Page 95 of His Prince
Viktor’s cheeks blaze, and I cock my head, watching this exchange.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he hisses, but Bane just responds by waggling his eyebrows.
“You know. I want to see.” He pulls on the waistband of Viktor’s pants, but Viktor shoves him away, his drink sloshing onto the floor as he does.Hundreds of dollars wasted, I think as Bane grins at his boss, unbothered by it all.
“Hi there, Tony. Did you miss me?”
I pour him a large glass and push it across the counter.
Anthony takes a sip and replies, “I thought you accidentally offedyourself. It’s good to see you’re still alive. But if you call me Tony again, I’ll murder you in your sleep.”
Bane giggles and then sits opposite Anthony, taking his drink from him and gulping it down.
Anthony eyes him and then holds out the glass for another pour.
“I can’t afford this,” I murmur, and Anthony scoffs.
“I know you can, Ivanov. I’ve seen your bank statements, remember?”
I peer over my shoulder at him and nod. I can afford it, I just don’t want to.
“Would you like to see the underground tunnels?” Bane asks no one in particular, squirming in his chair. “There are some passages in the walls as well. I drew you a map.” He pulls a crinkled piece of paper from his pocket and sets it on the counter. “I drew it in crayon. I couldn’t find a pencil.”
“Where the fuck was there a crayon?” I ask, and Viktor lets out a muffled laugh behind his hand.
“In the walls,” Bane says.
I feel my eye twitch, realizing that Bane knows my house better than me. And why the fuck was there a crayon in the walls? I was too old for coloring when my family moved to this house. And I don’t have kids. Never have and, most likely, never will.
My thoughts move to Angel again and how good he’d be with children, before I shake them away.
I can’t focus on him right now, not with everything else going on at the moment. When we’re alone tonight, I’ll speak with him and then flip him over and fuck his brains out. Just on principle.
I pick up the paper and tuck it in my pocket, filing it away for later. I’ll have a long look at it, if I can even decipher it. Chances are Bane is the only one who can read it.
Angel and Tatum make their way back into the kitchen, their faces close together, whispering to one another.
I don’t like this at all.
Tatum’s eyes shoot up at my face and then down to my crotch.
Angel better not be saying anything about my equipment. It’s perfectly fine.
“We’re going out to see my garden,” Angel says, heavy on themy. If only he knew how much I loved that space before she ruined it.
How the one place I found solace in was destroyed and left to rot until he brought it back to life.
Anthony stands up, grabbing his drink as Viktor follows. Bane disappears into the walls once more, or under the floors. I don’t know which. All I know is that when we move outside, he’s not there.
Good riddance.
Angel leads the way with Tatum by his side. He’s leaning into him like he should be leaning against me. But I don’t say anything, allowing it because I don’t want to make a scene. Anthony is talking with Viktor in hushed tones, leaving me to walk with Teddy, the big guy who says absolutely nothing. He even breathes quietly.
So I don’t bother saying anything either.
I just stare at the back of Angel’s head, wondering what’s going on.
He still hasn’t looked at me, but he sure looks happy to see the new hippie gardener. Jake, I think his name is. When Angel was still talking to me, he told me all about him. Apparently, Jake feels the energy of plants.