Page 39 of Mafie Kings

Evie tries to respond, but I step up, pocketing my gun. “The nosey bitch thought it would be a good idea to go through my things. Seems that someone doesn't understand the meaning ofprivacy.” I say, letting my anger bleed into my words.

Evie steps back into Lev as I step towards her, tears streak her cheeks, but they aren’t from fear.

“Since you don’t seem to have respect for my privacy, yours will be removed,” I say calmly, resetting my brain to deal with this problem logically.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she says, rubbing her throat that’s already bruising. She lets her body lean into Lev’s and he holds her firmly to him as he inspects her neck. His jaw clenches when he looks at me.

I don't respond to her. I just turn around and head toward the living area while typing a message on my phone. No less than two minutes later, someone is knocking on the door. Evie and Lev come walking out of my room as I open the door and accept the bag I requested. They watch as I head toward Evie’s room.

I set down the bag in front of her door and get to work, removing the hinges.

“These will be gone—for one week you will have no privacy. If you go anywhere, one of us will be there. You will not argue, you will not talk back, and…” I stand and point my finger at her to send my point home, “you will do what we ask, the firstfuckingtime.” My shoulders are moving with each breath, my rage not seeming to dissipate.

She stares at me, her gray eyes searching for the soul that left me years ago. Her brows pinch, looking at the door that has been taken off its hinges then back at me before nodding. I go into her room and remove her closet door before going to remove the door to her bathroom.

“You’re taking off the bathroom door too?” she asks in surprise.

“I said no privacy. You have to go to the bathroom, one of us will escort you.”

Part of her must understand that she crossed a line because she doesn't respond. Once the doors are removed, I send a message to have someone fetch them. Lev eventually lets her go and she storms to her desk, putting her back to us with the phrase ‘Bite Me’ on the back of her shirt.

Don’t tempt me, Princess.

???

Evie stays in her room, sitting on her bed with her tablet in hand for the evening. Every time my anger resurfaces, I pay her a little visit. At first, I’d just walk in because I could, then walk back out. Now I've started to mess with her things. I'll move her bag or take her pencils. A part of me knows it’s juvenile, but it's the only way to curb the wrath I’m feeling.

Not even the guys know about my medications. Evie has at least kept it to herself. Lev got her some ice for her throat and sat with her for a while. I’ve never known Lev to do anything for someone else, so watching him care for her only reignited my anger. He was gentle and soothing like she didn’t just invade his best friend's privacy and strip him of his feeling of control.

It’s around two in the morning when I head back into her room. She’s sitting up in bed, looking like she just dozed off.

If I don't get to sleep, then you don't get to sleep, Princess.

I bang my fist into the wall to startle her awake; she nearly jumps out of her skin with her blade in hand ready to swing. Her bathroom light is on so she can see it's me, but I can tell she thinks about throwing it anyway.

She hasn't said a word to me since I removed her bathroom door. She's made no attempt to go to the bathroom or shower, she hasn't even changed.

“If you know what's good for you, you won't tell anyone about what you found today,” I tell her in a quiet, threatening voice.

She just glares at me before rolling over and turning her back to me. I go to grab her arm to flip her back, not finished with this conversation. Her blade appears at my throat in an instant.

“You can take away my doors, Alexi, but I meant what I said about touching me. Try it again and I’ll slit yourfuckingthroat.”

My fists clench. Who does she think she is, threatening me? Not even my worst enemies have had the guts to talk to me the way she does.

I can't tell yet if she’s fearless or just stupid, but she's not going to get away with talking to me like that. I might not be able to touch her, but I can make her squirm in other ways. I grab the lounging chair and pull it into her room before getting comfortable.

???

I spend the majority of the night in Evie’s room. When she heard Lev getting up to go for a run she went out to join him. I head to my bed to get a few hours of sleep before class, my anger finally starting to dull.

When combat class begins, Evie looks like she’s going to fall asleep standing up. She didn't sleep at all. Instead, she scrolled through her tablet for a while, and then she watched a movie on her phone with her headphones. She would glance at me every once in a while but never let herself fall asleep. Around two in the morning, she did a full workout next to her bed to keep herself awake. It was actually impressive how unaffected she seemed by the lack of sleep.

We go through some basic footwork for the day before some of us split off to the showers. Evie grabs her bag and heads into the locker room, I follow after her. She unpacks some fresh clothes from her bag when I show up behind her.

She sighs. “You can follow me in here, but I draw the line at you joining me in the shower.”

Except she doesn't get to make the rules here. “I don't plan to join you, I'll just be waiting right here,” I say, grabbing her change of clothes and holding onto them.

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