Page 100 of Power of Shadow

“You can go now,” he throws at the girl, eyeing her as if she were dirt on his shoes.

She quickly hides her breasts behind the fabric, rises from her knees, and pulls her skirt back into place. And then her blue eyes meet mine, the corners of her mouth rising in triumph.

Seeing this, I smile and shake my head.

“Go!” Alex huffs with impatience.

Once she disappears behind the door, Alex takes a deep breath. A shadow flits across his eyes.

“You’re here,” he says after a moment and sits in his chair behind his desk.

“I’m here.”

“She didn’t mean anything, you know?”

“Alex, I’m not here for you to explain to me who you fuck and who you don’t. It’s none of my business, just as it’s none of your business who I fuck. We’re not together. I’m not your old lady, and I’m not your girlfriend.”

Alex winces at my words, spoken in a harsh tone.

I like him. I’m grateful for everything he does for me, but enough is enough.

“Don’t say that, Ash,” he moans in pain. “You know how I feel about you. I can’t believe you’re so blind you don’t see it.”

“Alex—”

“No, listen to me. We could be so good for each other. Not just as a couple, but also with work. The two of us could shake up the underworld of this fucking city. Give me a chance, and I’ll show you what I mean. I’ll show you how good we could be for each other.” He leans back in his chair, his eyes never leaving me.

I slowly shake my head. I can’t agree to this, but not because he’s wrong. Maybe if a lot of things were different... Maybe if I weren’t afraid of losing my soul completely with him. Maybe if Ryker hadn’t come into my life...

“It’s not possible, Alex.”

“Let me at least try, baby. Let me take you on a date to show you how much you mean to me. It seems sudden to you, but it’s not. I’ve been waiting for you for years, hoping.”

“Nothing good would come of it,” I explain. “Don’t ever call me ‘baby’ again. I’m not your baby. Don’t ruin what we have now.”

“I don’t want to ruin anything. Quite the opposite. I’ve been in love with you for a long time.”

I frown. “Don’t say that. Just five minutes ago, you had your dick in some chick’s mouth, and you didn’t care that I saw you together. You were hoping to hurt me with that. That’s fucked up. You’re confusing your feelings.”

“I wanted you to be jealous! Okay? I wanted you to feel what I feel, knowing you’re in his arms!” Alex bursts out. There’s no trace of his relaxed attitude anymore.

“How do you even know that, Alex? Are you following me?”

“I don’t have to, but there are always eyes in this city that follow you. The information reaches me anyway.”

That smokescreen doesn’t work on me. “Don’t bullshit me. You’ve known my movements for a long time. This is no coincidence!”

“All right, all right! I have my people monitoring you!”

For the first time, Alex blushes with anger. When he loses his temper, someone usually ends up bleeding. Someone’s ass gets kicked—or worse.

I’m not afraid of him, but this is too much.

“What does that even mean? You had me followed? That’s messed up.” I scowl, bitter taste in my mouth.

“It’s for your own safety, Ash,” he confesses. “I’m worried about you. Especially after the Pact started to affect you directly.”

This information chills me for a moment. I never thought about it that way. I thought I was being smart and clever in my actions. But there was a lot of proof that I wasn’t. “Is this all about Ryker? Is that why you wanted to meet?”