Chapter 12 A New Side.
Jess
They were definitely fucking.
I looked from my wife to Darius and then back again.
They were definitely having sex. There was no way I was wrong.
I saw the way his eyes lingered on her. The way his smirk was all too knowing.
I'd been that person for her at some point. I am that person for her. Somebody else isn't allowed to do it. And now somebody was.
I breathed. This couldn't be happening. But there was no time to ponder over it too much, as I had other things to worry about.
He didn't even send me a glance.
Their eyes were locked. Some kind of mind game of who'd pull out first. And neither of them was agreeing to do it.
I stood there like a fool. At the sidelines, waiting for them to finish this dirty game of theirs.
“You're always late.” She smiled at him. She dropped my hand and took his.
She walked into the farmhouse with him whilst I followed. Like a mere third wheel. My smile was wavering. This man did not look like he was going to work any longer. I didn't think I was willing to lose Delilah, just so I could wipe out Aria.
I could as well just do that myself.
We entered the farmhouse. And I watched from the sidelines as she made her claims. They stood head to head, his eyes burning over her again and again like he couldn't get enough of her.
That was my wife.
That was the woman I'd spent most of my life chasing.
I wasn't going to let another man have her.
“So, Darius. We have her name, what she looks like, and her possible location, unless she's moved. I'm sure you can work with that, seeing as you've done way more with way less information.” She was taking charge. I didn't know this Delilah.
“Of course, I can definitely work with that. You've given me more than enough.” He started with a smile.
“Why do you want to wipe out this girl, though? You rarely ever want people dead.”
I watched a small smile play on my wife's face. It was twisted, scary. The kind you saw when something menacing was following you directly after.
“Because she took from me. She stole from me. And I won't let that slip by again.” The smile dropped immediately, an even more menacing frown sitting on her face. She looked to him, smiling again, realizing that she lost herself in the moment.
“What did she take, though?” His curiosity was palpable. “I can't just walk up to somebody and kill them. I need a solid reason. Something to hold on to. Something to really drive me. That's how I best conduct my murders.” She smiled again.
“Darius. You and I have known each other for quite a long time. You want to kill this girl. You definitely do. Because I want to kill this girl. And you'd kill for me.” Her eyes became slits. Teasing slits.
“So stop asking all of these questions. None of it is necessary. You know how we both conduct our activities.” His smile widened.
I knew where this was going.
The smile on my face had dropped long before. Watching the two of them conduct their business deal frustrated me.
It was a sad, sorry thing. The entire scenario.
Three people standing in a dark room. The only light from the full moon outside. The third wheel at a distance from them, only being able to tell from his keen senses how far the conversation was going.
They were stepping close to each other now. Almost nose to nose, if that was even possible, as he towered over her. They looked in each other's eyes like there was nobody else in the room.
I felt my blood curdle.
He would not take my wife.
“I understand. She'll be done with and then we can talk terms of pay.” I looked from her to him and back again.
They weren't even ashamed of it. He didn't even think I was worthy enough to hide it from me.
Why else would he need money from her? He was established enough as is.
Rich people didn't ask for money. They asked in kind. It was either sex or information or something that gave them more power than they could get with the money that they had.
He didn't need money. What he wanted was her.
It was obvious. Too obvious.
I began to question myself. Why did he feel this comfortable talking to my wife in such an off-putting manner? Was I not man enough?
I walked to them, standing beside her and taking her hand.
“Well, thank you, Darius, for this great deal. I'll be coming with her to discuss methods of pay as well. I think this meeting should be rounding up by now. My wife and I have other matters to attend to. I said swiftly, kissing her on the lips.
I was marking my territory, and he knew.
He smiled, raising his hand in mock surrender.
“Okay, you can have her. I can see all the reasons why you'd want to get home so quickly, though. You're a smart man, and you have eyes.” That was the first time he was addressing me in that room since he got here. And he was still mocking me.
My blood began to boil, my free hand clenched into a fist. But I held back, as he was supposed to be helping us.
I took her hand and strode out of his face, leaving him there with his hands still up and his smirk still playing across his face.
I wanted to wipe that smoke clean off if I could.
We walked out of the farmhouse and into the open, meeting easily the scene we'd left. Beautiful trees and owls and things in between, stuff that calmed me, that soothed the anger boiling in my soul.
We walked to the car, my hand not leaving her hand even once, only tightening.
“Jess? Jess? You're hurting me.” She tried to pull away, calling my name like that was going to solve anything. My hand only tightened, my jaw flexing.
We stopped in front of the car, my hand finally loosening from its grip.
“Get in the car, I ordered.” Now was not the time to show weakness, especially if I wanted to keep my woman. She walked into the car, confusion evident on her face.
She obviously knew something was wrong. She just could not pinpoint it. She sat down before I entered the car myself, slamming the door shut.
“What was the meaning of all those things I just saw?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.” She was playing dumb, and she knew it.
“Tell me the meaning of what I just saw. Now.” I was screaming now, my hand tightening around the steering wheel and loosening again.
“Are you going to talk? Or do you want me to do something first?” Her eyes widened, unsure of what she was looking at.
This was a
new side of me, and she definitely didn't want to see it.