In a city of sheep ruled by wolves, she became the python that pulled them apart.
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Sage Black is a girl of little opportunities, forced to see the seamy side of life growing up in New York. Witnessing what lengths billionaires will go through t...
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When Rin calls me in for a shift at the café on Saturday morning, I gladly take the subway downtown, looking for any kind of distraction to take my mind off the revelation at Theo's house. The same revelation that kept me up all night, hence my sunken eye bags and racing mind from the lack of sleep.
I spent all night recalling every morning on our way to school with Ezra and Atlas. What incentive can possibly drive him to scare me off like that? There is the chance that Atlas is in on it too, but that seems unlikely. If Atlas has the slightest idea of my whereabouts or my plans, I would've been long gone by now. The thought occurs to me that it may just be Ezra's plain loyalty to his boss.
Bile burns in my throat at his blind faithfulness to an evil man like David Roman. The man with blood on his hands, and faces like mine and Ezra's under his foot.
I'm roused from my thoughts when the door to the cafe swings open, the bell above the doorway ringing the announcement.
David walks in and strides to his usual table without looking up from his phone, carrying the air of prestige and authority. I shudder when he beckons to me with his fingers, still not looking up.
After my outburst in school, I did not return and immediately took the subway to Marli's house, updating her with our findings. Tave and Zain sent a text to check up on me, but I didn't answer them. I didn't want to know how things turned out after I left it in chaos. But the news didn't get to the press yet, so I take that as a good sign.
Wiping my clammy hands on the black apron strung on my neck, I make my way to his table with a cup of coffee before taking the seat facing him. It burns my fingertips, but I relish the momentary physical pain, to keep my mind from racing a mile a minute.
He sips the steaming beverage quietly. If it scalds his tongue, he doesn't flinch. "You weren't here yesterday."
"I was busy," I lie too quickly. Damn it.
"Hmm," he hums, finally meeting my eyes with a bright pair that penetrates me, almost as if he can see through my lie. "Were your plans of killing Emory Lopez getting in the way of your job here."
There it is. The elephant in the room. I forgot how little he liked to waste time.
"I wasn't going to kill her," I scoff, trying to minimize the significance of my actions. "I didn't even plan on touching her. I just . . . Wanted to warn her."
He sighs and presses his lips into a line. I feel like a child being told that I can't eat too much candy. "And what makes you think you have the power to do that? What makes you think you have the power to do anything?" He puts his cup down a little too harshly on the table. Brown liquid swooshes to the rim. "You don't have—"
"Mr. Roman," I interrupt, and his eyes narrow to slits, "when we made that deal, you knew very well the kind of person you were dealing with. I'm from the streets, not the Hamptons, and I fight like it. You were very wrong to think I'd shut up and let her talk like that about my family."
