I can’t believe the venom in her words.
I turn toward her, blinking in surprise. “Wh... What are you talking about?”
“Oh, that’s what he tells the others,” Mandy says with a loud scoff. She throws her hair over her shoulder and smiles menacingly at me. “Well, until he gets tired of them. Take a good look at yourself, darling. Do you really believe that Carlos cherishes you? You are not even remotely his type, dear. You were just the most available pussy when his mobility was limited.”
Despite the voice in my head telling me to stand back and take it all, I raise my chin up and look her squarely in the eye. I step closer to her and narrow my eyes at her. “You will not insult me. Who the hell do you think you are to say those things to me? What the fuck is wrong with you? Wait....” I pause to study Mandy’s expression. I chuckle as it dawns on me what’s really happening here.
“You want him, don’t you?” I ask Mandy. “No...you love him. You really do, don’t you?”
Mandy’s gaze falters, surprised that I’ve found out her secret. But the surprise is gone in a second. I might as well have imagined it. Mandy laughs a dry humorless sound.
“What rubbish are you spewing? Is this some kind of defense mechanism?” she asks. “Keep deluding yourself, my darling...but Carlos will never be yours.”
“Mind your business, Mandy,” I spit. I fist my hands by my sides, resisting the urge to slap that mocking sneer off her face. “Carlos chose me. Whatever his reason for doing so, it’s none of your concern.”
“I hope that reason lasts long,” Mandy says, turning back to the mirror. Her eyes find mine, and a slow smirk spreads on her face. “For all you know, he’s out there giving some other woman a reason to be as gullible as you.”
I swallow down the burning rage in my chest and turn away from her. I walk down the short corridor leading to the party, telling myself repeatedly to forget Mandy’s bluff. Carlos is not like that. I believe the unspoken promises in his eyes. I believe he will never hurt me like the others.
I believe in him, but for some reason, I can’t get rid of the feeling of unease and rising panic in my chest as I search for Carlos in the crowd. I keep waiting to catch his stormy gaze or his slow, deliberate smile – something...anything to calm the violent thudding of my heart.
“Miss Smith?”
I turn toward the voice behind me. I smile blankly at the unfamiliar man, trying to recall if we’ve been introduced. He has plain features that don’t particularly stand out, but I think I would recognize him if I’d met him earlier.
“Hello, sir,” I say with a small smile.
“Hi,” he replies, smiling politely. “I’m Randy Farrell. We’ve not been formally introduced, but I’ve seen you with Carlos all evening.”
Randy Farrell? I remember that name... It’s the man Carlos was going to see before I left for the restroom. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Farrell. Have you seen Carlos? I can’t seem to find him anywhere.”
“Oh, he stepped out a while ago,” Randy Farrell replies. “You can look for him by the poolside.”
“Thank you, Mr. Farrell,” I say, already turning away from him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Carlos
Diane Cook turns around slowly. She looks the same as she did three years ago, a beauty with a perfected coy smile. Everything about her seems artificial. It makes me wonder what ever attracted me to her in the past. I should have suspected something when Mandy insisted I met an investor by the poolside. That just goes a long way to show how much I trust Mandy.
“Diane,” I say curtly.
Diane’s smile grows wider. “Hello, Carlos. You look...very handsome.”
“The party is inside,” I say, pointedly ignoring her compliment. “What are you doing out here?”
“You’re as cold as ever,” Diane says with a breezy laugh. “It’s sexy,” she purrs. “When I heard about the events of the past few weeks, I was afraid you’d lost yourself. The almighty Drago. It's ridiculous hearing you say you want to leave the streets. All of this...,” she gestures around. “It doesn’t suit you. I was scared you’d gone soft. But seeing you now, though, you’re the same as ever. The almighty dragon.”
“What’s your point, Diane?” I asked impatiently. “I need to get back inside.”
Diane moves closer, tilting her head so she can look into my eyes. “I remember we used to have so much fun back in the day,” she says in a low, seductive voice, trailing a finger down my chest. “Parties, mad sex, and drugs...”
“That was a long time ago, Diane,” I say, shrugging her hand off me.
Diane grabs the lapel of my suit in her grams and leans in until her mouth is near my ear, her skin grazing mine in a calculated contact. “We used to lock ourselves indoors for days,” she whispers, her hot breath fanning my skin, making my skin crawl. She takes a small step back and smiles up at me. “That was until you started to have a prick of conscience talking about living a better life. We had the best fucking life, but you became boring. I couldn’t deal with a Drago with a conscience. But I regret leaving.”