Beauty in Deception

Lifting her into my arms, I run for the hallway. It’s warmer there, but it’s not enough. Her body must’ve gone into shock. I make a beeline for my bedroom, the air burning in my lungs as I lay her down in my bed and cover her icy body with mine before dragging the comforter over us.

“Stay with me, Christina,” I order as I rub her arms, her uninjured side, and her thighs, everywhere I can reach.

A knock falls on the door. Mateo sticks his head around the frame. “What are you doing? Andrew is waiting in the rec room.”

“Call the doctor,” I grit out.

“Already done,” he says, his tone calm. “He’ll be here in five.”

I cut him a look. He knows me better than I want to give him credit for.

Christina’s skin is no longer like a block of ice, but she’s still cold, and she’s not stirring. I straddle her, cross my palms over her heart, and press down. One, two, three. Pause. One, two, three. I carry on until I lose track of counting. Mateo left, but I’m only half cognizant of what’s happening around me. All my focus is trained on the woman beneath me.

If I killed her…

One, two, three. Pause.

I lower my ear to her lips and listen. Her breath is faint, but like her pulse, it’s there. I don’t bother to unbutton the shirt. I rip it down the front and tear it off her body. Pushing our naked chests together, I try to warm her with my body heat.

“Come on, sweetheart. Open your eyes. You can do this.”

A couple of minutes, and her eyelashes flutter. Relief rushes through me. It’s so great it leaves me weak.

She stirs.

“You’re okay.” I kiss the top of her head. “You’ll be fine.”

“The doctor is here,” Mateo calls from the door.

“Bring another blanket.”

Mateo grabs the throw from the back of the sofa, considerately turning his face away as I push aside the comforter to cover our bodies before dragging the comforter over us again.

The doctor enters, carrying his medical case.

“It’s hypothermia,” I tell the doctor.

Giving me a cutting look, he unclips his case. “Mateo brought me up to speed. Step aside. Let me have a look at her.”

I do so reluctantly.

She opens her eyes as the doctor covers her with a space blanket. Those jade pools are the most beautiful sight I’ve seen. I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my life. The diamond and everything I worked so hard at winning back seems meaningless in the wake of what I could’ve lost—what I almost destroyed. I don’t care that she’s a traitor. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself, not with that.

“Roman,” she says, saying my name like a question.

I force a smile. I haven’t forgiven her. I doubt I can but killing her would’ve been worse.

“Why did you bring me back?” she whispers, tears making the green of her eyes brighter.

Killing her would’ve been worse for me. For her, it seems not.

The doctor prepares a hypodermic needle and empties a vial before injecting her. I look down at her, noticing the differences—her oval shaped face, her thinner nose, her fuller lips, her lighter green eyes. Her smaller curves and her too slender body. I should’ve known. If I’d not been consumed with lust and triumph, I would’ve, but my mind has been muddled since the moment I pushed her against that dirty wall in the alley.

“Everyone out,” the doctor says.

I look around. Mateo is still standing there, witnessing the doctor’s ministrations with a grave expression.

I’m not leaving until I know. “Will she…?”

“She’ll be fine,” the doctor says, his voice gruff. Displeased.

I’m not pleased with myself, either.

“Come,” Mateo says. “We need to talk.”

Casting a last glance at Christina, I follow him to the recreation room. The broken glass and spilled alcohol has been cleaned. Andrew has been busy. Mateo must’ve briefed him—again—because he gives me a bottle of water.

Uncapping it, I down half of it in one go.

Mateo crosses his arms. “What do we do? Do we attack and kill Warren?”

I think about that. “No.” It’s still too easy.

“I checked with your contact at Home Affairs,” Andrew says. “Ev–Christina didn’t lie. Evie and Nathan got married the day before yesterday. They kept it quiet.”

I gnash my teeth.

“Warren already aligned his forces with Stone’s,” Mateo says. “You should’ve told us about the trust fund. It’s public, now. Nathan controls the money.”

“But Warren still pulls the strings,” Andrew says, making an accurate assumption.

“Everything we worked for,” I say, stabbing my fingers into my hair, “everything we planned is ruined.” I fucking hate to admit it, but, “Warren was one step ahead of us.”

“If we’re not going to kill him, what’s the plan?” Mateo asks.

I consider that. It’s strange how everything that mattered yesterday matters less today. What matters most to me now lies upstairs in my bed. She effectively ruined me. A laugh bubbles from my chest. Fuck, she’s good. She slayed me like no man can, and I never saw it coming.