Page 70 of The Wicked

“He looks at you like he wants to eat you. Keep him,” she whispered to me, and I cringed, knowing the rest of Street could hear it.

I smiled at her when she pulled away with a wink before walking in the other direction.

“Who was that?” I asked, looking back at Elio and immediately remembering how he had touched me with his eyes. The last person I should feel any sexual attraction to was him. Yes, he was sinfully attractive and oozed an unhealthy dose of sex appeal, and there was that pull between us… so damn strong that I was almost positive I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

Elio cleared his throat. “A person I know,” he stated. “Go find your painting; and don’t cause any trouble.”

I smiled. “When have I ever?”

He shook his head, and without another word, turned and walked away.

“Okay, guys, let’s find that naughty chihuahua.”

“Am I the only one thinking it?”Milk asked.

“Thinking what?” I asked, walking casually while eying the door I was supposed to walk into, and the guard that stood right in front of it.

“Is it possible to feel tension without seeing it, like just from sounds and quietness that’s a bit static?”Milk said.

“Audio porn?”Dog inquired.

“Yeah, but like, between people who don’t like each other—”

“Quit it, Milk. Do you see the door, Z?”Devil asked.

“Yup, I’m approaching now,” I answered, walking towards the door and the guard, whose frown hardened when I reached him.

“In position, waiting on you, Zahra,”Upper said.

I smiled tightly at the guard. “Hi—”

“This hallway is reserved for VIPs only.”

“I know, but—listen, I heard there was a fully equipped female bathroom somewhere in there, and I need to go.”

“There is a guest bathroom at the other aisle by your left—”

“I know, sir…” I said with an apologetic smile. “I just—this place is closer for—for the little problem I have? If—if I have to walk all the way to the aisle, it might—it might be verybloody.”

The man frowned. “I beg your pardon?”

I stepped closer to him, looking around before beckoning him nearer. He leaned forward. “It’s that time of the month. I didn’t know it would be today, and I can feel it—the cycle blood, pouring out of—”

He stepped aside, holding the door open for me. “Just go.”

“Thank you, sir, I don’t know how to—”

He averted his gaze completely. “Just go, go—”

I rushed into the hallway, and the door slammed shut behind me before I could thank him again.

“You are one cruel motherfucker,”Dog said.“I’m disabling the security cameras now, shouldn’t take me… Done, you’re on loop. You have about fifteen minutes before the system rewrites the codes and the cams are back online with real-time feed.”

I began walking to the elevator, getting in and pressing the button for the floor where the vault was. “I won’t need fifteen minutes,” I said as the doors jammed together and I started going up.

In no time, I was out of the elevator, heading straight for the vault. “Okay, Milk, I’m standing in front of the vault lock. It’s like the picture we saw, there’s a huge box and a rotary mechanical combination lock in front of it.”

“Great, take out the device.”