Page 33 of The Wicked

I was irritated by it.

The whole buildup had led to this very moment, with her sitting across from me, the chessboard between us, my people behind me, while her friends stood behind her.

An aura of uncertainty lingered in the air around us, and judging by the look on her face, she would most likely lose every penny she had stolen. Her stubborn eyes lifted from the chessboard, and our gazes locked. She didn’t look away, and neither did I.

It was unnerving how she portrayed the stance of being in control. Jaw set, eyes hard and calculating. It made me curious to know how she had groomed herself into doing it.

Curious,she made mecurious. Her personality wasintriguing;it was so like mine, familiar but unfamiliar.

I had gone out of my way to dig up information about her life after the move to Italy, but there was nothing very useful. I knew she had been sold, so my search was restricted. I still had questions: How was she here? How had she escaped whoever had bought her? If she was bought from Saudi Arabia, why hadn’t she attempted to go back home? Why was her mother’s record wiped clean? Why did she feel… made-up? Who was my brother sleeping with?

She was a frustrating mystery. I do not like mysteries.

She looked away first, her focus settling on the board as we began.

All eyes were on us.

And I watched her.

Her long fingers hovered on the board, and her confidence dwindled. A few seconds into it, her face finally hinted at what and how she was feeling. Her brows were drawn down in a frown, almost as if she was unsure of the first move to make.

When she made it… I relaxed.

She was an idiot.

I found her eyes on me when I looked up.

In Spanish, I spoke while making my move. “If you didn’t know how to play, why did you agree to my terms?”

“I have never been known to back down from a challenge,”she responded before looking down and making another dumb move.

I shook my head, already mapping out my first win with my next move.“How did you survive this far with such low thinking capacity?”

Move after move, she was losing.

A smile curved at the side of her lips.“I have been told countless times how amazing I am. I think that quality serves as the charm of my essence.”

“I’m afraid I don’t see it,” I responded, switching to English as I made my next move and said, “Checkmate.”

She sucked in a breath, sitting up as she watched the board.

Dog leaned into Zahra’s side. “You should fucking quit this.”

She was quiet, studying the board before answering him without looking away. “Didn’t you hear? I have no choice. Not only is our money on the line, but my life is too.”

We started the second round, and it was the same thing. She made lousy moves, throwing herself off. I would have suggested she did it all on purpose if I didn’t know better.

“At least make an effort to pretend like you know what you’re doing,”I said.

Her brows came down in a frown.“Stop talking,”she responded without looking up.

She made her move, opening the ground floor for me to win the second round.

“You realize if you lose this, you’re dying.”

Her fist clenched and unclenched. “You made that very clear.”

After three more moves, I called checkmate, and the look on her face was the definition of unsettled.