Page 23 of The Villain

“I don’t have my phone.” Otherwise I would have fifteen pictures of him already. It was a good decision to leave it behind. The temptation to capture the fleeting emotions on his face is too much.

“You don’t,” he mocks and I shrug.

“Tera knows where I am.”

He flops back with a frown. “Is she the only one with the number?”

“And every fucking telemarketer on Earth.”

“Huh.” He pulls out his phone with narrowed eyes and hits a button, placing it on the table between us as it rings.

“If she wounded you, you got off light,” Tera sounds aggravated.

“I wouldn’t have owed?” I ask, surprised at the turnaround. Not that I would have hurt him, now that I’ve seen him again. Even my threat to him could be considered pleasurable in the right circumstances. She’s never had this kind of blasé attitude about what I’m capable of. What makes Shade different?

There’s a piece of the puzzle dangling in front of me but it’s invisible.

“No. I mean yes! No hitting!”

“I was calling to apologize,” he sounds amused by our interaction while I’m pouting. She’s not going to tell me anything.

“You sound less sincere than I do,” I narrow my eyes on him in displeasure and his smile widens. My irritation abruptly settles at the look. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

“Wait, you’re apologizing? For real?”

“Why does she sound so shocked?” My tone is getting gritty again and Shade starts frowning.

“Yeah, for real,” he grumbles and his cheeks darken again. A guilty tell. The drink moving is nerves. The cup is full, he hasn’t had any caffeine. His reactions are becoming more blatant now that Tera is involved. He’s at ease with her.

“Do you mind?” Someone a table over asks, gaining both of our attention. I notice Shade immediately closes up emotionally and stops talking. I’m not having that. For any reason.

“I don’t,” my lip curls as I take in the uptight older woman next to us. “If you were fucking smart you wouldn’t either.”

The woman looks at me in horror and building anger. I don’t look away or give an inch. When she takes my eyes in, her bluster begins to falter.

“Fuck on along,” I wave a hand towards the door.

Her mouth snaps shut and she leaves with a lot of loud shouting about suing me.

“You can’t sue me if you’re dead,” I mutter as I watch her walk down the street, still shouting obscenities.

“Southie, no.”

I return my attention to the phone. It just slipped out. I didn’t even mean that one. I glance up at Shade to take in how badly I just fucked up.

He’s still watching her walk away with a blank expression.

“You’re cranky,” Tera sounds like she’s pouting. “Have you been sleeping?”

“More or less. My back is killing me.”

Shade looks at me to listen to the conversation. He hasn’t gotten his expression back and it’s making me want to track that woman down and beat the shit out of her.

“You need a hot bath and a nap.”

I sigh in frustration, “I wish.”

“Ibuprofen?”

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