“Are you sure? Because he has a blonde bombshell hanging on his arm and pasting herself to his side like superglue. There’s her mute clone, too. The Sokolov sisters are vying for his attention, and if you don’t do something about it, one of them will have him.”
She stiffens, but soon, her shoulders drop. “He can do whatever he wants. And don’t call her a mute. That’s not nice.”
“I’m not nice.”
“Shocker.” Cecily rolls her eyes. “Also, Mia is only around to watch her sister. She didn’t look to be interested in Jeremy.”
“Or that’s what she wants you to think while she slithers around him like a snake.”
Maya is flirtatious by nature. Mia wouldn’t know how to flirt even if she took a lesson in the art. Despite her attitude and extensive kink flavor, she’s actually closed off and a bit clueless. So the fact that she’s purposefully spending more time with Jeremy is a red flag in every dictionary.
“Point is, get Jeremy back. This is the last courtesy I’ll offer you before I slice his throat open and sculpt him into the ugliest stone.”
“I’m not helping you, Lan.”
“I don’t want you to help me. Just take him off the market.”
She pauses and cocks her head to the side, mimicking an arrogant shit she definitely is not. “Oh. I get it. Is this about Maya? Maybe Mia? Both?”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that and just resume whatever weird thing you had with Jeremy.”
Her shoulders droop and she sighs like an old lady who’s gone through both world wars. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“He’s not interested in me anymore.”
I look at her intently. Is this a distasteful joke? People, my friends included, are a fucking headache. Seriously, what would everyone do without me in their lives?
“Not interested in you? On what planet have you been living, Cecily? The guy stalks you like a creep and actually smiles while he does it—honest to fucking God thought he didn’t know how. He’s also developed some bizarre fetish about removing anyone who poses an obstacle to you. That teacher who was giving preferential treatment to his friend’s kid? Jeremy was the reason he asked to transfer. Those American football players who stole and slashed your textbooks? Jeremy eliminated them. Those guys at the club who danced with you? Jeremy beat them the fuck up and put one in a coma. Oh, and news fucking flash, he tortured Jonah to near death by waterboarding him and threatened to kill his parents, brothers, sisters, and everyone he cared about. Then he proceeded to tell his family about all the scandals he could get them into by airing some of their dirty laundry. That’s the only reason Jonah turned himself in. He still gets beaten up in prison every day because Jeremy and his whole fucked-up entourage have the ability to pay off people who can do it. Inside England’s prisons, which should be far away from their territory, but isn’t. You still think that’s not called interest?”
Cecily’s mouth hangs open for several beats before she sobers up. “How do you know all of that?”
“I have someone who follows him, just like he has someone who’s following me.”
“Following you?”
“Yeah. You think he knows by now that I’m here?”
Panic slithers in her light eyes like a highly contagious disease. “Lan, whatever you’re planning, stop it.”
“I need you with him, Ces. I’m not asking.” I slide my fingers on her cheek and time my reaching down to the moment I sense movement behind us.
In a pure emulation of a caricature, I’m shoved off Cecily with a force that I could fight but choose not to.
Jeremy punches me in the face. I let myself fall to the ground when I spot a very tiny and very familiar boot. Mia stares down at me like she did that day on the ruined roof, her eyes resembling fractured midnight rain and crushed nightmares.
My own fucking fallen angel.
She lifts her boot and kicks me in the balls.
I grunt, suppress a smile, then roll onto my back. My lip has doubled in size and I can taste metal, but I still grin.
“Hi, mouse. Miss me?”
She glares harder, as if I’m at the top of her murder list, and flips me off—which will get her fucked like a dirty whore in a few. Then she signs to Jeremy, who’s grabbing Cecily’s elbow and staking a claim I couldn’t give two flying fucks about.
“He’s all mine. Don’t interfere or tell Nikolai or get in touch. I’ll deal with him on my own as we agreed.” Mia places a hand on her hip when she’s finished, her face and body emanating more attitude than should be allowed.