Chapter Twenty-Two
Malachi's POV
Watching Alicia eat was a revelation.
She'd started out trying to be polite, taking small bites and dabbing at her lips with her napkin. But hunger won out. She ate with genuine appreciation, savoring each bite like it was the first real meal she'd had in days.
It probably was.
I knew the Blackwood dining table. The tension that made food taste like ash. The way every meal was a performance, everyone watching everyone else for weaknesses.
Here, in the soft candlelight, she could just be. Just eat. Just exist without armor.
And I wanted to give her more of this. More moments where she didn't have to pretend. Where she could be soft and hungry and human.
Mine.
The thought came unbidden, possessive and dark. She wasn't mine. Not yet. She was still Travis's wife on paper, still trapped in a cage I hadn't fully opened.
But I would. Soon.
I'd burn that cage to the ground and walk through the ashes to claim her.
"So," I said, needing to hear her voice, "tell me something about yourself."
She looked startled, like no one had asked her that before. And maybe no one had. Travis certainly hadn't. He'd married a beautiful woman and never bothered to learn what made her smile.
Fool.
"Like what?" she asked.
"Anything. Your favorite color. Your favorite food. What you wanted to be when you were a child."
Simple things. The building blocks of knowing someone. Of caring.
"Blue," she said softly. "My favorite color is blue. Like the ocean."
Ocean blue. Deep and mysterious and endless. It suited her.
"Have you seen the ocean?"
"Once. When I was eight. My mother took me and my sister to the coast for a weekend. It was one of the happiest memories I have."
There was pain in her voice when she mentioned her mother. Loss. I filed that away, another piece of the puzzle that was Alicia.
"And your favorite food?"
"Strawberry cake. The kind with fresh strawberries and cream."
I committed it to memory. Strawberry cake. I'd find the best bakery in the city. Order one for her. Watch her eyes light up when she saw it.
"I'll remember that," I said.
Her cheeks flushed. God, she was beautiful when she blushed.
"And what did you want to be when you were a child?"
She smiled, and it transformed her face. Made her look younger. Lighter. "A florist. I wanted to own a flower shop. Surrounded by beautiful things all day. Making people happy with bouquets and arrangements."
A florist. Of course. She wanted to nurture living things. Create beauty. The opposite of everything the Blackwoods stood for.
"That suits you," I said truthfully.
"Does it?"
"Yes. You have gentle hands. A gentle soul." I held her gaze. "Even after everything this family has done to you."
I wanted to talk more. About relationships. About what it meant to care for someone. To protect them. To keep them safe from the wolves circling in the dark.
About how I wanted to do all of that for her.
But she stood abruptly. "I need to use the restroom."
"Alicia—"
"I'll be right back."
She fled. Actually fled from the table like I'd said something dangerous.
Maybe I had.
I leaned back in my chair, watching her disappear around the corner. Patience. I needed patience. She was like a wild bird. One wrong move and she'd fly away forever.
"Can I get you anything else?"
I looked up to find a waitress standing beside the table. Young. Pretty. Blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her name tag read Jessica.
"No, thank you."
"Are you sure?" She leaned in slightly, her smile widening. "Maybe some dessert? Or something stronger than wine?"
Her tone made it clear she wasn't just talking about the menu.
I felt nothing. No interest. No temptation. Just mild irritation.
"I'm fine."
"You know," she continued, clearly not getting the message, "I get off work in an hour. Maybe we could grab a drink somewhere? Just the two of us?"
I turned my full attention to her then. Let her see the coldness in my eyes. The warning.
"I'm not interested."
Her smile faltered. "Oh. I just thought—"
"You thought wrong. Leave."
She backed away quickly, her face red. Good. I didn't have time for women who couldn't take a hint.
Only one woman occupied my thoughts. And she was currently hiding in the bathroom.
I pulled out my phone and called Maurice.
"Sir?"
"There's a waitress here. Jessica. She works at Rosewood Restaurant on Fifth Street." I kept my voice low. "Make sure she's fired by tomorrow morning."
"On what grounds?"
"Unprofessional conduct. Harassment of a customer. I don't care. Just make sure she's gone."
"Understood, sir."
I was about to end the call when another one came through. Mavis.
I switched over. "What?"
"We spotted them again. The Zhao family."
My grip on the phone tightened. "Where?"
"Three different locations. Watching our supply routes. And Malachi?" He paused. "It was the eldest son this time. Zhao Wei himself."
Damn. Zhao Wei didn't make appearances unless something big was happening. He was their strategist. Their general. If he was here personally, it meant war was coming.
"Attach our best spies to him. I want to know where he goes, who he meets, what he eats for breakfast. Everything."
"Already on it."
"Good. And Mavis? Be careful. The Zhao family doesn't play games."
"Neither do we."
The call ended just as Alicia emerged from the bathroom. But something was wrong. Her face was pale. Her eyes looked distant, haunted.
What had happened?
She walked to the table and grabbed her purse without sitting down. "I need to go. I'm sorry. I just... I need to leave."
I stood immediately. "Alicia, what happened?"
"Nothing. Everything. I don't know." Her voice was shaking. "Thank you for dinner. It was lovely. But I have to go."
She turned toward the exit.
Every instinct screamed at me to follow. To stop her. To demand she tell me what had upset her.
But I couldn't. Not here. Not like this. Pushing her now would only drive her further away.
So I let her go. Watched her walk out of the restaurant, taking all the light with her.
I threw money on the table and called Maurice again.
"Follow her. Make sure she gets home safely. But don't let her see you."
"Yes, sir."
"And Maurice? If anything happens to her, if anyone so much as looks at her wrong, I want to know immediately."
"Understood."
I ended the call and stood there in the empty restaurant, surrounded by couples who looked happy. Who looked like they belonged together.
While the woman I wanted had just run away from me.
Again.
But it didn't matter. She could run all she wanted. I'd already made my decision.
Alicia was mine. She just didn't know it yet.
And I would make sure she understood. Soon.
No matter what it took. No matter who I had to destroy.
She would be mine.