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“Smells amazing,” she sing songs behind me.
“It does, doesn’t it?” I agree, carefully turning to set the pie on top of the cooling mat Norma laid out for me on the island.
Leaning down, I take a deep inhale of the sweet, gooey goodness, letting a satisfied sigh slip past my lips.
Grabbing a knife, I decide to go ahead and cut the pie so it will cool quicker, mainly because I can’t wait to inhale an entire piece and eat my feelings.
I don’t miss the way Niko’s eyes track my every movement from his place at the table.
“Don’t worry. I’m just going to cut the pie,” I tell him, waving the knife in front of my face.
“With your temper, I can’t be too sure,” he grumbles loud enough for me to hear.
“Well, if you don’t want to worry about me stabbing you, maybe next time you can give me a little heads up before you throw me out in front of the wolves,” I snip bitterly.
I’ve gone back and forth with Niko. One minute I think he’s looking out for me. The next, I swear he’s secretly enjoying watching me suffer. I’m pretty sure he hates me now regardless. I’ve been pretty awful to him over the last couple of days.
“I already told you, it had to feel real. If I told you what was happening...”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” I interrupt him. “I still would have ended up bleeding on the floor.”
It’s kind of funny when you think about it.
There he sits. A dangerous Cartel Lieutenant. Gun on his hip. Scowl on his face that would scare a normal person.
And here I am, their prisoner, yet with the way I’ve spoken to both him and Mateo at one point or another, you would think I was one of them.
Maybe that’s the Herrera in my blood. Maybe I was bred to fit into a world that few can survive in.
Or maybe Niko, along with the other men, are playing nice because they know if they fuck with me, they’ll have to answer to Mateo.
Mateo...
Just the thought of his name has my pulse spiking.
“Where is your boss, anyway?” I ask as I slide the knife through the center of the pie, a pocket of steam releasing into the air.
“Around.” He shrugs, taking a drink from his coffee mug.
“So he’s still on the island?” I ask, turning the still too warm dish to cut from another angle as I slice the pie into triangles.
Niko glances up at me, a strange look on his face.
“Why?”
“No reason. I just haven’t seen him in a few days.” I focus on what I’m doing rather than looking at Niko, afraid he might be able to see the lie in my eyes.
“Believe it or not, he has more important things to do than babysit your ass,” he snaps at me.
“That’s right.” I give him a sarcastic smile. “Because that’syourjob.” I flip my middle finger up at him, causing him to snarl.
“Don’t push your luck, little girl.”
“Or what?” I challenge.
“That’s enough, you two. Keep it up and I’ll put you both over my knee,” Norma scolds, waving a wooden spoon at me and then Niko.
“Um...” My eyes dart up to find Mateo standing in the doorway, a bewildered look on his face. “Should I ask?” His eyes go from Norma, to Niko, before finding their way to me.
