♫ My Demons - Starset ♫
I had a bad feeling.
A really fucking bad feeling.
Irrational or not, I couldn’t say for sure yet, but something was off. It had been for a while now, and after the hurricane passed, I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
There’d been a shift in my world, with both Rome and Lux. I hadn’t seen much of them during the storm, locked myself up with Willow and two of her friends, but even then I felt it. The bastard was up to something. I could smell it brewing on the back burner, saw it smoking in his eyes whenever I brought up Lux. The mere mention of her name coiled him up like a serpent ready to strike.
And Lux, well, she’d completely nixed me from her life without fully cutting the cord. She didn’t seem inclined to forgive me any time soon, if ever at all, and had gone as far as issuing Roscoe tasks she’d have normally appointed me.
Yet she hadn’t fired me.
What stood out most, though, was how everything was at a standstill on both ends. Neither one had made a single advance on each other since Javi’s murder, and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why, much less what had changed.
Yes, what Roman did was gruesome, but Lux was a tough little bitch. There’s no chance in hell something like that would make her retract.
“You think he’s fucking her?” Liza asked, her silken voice erupting through the speaker in my office.
She’d called, as promised the last time we spoke, leaving me no other choice but to fill her in on all recent developments.
Taking another sip from my drink, I reclined into my throne and crossed my legs on the desk. “Highly doubt that.”
“But you said she’s a touchy subject for him. You know how Rome is when he’s hiding something.”
“I know, but there’s no way in hell he’s fucking her after all that’s gone down. She wouldn’t allow it either.”
“I’m just saying, sounds an awful lot like the Roman who beat one of Leo’s mates to a pulp when he overheard him mentioning I looked good.”
“I remember that.” I chuckled. “Came over to mum’s afterward with the poor bloke’s blood splattered on his shirt. Seriously, though, Moxie, I doubt it.”
“Just…watch him is all I’m saying. I wouldn’t wanna have to drop in unannounced and babysit you,” she threatened, voice dripping with vindictive delight.
A delight I knew too well.
I sighed. “I’ve got it under control, no need for all that. I’ll let you know when it’s time, then you can swoop in for the grand finale.”
Liza hummed appreciatively. “Always such a good friend, Vic.”
Goosebumps broke out along my skin. The way she purred my name jerked my cock beneath my slacks. I nearly cringed, hating myself for still reacting to her like this.
Righting myself in my throne, I swallowed down the images of me balls deep in her cunt all those years ago….
“I’m sure there’s a few who would beg to differ,” I countered.
“Of course there is. Not everyone understands what it takes to make it to the top.”
Ain’t that the truth.
“Can’t say I don’t agree.”
Again she hummed, but the sound far more sensuous this time around. “You know, as the years go by, I regret not keeping you instead. Would’ve spared me a hell of a lot of pain, that’s for sure.”
“Don’t,” I gritted out, squeezing my eyes shut. “That ship has sailed, Moxie.”
“Says who?” she asked dubiously.
“No one has to say it. Just the way it is.”
That quintessential Liza snicker erupted through the line. I could all but see her tsking through her teeth. “We’ll see about that.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Whatever you think it means, Vicsy Bear,” she quipped, sounding way too much like Harley Quinn.
I winced at the decade-old nickname. “Please don’t.”
“Tit for tat, love. You still call me Moxie, remember?”
Silence.
She was right.
Knowing how much she hated when I called her that—despite how true it was—I still did it anyway.
“Exactlyyy,” she drawled, throwing in a very Harley giggle before she went on to sing, “Vicsy Bear and Moxie sitting in a tree, upcoming King and bad ass Queen.”
“Queen, huh?” I couldn’t help but be intrigued. “You plan to stay in Miami when it’s all said and done?”
“Given a reason to stay, yes.”
“And what would you consider a reason?”
“Curious, are you? Well, I’ll let you ponder that over the next few weeks. Perhaps you’ll have it figured out before our next chat. In the mean time—Roman, keep an eye on him, and make sure you watch the little bitch, too.”
Click.