Page 38 of The Hunted
She opened her mouth, sharpening her tongue, and abruptly shut it when Santino gave her hand a slight tug. There was a grin playing against his lips before he mouthedbehaveas if he had known exactly how she planned to cut his friend down to size.
“Can we join you? Or is it a girls’ night thing?” Santino tugged her hand back to his lips. He paused only a moment, waiting for her to decline. She gave a curt nod and he kissed the back of her hand and her palm once more, never taking his eyes off of her.
Heat licked at the base of her spine, and she always found it interesting how confidently he moved around when they were verbally engaged and how he navigated the space around him. Yet, when it came to touching her, he seemed to be unsure and looked for reassurance, as if he wasn’t sure he was reading her cues correctly.
Was I sending him mixed signals?
She wanted to ask him but knew now wasn’t the time, especially with the way his friend was huffing and puffing standing next to him.
Her focus cut to him. He was rolling his eyes as he did the day they met in the gym. He didn’t like coming in second, at least not when it came to the things he thought he should have, and she didn’t like that energy for herself let alone Santino.
“I don’t mind,” she glanced behind her, seeing both Janelle and Amra watching her.
Janelle’s smile was wide and genuine. She winked and not-so-discreetly gave a thumbs-up, while Amra looked caught between being perplexed and annoyed.
Yeah, we’re definitely going over there.
Silva smirked.
I wonder how she’s going to talk herself out of this one. Her and her red flags.
“Come,” Silva tugged the hand Santino was holding. She turned around completely and started walking back toward their table, only stopping to check to see if Santino’s friend was following.
“You can come too,” she said when she noticed how far behind he was. “I’m sure there’s something there for you.” Santino’s loud laughter had her turning around to face them both.
His friend barely concealed an eye roll and looked a little green around the gills. Santino continued to laugh, and it annoyed her that she was missing out on the joke. “What?” she grumbled.
“You’ll see,” Santino looked like a kid at Christmas. She didn’t think she had ever seen him with this much amusement seeping out of him. “Come, princess. Introduce us to your friends.”
ChapterSixteen
Santino couldn’t keep the smirk off his face or keep his hands to himself. The way they had situated the seating put Silva right into the crook of his arm, which he found he enjoyed a lot. She fit in a way that unsettled him and put him at peace. She just fit and he didn’t know what to make of that.
Martin was smack dab in between Janelle and Amra. He hated having his back toward the door even in a place he frequented. He enjoyed watching everyone come and go, and it was easier to see who was coming at him when he faced the only entrance. But he was perfectly content where he was, watching the surprise turn to fury and curiosity bleeding through Amra’s face when Silva made the introductions.
When they went back to the office it was going to be interesting to see how they would interact after tonight. Especially since Santino had put Amra back on his suspect list for the Reaper. He didn’t think tonight was a coincidence. What were the chances they all had a connection to one another? It was something he’d have to look into, especially because he knew she was sniffing around him as if he were a suspect.
But me being here with Silva doesn’t fit into your neat box, does it?he thought as he listened intently to Silva talking about her day. Martin had been enamored with Janelle, and every so often there was a quiet giggle that popped up from their huddled heads. From the outside, it looked like Amra was the fifth wheel on date night, and the amount of joy that swelled up inside of him should have been alarming, but he didn’t like her all that much.
Besides, this now put her as the odd man out. No friends, no companions, anti-social behavior but blending in when necessary. All the traits he knew she checked off for him that put him in her caution category.
“You’re being awfully quiet now.” Silva’s attention refocused on Amra. “You were really chatty before, and now, it’s like you have nothing more to say.” Her tone was dipped in sugar, but the venom laced behind each word was a direct hit, intended to rot you from the inside out.
This was an interesting layer to Silva, one that delighted the darker parts of him. He wasn’t sure if this was an act—a front because she knew she had something over another person and there was no real fear of retaliation.
Maybe he’d need to look deeper, but right now he was too turned on, his mind too intrigued by the game that was being played here.
Chess pieces were being moved along the board, and he had no problem being a pawn. They were both going to use him to make their points, and he was too fascinated to stop it.
The energy surrounding them sizzled and snapped. A bit of electricity that couldn’t be tamed, just waiting for the right spark to explode. The claws were out for both women, and his money was on Silva, though he knew Amra wouldn’t go down without getting a few hits in.
“I’ve said everything I needed to say.” She took a sip of her drink. Her gaze skirted over to Martin and Janelle, both oblivious to the growing tension in the air.
There was a quick flicker in Amra’s eyes, a softening around her lips and shoulders, but it was quickly replaced with her armor. Her back went straight and her gaze remained fixated on where Santino held Silva’s hand.
“I do have a question though.” There was something in Amra’s tone that made him stiffen. He kept his face neutral, but he knew she caught his body’s reaction going by the slight smirk on her lips.
“I’m sure there’s some skeletons in your closet you don’t even know you’re hiding.”
