Page 4 of Gemini Kings
Besides, my shitty ex-lover did more in Singapore than betray me and abandon me for dead.
He underestimated me.
And tonight’s the night I prove that.
I’m a bad enemy to have. Xiao and Cleo almost got me killed. My gal pal’s gone deep, where I can’t find her, but Xiao’s not as cautious. Or maybe he’s just more cocky.
That kind of betrayal isn’t the kind of shit you just get over. And I’m not the type to forgive.
Too bad for him my dad’s wet boys couldn’t finish the job.
We’re not having this convo again,I tell my mates in my queen voice, glaring at Xiao’s back as he fiddles with the keycard. I angle my wrist to scowl at the racing digits on the dive watch strapped to my wrist.We honestly don’t have the time. Odds are my dad’s on his way here to pay off this lying sack of shit right now.
Hmmm,Vasili muses.
Which means my snake is thinking.
That’s when he’s at his most dangerous.
The roulette ball drops in a pocket, somebody hits it big, and a round of cheers and whistles breaks out right next to me. Which makes me way too conspicuous.
I mosey out of Xiao’s line of sight behind a bank of slots and wait to hear if my snake’s gonna weigh in too. Getting Vasili not to crush every bone in Xiao’s deceitful body, with one whack of his telekinetic witchcraft, the tick we saw Xiao stroll into the Double Gem (thus confirming every single suspicion I’ve been harboring about my goddamn ex) has been the hardest part of this whole job.
Matter of fact, it’s pretty fucking crystal that neither one of my mates is happy with me—like,at all—for trying to do this without them. Or for leaving them off the VIP list for the impending Xiao-Zara throwdown. Ronin and Vasili wanted ringside seats. Instead they’re in the nosebleed section.
And pissed about it as fuck-all.
When Vasili stays silent and doesn’t argue, that fist of tension in my gut unclenches. Ronin won’t buck the plan now, at the eleventh hour, if Vasili and I both back it.
Although, in Vasili’s case, he’s probably only silent because he’s smart enough to know I’m going in anyway.
Don’t fucking toy with him then,Ronin grumbles at last.Bastard’s already betrayed you once. Get what you bloody came for, then get the hell out. And no trying to leave us behind this time.
I won’t. I promise.A rush of elation shoots to my head, laced with a relief so strong it’s a revelation. Because I reallydon’twant to do this heist… or any heist, actually… without them.
Which makes me wonder if maybe I’m getting a littletoodependent on my spiffy new harem? I’m not used to depending on anyone, much less trusting anyone. Look what literally just happened with Xiao and Cleo, right?
It’s one thing palling around with my new guys at the Academy behind magical wards that conceal the whole island from these unsuspecting mortals who have zero clue the witching world even exists. Nothing gets past those wards without the Dean’s say-so (except us, apparently). But now we’re back in the real world.
Still. This whole harem thing’s built around the concept of trusting my guys to have my back.
So that’s what I’m gonna do.
Trust.
I can do this.
I tamp down my nerves, get my head back in the game, and roll my shoulders to loosen up.Ready to do your thing, guys?
Oh, we’ll do our thing.Dark with promise, Ronin’s voice strokes every nerve in my body like a hand sliding down my spine.Long as we can doyourthing later.
Now behave, darlings, do.Vasili breaks his silence at last.Daddy Gemini just strolled through the south entrance with a devil’s dozen of his armed baboons. They’re definitely headed your way, little queen.
My heart gives a hard kick against my sternum. Fight-or-flight instinct shoots through every synapse and makes my fingertips crackle. I haven’t been under the same roof as dear old Dad since I took off.
Right before he put out that hit on my head.
I have to remind myself I won’t be under the same roof now for very long. I rub my fingertips together to dispel the electric charge of my power.
