Page 77 of The Taste of Deceit

“I missed you too.”

I hear another set of footsteps on the staircase and glance up.

Michael makes his way down at an unhurried pace, dressed in cream linen pants and a matching button-down with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. His hands rest in his pockets as he reaches the bottom step.

“Sarah,” he says.

“Michael.”

Katie looks from him to me before letting out a laugh.

“Oh my God.”

She shakes her head.

“You two are so fucking weird.”

If she only knew what I knew.

Michael steps in behind her and slides his arms around her waist, drawing her back against his chest. He lowers his head until his mouth is beside her ear.

“You’re the fucking weird one.”

Katie laughs, reaching up to pat his cheek.

“I know.”

“You wear it like a badge of honor.”

“I do.”

He presses a kiss against her temple before letting her go.

Katie turns and gives him a shove toward the front door.

“Go,” she says. “It’s officially girls’ night.”

He barely moves.

“So I’ve been informed.”

“I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

She points toward the door.

“Out.”

He gives her a lazy two-finger salute.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I watch him smile at her, and I still haven’t figured out how both versions of Michael can exist at the same time. The man who wraps his arms around Katie like she’s the most precious thing in the world is the same man who decides whether someone else gets to keep breathing.

Yesterday, I scrubbed someone else’s blood from Luca’s shirt. Today, I’m watching the man who ordered it kiss his girlfriend goodbye before a girls’ night. This world gives me emotional whiplash. One minute, he’s teasing Katie with a smile on his face. The next, I remember he’s built an empire on violence and isn’t afraid to use it.

He disappears down the hall, and Katie looks at me with a grin.