Page 99 of Dangerous King
Marcello answers before I can. "You do what we fucking tell you. You go about your schedule like nothing happened. Play the part."
"But if he's listening?—"
"Then he'll hear what we want him to," I growl.
Kingsley swallows hard, glancing down at the faint UV glow under his skin again. "You don't understand, this guytaggedme. Like some fucking animal. What if he decides to finish the job? What if I wake up with my throat cut?"
Marcello's expression darkens as he takes a slow step toward him. "Maybe start by thanking the men whokeptyour throat intact. My men. The ones you didn't even know were watching your sorry ass when your own detail was dropping like flies."
Kingsley blanches.
"You're alive," Marcello continues, voice low and flat, "because I covered you. You play ball, I'llkeepcovering you. You don't? Then I pull my men back and let fate do what it wants."
He glares down at Kingsley with open disgust. "I already told you I don't like cowards who beat on women. But just to make itclear, once again, how much you owe us, I loathe protecting your sorry ass."
Kingsley looks between us like a trapped animal, adrenaline rising behind the whites of his eyes. "Why would anyone want to kill me? I'm just?—"
"You're a pawn," I snap, stepping in. "A corrupt, greasy, spineless little pawn who got caught between the wrong hands. And for the record, you're more valuablealiveto us than dead. But don't mistake that for fondness. I hate your fucking cowardly guts too."
He tries to puff up. It doesn't work.
"Then why help me at all?" He spits, desperate now. "If I'm so useless, why not just let him take me out?"
"Because," Marcello says coolly, "whoever hired him might come looking for what he didn't finish. And we want to see who shows up. Plus, your services will still come in handy for us when we need them."
"And we care more," I add, folding my arms, "aboutwhya billion-dollar ghost assassin suddenly landed in New York and somehow ended up chasingafter my sister.That's the real mystery. Not your pathetic life."
Kingsley's voice goes small. "But you think he was after her?"
Stephano doesn't look up from his laptop. "We don't know what to think, yet. But the timing's too tight. He marked you after he grabbed her. Still, someone's orchestrating this."
I lean in slightly, letting Kingsley feel the weight of my gaze. "We're not protecting you. We're watching you. There's a difference."
He nods frantically, sweat beading at his hairline. "Okay. Okay. I get it."
Marcello raises a brow. "Do you?"
Kingsley hesitates. "Yeah. I'm bait."
Stephano finally glances up. "Smart rat."
Kingsley slumps again, hands at his sides. "So what do I do now?"
Marcello's voice is cold as steel. "You smile for the cameras. You kiss babies. You pretend the world isn't burning around you. And youdon'tgo off-script. Most of all, you keep pushing your bill through, got that?"
Kingsley's still talking like he matters. But he's just leverage. He's not a player—he's bait. And if feeding him to Prizrak gets me one step closer to gutting that ghost, I'll do it with a smile.
The water is hot. Almost too hot. It prickles against my skin as I sink deeper into the tub, and the foamy, magnolia-scented bubbles rise to my chin. The ache in my body—delicious, sore, and so unforgettable—spreads through my limbs like a secret, like something luxurious and decadent that I'm not sure I'm allowed to keep. I close my eyes and tilt my head back, letting the steam cloud my thoughts.
It doesn't work.
I miss him already.
The way he held my hand all through dinner. The way he looked at me all night and even this morning, the way he touched me, so gentle and yet so forceful. I miss everything about him.
The house has been quiet since I arrived. I ran into Sabine on my way up to my room. She looked slightly guilty and hugged me on her way down. I'm not sure what she was doing up there; my family's wing is on the other side, but unfortunately, she and I don't have that kind of relationship where I can simply ask her. Or at least I feel like we don't. I should remedy that; I'm the older sister. I promise myself I will.
Right now, my entire focus is on Enrico, last night, and how empty all the places he isn't seem to be. I try not to imagine what today looks like for him. Who he's talking to. What shadows he's walking through while I soak in warm water, pretending my heart isn't twisting. I noticed the reluctance on his face when he took the call. He was as loath to leave me as I was him.
