Aras

“This wasn’t the plan,” Ezekiel said.

He was standing in the large finished space I had set up in the compound’s basement, staring down at Lake.

“Plans change,” I said nonchalantly as I went about securing the room.

Even though I wasn’t looking at her, I was acutely aware of Lake’s presence—and Ezekiel’s seeming fascination with her.

I shouldn’t have noticed that and shouldn’t have cared, but I did, wanted to smash his face in for even looking at her.

“Sometimes they do,” Ezekiel said, bringing me back to the conversation that I wasn’t interested in having and thoughts I didn’t want to be having, “but it’s not like you.”

“Are you questioning me, Ezekiel?” I said.

I finished my tasks and stopped to turn to face him.

Felt a surge of almost overwhelming anger when I saw he was still staring at Lake, his eyes focused on her bare legs.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I didn’t have friends, but Ezekiel and I had years of history that had been beneficial to both of us. And unlike every other person I had ever encountered, he hadn’t done anything to get on my bad side.

Looking at a woman shouldn’t have mattered.

But it did.

“I’m not questioning you. I’m just curious,” Ezekiel said.

He had turned his silver-blue eyes on me, looking away from Lake, and I felt some of the tension in my chest start to loosen.

Despite my over-the-top reaction, I knew this was a conversation that needed to happen.

Ezekiel was right. The plan had been clear and simple.

I had watched Lake for weeks and had gained important insight.

Vlad treated her like shit, but he cared about her, cared about her as much as scum like him could care about anything.

Taking her out would hurt, hurt much worse than taking out his wife, the son he paraded around like a mascot of his greatness.

So that was what I would do.

Go to Lake’s, kill her, leave her corpse for Vlad to find. Watch him shatter. And then take him out.

But that hadn’t happened, and I knew exactly why, even if I didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“The old plan was good. This new plan is better,” I said instead.

“And what is this plan?” Ezekiel responded.

“Killing her would have hurt him. Making her disappear without a trace is going to destroy him,” I said.

I’d never tell Ezekiel this, could hardly admit it to myself, but that wasn’t what had compelled me to spare Lake’s life.

But it sounded good, and Ezekiel seemed to agree.

“You’re a sick fuck sometime, Aras,” he said, giving me what I could only call an encouraging smile.

“Thanks,” I responded.

“You going to keep her here for a while or get rid of her?” he asked.

“To be determined,” I responded, though it was another lie.

I knew what Ezekiel meant when he talked about getting rid of her. But just as I hadn’t killed her, I wouldn’t sentence her to a fate worse than death at the hands of traffickers.

Not that I would tell him that either.

“Keep me updated,” Ezekiel said.

He left, something I was grateful for.

Ordinarily I wouldn’t accept questioning from Ezekiel or anyone else.

But he had a lot at stake.

The boss didn’t know what I was up to, so I was acting without sanction. A capital offense in my world. And by helping me, Ezekiel was putting himself at equal risk.

That risk entitled him to answers, but even knowing that, I still chafed at being questioned.

Ezekiel couldn’t stop me, and he wouldn’t try, but this conversation brought up something I didn’t want to confront, feelings, desires I didn’t understand and couldn’t control.

I glanced over at Lake and cut my thoughts short.

I’d done something I couldn’t fully explain and complicated my plan in ways I couldn’t really contemplate.

But now wasn’t the time to try to figure out what I would do about it.

I needed to get out of the room.

Because Lake was waking up.