Page 47 of All’s Fair In Love & War (The Bulgari Cartel #2)

“What the hell were you two thinking? You both knew I wouldn’t be okay with this.” Tatum looked from Naeem to Khalil and back again.

“This isn’t the time or place. We’ll talk later,” Naeem said, his voice low, his patience clearly thinning.

“No! Now is a perfect time,” she shot back, her tone icy. “You had me thinking they were really in love when, in reality, this shit is nothing more than a business deal.”

Khalil set his glass down with a little too much force, the sound reverberating through the tense silence. “We may not be in love right now, but we will be one day,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact.

“How do you plan to make that happen when you still make me feel like a goddamn prisoner?” I asked with as much force as he had.

The table went dead silent. Not the awkward kind, either. This was the kind of silence that made librarians jealous.

Tatum slowly set her glass down, her eyes laser-focused on Khalil. “Is that true?” she asked, her voice low enough to scare God.

“Tatum,” Khalil dragged her name. “You’re my sister, and I respect you, so I’m going to ask you to mind your business.”

Tatum raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had the authority to dictate what I can and can’t discuss at my table, Khalil.”

Before he could respond, I leaned forward, my voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Tatum, it’s fine. Really. I know how to handle him. Isn’t that right, dear?”

Khalil’s gaze snapped to mine, his jaw tightening further. “Felicity,” he warned, his tone low and dangerous.

“What?” I asked innocently, batting my lashes at him. “Am I lying?”

Tatum stared at me for a moment before letting out a dry laugh. “I like you.”

“Thanks,” I replied with a smirk. “I like me, too.”

Khalil pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly at the end of his rope. “Come on, Felicity. We’re leaving.” He pushed his seat back from the table and stood.

I barely had time to process his words before his strong grip closed around my wrist, and he was yanking me behind him toward the exit. The suddenness of his actions caught me off guard, and the world spun as I stumbled to keep my balance.

“Let go of me!” I hissed, twisting my wrist to free myself from his grasp.

However, that only made him tighten his hold. My heart raced, anger and fear battling for dominance within me as I dug my heels into the floor. They were so slippery, my efforts didn’t slow him down one bit.

In less than a minute, we were outside. “Get in the car,” Khalil barked, shoving me toward the passenger door of his Rolls-Royce Phantom.

My feet planted firmly on the ground, refusing to budge. “No,” I shot back defiantly, anger surging through me. “I’m not ready to leave.”

Khalil’s jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “You don’t have a choice. I said get in the fucking car before I make you.”

“I’d like to see you—"

Before I could finish my sentence, Khalil surged forward, seizing my waist with an iron grip. I barely had time to gasp before he tossed me into the car like a rag doll.

The door slammed shut behind me with a resounding thud that echoed my growing despair.

I scrambled to open the door, but Khalil was already sliding in beside me, his presence looming and oppressive.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the moment I met his gaze, I lost my nerve.

The fury in his eyes was wild and unpredictable, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

“Don’t say a word and don’t you fucking touch that door,” he warned, his voice low and threatening.

His expression revealed nothing, but the glint in his eyes spoke volumes.

It was the kind of look that warned you not to test him.

I exhaled slowly, more out of survival than surrender, and closed my eyes long enough to pull myself together.

When I opened them again, I met his stare—not with fear, but with a stubborn resolve that refused to bow.

With tense fingers, I fastened my seatbelt, my jaw set firmly, and my chest constricted. The silence in the car was anything but peaceful. It was thick and volatile, like static right before lightning hits.

We were barely off the estate before Khalil exploded. “You just couldn’t keep your fucking mouth shut, could you?”

I stared out the window, refusing to look at him. “What did you want me to do? Lie? We didn’t even rehearse what we would say when people asked us how we met and how long we’ve been together. If you wanted a different answer, you should’ve been on top of your game.”

“You didn’t have to say I kidnapped you.”

“But did I lie?” I snapped, whipping my head toward him. “Don’t be ashamed of what you did. Own that shit!”

Khalil gripped the wheel tightly, his feet pressing hard on the gas. “I’m not ashamed of a bitch ass thing!” he shouted.

“I can’t tell when you’re sitting there pissed off because I told the truth!”

“This dinner was to announce our engagement. It wasn’t a stage for you to start one of your tantrums.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I shot back, voice dripping in sarcasm. “I must’ve missed the part where you asked if I even wanted to be engaged.”

He glanced over, eyes full of fire. “You didn’t have to want it. You just had to act like you did. My family invited you to their table, and you turned that bitch upside down!”

I let out a laugh, bitter and breathless. “I don’t belong anywhere near your damn table, I don’t belong in your house, and I damn sure don’t belong to you .”

“That’s where you’re mistaken,” he growled. “You don’t just belong to me, I own you.”

“You don’t own shit,” I hissed, yanking off my seatbelt. “Matter of fact, pull this fucking car over before I make you.”

“You can’t make me do shit!”

“Oh, yeah! Watch this,” I said before yanking on the steering wheel so hard our vehicle swerved into the lanes on the opposite side of the road.

“Sit your ass back!” he shouted, trying to control the wheel with one hand while holding me off with the other.

“Let me go!” I shouted, releasing the wheel and slamming my fists against his head with everything I had.

The car jerked violently, the tires shrieking against the asphalt as we struggled against each other for control. My heart thundered in my chest, and adrenaline surged through my body. We swerved between lanes, and the world outside blurred into streaks of darkness and light.

Suddenly, headlights lit up the windshield, blinding me for a split second.

That was when I saw it.

A car was coming straight toward us, speeding down the lane with no sign of slowing down. There was no room to swerve, no time to escape, and nowhere to go.

“Khalil!” I screamed, my voice breaking apart as panic gripped my throat.

His eyes snapped forward, and both hands locked onto the wheel in a desperate attempt to correct our course. However, it was already too late.

The headlights consumed the glass in front of us, growing impossibly large.

The crash came an instant later.

Glass exploded in every direction, and the sound of crumpling metal tore through the night, then everything disappeared into silence and blackness.