Page 87 of King of Ashes
She shrugs, searching my eyes. “Dad’s dying, right?”
Women are simply more intelligent. That’s something I can accept. They must be. We would have set this world on fire long ago, forgetting we live in it.
I don’t want to lie to her, but I don’t want to betray my uncle’s trust either.
“Your silence is answer enough,” she whispers.
My cousin has these bouts of depression when nothing matters. She compensates with her vivid appearance. She loves colors, she loves life, but a part of her doesn’t, and I am terrified that one of these episodes will become too much.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she snaps, hating the reminder.
“You come to me when it gets hard. Together?”
“Together.” She approaches my desk, crossing her arms over her chest. “Lew is an asshole.”
“What the fuck?” A plethora of thoughts runs through my mind.
“He commissioned a sculpture of himself, the narcissist, yet the asshole visits daily to point out things he doesn’t like. Who does that?”
Good question.
“He won’t bother you again.”
I grab my phone from my desk, and I am about to press call when she says, “Don’t you dare. I’ve dealt with men who think they are top tier since birth.”
“Ouch. Only think?”
She purses her lips, but doesn’t correct herself. “I can deal with him. Just wanted to inform you in case I murder him and need your help to hide the body.”
I chuckle, feeling some relief. My cousin is tough. The toughest of the bunch.
“Have to go back to work. I plan on making a dick that is disproportionate to the rest of the body, because he sure thinks he’s bigger than it is.”
That was information I truly didn’t need about my frenemy. My face scrunches up. “Noemi, no…”
“I bet it’s tiny to balance his colossal ego.”
“Don’t let him get into your head too much. That’s his thing.”
Her eyes spark. “Let me have my fun. Ruffling his feathers is the best part of my day. You should see the vein pulsing in his neck.”
She kisses me on the cheek and, on her way out, says over her shoulder, “Zara loves you. She has always loved you. Nothing could change that. Have faith.”
Faith was stabbed to death with my first kill.
Hope was smothered when my mother died.
Trust ended the moment my future father-in-law betrayed me.
Leaving anything to chance goes against everything I’ve learned. My life’s tough teachings would be pointless if I let chance dictate my course.
I can’t fix the past, but I’ll be damned if I don’t shape our future. That’s why it’s imperative she falls in love with her new life and forgets her old one. At whatever cost.
Picking up my phone, I send Conrad a text.
Make sure she follows the protocol like the others. If not, end her.
Sure, Boss?
