Page 9 of Villainous
I try to hold on to the good memories that we had in high school and keep hoping Villainous will go back to the man I fell in love with, but he won’t.
Our eyes meet as tension builds between us, suffocating me, and my anxiety beats the hell out of my stomach. Bile tickles my throat as my palms sweat.
Breaking our gaze, he drags the cigarette from his right ear and rolls it between his index and middle fingers. His dead eyes veer back to mine and burn a hole through me. I’m caught in his baby blues like an insect caught in a spiderweb.
He grasps the lighter from his breast pocket, then lights the cigarette. He blows smoke in my face, and I wave my hand, coughing.
“What do you think your punishment should be for leaving me again?” His tone is dark and delicious. His voice could melt me into a puddle.
Fuck, I don’t want him to detect the fear that’s bubbling inside of me. He isn’t asking me because he really cares about my thoughts on my punishment. He’s asking me so whatever I say, he’ll make it ten times worse.
I want to snatch the cigarette from his face and burn him with it. How the fuck did he find me? If I ask, I doubt he’ll tell me. A shiver snakes up my spine.
“Let me go.” My tone is light as a feather.
“You’re funny.” He glides a stray hair from my forehead, and then his eyes drop down to my throat. The gesture seems innocent, but it’s not. It’s his way of telling me he’s going to have fun with me in a way I won’t like. A vile smile stretches across his face, and I can’t let him see me sweat. Villainous feeds off fear, and if he senses it, then he’ll become feral.
I’m not afraid to die. People die all the time, especially in the mafia. I’m waiting for the day when he kills me. I pray he makes it quick.
He places his index and middle fingers of his other hand on my throat, stroking along my vocal cords, and his touch burns my flesh like lava.
I swallow thickly. “Go ahead and kill me. You’re already going to, so might as well get it over with.”
He blows smoke in my face again, then removes his fingers. I can feel his fingers on my neck as if it’s still stroking me.
“Not until you tell me what you’re hiding from me.”
“I’ll never tell you.”
A smirk spreads across his face. “Every person has a breaking point.”
This is his subtle way of a warning, and I doubt he will ever break me. He punishes me when I don’t obey, but I see the way his gaze penetrates me, the exact same way he looked when we were in high school with burning desire and need.
“You’re still in love with me.”
He puffs on his cigarette but doesn’t respond, so I go on.
“You never broke anyone you loved.”
Anger blazes in his eyes, and the leather squeaks as he leans back. “You think that will stop me from killing you? Then you’re stupid.”
“Why are you doing this to yourself? Why does it matter if I left you? Move on with your life.”
“You haven’t moved on with your life.”
He’s right, I haven’t, and it was one of the biggest regrets of my life. I don’t know how many sleepless nights I had over him, wishing we were still together, hoping he would take me to the courthouse to marry him, but he’s not a forgiving person. And I knew the minute he found me, he’d want revenge. He has always been the type to never let go of stuff. I don’t know which brother is worse, Devious or Villainous. They are both vindictive assholes.
I need to allow him to think I’m not in love with him anymore. I don’t need to let him see that I’m vulnerable to him.
We listen to the rain beat on the hood of the car, and then I say, “I have.”
It’s so hard not to say “you see,” because it’s my tell that I’m lying. He knows it.
He cocks his perfectly thick eyebrow, and he leans back. “Explain the engagement ring I gave you that you keep in your box.”
When did he go through my stuff? I had the ring in a safe, and when I felt lonely, I wore it on my finger. The ring means so much to me. It gave me hope that love exists. It gave me comfort in the darkest period of my life. It reminded me of the most beautiful thing on this planet. Love.
“I was keeping it just in case I need to sell it for money.”
