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Them—my family. The mafia.

I scoffed, shaking my head, but little did she know how correct she was. My impulsivity and aggression had gotten progressively worse over the years. But when I was around my family, it was instinctual to play the part of mafia heir. It was instinctual to slip the mask of indifference over my features and center myself around violence.

It was all I fucking knew.

I realized now that Sutton was my control's tipping point, like boiling water in a too shallow pot, bubbling over the sides until it sizzled on the stove.

Her observation annoyed me more than I’d like to admit.

Everything about her fucking annoyed me, because ever since I met her, she’d done nothing but drive me insane. I had distance with the stalking, but now that she was living in my penthouse? The need to touch her continuously overwhelmed me.

Every. Single. Day.

Though now, I felt entirely too exposed, and my lungs constricted. I was thrust back into training, where the winds were cold and snow blanketed the expanse with a young Grave at my side. A place where I’d been forced to swallow my emotions. Forced to kill at an age I shouldn’t have. It had been the last time I felt something so fiercely, and it struck me right in the chest.

I blinked hard, my breaths too fast, my hands trembling as I reached for my pack of smokes. The flame of my lighter shook all the way up, and my annoyance rose when it snuffed out. The music grew louder, the pressure in my chest squeezing tighter, like something inside me was seconds away from snapping.

I needed a distraction. I needed to leave.

Then Sutton’s fingers closed around my wrist, and I froze. Even though my nostrils flared at the warmth of her touch, the tightness in my chest loosened. Just enough to stop the need to stab something.

“I haven’t left your penthouse in two weeks,” she said quietly, her eyes searching mine. “Buy me a drink.”

I wanted to say no. I wanted to storm in the opposite direction and drown myself in anyone else but her. But then our gazes locked, and I was unable to deny her request.

I stared at her for a long moment before tucking the cigarette back into its pack and said, “Fine.”

13

MANIC

The second I agreed, Sutton gave me a soft, knowing smile, and turned on her heel as if pleased with herself. That was all it took for the pressure to subside in my chest, like one look from her was enough to turn me into a complying idiot.

Last I checked, she was my captive.

A growl of annoyance crawled up my throat. Still, that didn’t stop me from trailing behind her and up the steps while I loosened a few buttons on my shirt.

It was too fucking hot in here.

Axell and Vince’s gaze clashed with mine at the top of the stairs, their brows raised in question. I said nothing, only followed her across the club as they fell into step behind me. I’d never explained myself, and I wasn't about to start.

Though a strange calm washed over me, and the noise in my head quieted as I watched the confident sway of her hips. Sutton moved through the packed crowd with ease. Patrons’ eyes tracked her every movement, their bodies parting like pawns on a chess board. I had half a mind to blow everyone’s fucking brains out for staring.

Either she was entirely oblivious, or she simply didn’t care.

There was a reason I gave her that chess piece, one I wished she’d figure out. When stoked properly, that fire she had could be molded into something powerful. She could own the entire room if she used it to her advantage. Just like that queen.

When I finally reached her side, two men locked eyes with me and immediately rose from their seats. Axell and Vince lingered nearby, far enough to watch the club while we drank. I stepped behind Sutton, blocking everyone from the perfect view of her ass as she leaned into the counter and ordered us both a drink.

That was definitely intentional.

I narrowed my eyes when she turned with a smile and extended my whiskey, then sank into the empty seat beside me. I sat as she watched me over the rim of her wine glass, dragging her gaze from my face to my chest and back. Though my skin pricked with awareness, curiosity pulled at me as wine wasn’t her typical order.

“I almost forgot what being in public was like,” she said.

“Wine this time?”

“I’d hate to be predictable.”