Page 4 of Beautiful Obsessions
I reached for the fork beside my plate.
The man frowned slightly.
“I’m not sure you understand?—”
I moved.
The fork slid across the table and into his eye before the sentence finished leaving his mouth.
The sound he made was extraordinary.
A wet scream exploded from his throat as the fork sank deep into the socket.
The table lurched violently as he recoiled, knocking over his wine glass.
Liquid sprayed across the white linen.And across my shoe.
I stared at it.
The man was screaming now, hands clawing at his face as blood poured between his fingers.
The restaurant had gone silent.
I sighed heavily as I looked down at my shoes.
“Now look what you’ve done.”
Atlas leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temple.
“You didn’t even give him a warning.”
“He had several.”
The man thrashed in his seat, shrieking.
I removed the fork carefully.
More liquid followed.
Atlas glanced at my shoe.
“Expensive.”
“Yes,” I said irritably.
I looked back at the man.
“Now,” I said calmly, “we’re going to try this again.”
He sobbed.
Fear is very clarifying.
“Who placed the bounty?”I asked.
He gasped.
“Russian—”
