“Oh, come on. Give me a chance. You’ll like working under me—I promise,” she teases.
She already knows I’m not interested in her toxic vagina, but she can’t seem to stop herself from trying. Just to annoy her, I offer back, “You know Gio already has a queen, right? Even if he takes power, you’re just a side dish, not the main course.”
“Ugh, his wife? Please. She’s a joyless shrew. I’m getting rid of her.”
“The same way you tried to get rid of Laurel?” I question.
Turning sharply, she points her finger at me. “I did not try to get rid of Laurel. I had no intention of killing her, only ridding her of Rafe’s genetic material.” Turning back to the counter, she grabs a knife and begins cutting into an avocado. “Would have been saving the bitch a trip to the clinic, but then you had to interfere. A dark knight with shining handcuffs,” she says, mockingly. Her tone more normal, she says, “A twist on the tale, certainly, but I like it. Wouldn’t have pegged you for the type, but I’m not used to working with men like you.”
Because men like me are smart enough to stay out of her snake pit, but I don’t bother saying what we both already know.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. Gio doesn’t like potentially leaving Rafe’s heir alive, but we’ve discussed it, and we both think you’re worth the price. If you want to keep Rafe’s little mouse and play daddy to her baby, go for it. His line should have never taken power before Gio’s anyway, so there will be no issue down the line when my sons take over.”
Now that’s a fucking horror show, right there. Even if I didn’t despise her, the prospect of working for Cassandra’s sons would not be appealing. She’d rule them just like she plans to rule Gio now.
“You never loved Rafe, did you?”
“Love is for suckers and charlatans, Sin,” she informs me. “You choose which side you want to be on, and I’m no sucker.”
Short-sighted bitch. I’ve always known she thought an awful lot of herself, but right now I’m frankly floored at how honest she’s being with me. Maybe it’s a relief to expel her real self when she’s so used to putting on a show, or maybe she figures I’m more apt to trust her if her cards are on the table, even if they’re nasty, unpleasant cards.
Problem is, she’s wrong. There’s no trusting someone like Cassandra, because she has no principles. She’s out for herself, and she doesn’t care who gets caught un
der the tires. The same would apply to me, if I got in her way—regardless of whatever value she has assigned to me for now. Cassandra Carmichael will turn on anyone on a dime, and while she thinks she’s flaunting how above it all she is, that’s what she’s cementing in my mind. Hungry dogs may not be loyal, but snakes don’t have any loyalty, period. I won’t work with people like that, and I don’t admire it, even though it’s clear she thinks I should. I’d rather be a dog than a snake any day.
“I’m surprised you don’t know that by now,” she continues, since I haven’t spoken. “I thought Paula cured you of that sort of romantic bullshit. Four years of solitude and disinterest, now you’re ready to overthrow the man you helped take power for some stupid girl. What’s so special about Rafe’s little mouse, anyway?”
“You wouldn’t understand, trust me.”
It’s only a mild curiosity, nothing she’ll lose sleep over, so she shrugs and spreads avocado over some unappetizing crackers. “Well, if you get bored with your teenager and start craving a real woman, Gio isn’t as possessive as Rafe. I would like to be manhandled by you. Sounds like a good time.”
“No thanks.”
“Suit yourself. I’m excellent in bed.”
“You’re not my type. I’m attracted to non-psychopaths.”
Smiling, she murmurs, “Opposites attract, huh? Okay, I get it. Well, anyway, everything Gio said to you still stands. We haven’t been tricking you, only omitting my involvement. I had a hunch you wouldn’t approve.”
“When you’re right, you’re right. He has a daughter,” I add, without preamble. “After you kill her mother, you planning to take her place?”
“I’ll obviously have my own children, but Skylar is just a girl, so I don’t need to kill her off, if that’s what you’re asking. She’s still a baby, there’s really no reason she ever need know I’m not her mother. I’m not anticipating any problems on the domestic side of this takeover; I figured you would have more questions about the business side.”
If I had any questions about the business side, I certainly wouldn’t be asking her. Her ego still gets in the way so she can’t see the simple truth: I’d never let her be involved. I’d never bow to a snake. She still thinks she’s more fascinating than she is, and she’s so in love with her own vision of herself with all that power, she’s not thinking clearly.
Power has seduced greater people than her, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Did Rafe see this side of you? You were together for a while; you must have slipped up at least once or twice.”
“All men with power have blind spots, sweetie, but Morelli men with power turn a blind eye. They never consider that they’re tangling with a woman who might be smarter than they are. I let him have every bit of power in the bedroom, and he didn’t look for what he didn’t want to find.” Smiling, she looks at me serenely. “Maybe that’s why you both like the little mouse. You don’t like tangling with women who are smarter than you.”
“Laurel is smarter than me,” I inform her. “But you’re not.”
“No?” As she turns to face me with her avocado cracker in her hand, she asks, “How do you know?”
My answer comes in the form of a bullet shot straight between her eyes. As special as she thinks she is, her body hits the ground just as fast as every other scumbag I’ve dropped. I adjust the black leather glove on my hand, then push up out of the chair and cross the room.
As I stand over her, I tell her, “Here are a few things you’d know if you were smarter than me.” I fire another bullet into her head. “One: always double tap; make sure they’re good and dead. Two: never turn your back to your enemy. Three: always know who your enemy is. Four: do not waste your time on villain monologues. You might be pretty fucking proud of yourself and your bullshit plans, but I’m not impressed.”