Chapter 91
GRAVES VILLA
8:54 p.m.
Inara
38%
It’s been several hours since Alexander left, and I haven’t heard a word from him. I’ve had time to pull myself together and bandage my hand, which was bleeding heavily.
I’m ashamed thinking back to my meltdown. I wanted to leave his place, but he gave me his signet ring.
Anyway, I have nowhere else to go. I’m afraid he went and did something reckless–or put himself in danger because of me. I don’t want to cause him more trouble.
I’m sitting in the living room waiting for his return when I hear the doorbell ring.
I get up quickly to answer.
Hakim.
I glare at him. He gives me a big smile, taking one last drag from his cigarette and tossing it to the ground.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came for a courtesy visit. I knew you’d come crawling into your boyfriend’s arms.”
“Get out.”
As I slam the door, he shoves it back violently and manages to get inside the villa.
“Get the fuck out now.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“What do you want from me?”
He steps closer and grabs my wrist tightly.
“Your father wants you to give your virginity to that man, but I want to take you first.”
I try in vain to free myself.
“I’ll rip your head off if you don’t let me go right now.”
“Why are you so cold with me?”
1 let out a nervous laugh.
“Remember Paco?”
He raises an eyebrow and then smirks.
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18:58 Mon, 25 Aug
Chapter 91
“What’s so funny? I know you’re behind all the shit that’s been happening to me.”
“You think you know, but you don’t. You have no idea what’s going on around you.”
I stare at him, confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“Just know you’re messing with someone stronger than you. If I want, I could kill you right now.”
I glare at him.
“Try it, go ahead.”
I punch him and he releases my wrist.
I grab his head by the hair and slam it hard against the coffee table, his screams of pain echoing.
“When are you going to learn to shut your big mouth, Hakim?”
“You’re going to regret this.”
“Oh yeah? Doesn’t look like it’s my head slammed against a table right now.”
He growls.
“Die.”
“We’ll die together. I already took out all your lackeys–you think you’re the one who’s going to beat me?”
He laughs nervously.
“If only you knew.”
“Know what? Since it’s so funny, tell me! Let’s laugh together!”
“What for? It’s way more fun watching you think you’re untouchable.”
He starts coughing. I eye him skeptically as his coughing worsens.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Let go–I can’t breathe!”
“You messing with me?”
“I swear I’m not!”
I let him go as he starts salivating uncontrollably, clearly unable to control himself. He looks at me, terrified. I don’t know how to
react.
“Hakim?”
I kneel down to help him, grab his head–but he begins violently convulsing, thrashing around.
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18:58 Mon, 25 Aug W
Chapter 91
“Shit! What’s happening to you, Hakim!”
“…he managed to kill me.”
I don’t understand.
“What are you talking about? Who managed to kill you?”
“Vengeance.”
He jerks one last time before his body goes completely still. I check his pulse–Hakim just died in my arms.
I run my hand over his eyes, closing his eyelids.
What was he talking about? What vengeance?
38%
I barely have time to lay his body down when the front door swings open. Alexander enters, eyes jumping between me and Hakim.
“What the fuck is this? Did you do that to him?”
“No! He came to mess with me and suddenly started choking–he couldn’t breathe–he was in horrible pain like he’d been poisoned and then he collapsed!”
“What are you talking about? Poisoned? Did you give him something?”
“I had nothing to do with his death!”
I think back to Hakim’s symptoms–they looked like signs of recent poisoning.
When he arrived, he wasn’t eating or drinking anything.
The only thing he had… was his cigarette.
The cigarette!
7
I get up, grab a tissue from the table, and rush outside to retrieve the cigarette butt. I show it to Alexander.
“He was poisoned through his cigarette.”
He remains impassive.
“What did he want?”
“To talk to me.”
“What did he say before he died?”
“He said someone had succeeded in killing him–but didn’t say who–and then he said the word ‘vengeance.“”
Alexander stands, takes out his phone. Ihear him order someone to come, then he hangs up.
“Why did you call one of your men?”
“Need to get rid of the body. First, V’ll have a coroner I know examine him. He’ll need to analyze the cigarette too.”
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18:59 Mon, 25 Aug WW
Chapter 91
You can tell he’s used to this. He’s not fazed.
“You think his death is connected to us?”
“It can’t be a coincidence he died here. Hakim wasn’t dumb enough to break into my house.”
“What did he mean by vengeance? I don’t get it.”
- 1.
“We’ll understand more once we know what he died from. Start by placing the butt next to the body so my men can collect everything.”
I do as I’m told.
“Go up to one of the bedrooms–I’ll take care of everything.”
“I can help–he died in front of me. I can describe his symptoms to the coroner.”
He clenches his jaw.
38%
“Stay out of this as much as possible. When Khalid finds out Hakim’s dead, it’s better he doesn’t know you were the only one here.”
I’d completely forgotten about Khalid.
Why kill Hakim? And why now?
Was it a coincidence that he died right in front of me?
If he really was poisoned by his cigarette, how was it poisoned? And how could anyone be sure Hakim would smoke that specific cigarette and not another one?
Does this death have anything to do with Alexander or me?
Or was it just chance?
Hakim hated me. But why go so far to hurt me–why orchestrate so many elaborate plans?
Hakim, aka Mr. X, is dead:
Yet I feel like the problems are far from over.
I have a bad feeling.
This is only the beginning.
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