I sink into the couch, the luxury of the hotel room doing nothing to soothe the storm inside me. Lion stands beside me like a shadow, loyal, steady… and cautious. He can sense it—my mood, the way the anger coils under my skin like something alive.
I drag from the cigar, exhale slowly, letting the smoke curl into the air like a warning.
Lion hesitates before speaking. "Boss… you don't look in a good mood. Did something happen?"
I don't even look at him. How can I look calm? How can I breathe normally after seeing my love—my Evan—wearing someone else's bite marks like a gift?
My temple throbs. I rub it once, slow, controlled, even though inside I feel like I'm one second from snapping. I take another long drag from the cigar, the smoke burning down my throat.
"Lion," I say, my voice low, frayed, sitting at the very edge of my patience. "Where's the information I asked for?"
He steps forward immediately and places a file on the table. "Boss…"
