Page 27 of The Wicked

A lot.

“What are you doing?” Her voice was coated in uncertainty.

“Caring for your hair.” My gaze fell to hers quickly before shooting back to her hair. “It looks… a mess.”

I pulled her hair up in one swoop, curling the band to keep it in place.

“According to my mother, it is important to care for your hair. To care for it like it is a child; because, like children, your hair is clueless on how to take care of itself,” I said, successfully tying her hair in a tiny ponytail, as far high as the short length could go. “She says you can always tell about a person’s neatness by the state of their hair. Now I know how messy you are. That is not information you want your employer to know.” And then I stepped back, assessing my work and nodding. “Better.”

She blinked at me, giving me a very familiar look. One I usually received from people after saying or doing something that didn’t fit their assumptions of me.

I returned to leaning on the railing, watching her swallow as she shook her head.

“You’re… very… weird.”

“I am aware. To avoid situations like this in the future, make sure you’re well-arranged before speaking to me. I can’t control the urge to fix things. And I do not care if I offend you by my actions.”

“Aún no tiene sentido,” she muttered under her breath.Still doesn’t make sense.

I blinked in clear surprise. “¿Tú hablas español?” Hiding the excitement in my voice was impossible.You speak Spanish?

She shot me a sweet but taunting smile. “Sí, ¿por qué?”Yes, why?

I raised my brows, nodding because I was genuinely impressed; her Spanish was clean, smooth, and accented.“Where did you learn?”I asked in Spanish.

“None of your business.”

The look that flashed through her eyes told me it was indeed none of my business.

I still pushed the conversation in Spanish.“What kind of relationship do you share with my brother?”I asked.

She eyed me carefully, probably wondering why I continued the conversation instead of having her locked away for interrupting my peace. She was right to wonder because I was wondering the same thing. She was the opposite of a person I’d want to spend my time with. Nothing was captivating about her or her presence, yet she was still here.

“He’s my best friend and partner in crime.”

I frowned.“That cannot be right. You two have another relationship.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I am not blind. Aside from the thieving addiction you both share with the other members, I know you and him have something more.”

“So what if we do? What’s it to you?”There was a defensive tone to her voice as she pinned me with a glare.

I couldn’t stop my eyes from taking her in from head to toe and back to her head.“He’s my blood. It concerns me the kind of woman he chooses to get intimate with.”

She let out a humorless laugh. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

I paused, trying to find what was wrong with her physically; when I couldn’t find anything, I shook my head and said,“You’re a bad influence on him. You and the others.”

Her glare hardened, and she took two steps towards me, the wind sweeping the seductive smell of her hair toward me.“Talk shit about me all you want, but leave the others out.”

“They are also to blame for who my brother is today.”

“Maybe you need to grow up and realize that Devil is not a kid but an adult who can very well choose the kind of people he wants to fuck with.”

I shoved both my hands into my pockets, looking around the vast expanse. I took a step closer to her, and she took one back. I sniffed slightly. I leaned down, my gaze pinning hers. “Or… I could kill you”—I switched back to English—“and the others, and then make my brother do whatever thefuckI want. Because Ifuckingcan, and because it would give me nothing but joy to see him far away from you… criminals.”

She watched me for a few seconds before she laughed. Laughed in my face until I was the one inching away.