Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
“I’ve missed you too, Zeke. So damn much, but this is going to have to wait.” Azadeh pulls away from me, and I notice her tired, red-rimmed eyes. She glances at the manor and clenches her teeth. “Where’s Lev?”
I place her down and look her over. Her arms hang by her sides, her hands clenching and unclenching, her stance rigid as if she’s hankering for a fight. Lev and Azadeh have always managed to get under each other’s skin, pushing buttons left and right until one explodes in anger. But never in all these years have I witnessed her wanting to rip his head off his torso and place it on a spike. Until now.
“Did he do something?”
There’s no way Lev would hurt her. He loves her.
Azadeh pushes past me and runs to the front door. Like the dutiful puppy who senses his owner is upset, I chase after her, coming to a halt before Azadeh opens the front door and busts into the foyer.
“Get your ass out here, Lev!”
“Hello, Az,” Lev says, emerging from his office. He’s wearing his typical three-piece suit, all prim and proper, giving the illusion of a refined businessman. Yet the ink peeking from his crisp cotton shirt collar and the words “fuck” and “life” tattooed on his knuckles tell a different story. Lev tugs at the lapels of his light gray suit jacket as if he’s been inconvenienced by the help before settling his gaze on Azadeh. “Welcome home.”
Azadeh doesn’t say anything. She looks at Lev as if she wants to rip his flesh from his bones and stomp on his discarded remains. In the years I’ve known Azadeh, I’ve never seen her glare at one of us with such disdain and venom. When her claws are out, it’s usually because she’s digging them into our backs and begging to be fucked harder.
Before I can stop her, she bulldozes toward Lev, and a loud slap reverberates in the hallway, echoing off the cathedral ceilings.
“How could you?” she shrieks. “I thought you gave a fuck about me. You were working on your shit, Lev. Zeke was helping you. I believed that no matter how insane you behaved, you would always have my back. How could you?”
“Whoa, what the fuck is going on?” I demand.
Azadeh knows not to touch Lev unless he initiates it. We all know that. Lev’s jaw ticks as he rubs the red mark marring his skin. I’m not sure if I’m more worried about Azadeh or Lev. Either could blow.
Azadeh turns to me, voice shaking from the tears I know she’s trying to hold at bay. She’s always been worried about appearing weak. Crying gives her enemies the upper hand and exposes her wounds. “Were you in on it?”
Azadeh is substantially more unhinged than Lev at the moment. I raise my hands, palms open wide. “I don’t even know what’s up. Whatever you’re mad at him for, it has nothing to do with me. I swear it on my good eye.”
Azadeh squints as she stares me directly in that good eye, assessing me, deciding if I’m being honest or pulling her leg.
“Az, I fuckin’ sacrificed an eye for you. You think I’d ever do anything to hurt you?”
She tilts her head and glares at me with her rich brown eyes. Fuck, I love those eyes. They’re so damn expressive, always telling on her even before her mouth opens. Those eyes made me jump to her rescue all those years ago. I still remember the first time I saw her, a scared little mouse hurled into a new world where she didn’t know anyone or understand anything.
Her eyes are still fixed on me as if she’s deciding whether to believe me. “I’m sorry, Zeke. I’m scared.”
My heart thumps with annoyance. “Fuck, Azadeh, this is me. You think I'd do something to piss you off like this?”
Azadeh nods and walks toward Lev. My shoulders relax. Maybe all this will blow over. Azadeh and Lev have always had a fucked-up love-hate relationship. They have a lot of love for each other but can’t seem to express it in a healthy way. It makes sense as neither had peaceful early years.
“Where is she, Lev?” Azadeh’s voice is cold. It’s the crazy calm tone that tells me I might find Lev’s head rolling by my feet if she doesn't get what she wants.
Lev glares down at her. “You ready to meet my demands?”
“No, Lev, I’m not. After this, you’ll never see me again. I’m taking my sister and getting as far away from your psychotic ass as I can.”
Lev nods. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t reach an agreement, and neither of us will get what we want.”
Azadeh’s hand moves to her belt, and she unsheathes a sharp knife. Before she does something she’ll regret, I grab her waist and haul her toward me. I’m confident she won’t stab me with it. Well, I hope she won’t. My chances look a whole lot better than Lev’s.