scene like that because that’s what it was. We both know there was no way I should have survived. I think Zodiac was testing to see which of his division heads are still unwaveringly loyal to him. He wanted to see if someone would step in.”
“Well, if that’s true then we all passed with flying colors.” His shrug is blasé, making me want to elbow him in the face.
“At least until he realizes his mistake,” I murmur, looking out the window as the rain lightly starts to fall. The neon lights outside appear to blur and distort, making the world around us look as if it’s melting.
“And what mistake might that be?” he questions quietly, his tone even so he doesn’t give away his emotions.
“That he chose the wrong bait. Nobody there gave a fuck about some random street girl. Maybe if it was their sister or daughter or something, then Zodiac might have gotten the reaction he was seeking. But even that depends on these men having any kind of empathy left in their black souls. He might have been better off placing a big old pile of money in the center. Money is likely the only thing that still motivates most of them.”
“Still as jaded as ever I see,” he jokes.
“Perhaps I am, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Regardless of all that, the biggest mistake Zodiac made was making me a focal point. He accidentally showed each and every one there that women are smart. He reminded himself of the very reason he forced my hand all those years ago. He’s just now figuring out that the test to see if his crown was safe from his dark princes was never in jeopardy. In playing his games and being so deceitful, he gave a pawn the potential to become the queen.”
“Talk like that will get you killed, Cherry,” Reid warns, pulling into his parking space underneath the apartment building.
“Are you gonna tattle on me, Reid?” I tease, climbing from the car and making my way inside.
Reid follows behind me, mulling over my words.
“You want Zodiac’s position,” he surmises, looking both impressed and appalled. “You want him gone so you can rule?” He barks out a laugh that grates over my skin and has me itching to reach for my blade once more.
“I want my freedom back and if that means staging a coup, so be it.”
“He’ll kill you, or worse.” I don’t ask him what could be worse than death. I’m all too aware of the things that go bump in the night.
“He’ll have to catch me first, Reid. Besides, if he leaves me alone to do my job and doesn’t pull shit like that again, I’m sure our paths will rarely cross. I might kill to protect myself, but do I really look like a murderer to you?” I shake my head, looking away with a small grin.
He laughs, silly boy. Didn’t I already warn him tonight about underestimating me? Oh well, it’s best to let him think I’m all talk. He made it clear tonight where his loyalties lie. And that’s with himself.
“Come on, let’s sort your hand out and you can take a bath in that big old tub that you orgasmed over earlier,” he offers, changing the subject.
I wait as he ushers me inside his apartment, flicking on the lights before moving over to the windows and drawing the blinds to hide us from spying eyes, and knowing Diablo, sniper rifles.
“Sit at the table and I’ll go grab my supplies,” he orders. With my hand throbbing like a motherfucker, I see no need to argue.
He slips off his jacket and hangs it on the back of one of the chairs before rolling the arms of his shirt up to his elbows. I have to look away so he doesn’t see the flush spreading across my face. What is it about his forearms and rolled up sleeves that turn me into a simpering ninny?
I wait for him to walk away before reaching down and pulling off my boots, wiggling my sock-covered toes into the thick carpet beneath the table.
I keep the hoodie on, needing it as a shield, hiding behind the protection it offers. Being here alone with Diablo feels far too intimate and far more dangerous than it did in the room full of men at the planetarium.
“Okay, I have everything we should need.” He tosses the first aid box onto the table and pulls out a chair and turns it