Page 15 of Honey and Spice

I tilted my chin and levelled my gaze, trying to calm my racing pulse, flared by anger, not fear. If Zack wanted to be a predator then I was going to be aforce majeure, the lovechild of?angoandO?un, thunder, lightning, a flood.

“Let go of me now, and I’ll do you the favor of pretending that you losing yourfucking mindis down to drugs. Otherwise—”

“Domea favor?” The corners of his mouth kicked up in a snide snarl. “Babe,Ichose you. You’re not even my type. I usually go for girls who”—his eyes ran across me—“are more on my level. This was charity.”

I nodded. “Oh, Isee.” There it was.

Zack’s sneer melted a little and his smile faltered as he noted the look on my face. I was grinning widely, manically. “Kiki, look, I was just chatting, I’m sor—”

I shook my head and wrestled my arm from his grip, still smiling, like he’d told the funniest joke, which was somewhat close to the truth in that hewas a fucking joke. Malakai’s friends were laughing at something, carefree, unaware. Malakai didn’t join them. His brows were furrowed slightly as he looked at me, eyes bright, glimmering at me in the dim violet light. I swore they were saying something. I swore I heard them say what I was thinking.

Zack took my silence for softening and tried to place a hand on my waist. My stomach turned and the safeties came off my inner glocks. I put my empty cup down on a nearby table, looked back up to him and smiled. “I know you’re sorry.”