sorry, Em.”
Shut the fuck up, my mind screams at him. But the words stick in my throat, crazy-glued by the hurt I have no business experiencing.
Asad and Aryn notice us and stop mid-step. Surprise flickers across both of their faces, but then a smirk curves Aryn’s wide,full mouth. A mouth with smeared lipstick. Even as I yell at myself to not give a flying fuck, I can’t stop my gaze from traveling over Asad’s aloof, impassive mask, down his shirt, and lower, to his pants… to the red stain dirtying them right over his dick print. It’s almost indecipherable on his black pants, but I see it; I know what it is.
And when I drag my gaze back up and meet his narrowed, molten eyes, he knows what I’ve seen. Knows that I’ve guessed exactly what went on in that room between him and that bitch.
I don’t care.
He’s forcing me into this charade, bullshit marriage.
It doesn’t mean—
“Fuck you.”
CHAPTER EIGHTAsad
Xavier. Deacon.
Gotdamn.
I grip the sides of the bathroom sink and bow my head, forehead almost pressed against the cool glass of the mirror.
I’m not even gon’ lie. This one fucks me up.
I’ve known those two since Michelle first brought me and Kareem into Marcus’s house. When Marcus started introducing me to the House of Cross business and then the underworld side when I turned eighteen, they became like honorary uncles to me. They’d taught me the rules and ropes of this game as much, if not more, than Marcus. My stepfather was savvy and knowledgeable in the boardroom, but in the streets? Xavier and Deacon dirtied the hands Marcus insisted on keeping clean and callus-free. I respected them for that. Admired them for that. When I imagined stepping into my rule over this organization, that vision included them by my side along with Eli and Kareem.
Now what? How deep did this go? Were they working on their own, or did they have an army behind them? Did they object to just me, or was this plan in process against Marcus, too? Were they responsible for Marcus’s murder and now making sure all obstacles were out the way?
Shit. Just… shit.
Running a hand over my braids, I shake my head.
I never saw this betrayal coming.
Keeping it a hundred, I would’ve foreseen my mother coming for my neck before they did.
I exhale, the long, hard breath fogging the glass.
It hadn’t even been four whole days that I’d been in control of this shit and already I had a fucking conspiracy and uprising. I chuckle. Good thing I didn’t give a fuck about burning this shit all the way to the ground and starting all over if that’s what needed to be done. Yeah, I did everything in my power to end up here, at the top, but none of this shit owns me. I’d salt the gotdamn ground to make sure nothing grew and move the fuck on to grow what I wanted before letting any muthafuckas play on my top.
That’s what my little demonstration was about tonight. A message to not just my allies but to my own street bosses and soldiers. I was loyal to those who were loyal to me. But cross me? Cross me and the T-shirt business will be extra busy for you and your loved ones. I’ll wipe out your whole bloodline, fucking around with me.
As Carter found out tonight.
The corner of my mouth curls into a faint half smile.
Carter damn sure fucked around and found out tonight.
As did I and everyone else in that room.
