Page 202 of Poison Aches

The way he’d make me feel.

But now, he’s looking at me like he’s barely containing himself from snapping my neck.

I’m wearing a backless cocktail dress that I packed last minute and now, the boy who told me point-blank that he isn’t interested in me is slowly and torturously tracing some letters at the base of my bare back.

“Things went to shit, huh?” he murmurs, as he gently leads.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Your blatant lack of strategy and forward thinking is the very reason why your life is shitty, have you ever thought about that?”

Stunned, I look up at him.

That stung. Like more than those words should, but they do.

“Or maybe it’s because of you!”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, asshole!”

It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since my entire family fantasy blew up in my face like a nasty clusterfuck.

But of all the things that have happened to me since yesterday, and even today, Emmett saying that is what boils the anger in me.

“Are you so blind that you can’t see danger when it’s staring right at you?” he demands, his voice carrying an almost indecipherable note of anger and annoyance.

“I’ve been asking myself that same question all night,” I counter. “How did I not see that you are a betrayer, a heartbreaker, and someone I honestly wish I’d never met at all.”

“Good, you’re starting to understand how I feel about you.”

We glare at each other.

“You wanted to use me last night,” I mutter. Last night, all the pieces started falling in place. “You knew who my parents were. You knew all along that I had a sister. You knew about this deal, and now what, you expect me to just go along with it by doing you the honors of making you the boss or whatever it is they call it in your messed-up underworld nonsense?”

At this, Emmett stares down at me.

His nostrils flare a bit, then without missing a beat, he grabs my hand and leads me off the dance floor and straight to a hidden corner.

I try to tug my hand away, but he doesn’t let go.

Behind me, I notice Jackson about to make a move to come to me, but he gets blocked by some security guys.

“What exactly are you trying to say, Angel?” Emmett asks, ever so softly, but the degree of danger is now extremely high that the potential this conversation will make all hell break loose is at a solid ninety-nine percent. “Are you now looking down your nose at what you’ve always known?”

“What I’ve always known?” I step back, shocked. “I’ve never known that your family is in the mafia!”

“Yes, you’ve always known.”

I want to deny it.

I want so badly to go against it and claim I was unaware but a part of me has always known, I think, and he knows that too.

“Yeah, but whatever it is you think you’ll gain by using me, then you’re going to be disappointed.”

“Really?” he says, watching me calmly. “That’s interesting.”

My heart starts racing,

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