Mad Max - Sapphire Knight Page 0,42
and break the ice for you? It’s who you’ve been staring at, after all, isn’t it?”
“You should be worrying about our wedding today, not who I may or may not be paying attention to. And no, I don’t want you anywhere near that disease of a man.”
“Whatever. When we get to the apartment, I’m moving into the other room. I’ll sleep alone from now on. I’m over this.”
She catches me off guard, pulling my full attention to her and off the future dead man. “The flat has our room and a spare. You aren’t changing beds. Stop this nonsense. You’re behaving like an insolent child who isn’t getting everyone’s admiration at once.”
Her brows shoot up. “Was that an order? I’m not one of your crew you can boss around. I thought you understood as much.”
I’m beginning to think she’s looking to fight with me regardless, at this rate. With a huff, I shake my head. “You move out of the damn room and I’ll burn the godforsaken building down. The attitude isn’t cute on you, lovey, so shake it off.”
Her mouth pops open momentarily, then a loud giggle escapes her. My shoulders instantly relax with the sound. She’s positivity adorable when she laughs like that, but I keep the sentiment to myself, not wanting to distract her from the change in her demeanor. I can be around a pleasant Ismerlda for any amount of time. It’s when she pokes at me that I need a breather so I don’t choke her and regret it later.
I tug her into my chest, the move unlike me, especially around people. Public affection isn’t my forte, but then neither is intimacy in general—only sex. With her pressed up to my chest, I glance behind her to the spot I last saw Morelli in. Only now he’s gone. I swiftly scan the rest of the room to find him nothing more than a godforsaken ghost. He’s disappeared without a trace, and I was foolishly distracted by the spicy beauty in my arms to be keeping watch.
I pull back, clutching her biceps as I meet her sparkling irises. “Go visit and enjoy yourself. I need to speak with someone immediately.” She starts to protest and I interrupt. “This is part of what it means to be married to me, Ismerlda. I’ll always have business to handle. This is my life and now yours as well.”
She doesn’t like it, but her lips twist into a serious expression. She concedes, “I’ll thank the guests for our gifts and their attendance. Go, handle what you need to.”
“Brilliant.” I squeeze her arms in approval and take my leave. I search the guests for Dante, his brother, Morelli, and the few others who knew about our plan for today. I’m silently cursing myself as I text each of them and don’t receive an immediate reply in return. Patience isn’t my strong suit.
“What is it?” Thaddaeus asks as he approaches, his tone gruff from tension. “You’re looking a little more insane than usual, Max. You have me worried as to what you’re up to and if we’ll need to clean up bodies afterward. Explain.”
With a devilish grin, I wave his worry off and lean in so we’re not overheard by prying ears. “The mark has left the room and possibly the building. I’m a bloody fucking ripe arsehole to lose sight of him, you don’t have to mention it. I know you want to kill him, but I may carve the fella up by the time I get my hands on him at this rate. He deserves to hurt for all the trouble we’ve gone through.”
“You’ll get stains on your new threads, relax. Dante and his brother are on Uncle’s tail.”
“I chose a solid ebony tux for a reason,” I offer a twisted smirk. “Let’s follow. We can stop off and pick up a chainsaw on the way.” We’ve been hunting this fucker long enough; it’s time he realized nobody gives a fuck about Sammi Morelli.
Joker’s chuckle is low and just as wicked as mine. He rarely ever smiles; it tends to wig pricks out. “A chainsaw, eh? Your ideas never cease to disturb me, and that’s more fucked-up than I like to admit to. You’re a sociopath, Max, but it’s one of the many things I enjoy most about you.”
I’d have agreed with him in the past, but Ismerlda has me feeling things I don’t normally bother paying any mind to. Jealousy, for example. What in the bloody hell is that