Black Forever (Obsidian 4)

My arm tightened around her waist. “Don’t be. I miss you more than you can comprehend.”

She held my gaze with affection, the longing and love deep in her eyes. She cleared her throat and suddenly turned away, like the connection between us was too much to handle. “I need to use the restroom…” She slid out of my fingertips and left me standing there. She walked across the room, moving with perfect grace. Her shoulders were back and her head was held high, but the sadness was in her eyes. I could spot it a mile away.

My eyes turned to a different corner of the room and landed on the man I despised. Hank stood in a circle of men, social elites and public figures. They were chatting away, but he wasn’t listening. His entire focus was on the woman I adored.

I wanted to snap his neck.

I set my glass down then maneuvered across the room. His attention was so focused on Rome that he didn’t spot me approaching him from the left. He stood right beside one of the senators from New York, but that didn’t stop me from making fists with both of my hands. I had no idea what I would do once I got there, but I definitely wanted Hank to know that I watched every move he made.

I closed in on him and stared at his profile, his cleanly shaven jaw and his broad shoulders. He was a good-looking man, so the only reason he preyed on Rome like he did was because he was a psychopath. He could get laid whenever he wanted, especially as the DA of New York.

But he chose to torture women instead.

How could Rome ever compare me to him? How could she ever think I would treat her the way Hank did? It was ridiculous. “Eyes on me, asshole.” I spoke so only Hank could hear what I said. The rest of the guys were chatting away about the new election cycle, so they didn’t seem to mind the two of us.

Hank stiffened where he stood and dropped his gaze, losing his view of Rome. His breathing increased slightly as the adrenaline kicked in. He knew it was me standing beside him even if he didn’t look.

“What did I just say?” The only reason why I hadn’t murdered him was because I couldn’t get away with it. He was too well-known, and after interviewing a few witnesses, people would realize I had serious beef with him. If I mutilated him in a dark alley, Hank was a powerful lawyer who could throw me in the slammer for six months. Who would protect Rome then?

So I had to scare the shit out of him with just my words. He didn’t know what I was capable of. That gave me the advantage.

Hank cleared his throat then finally turned to me, his flute of champagne held in his right hand. As much as he tried to cover it up, the fear still thudded in his eyes.

It was difficult for me to stand so close to him and not rip his throat out. “Don’t look at my woman.” I stepped closer to him, my face nearly touching his. I didn’t care if people saw our hostile interaction. I needed to keep this asshole in his place as long as I could. Hopefully, he would settle down with a wife and kids and forget about her.

He clenched his jaw.

“Did you hear me?” I moved forward, causing him to step back like a pussy.

Hank faltered slightly, spilling some of his champagne on the front of his tuxedo.

I spoke louder. “Did you fucking hear me, asshole?”

Hank flinched again, like the little girl he was. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” I said with a growl. “You harassed her, and now I’m gonna harass you for the rest of my life. You’ve made yourself a very powerful enemy, Hank. Make sure you look over your shoulder—because I’ll always be watching you.”

He couldn’t back up any more because he was pressing against Senator Swanson. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Immediately, he darted his eyes to the floor, unable to put his money where his mouth was.

Senator Swanson noticed the commotion. “Gentlemen, is everything alright?”

I glared at Hank and forced him to answer.

“We’re fine.” He cleared his throat. “Just talking about the Mets…gets a little heated.”

“I’m a Yankees fan,” I lied.

Senator Swanson shook my hand once he recognized me. “Mr. Owens, how nice to see you this evening. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, sir.” I gave him a firm shake. “It’s an honor.”

“It certainly is.” He dropped his hand and eyed Hank. “Are the two of you friends?”

“Yep,” I said. “We’ve known each other for years. But he used to bully me in grade school.”

“You guys went to school together?” Swanson asked with a laugh. “So you go way back.”