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It was almost pitch-black. The only visible thing was an overflowing dumpster that smelled worse than the sweaty people in the club, and the mystery had my head spinning. I was too curious for my own good, but once I started obsessing over something, there was nothing I could do to prevent it, until I found something else to consume me.
The vapor came out of my mouth unexpectedly. It was slow, and the smoke managed to get in my eyes. It burned like a little bitch, but I was unable to blink, or to move from where I was standing. My gaze was glued to the dark-green eyes that were now shining through the darkness, lit by a slice of moonlight as the clouds parted.
Still, unmoving, without a blink. Like evergreens deep in the forest at night.
They sparked when our gazes met, and a deep electricity ran through my body, my mouth parting ever so slightly.
A minute passed.
Two.
Neither of us moved; neither of us broke eye contact.
I backed up against the wall, and the person decided to reveal themselves. My breath hitched in my throat, and the anticipation made my heart skip a beat. It seemed to be happening in slow motion, the steps they took stretching out over what felt like minutes.
A tall man emerged from the shadows, his white T-shirt completely covered in blood. Though its color was now unnatural—a dazzling crimson—it looked good on him, hugging his body like a second skin, his muscles perfectly in view. Who the hell wore a T-shirt in December?
His inked left arm caught my attention for a split second, but it wasn’t what stuck with me, or what would appear in my dreams night after night following our encounter.
The man wore a mask. It reached just above his lips, with three holes, for his nose and eyes. The mask itself was fashioned like a skull, though it was more than that. I knew real white gold when I saw it—it had definitely cost more than two of my cars. The end of it, where his lips were, was made out of teeth. I wanted to believe they weren’t real, but my gut told me differently.
He wore a pair of gloves that matched the mask, bones engraved on his fingers, made from the same material—except they were covered in red.
Why was he staying silent? I expected him to end my life there too, as I was a witness to his crime.
Instead of confronting me though, he stopped a few feet away. He was taller than me, at least a foot and a half. He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it with his bloody hands.
I tilted my head to the side as the first thought that occurred slipped past my lips. “Is the mask glued to your face?”
He blinked. Then he laughed.
His laugh was bone chilling, deep and thrilling. His white teeth shone beneath the moonlight, and his eyes twinkled with viciousness. I felt genuine fear as he took another step towards me.
“I don’t think that’s what you should be asking me.” His voice was everything I’d expected. Rough, dangerous, and villainous.
“Well, that’s my question.” My voice was shaky, and he caught on to that. A small smirk tugged on the corner of his lips as he lowered his head slightly, that murderous stare now directed towards me.
“Aren’t you afraid?” he retorted, ignoring my previous question.
I took in a sharp breath once he got too close to me. I was frozen in place, unmoving beyond a few shivers.
“I won’t tell anyone about what I saw.” Technically, I hadn’t really seen anything to report to the police, though given the influence of my family, I could easily have had him locked up anyway. However, I had no face to report.
He chuckled deeply. “That wasn’t my question.”
I provided no response. I was unable to take my eyes off his—they lured me in, devoured me from the inside out, until there was nothing left. The depth of his stare was all-consuming, too much for me to handle.
“What’s your name, little lion?”
The nickname caught me off guard. I swallowed harshly as he closed the distance between us. Slowly, as he waited for an answer, he took the cigarette from between my fingers and dropped it to the ground. His followed suit.
“Ekaterina Kalashnikova.”
It was as if someone had tipped an ice-cold bucket of water over him. He took a few steps back, almost as soon as the words left my mouth. Eyes wide, his lips pulled into a thin line, he stared at me, all traces of amusement gone. His eyes traveled down my body, before he returned his gaze to my face.
“Fuck!” he yelled, startling me. “Get out of here—now.”
He left no room for argument, though I didn’t want to challenge him. I simply returned to Tiana and the others inside.
