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“Never mind,” he bites out. “We won’t be discussing that.” He returns to the topic of the Order, even though he’s the one who brought up my relationship with Gio. “When Gio introduced the Serpentine Order to you, were you under the impression he led it?”
I swallow. “At first, yes. But one time, he used the termascendin context in a way that made me wonder if there was a throne he aspired to ascend to.”
“And you didn’t think to ask for clarification.” It’s not a question. A statement.
“I had a feeling he’d get upset if I asked. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say.”
“Are you a cat?” Severio asks.
“Well, no.”
“Are you afraid of my uncle?”
Maybe. “I didn’t want to poke the bear.”
“You’re poking me.”
“You’re not a bear.”
Severio leans back, again brushing his thumb over his lower lip, seemingly considering the animal analogies. “You’re right. I’m not a bear. Nevertheless, if you asked, Gio would’ve told you about tonight. You arrived here with no knowledge of the Order’s rites or rituals, and with the presumption I’d assault you. As if.” Severio snorts, an unexpected sound from him, then he pierces me with those intense blue eyes. “Gio’s been laying the groundwork for his coup d’état,” he says.
Gordon stops the buzzing gun and removes his gloved fingers from my upper back.
The air in the room changes, becoming charged with what I can only describe as anger. Severio’s, I’m sure, as his lips are pressed together and his teeth are grinding. He reaches behind his back and pulls out a big silver gun. “And you are complicit.” He rests the gun on the bar.
My gaze is glued to the weapon. “I didn’t know there was a coup,” I rush to say. Having grown up in a house where parents rarely argued and everyone was a “bird,” as the Order members would say, the guns dangerous men carry around like I carry my lip gloss take some getting used to.
Severio watches me in a way that makes me want to kneel and beg for forgiveness. Maybe that’s what I need to do. “Please.” I make praying hands. “I had nothing to do with any coup.”
Severio narrows his eyes. “My uncle told you he’s ascending, and he robbed you of your substantial inheritance. This meansyou knew he wanted to usurp me and that he stole from me, since your family assets are tied up in the Order.”
“I didn’t know it was you he was usurping.”
“That’s beside the point.”
“It’s the main point,” I argue, because Severio isn’t taking his hand off the gun. Tears gather in my eyes, and I beg him again. “Please, show mercy.”
“I am.” He flicks his gaze toward Gordon, indicating the tattoo work he’s done on my skin.
I can’t take my eyes off the weapon. “Please.” Severio might spare me if I prove loyal to him.
“Gio will flee the country tonight,” I sputter. There, I said it.
Severio’s blue eyes are striking in their intensity, especially when he’s told something of this magnitude.
“He told you this?” He takes his hand off the pistol and closes his fingers over my praying hands. His touch is cold, his skin soft, his grip hard.
I shake my head, my body shivering.
Gordon stands next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Steady now,” he says. “Nobody here will hurt you.”
When I look up, his gaze is on Severio, but Severio’s focus seems transfixed on the place where Gordon is touching me. Lazily, he drags his gaze up and looks at Gordon towering over the pair of us.
“Tell her nobody will hurt her,” Gordon orders, an edge to his voice.
“Are you asking me if I will hurt her or telling me I can’t?” Severio asks.
They’re locked in a staring contest, and the tension between them, mainly the alpha-dick measuring, could save my life. This is good, except when I told Severio that Gio planned to skip town, I effectively betrayed Gio and now have zero chance of survival if he finds out. I must lie in bed with Severio now and tothe bitter end. In a coup, you pick a side and pray you picked the winning one. After twenty minutes with Severio, I pick him.
