Page 52 of Bad Men

I got a sidelong glance void of all emotion. “Go.”

A cold chill rolled down my spine. It pooled in my belly, making the sensitive muscles ache.

I glanced to Nero, certain he wouldn’t allow this, but all I got from him was a flick of his gaze in my direction. The same indifference hardened his jaw.

I was done with.

They were casting me aside.

No. Not aside. They were tossing me to a man parents used as stories of caution children not to step out of line.

“Mia,” Davien murmured quietly. “Don’t keep him waiting.”

Swallowing hard, I bunched the yards of fabric twisted around me and did my best to slip past Nero without touching any part of him. I gathered up my clothes someone had scooped off the floor and folded neatly on the armchair. My shoes were tucked underneath. I snatched them up as well and hurried with my head ducked in the direction of the hallway and the devil himself waiting for me.

I nearly cleared him and his goons. I would have if one of my sneakers hadn’t taken that moment to slip free of my grasp and hit the floor with a resounding and deafening crack. It landed inches from a pair of glossy, black dress shoes that most likely cost more than my entire block. Next to my stained and worn sneaker, it gleamed as if its very life depended on it.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted, not exactly sure why but it felt necessary.

The man with the haunted eyes bent at the waist and lifted the fallen object without a word. It was held out to me as if it were a rose.

I took it. More like snatched it from him.

“Thank you.”

Not waiting for a response, I scurried the rest of the way to the bathroom and shut myself in.

My heart was bursting. It slammed and thrashed against my chest with a violence that left me gasping for breath. I grabbed at the counter, letting my things tumble from my arms as I willed the room to stop swaying. A whimper left my dry lips and I stifled it quickly behind the back of my hand.

I had no reason to be afraid, I tried to tell myself. I’d done nothing wrong. He had no reason to kill me.

But did he need a reason? Wasn’t that how the stories went? He murdered for pleasure, for amusement. He had no conscience. Everyone knew that. But I couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever. I couldn’t give him a reason to come get me.

Fingers trembling, I dressed quickly back into my uniform. I did my best to untangle my hair, but it was a lost cause. There was nothing left to do but to face the music.

Alejandro Delgado stood exactly where I’d left him, flagged by his men in the shadowy corridor. He watched me approach without a shred of thought on his expression. Without a word, his men opened the door and ushered me out. Alejandro followed without touching me.

I didn’t even get to see Nero or Davien when the door was closed behind us.

We walked in silence to the dark, sleek car parked at the curb. Amongst the rundown and rusted vehicles littering the street, paints faded and windows made up of plastic wrap, his stood out like a sore thumb. The sun hadn’t fully vanished in the horizon, but the street lamps weren’t lit yet either. It was that moment in between, yet, the thing gleamed under the late evening light.

Alejandro opened the backdoor for me himself and waited patiently for me to slip into the soft leather before shutting me in. I watched him say something to his men before rounding the trunk to take the other door. In seconds, he was taking up all the room in the suddenly tiny space.

“I will not hurt you,” he said so unexpectedly I jumped. “You have my word.”

I had no idea what to say, so I went with politeness. “Thank you.”

He gave a bare imperceptible nod and faced the window.

His men tucked themselves into the front seat and we started down the street in utter silence.

“Where would you like us to take you?” Alejandro spoke just when I was beginning to sink into my comfort.

I thought about telling him to take me home, but I couldn’t have anyone accidentally seeing me with him, especially when everyone was home or just getting home.

“Any bus stop will be fine, thank you,” I said.

He glanced at me. “You are not a woman of the night.”

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