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Control freak.
The thought flits through my head, but I don’t let the words come out of my mouth. I really don’t want to know what happens if I piss this guy off more than I already have. Instead, I just shrug a shoulder.
“He’s just a guy who goes to my school. We talk sometimes, mostly about homework.”
Malice grunts, still watching me intently.
He doesn’t say anything else, and I can feel the question I want to ask hovering on my tongue, fueled by the burning need for answers. I lick my lips and take a deep breath, gathering my courage.
“Why did you do that? Pay my tuition? Put money in my bank account? I know it was you guys.”
Dark gray eyes smolder with irritation as Malice snorts under his breath in response. “If you don’t get why, then you’re dumber than you look.”
I swallow hard, allowing myself to hate him in this moment. He’s harsh and cruel, and he clearly doesn’t give a shit about me.
“Do you expect me to thank you?” I ask, even though it’s probably about as stupid to taunt him as it would be to kick a hive full of bees.
Malice leans in, seeming to take up more space than any one man should be able to as he presses harder against the knife at his throat. I glance down to see blood welling where the sharp blade cuts shallowly into his skin, and my gaze follows the single bright red droplet that trails down his throat. He’s got tattoos creeping up his neck from beneath his shirt, and there’s a rough, raised scar on one side, just below his ear.
Yanking my focus away from all of that, I look back up at his face again as he murmurs, “I expect you to keep your mouth shut.”
“Ihave,” I snap, but the words stick in my throat.
Whatever bravery I was feeling when I pulled the knife is starting to fade as fear rises up again. I know he wasn’t kidding about being willing to kill me. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t even hesitate if it came down to it.
The way he’s looming over me fills my mind with a sudden flash of the dream I had the night I ran home from the brothel. It’s almost the same, except for the difference in location, and the fact that I’m wearing more clothes now than I was in the dream. Malice is probably armed—he seems like the kind of guy who goes armedeverywhere—and it makes me think of what he did to me with his gun in the dream.
Oh god. No, Willow. Don’t think about that. Don’t let him know you’re thinking about that.
My body responds to the memory of the dream, my pulse picking up and my breath catching. A simmering heat pools in my belly, mixing with the fear and anxiety that were already there to create a strange cocktail.
I do my best to keep any of that from showing on my face, but it’s almost like Malice can smell it on me. He cocks his head like a dog picking up a scent, his eyes narrowing.
He looks at me like he can see right through me, and something about his unwavering gaze just makes my skin flush even hotter. I feel like I can’t breathe, and my tongue darts out, licking my suddenly dry lips.
“I’ve kept my mouth shut,” I repeat. “I would’ve done that anyway, even without the money.”
“Good.” Malice nods slightly, sending one more droplet of blood cascading down his throat. “Keep it that way.”
He steps away from me suddenly, putting space between us.
“You won’t see me or my brothers again,” he says. “As long as you stick to the deal and don’t say shit to anyone.”
I hold very still, not sure what else to do or say, and for a long moment, Malice doesn’t move either. He just watches me with those sharp, intense eyes, making me feel like I’m prey and he’s a predator with his sights on me, just waiting for me to run so he can chase me down.
Then he flicks his gaze toward the knife, which is still clutched in my hand.
“Learn how to use that or get rid of it,” he says before turning and walking away, leaving me staring after him.
He follows the path between the buildings and then turns left, disappearing from sight. Once I can’t see him anymore, I let out a shaky breath, sagging against the side of the building I’m pressed against. A wave of delayed adrenaline floods my veins, making me feel sick in a rush.
My breath comes faster, and my body hums with a weird energy. I feel completely disoriented, like two worlds that were never meant to touch have collided, leaving me shaky and unsure what to do in the aftermath.
My phone rings in my pocket, and I jump at the sudden sound, dragging it out and hitting the button to answer it without even checking to see who’s calling.
“Hello?”
“Willow. Hi, baby.”
