Page 24 of Shai

Shai’s stare was hard. A reminder, should I have forgotten, that he

wasn’t someone to be messed with. “Because I want this one. Something without challenge is not worth having.”

“So… it’s not the money?” My question was genuine. Learning as much as I could about the man could only prove useful. He’d said it himself, hadn’t he? That line about knowing your enemy.

“Do I look like someone who needs more money?”

No, he didn’t. Everything in the huge mausoleum he called home reeked of money, from the décor to the multitude of men to do his bidding as soon as he so much as clicked his fingers. I shook my head, his body language relaxing slightly once I’d done it. “So, it’s just about McIntyre. You want to squash him like an ant?”

The smile that appeared on his face said the analogy had pleased him. Shai picked up one of the black markers, turning it over and over in his hand. “McIntyre’s days are numbered.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“If I did, do you think I would share it with you?”

The sting of rejection from his words was completely irrational. Yet, it didn’t stop me from experiencing one. In an attempt to hide my reaction, I shrugged. “Maybe. Isn’t that what villains do, shout their dastardly plans from the rooftops to show how clever they are?”

Although Shai’s head was down, his focus back on the table, I didn’t miss the slight curve to his lips, almost like he was keeping some sort of secret. “Only in TV programs. Real life is far more complex than that.” He stared down at the model city for a few more seconds before straightening up. “Want to see something impressive?”

Did I? I wasn’t sure. I was back to a state of perpetual confusion. Shai had assaulted me in the middle of the night without an ounce of regret, either then or now. I should be keeping my distance from him. Yet, there was something about him that kept drawing me to him, like he was some sort of cult leader and I was an eager acolyte. In lieu of an answer, I gave another shrug.

His smirk said he could read my mind. “Your choice.”

When he left the room, I hesitated for a moment before following in his wake, his route taking us back down the maze of endless corridors. Shai didn’t look back, either not caring, or smug in the knowledge that I was there. I needed to get a fucking grip. I should be looking for some sort of angle that would get me out of here, not partaking in cozy little conversations that gave him the opportunity to force his attentions on me, and prove yet again, that when it came to strength and sheer force of will, I was no match.

We took a right turn, my feet slowing as I realized his destination. He

did turn then, a knowing smile on his face. “I’m trying to work out what worries you more, that you think I’m going to have my wicked way with you, or the presence of the snakes.”

I wasn’t entirely sure myself. Both of them were equally fearsome

prospects. The wise thing to do would be to go back to my room, to refuse to play these games.

Shai braced an arm against the door jamb of his bedroom, the muscles

of his biceps taut as he crooked an eyebrow in question. “What if I promise you that I won’t lay so much as a finger on you? Will that put your mind at rest?”

Would it? He didn’t wait for an answer before disappearing inside. I

stood awkwardly in the hallway, my mind in turmoil. He’d left the door open, wide enough that when I took one step forward, I could see him across the other side of the room with his back to me. He extracted a key from his pocket, turning it in the lock of a cupboard before sliding it open to reveal row upon row of tiny bottles. “Do you know what these are?”

I jumped at the sound of his voice. Yet again, he’d known exactly where

I was, that I hadn’t gone anywhere despite the screaming of my subconscious to get the fuck out of there. “I have no idea.”

He turned, lifting his hand to beckon me toward him. “Come and see.” Find out more about the man. Find out something you can use as a

weapon. I stepped cautiously inside the room, my gaze automatically darting to the two large tanks. The cobra was visible in its tank, but the black mamba was nowhere to be seen. Well, at least that was something to be thankful for. I made a production out of crossing the room, delaying the moment that I would find myself standing at Shai’s side for as long as I could. Once I was, he plucked a bottle from the cupboard and held it up to me. There was no label, no indication of what it held. It was just a plain black bottle. “What is it?”

“Venom!” Shai smiled, inclining his head toward the mamba’s tank.

“The black bottles are from your old friend there.” He shifted the front row of bottles to the side to reveal a row of green ones behind. “The green ones are from Nyoko.”

I wet my lips. “And you keep them. For what purpose?”

Shai turned to face me. “Remember that man?” He gestured over to the place on the carpet where the man had knelt. Remember it! There were nights where I revisited that moment in my dreams over and over again, only sometimes I’d still been in the room, forced to watch as he slowly lost his fight for life, and sometimes the man was me. My brain was fond of conjuring up a hundred different scenarios when it came to the tableau I’d witnessed.

“This”—he turned the bottle in his fingers—“would have done the same job. You only need a few drops. Not as fun, but just as effective.” He whirled around, his stride taking him over to the tank which housed the black mamba. “Want to see how it’s extracted?”