Chapter 226

‘He did nothing, you complete fucking sociopath. He did absolutely fucking nothing. For once in my life, a guy bypassed groping me to help me stand up. He was a gentleman! Something you know nothing about! You killed a man for fucking helping me get up on my feet!’ I spit venomously at him, straining to face him down over Mico’s solid forearm, and he sneers back at me.

‘Trust me, he’s not dead. Yet! … You seem to have a high opinion of him, for just being a nobody, who did nothing.’ He spits back childishly. The fierce in him peeking up and raw hatred mirrored in his expression. He turns towards me so we are once again eye to eye.

‘What, you jealous? I have more respect and concern for the guy you beat half to death than the arsehole who won’t stop trying to fucking control me? Gee, I wonder why that is?’ I ooze sarcasm, laughing at him as though he is insane, and roll my eyes for effect.

‘Control you? Giving you half my fucking club, the apartment, money and security? How is that trying to control you? If I wanted to do that I have tried and tested means of putting you back in your place. You are so fucking self-absorbed and blind to the obvious. You’re not worth the effort.’ Alexi is yelling back and Mico is struggling to keep us apart with a hand on each of as we both try to get closer in our bitter snarling match … practically spitting venom.

‘Stop it right now.’ Mico is trying to control it, but there’s just too much hatred in this tiny space; the air crackling around us. My body feels like it’s on fire, heart pounding out of my rib cage, and everything in me straining to hold back my limbs as I ache to full-on attack him. He brings out such violent responses in me that I never knew I was capable of.

‘Don’t think I don’t know the only reason you rolled over and gave in is because it was dying anyway. Losing money which I know you hate. I am under no illusion that my usefulness is all that keeps me on the sweet side. I’m just a possession in your little treasure trove of toys. You’re spitting out your dummy because this toy won’t let you play and you think others are getting at her instead!’ It’s laced with complete superiority to him. Full on sassy Camilla and I throw him a disgusted look as I pull myself back and cross my arms petulantly. A show of bitch and that I couldn’t give a toss about him or his moods.

‘Fuck this shit … I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t. What’s the point? There’s no pleasing you! I try and I still get punished for it … Fuck you, Cam. I am so over this.’ Alexi throws his hands up in frustration and slams a palm against the back wall aggressively, making me flinch. The tiny room echoes loudly and I swear I feel the tremble under my feet. Mico throws him another angry glare, I guess a telling off and Alexi just throws it right back.

‘What are you talking about, you narcissistic prick?’ I am so sick of these vague statements he makes and even though I am engulfed in rage, I cannot back down when it comes to him.

‘Me? Narcissistic! … Ever looked in the fucking mirror, baby? I think you are the queen of narc! Ever the fucking victim when it comes to me, right?’ His tone matches the sarcasm in mine and his insult riles me back to fever pitch, yanking my arms out as I fly for him once more; a new wave of complete internal molten lava spewing forth.

‘You have a fucking nerve, calling me a narc. You have been a grade ‘A’ bastard since the first moment I laid eyes on you. You don’t know how to be anything except a prick of epic proportions. You’re such a fucking Wanker!!’

Mico is trying to pull me back, but I slap his hands off me and shove him instead, not that it does much when he’s built as solidly as Alexi. I just need to vent all this aggression somewhere. If he wasn’t here I am pretty sure this would have already come to blows and Alexi is shifting from one foot to the other as though the feeling is mutual.

‘You seemed to like me more when I was exactly that, so maybe it’s how it should have stayed. Get out of my face Cam; I swear I am not against choking you. You want to test your little written out boundaries with me right now? … See if I can keep my hands off you for much longer?’ The malice rings out the truth in the threat and I just laugh at him bitterly. Alexi turns away from me and shakes his head, Mico yanking me back as the door opens, and even though I am poised ready to attack again, I get hauled out the opening door by the upper arm before I can. Mico is simmering but I think it’s anger at the situation and our bickering and not one thing in particular. He’s being unusually quiet and yet the aura of deathly intent is seeping from him into the air.

I don’t get a chance to start again, Alexi stalks off towards his door on the left first, no hanging about, and Mico drags me to mine and practically throws me in it when he gets it open. Handling me in more of an Alexi fashion than a Mico and it sobers me up at just how pissed off he must be to be acting like this.

‘Get your shit together; jet’s being wheeled to the runway as we speak. You two need to get out of Miami while I do damage control.’ He practically snaps at me, hostility evident in his stilted movements and harsh tone. Mico is not being his usual demure solid self, but taking control and acting like his tosser cousin instead.

I don’t have much to pack seeing as I put everything in my bag before we headed to the club and just pull off my shoes, to throw them in and slide my flats back on. I chuck a jacket over my dress without looking his way and scan my room for makeup and toiletries. Mostly everything is already tidied up.

‘You done?’ Mico asks sharply, seeing me standing zipping up my holdall and I nod gently, trying to be as obedient and submissive as possible while he’s this way. I don’t like Mico mad and cold. He’s never this way towards me and it’s definitely brought me down a peg or two with my spiralling temper, very quickly now we are alone … without my catalyst to fuel my fire.

‘Good, give it to me.’ He stretches out a hand and with a gesture to hand the bag over, I do so. He takes it and pulls my room card out of the slot by the door to turn the lights off as we go. I follow him when we leave the room, him using the access card to lock the door behind us.

Alexi is in the hall before us carrying a holdall too, still dressed in the same clothes and jacket and now with shades on, even though it’s dark. He doesn’t look my way, just walks to lead and seems to take control of the problem at hand.

‘I can take her home alone. You go back to the club and act like nothing happened. None of the girls need to know we went back, just tell them I couldn’t keep my hands off her and we are holed up back here. When we don’t show on the flight tomorrow, tell them we’re staying an extra day. They will assume it’s a romantic stop-over.’

The lies just effortlessly ooze out of him and I can see Mico nodding like this is normal. I snort in disbelief.

‘Yeah, couldn’t keep your hands to yourself.’ I retort sarcastically and Alexi just stops, so I walk into the back of him with a minor painful thud, banging boobs and face on that rigid body, and he turns on me angrily.

‘From now on, just shut up. I don’t want to hear you. I don’t even want to look at you right now. I might actually get to the point of throwing you off my plane if you don’t!’ he snaps it harshly, anger fuelling his pitch and I just snarl right back, lifting that defiant little chin of mine. I won’t have this arsehole put me in my place or make threats.

Mico shoves him in the shoulder, both to tell him off for being a dick and to hurry him up, and I just stand my ground and fume. I know this is dumb because Alexi of old has no qualms about making me suffer in heinous ways, but I really no longer care.

Alone with him on a flight for three hours means he can do anything at all he wants to me, but I still have no shits to give. I hate him so much at the moment that I don’t think there is anything he could do to me that I would take lying down. He dares try to use any of his little weapons like he did before and I will be the one pushing him off his fucking plane.