Page 195 of Lau Ahi
“Well, you wouldn’t run, really. You’d probably kill me before you did that.
His nose went into my hair, which I’d pulled up into a curly bun. “And yet you still breathe. I’m supposed to be the head of this family so that means I have to show you I’m not playing. I want this to be real. Fuck the agreement. I’ll do that shit out of devotion. Afshin is ready to launch a thousand ships in your sister’s honor after meeting her twice. Your country will be goodno matter what but this, this thing between us is no longer confined to a piece of paper. It never was.”
“What do you want me to do with this information, Ori?”
He used his actions instead of his words and lifted me up so I was straddled over his waist. His eyes were honed in on mine almost pleading with me to trust him. “I want you to trust me. To believe that we can be better than what we were shown in our lives. Don’t you want that?”
“But men are—”
“Worthless. The creators of all the ills in the world. Yeah, I agree with you. Nobody is trying to change your mind on men. Just change your heart about one.”
Well, how was I supposed to challenge that?
“What did you learn about him?” Ori was back studying me, trying to discern some element of my past that could be seen through my eyes. I was protective over myself normally but right now that wasn’t the case. I was so open to what he seemed to want to provide that I couldn’t prevent myself from making a stupid move. If this were a stupid move.
I cleared my throat and bought myself a few seconds, since his question made me uncomfortable. “I’m sorry?”
His lips quirked a tell revealing he knew what I was doing but was protecting my ego by not bringing it up. A first with us and something else that was new for me to navigate.
This is quickly becoming a hazard.
“The man you killed. The one before the neighbor. What did you learn about him?
I looked away from him the intensity of his eyes being too much for me to handle when he wanted to see another piece of my soul. It was different for me to have this man need other parts of me. Yes, he’d had his tongue happily buried into whatever orifice of my body I allowed him to invade but this was different. He was trying to pierce the parts of me that I neverallowed anyone to see and I was going to allow him to. That was the part that had my head all twisted.
“Everything I could, frankly.”
“Why?”
My eyes darted to his wondering if he thought I should’ve cowered instead of learning my enemy. His tone was gentle enough that I knew he wasn’t judging but it still felt that way. It didn’t matter that the evil was slain, there were still too many questions floating around. When I looked at him I saw the eyes of a man who was looking for understanding and not the desire to condemn my actions so I relaxed again.
“It’s going to sound crazy.”
The entire left side of his mouth raised into a lazy smile making me thankful once again that he rarely fully committed to the motion. If Ori walked around smiling all the time I could only imagine how many more women would have fallen at his feet over the years. He had the type of breathtakingly handsome good looks that were present even when he scowled. But when he smiled? It was like seeing an image of heartbreak and sex in human form.
“To me? You know that’s not possible.”
I sighed watching the way he watched me. Ori was silently encouraging me to continue. To let me into a place that was as sacred to me as his feelings about his father were to him. Despite how I was hesitant to do so, I granted his unspoken request.
“I studied him because I wanted to see if I could pinpoint the moment he became a monster.”
That information had him shifting back as if my answer stunned him. “To absolve him of guilt?”
“No, not absolve him of it. But for the authorities to have a way to prevent there ever being another creature like him. You were right about me. I don’t harm people unless they truly deserve it.”
“How many people have you killed?” His question was asked as easily as he’d requested to know the number of shoes I owned. He wasn’t asking me to judge me but to research and ensure I was protected.
“Three.”
His facial features didn’t change as the sun continued to increase the melanin in his skin. “Before or after our joint venture?”
I cracked a smile thinking of the easy way he stepped in to end a life but had the audacity to judge me. Even if he thought it was in defense of my person I could tell with the ease in which Ori moved that taking a life wasn’t new to him or something he would lose sleep over. Despite how he tried to placate me after it was all said and done, he was looking out for my emotions even though I could tell he’d killedWilburas easily as one would crush a gnat.
“After. Calling me a serial killer was you jumping the proverbial gun. Slightly premature, as it were.”
“Maybe not. You think you have more left in the clip?” We shared a grin and I never thought I would be sharing witty banter on a yacht about my crimes with a man.
“I thought your job in this world was to make sure that I was good. If I’m still having to kill people to find my solace and fight my demons then you aren’t doing your job, are you?”
