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“I do.” She dropped the fork and folded her hands. It was the same stance my father took when he was about to negotiate a difficult deal, and I nearly groaned at the sight of it.
“Don’t ruin things,” I breathed out, gripping my fork so tightly I nearly snapped the thing in half.
“What do you mean?”
“Things are going well between us, right?” She didn’t move. “Don’t drive a wedge.”
Her eyes flashed at the accusation. “I’m not the one hurling accusations.”
“It was a joke.” It hadn’t been. Though I’d let things go, to an extent anyway, I still wanted Carla to open up. Until I heard the truth from her mouth, there was a wall between us.
“Was it?” Carla asked. “I’m not stupid. I see the way that you look at me.”
“And how is that? Like I want to fuck you?”
Carla’s nostril’s flared in anger, but I noticed how she squirmed in her chair slightly. The crassness of my words affected her, even if she wanted to pretend like they didn’t.
“Like you don’t trust me.”
I took another sip of my wine, trying to figure out how I wanted to play this. Carla was unlike anyone I’d ever known. Sometimes that was a good thing. She surprised me, challenged me, and made my cock harder than steel. But other times, it frustrated the fuck out of me that I wasn’t able to read her the way I could everyone else.
“I don’t trust anyone,” I said. There was truth in that. “Do you?”
Carla’s lower lip dropped slightly, and I knew she was thinking about my words carefully. “No,” she breathed out. The skin on her throat flexed as she swallowed, and something about the action made me want to sink my teeth into her vulnerable skin. I’d never been one for inflicting pain, but there was something about Carla’s golden hue that made me want to dirty her.
Ironic considering what I knew about her past.
Carla looked angelic, but there was darkness to rival my own under her skin.
“Probably best considering the families we were born into.” I finished the remainder of my wine and gave a sardonic laugh. “We can dress it up all we want, but you and I know that there’s always someone waiting to stick a knife in our backs.”
Carla shivered slightly. There was a peek of fear in her eyes, and I felt like a dick as I recalled that Carla’s family had been the victims of her father’s business.
But she rallied quickly, and the small peek of vulnerability in her eyes disappeared immediately. “Let’s talk about something else.”
I nodded. “How about dessert?”
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
I was covered in blood. The feeling of it was warm and sticky, and the scent of copper permeated the air, making me gag. “Mama!” I cried out, reaching towards her even as a hand pulled me away.
Her dead eyes were looking at me with accusation in them, and the sight of them made me cry harder. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
Whoever was pulling me away from the scene was not doing it gently, and I could feel the concrete of the deck ripping up my skin. My time on the floor didn’t last long. In moments, I was pulled into my attacker’s arms as though I were nothing but a rag doll.
“Your turn.” The dark eyes looked at me through the mask, and I felt true terror. Hands wrapped themselves around my throat, and that familiar nagging scent invaded my nostrils.
“Don’t fight it.” Another pair of lips pressed themselves against the shell of my ear. The scent, like pine and cigarette smoke, gagged me. “You are going to join your family.”
The thought of being with my family made my body sag. This was it. I was going to die, and a part of me welcomed it. Tears streamed down my face as I allowed the warmth of death to encompass me.
“Carla!”
My eyes flew open, and I was shocked to see Eli staring down at me, concern in his dark eyes. His hands were wrapped around my arms, and his grip tightened to a point where I knew he was going to leave bruises on my skin.
“Fuck,” he muttered before pressing me against his hard chest. “Fuck.”
I started to shake. I’d been dreaming. It had been a few days since my nightmares had plagued me.
