Page 89 of Red Retaliation
“You seem a bit on edge, princess,” he drawls, trailing his finger along my arm.
A flurry of goosebumps appears where his finger connects, and I inwardly seethe. Yet another reason why I should have worn a jacket over this sleeveless dress. “I’m not on edge - just amazed at the amount of staff you have.” My voice is as pleasant as his, but the coldness in my eyes matches his own.
Red grins at a man and his wife sitting in the group we’ve joined - one of many groups so far. We’ve trailed around a thousand people so Red can act like head honcho. It makes me sick.
“I have lots of staff, and giving my second tier a decent night on the house is something I’m ashamed to say is grossly overdue. After all, these men do the lion’s share of the work in my firm, don’t you, Bill?”
“Fascinating,” I say, keeping my saccharine smile firmly fixed. What Red’s wordsreallytranslate to mean is,“these men do the majority of killing and drug running while I reap the benefits”.
Red Bateman reserves things like hacking reporters to bits himself for special occasions.
My teeth grate as he slaps Bill on the back, like they’re best friends. I haven’t seen Bill before and doubt I’ll see him again. Everyone knows that no one matters to Red Bateman, but are too scared to voice anything but gratitude.
Quickly reminding myself that I have to remain the “dutiful wife”, I bite back the sarcastic comment I itch to throw in his direction. Let the men continue their good-natured banter. What gives me the right to spoil this guy’s one night of having a laugh with the Big Bad Boss without fear of reprisals?
As for Bill’s wife - there’s little to say, even if I want to, which I don’t, because the envy seeping from her in my direction acts as a natural defense barrier.
You have no idea, love, I think, ignoring my urge to laugh at the irony. No one could be jealous of my life if they knew what it comprised of.
Feeling a distinct sense of daggers in the side of my head, I glance around.
I thought as much.Liam.
I focus on him and the man he’s with at the bar. By the looks of it,they’re having a right good old laugh, yet Liam still finds time to cut me death stares?
Pathetic.
The man Liam’s with isn’t someone I’ve seen before. He doesn’t look the type to have a laugh with, yet they’re getting on like a house on fire. The slightly built, bespectacled man in a pinstripe suit looks out of place compared to most of Red’s heavily built, stocky staff. Interest piqued, my eyes still on Liam, I lean towards Red. “Who’s that?”
Glancing up, Red follows my gaze to his brother and the mystery man. “The guy talking to my brother?”
He effortlessly places his arm around my shoulders, his proximity an unnecessary reminder of the supposed “union” we can’t have. I shiver but also detect tension in the way his arm falls.
“It’s one of my accountants.”
I don’t miss the tinge of venom in Red’s voice. “He doesn’t look your usual sort,” I say, wishing he’d move away, but to my horror, he leans in, his breath hot on my ear.
“And what is my ‘usual sort’, princess? You?”
Fuck. He’s getting me bothered. I don’t need his tricks tonight because it’s hard enough as it is. “I meant...” My words trail off as Liam’s harsh glare swivels towards me once again. He’s still laughing with that man, but his eyes are stone cold.
Then I see an acknowledgement so minuscule, one blink and you’d miss it. Slapping the accountant on the back, Liam’s arm remains around the man’s shoulders and they both head off.
Good riddance.
I turn back to Red, his line of sight flicking from Liam to scan the room. He rises from his seat and holds his hand out. I take it, purposely blanking the effect his touch has. I have to make the effort, but him running his eyes over me like he’s undressing me doesn’t help my overall countenance. “Who are we planning to ‘mingle’ with next? Obviously, I can’t wait...”
“Sarcasm gets you nowhere, princess. You should realize that. From what I hear, you still prefer lurking around corridors and checking out fire escapes.”
I blanch.Liam told him? Why should I be surprised?“I wasn’t sneaking about,” I snap. “I needed fresh air.” I then blush, vividly recalling exactlywhyI needed that fresh air. My hand moves to my mouth. Even thinking of that night reminds me how swollen my lips were from Red’ssavage kiss, but I pull myself together.
Then I remember the men I overheard. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it was Liam and Oscar. Regardless of the shift between us, I should tell Red about it. “Listen, I need to tell you something.”
“There’s no point in telling me what you were doing in the corridor now, sweetheart,” Red growls, his voice low. “You still haven’t cottoned on that I know everything that happens, but you should...”
“If that’s the case, you’ll already know that I overheard two men talking about passing on updates.”
Frowning, Red pulls me to one side against the wall, the look in his eyes chilling me to the bone. “What fucking updates?”
