Page 130 of Merciless Queen

Well, lucky for you I have a call coming in. Weapons deal, just to keep you updated. I’ll text later.

Vanessa

Don’t.

Every dayI tell myself I won’t do it.

And every day, I do. The plan continues failing. I fail at keeping my promise to Padre. The more I verbally spar with Vanessa, the more intrigued I grow.

So much so, as I sit by the pool one night with Venus curled into my side, beer in one hand, I can’t help but think of her. She’s a drug that’s been injected into my veins, and until I get my next fix, I’m in withdrawal, unable to focus on anything else.

Maybe it’s the alcohol, but before I realize what I’m doing, I call her, expecting her to ignore it, just like I presumed she would with my initial text the other day.

Once again, Vanessa proves that she, like me, can’t help herself.

“Hello?” Her dull voice comes through the phone. Duller than I’ve heard before, reminding me a bit of when I found herprocessingin my shower.

“Are you okay?” I rest the beer beside me, tensing as though to get up and rush to her side, even aware how ridiculous that is.

“Oh.” Her voice drops dead. “It’s you. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.” Venus lifts her head into my lap, ears twitching toward my phone. “Even Venus agrees with me.”

“Long morning, that’s all,” she says with a deep sigh. “Anastasia caught some asshole trying to hit one of my employees. Luckily, the woman had quick reflexes and blocked him by the time security showed up. So I helped her with him.” She pauses, and with an almost hesitant tone, adds, “Plus, I haven’t been sleeping well the past few days.”

Me neither.Not since I first spoke to her last week about Boris. Since then, seems it’s harder and harder to settle each night, often resulting in late swims in the pool and knowing looks from Nero the next morning.

“Sounds chaotic. Your employee okay?”

“Yes. You care because…?”

I shrug though she can’t see me. “No innocent should get hurt.”

“Right. Why did you call me?”

“Wanted to hear your voice.”

She snorts. “Hanging up now.”

“Wait.” My hand grasps around air as though I’m able to reach for her. “You answered, so I think you’re where I am too.”

“And where’s that?” Wariness drips through the line.

Kicking my feet against the water, I stare at the clear blue as though it’ll have a better way to phrase my thoughts. “There’s something about you. Something I can’t?—”

“Stop,” she cuts me off. “Don’t go there, Mancini. Whatever you assume I’m feeling, you’re wrong. You’re reading into nothing. I’m tired, wasn’t paying attention when I picked up the phone, that’s all.”

“Why haven’t you killed me?”

Seconds pass with only our shared breaths having a conversation. “Told you I wouldn’t.”

“You’d be free.”

“Why are you pushing me, Zeno? You know what—never mind.”

Click.

Pulling the phone away from my face, I smirk as I rest it beside me and tug Venus closer, stroking a hand down her side as I kick my feet through the water again and gaze up at the moon.

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