Corrupted Queen - Nicole Fox Page 0,66

emerald, lips eternally curved as though suppressing a secret. He’s a few inches shorter than me, but still tall by most standards, with a slender frame suited more to a cat burglar than a Mafia don.

My jaw clenches and Alexis tracks my line of sight.

“Is that …” she trails off.

“Stay here,” I say, turning around and heading in Patrick’s direction.

I have no idea what I’m going to say to Patrick, but I can’t leave this slight unacknowledged. I don’t know why he had this woman try to embarrass me in front of Alexis and the public, but he clearly needs reminding who is in charge.

“Gabriel,” Patrick greets jovially as I arrive in front of him. “What a coincidence, we were just talking about you.”

The woman tips her head back and laughs. It’s an ugly sound, and I can see from the disgust on his face that Patrick thinks so too. He wrinkles his nose and tells the woman to leave. She does, looking furious.

“That was a poor show, Patrick,” I say in a low voice. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Twas nothing but a little practical joke.” Patrick’s eyes glow with mirth. “That’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

“We are not friends.”

Patrick’s thick brows converge above his nose, lips puckering, as though genuinely upset. “How could you say that? I made you all those friendship bracelets. We played hopscotch together.”

Not for the first time, I wish my father hadn’t killed Damien Walsh. Though young, he understood respect in a way his father and brother never have.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at, but it ends here,” I warn him.

His eyes shine with something I can only describe as madness. “I don’t think it does end here. I think it’s only just beginning.”

I do not like the sound of this. Is he implying that he is on the cusp of betraying me? Perhaps he already has.

I glance around, checking that nobody is close enough to hear us. All the people around seem disinterested in the exchange, as the event has now reached a level of drunken frivolity where guests tend to steer clear of the more serious-looking conversations.

“Patrick, I have been a model partner, but I warn you not to cross me. I will make what I did to your father look like a mercy compared to what I will do to you.”

Patrick lifts his hands to his cheeks. “Oh no. I’m so scared.” With a snort, he adds, “Please, Gabriel. We all know you’re on an even tighter leash than I am.”

“Don’t test me,” I snarl.

“I won’t,” he says. “Not yet. I just wanted to remind you that I’m not the passive rag doll you think I am. I’m a king in my own right, just like you.” He leans closer conspiratorially, though his voice grows louder. “And don’t forget that you need me to help with your little purple problem.”

My eyes flick to his in alarm. How dare he say that here? In public? Patrick claps me on the back and leaves as I look around to make sure nobody overheard him.

Behind me, Alexis is standing rigid with her mouth agape, eyes wide with shock. She snaps her mouth shut when she sees me and turns on her heel, stomping out of the banquet hall.

I mutter every curse in the book as I follow her, juggling a variety of emotions that I don’t quite understand. This is my business. It’s nothing to do with her. Besides, Alexis knows I’m a criminal, this shouldn’t be a shock to her.

So why does it feel like I’ve betrayed her somehow? And why does the thought of her disappointment sting like salt in a deep wound?

I had thought that this fundraiser had the potential to be a little untidy but this—this is a fucking mess.

22

Alexis

“What do you mean it’s not ready?” Debbie screams. I wince and pull the phone from my ear.

“Shh,” I hiss into the phone, worried that Jessica will hear the conversation from the nursery next door, pop music be damned. “Listen, I know I said—”

“You said that you had all the proof you needed! You said you were ready to rock and that writing the article was going to be a piece of piss!” she interrupts, taking liberties with the wording I used in the email I now regret sending.

“I thought I had everything, but it turns out I’m still missing some vital information.”

“Like what, Alexis?” she huffs. “Like the star signs of each of the key players? Am I going