"Or it could mean someone in your inner circle," William countered.
"Does this at least prove that I’m loyal to the cause?" I asked. More than anything, I wanted to be trusted. Ultimately, I decided to come forward with the truth today because the consequences of not telling Malice what happened last night were greater than the potential rewards of working with Cora. Malice hated rats, and I refused to become anything that this psychotic man hated.
"It means I distrust you marginally less. But don’t get too excited about it," Malice replied.
Anthony chuckled.
"Great. Then I’ll be leaving."
William perked up in his seat. Anthony stopped doodling to look at me. Malice bent over his table and tapped the top of it with his fingers. "Where do you think you’re going?"
"Home?" I replied. "I haven’t actually eaten since lunch yesterday, and I’m exhausted. I’m just the informant, not the mastermind behind whatever the fuck it is you plan to do about Cora. I did my job. I gave you information. Now, I’m off the clock."
Anthony reached out to brush his fingers over mine. "I can get you food, what do you want?" he asked softly. When Anthony wasn’t chopping up bodies, he was actually incredibly sweet.
"It’s okay. I have a long bus ride home—"
"No more goddamn buses!" Malice shouted before stabbing the tabletop with his knife.
I rolled my eyes. Anthony was right, the only reason Malice had his panties in a twist was because Cora got close to his property. He didn’t actually give two fucks about my safety. "I’ll get you one of our cars," William interrupted.
"Fine. But remember what I said about no murder cars. Anthony needs to work on his technique for scrubbing evidence," I said while teasingly nudging Anthony.
"I am very good about cleaning up DNA," he protested.
"You kept a dead girl’s clothes in your death dungeon," I replied dryly. "Seriously, have you listened to any of my podcasts?"
"Hey now. You looked hot in her clothes. And it’s a good thing I had them. You would’ve had to dispose of a dead body while naked," he popped back before staring at me with a...confusing expression. "Oh shit, I just got a boner."
I scooted away from Anthony. He cackled and continued to doodle.
"Fine. I’ll buy you a new car. We can make a day of it if you’d like, Miss Cross. I’ll even stop at your favorite restaurant on the way," William purred. His tone felt sensual and taunting, like he was somehow staking a claim with subtle suggestions. I turned to look at him. Even though I was tired, the idea of spending the day with him sounded appealing...
"No. Juliet is going to stay here and eat," Malice decided before turning to face me. "You need rest before your shift tonight so that you can be alert. You can take a nap in the guest room, and when you wake up, I want to discuss your shift for tonight and some potential suspects, okay?"
I didn’t necessarily have to go home. Grams had plans with Linda today. She finally got her ticket to Palm Springs and was planning on buying some cute summer dresses for the trip, but I still didn’t like spending yet another day away from her.
"I really need to go home."
"And that really isn’t a decision you get to make. Get her some food, Anthony, and for fuck’s sake, I don’t ever want her walking after her shift ever again," Malice growled.
"Aw. Nicky cares," Anthony sang in a whiny voice. "I swear, Cora’s got the magic touch." Malice glared at his brother, an unspoken warning in his gaze. Anthony lifted his hands in mock surrender. "It’s okay, Nicky. You can’t save everyoneeeee."
Malice turned to Hale. "And as for you? We have some things to discuss about your role here. Everyone but Hale is dismissed."
Nicholas Civella was like a fucking military sergeant. William and Anthony got up immediately, listening to their brother like this was normal. It was in my nature to question him.
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. "I’d like to hear what you have to say to Hale."
Malice glared at me. Anthony, who apparently liked a good drama fest, stopped his exodus to watch the power struggle tennis match between his older brother and me. "Why?" he asked.
"He’s supposedly my bodyguard. I just want to be made aware of how he plans to protect me from Cora should she show up again. He was gone the majority of my shift last night and coincidentally disappeared when I had to walk home. I just want to know how you plan to keep your employees safe."
Hale turned bright red, the anger so clearly prevalent in his expression that I had to bite back a smile. "Sir, I did my job. I’ve worked with you for four years. I’m not just a babysitter. I didn’t realize I was responsible for her after her shift. What do you expect? Am I supposed to move in with the bitch?"
Absofuckinglutely not. Hale wasn’t going to get within fifty feet of my Grams if I had anything to say about it. I was furious. "We will discuss the boundaries of your role later. Right now, I want to chat with Juliet," Malice said in a dark tone.
"Oooh, someone’s in trouble," Anthony sang before exiting the conference room. William shook his head and sighed. Somehow, I felt like I’d made a mistake.
"Out. Everyone," Malice insisted.
William stared at me, as if silently begging me to ask him to stay. To be my hero. To be my person. But instead, I nodded.
The door to the conference room clicked shut, and Malice and I were left alone. "Do you think I’m incapable of keeping you safe, Little Fighter?" he whispered his question menacingly. The nickname was new to me. I watched as he circled the large rectangular table and approached me.
"I think Cora is closer than you think," I whispered back, antagonizing him for reasons I couldn’t explain. "I think you’re juggling too many plates and already have a list of people you feel responsible for. There’s no room for strangers, right?"
Malice picked me up and sat me on the conference table. Slowly. Gently. "Is that so," he replied softly. "Are you a stranger still, Juliet?"
"Don’t act like you know me. Don’t act like you care. I see right through your games, Malice," I rasped. He was so fucking close. I breathed him in.
"Tell me. What game am I playing?"
I leaned back on the table, bracing my palms on the hard wood as I put some distance between us. "You sent Vicky away, knowing damn well that she’s the only person who can get through to Anthony. Now, I’m suddenly put in all sorts of positions to spend time with him. You wouldn’t happen to be filling that void, would you? Guilt can be a strong motivator, Malice."
His lip twitched. "Go on."
So he wasn’t going to deny it? Interesting. I continued. "I don’t know why, but you like punishing William. You kissed me to get back at him. But why? What did your brother do to make you want to hurt him?"
Malice grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me back toward him. "And what if I were to kiss you right now? What purpose would I have for that, Little Fighter? There’s no one here to see. My brothers aren’t watching."
I stared at his plush lips for a lingering moment. The tension between us was so thick I nearly choked on it. "I don’t know. Maybe to feel something. Maybe because you’re selfish. I don’t trust you to take care of my body, Malice. I don’t feel safe with you. I don’t feel protected. I’ll work for you. I’ll tell you all the secrets. But I won’t trust you. I’ve seen firsthand what happens to the people you supposedly love, and I want nothing to do with it. Vicky is in another country against her will. Anthony is covered in scars."