King of Envy: Chapter 17

Karma was a bitch with different faces. Sometimes it was an attempted assassination; other times, it was a fucking laser tag night with my friend, his fiancée who I was secretly obsessed with, and a model who clung to me like a barnacle. Oh, and a bunch of drunken people I didn’t care about.

I would’ve preferred another assassination attempt.

After the cops broke up the fight at the Soggy Bottom—though not before Kai broke Grizzly’s nose and I sent two of Grizzly’s friends fleeing into the night—I’d easily sorted things out with the police. Multiple witnesses confirmed that Grizzly was the one who’d thrown the first punch, and the names of the people in the bachelor party were enough to get the cops to back down.

We did get banned from the Soggy Bottom for life, but none of us were too choked up about that.

However, the last thing I’d expected was to run into Ayana and her friends. When I came out of the bar and saw her caressing Jordan’s face, I’d wanted to hit something again.

Jealousy ate me alive, and now I had to spend an entire goddamn night watching them act lovey-dovey with each other.

I glared at Jordan while Xavier ran through the rules. He’d taken over my role as the party leader, not that I gave a shit.

“Boys versus girls. Winners take home bragging rights.” Xavier looked around at the eclectic group of billionaires, supermodels, and assorted friends and family. In order to make the teams even, he’d recruited several of Sloane’s friends to join, which was how Vivian Russo, Isabella Young, and Sloane’s other client Maya ended up in the mix. Everyone looked ridiculous in the laser tag vests, myself included. “We all clear on the rules?”

“It’s laser tag,” Kai said. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“I’ve never played laser tag,” Will mused. “But I do love video games. They’re kinda the same thing, right?”

Dante’s lip curled. “Petition to swap him out for Viv. At least she understands the difference between virtual reality and actual reality.”

His wife grinned. “Not a chance. I look forward to beating you too much.”

His eyes gleamed. He bent his head and whispered something that made her cheeks flush.

“As if you’ll win.” Jordan scoffed. “We got this in the bag.”

“Care to wager on it?” Ayana tilted her head. “Losers cover the tab for the rest of the night.”

Everyone had gone home to change before meeting up again at Area 56. Ayana’s black T-shirt and sleek pants were somehow even more enticing than the dress she’d worn earlier, and she’d ignored the venue’s suggestion about not wearing heels—her leather boots added at least three inches to her height.

“Done,” Jordan said. “You’re awfully confident for someone who’s never played laser tag before.”

She arched an eyebrow in return. “Who says I haven’t?”

“Touche.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Well, if you win, I’ll happily buy you drinks all night.”

My nostrils flared. I jerked my eyes away and stalked toward the entrance to the arena without waiting for the others.

Were we here to play, or were we here to fucking mess around?

The others took my cue and filed in after me.

According to Xavier, Area 56 was the best indoor laser tag venue in the tri-state area. Excellent service, state-of-the-art technology, a VIP room where customers could feast on top-shelf liquor and gourmet bar food in between games—it had it all.

I didn’t care about the extras though. I just wanted to shoot something, even if it was with a fake blaster.

Once the doors shut and the game started, everyone sobered up fast. We were a competitive bunch, and while covering the bar tab wouldn’t put any of us in the red, none of us wanted to lose.

I split from the rest of the guys and hunted on my own. I didn’t want anyone slowing me down or giving away our position.

Music blasted from hidden speakers. I inched my way from barrier to barrier, keeping my eyes peeled for long hair and familiar forms.

Only a few minutes elapsed before I sighted my first target. I raised my blaster and shot Isabella straight in the heart.

“Dammit!” she wailed. “Out in the first round. All those hours spent watching action movies for nothing.”

I didn’t wait to hear the rest of her grumbles. I moved on, managing to “kill” Liya and Maya before the first two back-to-back matches were over.

Current body count: eight. Four men (Topher, Xavier, Killian, and Jordan) and four women (Isabella, Maya, Liya, and Indira) were out, leaving the game tied.

We had a twenty-minute break before the last match. Our group was too large to fit at one table, so we split into two neighboring tables.

I ended up with the last people I wanted to sit with—Jordan, Ayana, and Indira.

“We were playing Never Have I Ever at dinner earlier,” Indira said after we got our drinks. She slid a sly glance in my direction. “We should play another game. I suggest Truth or Dare.”

“We’re adults. We’re too old for drinking games,” Dante grumbled.

“It’s because we’re adults that we should do it,” Xavier countered. “Nostalgia is a drug, Russo. Give into it.”

For fuck’s sake.

I never played these insipid games in college, and I had no desire to do so now. Unfortunately, the majority ruled, and they voted in favor of Truth or Dare with one caveat: no passes allowed. You had to answer, or you had to carry out the dare.

I tuned everyone out until the turn landed on Ayana.

“What’s it going to be?” Kim’s eyes sparkled. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s the wildest place you’ve ever had sex?”

My glass paused halfway to my mouth. I set it down without taking a sip and leaned back, my eyes trained on Ayana.

She froze. Her eyes darted to mine for a fraction of a second before she cleared her throat. “The wildest place I’ve ever had sex, was, um…it was…”

Anticipation hung in the air. Jordan shifted, looking wildly uncomfortable while my pulse drummed to a steady, dangerous rhythm.

“It was a department store dressing room,” Ayana said. “Bergdorf’s. The, um, eveningwear department.”

“Oooh.” Kim perked up. “Sex and couture. I love it. Good job.” She winked at Jordan, who responded with a tight smile.

The rhythm of my pulse took a decidedly violent turn.

Whoever invented this game should die. If they were already dead, they should die again. Horribly.

Ayana dared Indira to share her phone’s search history with the group—Jesus, that was a lot of shopping—and then I was up.

“Vuk.” Indira turned to me. “Truth or Dare.” She emphasized her question with her hands to indicate which was which.

I swallowed my irritation and nodded at her left hand. Dare.

Her grin suggested she’d been hoping for that answer. “I dare you to kiss someone at this table.”

She was the only other single person here. It was a clever ploy, considering the game’s no-pass rule.

“Damn.” Jordan laughed. “She got you.”

Beside him, Ayana stiffened, her neck and shoulders lined with tension.

I regarded Indira coolly. She was attractive enough from an objective standpoint, but I had more interest in kissing a slug than in kissing her—and I hated when people tried to trap me into doing something I didn’t want to do.

I kept my eyes locked on hers while I reached over and slowly, deliberately, took Ayana’s hand.

A noticeable hush fell over the table.

I lifted her hand to my mouth, brushed my lips across her knuckles…and lingered. The faint scent of sweet almond filled my senses.

I’d imagined kissing her for so long that even the brief touch of my lips on her hand was enough to make my heart pound. Blood rushed in my ears, and every cell in my body ignited.

I wanted to pull her to me and give her a real kiss—my tongue in her mouth, her hair in my fist, her moans in my ears.

I wanted to lay her out on the table and feast on her until she was begging for more. Until she was crying out my name and it was clear to every single fucking person at this table, in this city, in this world that she was mine and mine alone.

I wanted everything I couldn’t have, and every moment I couldn’t steal, but for the space of a heartbeat, I almost believed she wanted it too.

Ayana’s fingers curled. Their slight tremble accompanied a ragged breath so soft it could be mistaken for a ghost.

It was only then that I dropped her hand and sat back, my eyes still on Indira’s. I didn’t glance in Ayana’s direction.

Indira’s lips parted. She wore a glazed expression, cobbled from equal parts disappointment and desire.

A thick, underwater silence blossomed in the wake of my audacity before Xavier’s laugh broke it.

“That’s why you need to be specific with this stuff,” he said. “Or else people will find loopholes.”

Indira had, in fact, forgotten the biggest loophole when it came to dares like hers—she hadn’t specified what kind of kiss. By choosing Ayana, I’d misled people into thinking I took a copout, because what kind of impudent asshole would hit on his friend’s fiancée in front of him?

When I finally looked at Ayana, she was staring at me with an unreadable expression. She glanced away before our eyes met, but there was no mistaking the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

My blood heated. For better or worse, I wasn’t the only one affected by the kiss.

Our break ended, and we returned to the arena for the final match. It went much quicker than the first two rounds. I had pent-up energy to burn, and people were freshly drunk and/or distracted by their partners.

Within ten minutes, everyone got eliminated except me, Ayana, and, surprisingly, Will.

Music continued to blast overhead. Shadows flickered over the walls, and now that a majority of players were gone, the arena took on an almost ghostly feel. Barriers loomed around me, each one potentially hiding an enemy.

It was a silly game with fake guns and low stakes, but that didn’t stop a sense of déjà vu from crawling over the nape of my neck.

I was suddenly reminded of another night, when music played in the background and death or worse waited around the corner.

The screams. The fear. The smell.

My vision darkened. A metallic taste flooded my tongue, and the scent of smoke teased my senses.

I tightened my grip on the blaster. It’s not the same. This wasn’t the past, and this wasn’t home. This was a laser tag game filled with cardboard structures and people I knew. That was all.

I forced my breaths to slow.

Even if they were here, there wasn’t anyone else they could take from me except⁠—

A noise rustled behind me, and my instincts took over. I didn’t think; I didn’t even check who it was.

No one snuck up on me. Ever.

I spun around and slammed them up against the nearest wall. Their blaster clattered to the ground as I grabbed their wrists and pinned them over their head, immobilizing them. My other hand wrapped around their throat and squeezed.

Adrenaline pumped into my blood, clouding my thoughts and making me squeeze and squeeze until a gasp penetrated the haze.

I stared down at the person pinned beneath me. My vision gradually cleared, and horror trickled through me as the contours of her face took shape.

Long dark lashes. Huge eyes, bright with fear. Sculpted cheekbones and a full, lush mouth so close I could feel the soft pants of her breaths.

Ayana.