Page 54 of Brutal Empire

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Bastian sitting across from me. I was more distracted than I thought since I didn’t hear him, nor did I pay attention to the smell around me. He was already smoking a cigarette.

“You terrify me.” My nails dug into the seat, trying to hold on to something—anything—because falling was one thing, but jumping with your eyes wide open was one hell of a bitch.

“So you’ve said,” he muttered as he put the cigarette in the ashtray.

“Did you fuck her?” The words left my mouth before I could think better of them.

His face gave nothing away. That smirk that was always present and, more than once, I imagined slapping away was nowhere in sight.

“I didn’t think you’d care,” he answered nonchalantly.

“I don’t.”

“Then why ask?” He leaned back as he assessed me.

My breathing grew shallow. Would it kill him to smile or give me any indication that he was trying to provoke me? But what if he wasn’t?

“Distractions could be fatal, and I did not come this far for you to kill me.”

I knew that was the wrong answer the moment he glared at me. He moved fast. Before I could stand, he already had one of my ankles in a vise grip. He pulled me, and I forced my body to twist so I could hold on to the floor and not land on my back. I could feel the burn from where he was gripping me. I pulled my free leg forward to gather the strength to kick him, but before I could execute my plan, he was already holding on to that foot.

I was at Bastian’s mercy, and I didn’t mind it.

He shifted his weight, and then I felt one of his hands wrap around my waist. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to ponder or freak out about it. He pulled me with him, and now I was sitting on top of him while the hand that had been holding my leg was now wrapped around my throat.

The first thing I noticed was that I could still breathe fine; he wasn’t trying to make me pass out. His hold was firm but easy enough for me to pull out of—if I wanted to.

“Careful, Angel,” he whispered in my ear. “Your jealousy is showing.”

I opened my mouth to dispute his claim when the stewardess made her way down the aisle toward us.

My eyes locked with hers, and I saw her smile falter for a second as she took in the sight of us. This was my moment to retreat, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get myself to move.

“Your food should be ready, Mr. Kingsley.”

Her tone was so sweet and flirty that I moved, but instead of getting up and returning to my seat, I fixed myself so that I would be more comfortable. Bastian sat straighter and then rearranged me so I would be in a cradled position on his lap. My back was to the window and my feet to the aisle.

“Thank you,” Bas replied without looking at her. His eyes were on me, and that smile I didn’t realize I had missed was on his lips.

The flight attendant turned around without another word. As soon as we were alone, I lifted my torso so I could go back to my seat.

“You get up, and I’ll go to her.”

My throat burned.

“That’s not fair,” I bit out.

“I’m going to tell you something, Angel,” he said as his finger came to my face and then under my chin, tipping it up so I could look at him. “I’m not a good man, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to get what I want.”

Unspoken words were in the air, but I was smart enough not to inquire about them. Maybe I wasn’t as on guard as I thought I would be because we spent so much time together. He had helped me with my training, I had been on a bike with him, and we shared a bed and a kiss—so being on his lap did make me want to throw my guts out because he was near me.

Fear forms from a pattern of things that have repeatedly caused us harm, and the pattern Bastian had established had tricked my body into thinking it was safe.

Neither of us ate much, just enough to nourish our bodies so we could keep our energy up for what was to come.

“I had a call to make. That’s why I didn’t sit right away,” Bas told me as the pilot announced that we would be landing shortly.

Something in me eased at his confirmation, and a sense of peace washed over me. It was dangerous to find peace with myself, and not because I had gotten rid of my demons, but because I took refuge in someone else.

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