It’s not simple. I’ve thought about this since the initial attack. Why do they want me out? I’m not a bad leader. Yes, I can be a bitch, but I keep things running smoothly, money in everyone’s pockets. Maybe someone thinks it’s not enough. I shake my head, not meeting his eyes since I don’t want him to see my weakness—that there are many things I don’t know. “You probably have a better theory than me. Everyone on my council seemed content before this happened. Everyone in society, all of it was perfectly normal as of a couple of days ago. The second Kai and Rose left town things went to shit fast. At first, I thought it was him, paying me back for not doing enough to help him…”
“Not doing enough?” he interrupts. “From what I can tell, you didn’t do shit to help him or Rose.”
I keep my mouth closed because I don’t disagree with him. Did I try to help my brother? Yes. Did the bitch of a councilwoman here block me at every turn? Also, yes. It was like a race across a pitch-black room with no help, and my opponent had a flashlight and a map. Kai knew the threat he was facing; I hadn’t realized it was so dire until it was too late.
“Nothing to say to that?” he asks, dragging me from my thoughts.
I’m tired, and it’s weighing me down now. “What do you want me to say? You have already made up your mind based on what you think you know. From what I’ve already learned of you, I won’t be able to change it, so why bother?”
He narrows his eyes and takes a step toward me. It doesn’t matter if he wants to hit me or hurt me or harm me. I can’t do a thing about it until he makes his move. There’s no point in acting until that moment, so I don’t.
I stare at him from my place on the bed, and I wait. I wait for him to slink closer, thinking he has the upper hand. When he’s close enough I can feel his body heat, he doesn’t do anything but stare down at me. “You look like him.”
It’s not the response I’m expecting, and the surprise of it startles me into answering honestly. “We all look like our parents.”
“Where are they?”
If Kai hasn’t told him about our parents, I don’t see a reason to explain them. Besides, many don’t understand my choice of life, my sibling’s choice of life, after we grew up in the least bad of society homes. We were fed, clothed, cared-for. So many people our ages didn’t even have those basic necessities. By the spark in Michail’s eye, I’m thinking he’s one of those unfortunate ones.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he says, his voice taking on a deeper note, huskier, edged with darkness, dipped in displeasure. “I don’t need pity from a spoiled mafia princess. Definitely not one who grew up with the perfect family in the perfect life.”
I keep the questions out of my voice. “No one’s life is perfect. Stop assuming you’ve put together the entire puzzle just because you found the corners.”
There’s no point in trying to get to know this man when he ensures I know how he feels about me as often as he can. He thinks he knows everything about me from what, reading my dossier, from knowing my brother? He hasn’t even scratched the surface of who I am, or what I’m capable of. And he doesn’t want to. Which begs the question…why is he here, standing in front of me, so angry, asking me things he really doesn’t care about?
I slide back into the bed and settle against the pillow. “Did you need something else? If not, I’m going to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
His eyes slide over me one more time, and then he storms out, slamming my door behind him.
5
MICHAIL
I decide, after our little chat this morning, to leave her alone for a while. She’s not like I expected, and it’s thrown me. I don’t like when people don’t fit into the boxes I’ve assigned them. With her, I thought I’d figured her out pretty quickly, but now, I’m not so sure.
I still can’t stand her, but I’m thinking there’s more under the surface than a pretty princess playing at being a queen. It would make sense given what I know about Kai and the friendship we’ve built over the years. With him, things are often far more complicated than expected.
So I bring her food, leaving it outside her door with a knock, and I wait. Later tonight, we’ll be heading down to the casino to get to work, but right now, I’m itching to know what it is about her I’m not quite grasping.