Chapter Thirty-three
"Is he… is he…" Robby immediately shut his mouth when she glared at him as if daring him to finish his sentence. Ahmet could swear the man's words had snapped him out of his thoughts as he knew exactly what Robby wanted to ask. 'Is he your man?' Like hell was he going to allow any man to touch her? The words annoyed him so much that he no longer felt like ripping her clothes apart.
A bottle of water was then brought and shared among them all. She first eyed the water with suspicion. However, if this meeting was frequently held, no one would do anything, right? Who would be stupid enough to do that?
She continued to eye the bottle in front of her, her throat parched and dry. It had been hours since she'd last had a drink, and the dehydration was starting to take its toll. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, and her head throbbed with a dull ache.
But she hesitated, her gaze flicking to the faces around the table. She didn't trust them, not one bit. They'd been smiling and laughing, but she'd caught the glint of something harder in their eyes. Something calculating. They weren't friends. How could they be?
The water seemed to mock her, its clear liquid sparkling in the light. She knew she needed to drink, but her instincts kept screaming at her to not do that. What if it was drugged? What if it was poisoned? Those thoughts wouldn't stop gnawing at her.
Her throat constricted, protesting the delay. She could feel her body crying out for hydration, her skin tight and dry perhaps. She finally reached for the bottle, her eyes locked on the water as if it might disappear at any moment.
She took the first sip – it was cool, clear, and life-giving. She felt her body drink in the moisture, her throat replenishing with a grateful sigh. It tasted like… water. It tasted as it should be.
Asli drank everything then while she kept her eyes on the others, her guard still up. As if telling them she would harm anyone who tried to harm her first.
"He stole some things from me and is refusing to give me what I want from the things he stole." The man finally told her, his voice coming off as a plea. His father wouldn't be happy if he let the man live.
"Killing him wouldn't get you what you want," she said, her tone even as she leaned back in her chair. Her hands clasped together in her lap.
"Oh, it will," the man replied, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. "His successor promised me he'd return them." He glanced around the table, his eyes darting from one face to another as if asking them to help him.
"How about I kill the successor promising you that?" she suggested with a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes and a small smile played on her lips. The man's face went pale, and he sat back in his chair, his eyes wide with alarm.
The man probably for a minute forgot he didn't report to her and wasn't supposed to beg her. But because he did, she couldn't help but torment him more.
"Are you kidding me? You do realize he's a leader of his organization and doesn't care what you think, right?" Another man questioned. He turned to her with his eyebrows raised in surprise. He had spoken without fear and she smirked. She had gotten his name earlier. That was Maxwell.
"May the best Mafia win." She got up from her seat and headed towards the door. She wasn't going to sit there and listen to them. She knew Ahmet was crazy but to pull her to sit in one of the chairs for their meeting was where she would draw a line. This was clearly nonsense and even if he blackmailed her with another thing, she did not care. She was never going to sit in this meeting ever again. She did not care what he threatened her with again. She was not going to show up.
She slid into the driver's seat of her car, and the soft leather enveloped her like a glove. Surprisingly , this was one of the most comfortable places she had. She started the engine, the purr of the motor soothing through the night.
The cool night air rushed past her face as she accelerated, the city lights blurring together.
Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror as her gaze scanned the sea of headlights behind her in the traffic. Then the white Mercedes Benz caught her attention. She had first seen it before the traffic turned red.
At first, it was just a nagging sense of familiarity. Asli's mind ticked through the possibilities of who was and why he was following her. Was it a rival family's spy, or just a coincidence? Her heart rate quickened, and her senses were on high alert. She felt a familiar tension building in her shoulders with a coiled energy waiting to be unleashed.
The light turned green, and Asli accelerated, her eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. The Mercedes Benz kept pace with her, its occupants hidden in the shadows.
Asli's focus narrowed, her mind racing with possibilities of who could be following her. But as the minutes ticked by, she began to feel… off.
A subtle tingling sensation crept up her spine, spreading through her limbs like a slow-burning fire. Her skin felt… sensitive as if the fabric of her clothes was caressing her.
Her thoughts grew disjointed and her attention wavered. She felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to touch… something. Anything… more like someone.
What the...?
She shook her head, trying to clear the fog. What was wrong with her?
The water. Had it been the water she drank at the meeting? All she could think about was the sensation building inside her, like a hunger that demanded to be satisfied.