Fatal Alliances [✓]

16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

MALIA

ARGUING WITH ROMI WAS POINTLESS. He was simply following the instructions Mateo had given him and I couldn't win against that sort of rampant authority, not when he was exceptionally loyal to him.

Romi had followed me into the Novana lobby at first, and I was hurling expletives at him, my pent-up rage spilling. Then he went on to say that he had been keeping a watch on me for the past few days, waiting for me to leave the apartment and interact with other humans and show any sign of life, not in a weird way, but because he wanted to make sure I was doing well.

"You can't just stalk me!" I spluttered.

"I wouldn't say it's stalking." Romi muttered, "More like watching from afar. Just needed to know you're okay."

"What do you want?" I snapped. "Can't you just leave me alone? We're leaving in two weeks."

"I'm here to whisk you both away from this dismal place." Romi grinned. "That you know so."

"What do you want?" I repeated. "Stop winding me up."

Romi shrugged causally, "You're coming with me. Go back up to your apartment, grab your things and come along. I told Imaani that Mateo wanted you to spend some time with us at our residence specifically, and that's where I'm taking you. That you already agreed. She doesn't believe me, so you need to go up there and convince her, because she's sitting there blowing up your phone."

"Stay away from her." I seethed through gritted teeth, ignoring the vibrations and calls flooding my device.

"All I've done is be a friend to her." Romi replied with a sigh, "I've only ever been nice to you too actually. You can't stand there and act like I've treated you badly, because I've not. Maybe you think I was only able to get so close to you through her —but that's far from the truth. We've always known about you and what's happening since you arrived. He's known your every move for a moment now."

"Yes, but you lied about who you were Romi, you put my friend in a situation where she could have been seriously hurt with the vehicle breaking down." I wagged my finger at him accusatively, disbelieved he could casually call himself a friend of mine. "Imagine how she'll feel when she hears what you do and who you really are. Not only that you're friends with dodgy people, but are one yourself."

"Imagine the way she'll feel about you then, when she finds out you're a liar who conned more men in one summer than any professional could have." He scoffed, tone turning cold.

"Seriously?" I spat out. "That's what you choose to say?"

"You're a paper chaser, don't deny it." He said calmly, "I know just as much about you that Mateo does, how the Red Ladies Table is a front for all the conning, poker playing, all these other little tricks, when the real deal is all the time you ladies spend finding investors to splash on a fake company, because they know no better —seems very unethical doesn't it?"