Page 41 of As the World Falls

“It sounds like you’re worried I’ll find something worthwhile out by being here. Do you feel threatened by me, James?”

His gaze drops to my chest, roaming slowly up my neck and back to my face. Every inch he observes feels like he leaves burning welts behind on my skin. I could feel every spot he tracked. “Threatened by you?” he repeats, amused. “Look at you.” He lifts his hands, curling his fingers under the diamond necklace I wore. “You look faker than the excuses you tell your brother for being here. What did you tell him? You were proud of him? You wanted to celebrate with him when we both know you’re only here to ruin everything he’s worked for?”

“Stop it,” I rush out, my chest shaking with anger.

“No,” he growls. “You dare show up today after crossing a very fine line yesterday, and you expect me to lie down and take it?” He leans closer to me, the heat of his body consuming me and making my heart race, unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my chest. He lets go of my necklace and lifts his hand to my ear now, his thumb sliding over the diamonds. “I don’t take, babe. I give. Hard. Then I devour. You’re making it hard not to devour you, Cecilia.”

My heart catches, and I stare back at him, wide-eyed like a doe caught by a lion. “W—What?”

“If you keep working against me, I won’t be held responsible for eating you alive,” he reiterates.

I let out a hard breath, squaring my shoulders back and staring into his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

He tilts his head, watching me curiously now. “Are you going to stick around and find out?”

I fight to keep my shaking body under control as I nod my head. “Yes.”

He exhales, his gaze dropping to my mouth and settling there momentarily before meeting my eyes again. Then, somehow, he leans even closer, and it’s like I turn to stone. I shut my eyes as his mouth finds my ear, his warm breath skating over it as he whispers, “I hope you can take it, little owl.”

Goosebumps flair over my skin as cold air consumes me, and when I open my eyes, he’s gone.

I race out of the coat closet and stumble back into the main room. I don’t see James anywhere but spot my brother by the bar. I barrel toward him, gripping his arm and shaking him for attention.

“Tobias, I need to leave.”

He looks away from his friends, his smile fading as concern takes over. “What's wrong? You look white as a ghost.”

“I uh…I don’t feel well. I want to go home.” Guilt consumes me for lying to him again, and it makes me want to rip out of my skin. Not only do I have to deal with my own inner judgment about it, but James keeps reminding me of his judgment, too, and I hate to say it, but it works. It affects me every time he mentions it, making me feel worse.

One of his friends hollers his name in excitement from the other end of the bar, and I watch his face light up and diminish just as quickly as he remembers me standing here. “Uh yeah, sure, let’s get you home,” he says, fishing in his pocket for his car keys.

More guilt overtook me, and I put a hand on his arm, pausing him. “You can stay. I can take your car back to my hotel if you can get a ride home. I really don’t mind.”

“I can’t just let you leave alone, Lia.”

“Tobias, it’s fine. Really. Stay with your friends and enjoy your night. You deserve it.”

He smiles and kisses the top of my head as he pulls his keys out and drops them into my hand. “Text me as soon as you’re safe in your hotel.”

“I will.” I turn to leave before remembering something and face him again. “I need the key for the glovebox, for my necklace.”

“Oh right,” he remembers, opening his jacket and pulling the key out. I take it from him, holding it tight in my fist. “Be careful,” he reminds me, and I nod, smiling and waving goodbye to him as I make my way out through the crowd.

When I find the car, I lock myself inside and sit for a good five minutes, trying to calm down. I glance at myself in the rearview mirror, seeing the twinkle of my jewelry, and I growl in disgust. I rip the necklace off my neck and slide the earrings off my ears. I toss them into the seat next to me and take out the key, unlocking the glovebox. I reach for my necklace and hurry to put it back on, feeling slightly more at ease now that it’s back around my neck.

When I lean back to close the glovebox, I spot a plain little black book inside. I curiously pull it out and open the first page. I read it all, looking at the names, dates, and the section for payment amounts or any remaining balances. There were signatures next to every line, matching their printed names.

I flip through the book, the car silent except for the pages and my heavy breathing. “This is a ledger,” I whisper to myself, not believing my eyes. I look down at the bottom of the page, finding a signature in the bottom right corner of every page.

A signature reading, James Kingston.

Chapter Fourteen

James

It’s been a fucking morning. It wasn’t even six in the morning yet, and I was on my way to the home of someone who had no idea they were about to have me knocking at their door.

Friday, when I was pulled away from my office, I was updated on the little snitch harassing my company and constantly calling the police. It wasn’t Hodge directly, but upon further investigation, we learned it was his nephew, a thirty-year-old man with an extensive criminal history who had been working for his uncle since he was released from prison seven months ago.

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