Playing with Fire: A Standalone Dark Romance

Chapter Sixty

I don’t like how silent the house is.

After the bath, Malakai disappeared, and I took a nap, but I woke up with this feeling of dread sinking into my stomach. Now I’m wandering the house, finding no staff in any of the rooms, or any noise at all.

It’s like the place is empty but I know that isn’t true. If Malakai wasn’t here, my bodyguard would be…

Where is everyone?

Shaking off the unease, I continue down the hall to the kitchen, finding only the spotlights on beneath the counters. No Louis or Miranda, no Malakai drinking coffee at the kitchen island.

Coldness sweeps through me as I walk barefoot through the kitchen, toward the coffee machine.

“Olivia,” a voice says from behind me.

I startle, spinning around to find Stefan standing in the threshold. “You scared me!” I clutch my chest, my heart pounding something fierce beneath my rib cage.

“My apologies,” He smiles though it’s unkind, a little menacing.

“Where’s Malakai?” I ask, looking beyond him as if my husband will magically appear.

“Dealing with some internal issues,” He waves a hand like it’s no big deal.

“Oh, I’ll go find him,” I tell him, wanting to get as far away from this man as possible. He gives me the creeps, especially with the way he is watching me right now.

“I find it very surprising,” He continues like I didn’t say anything, blocking the way out of the kitchen. “I figured a woman like you would have more respect for herself.”

Hackles raised, I position myself behind the kitchen island so it’s between us, something he notices too.

“What are you talking about?”

“Fucking a man who is only doing it to win a bet.”

I look beyond him again, his words settling in, but I refuse to show him what they do. I don’t believe him. Malakai and I may be like oil and water but everything we have shared has been raw and real. There’s no faking what we have, all the cracks and splinters and all.

“You don’t believe me,” Stefan cocks his head.

“Why would Malakai make a bet like that?” I cross my arms, “It’s not like he needs the money.”

“It’s a pride thing, I don’t expect you to understand.”

I narrow my eyes at him, yeah, I really don’t like this guy.

“Here,” he says, “Let me prove it to you.”

“And how do you expect to do that? Ask Malakai himself?”

He slowly reaches into his pocket, “Just let me show you. I think it’s only fair you know the kind of man you’re dealing with.”

Rage like I’ve never known before boils up in my blood. This man doesn’t like Malakai, his own cousin and he’ll use me to get at him. No, I don’t believe this.

“Save it.”

“Just listen Olivia.”

“Give it some time,” Malakai’s voice sounds through the speaker on Stefan’s phone, “It won’t be long before I have her on her back.”

“Now this is a bet I’d like to put money on.”Sebastian’s unmistakable voice answers.

“Yeah, how much?”The smugness in Malakai’s tone makes me feel sick, my stomach churning as the conversation plays out in front of me.

No, he didn’t. He wouldn’t.

“Five thousand.” Sebastian suggests.

Oh god. This is real.

“Is that it?” Malakai scoffs, “Come on, make it worth my while.”

My head empties out, tears burning behind my eyes.

“As if bedding that woman would be such a hardship.” Bast laughs… “Fine, a hundred.”

I am going to be sick. He put money on sleeping with me. He played me the entire time and for what? To win money he won’t even notice or was it to prove just how stupid I could be? That he could fuck the woman he ruined for fun?

“A hundred grand?” Malakai continues but his voice from the speaker sounds like fog in my mind. How have I been this stupid?

Malakai is a monster. Everything he’s done this past month has been a lie. He doesn’t love me, he never did and never will. It’s a fucking game.

And I walked right into it. I played with fire and now I’m being burned.

My hand clutches my stomach as nausea rolls through me. I gave everything to him. My body. My time. My heart.

And now that’s shattering, the pain in my chest blooming until it feels like it may actually crush me.

“Sure, why the fuck not,” Sebastian laughs.

“Turn it off,” I beg, “Please.”

“Time frame?” Malakai asks as the recording continues.

“Please. Turn it off.”

I am going to be sick. Oh god.

“A month.” I hear right before Stefan switches off the phone and puts it back in his pocket.

“I need to leave,” I say, more to myself than anything else. The gestures. The kisses and caresses. The trip. All a lie.

But that’s our marriage, isn’t it? Why am I surprised this happened?

I just… fuck, this hurts.

“Would you like me to drive you somewhere?”

My eyes bounce to Stefan, seeing he’s edged closer. The island is still between us and despite the whirring emotion within me, the rage and the despair, I’m not completely gone to it. And I have enough common sense in me that has me shaking my head.

“I can go myself.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t drive while you’re upset,” He suggests.

I know there are tears on my face, that my emotions are written all over it. “I’ll be fine.”

Within the grief turning over inside of me, there’s anger, enough of it that makes me want to lash out. Making sure to keep the distance between Stefan and I, I turn to the cupboard where Malakai keeps the keys to all his cars.

The Maserati key is the first one on the hooks and my fingers close around it, pulling it down.

I know Stefan is watching me, waiting to see what happens next and I also know he only told me about the bet to get to Malakai. I should be mad at being used like a pawn, but that recording was real. I know Malakai’s voice, I dream it, hear it when he isn’t around. He haunts me.

My spine stiffens when I have to pass Stefan, unsure what he’s going to do but he lets me go and then I’m running.

I have no shoes on and only the clothes on my back, but I can get to Willow’s. She’ll let me stay there, let me use her things and I’ve driven in worse conditions than this.

I throw the door open to the garage, hitting the button on the key to unlock the Maserati. The grit on the garage floor bites at the soles of my feet and the fresh clean smell of the car hits me when I open the door. Of course, he just had it cleaned because of the glitter…

“This may hurt a little,” Stefan’s voice sounds from right behind me. I spin around, wondering how I didn’t hear him following me but then I see the needle, the syringe.

He plunges it into the side of my neck and then his palm slaps over my mouth, stifling my scream.

“Shh,” He hushes, arms wrapping around me as my heart pumps hard and fast, only working against me to push whatever drug around my body quicker.

And quickly it does, I can already feel it taking hold, feel my limbs go numb, my heart start to slow as dark shadows creep in at the edges of my mind.

“Go to sleep, Olivia,” Stefan coos, his face twisted and cruel as he watches the effects of the drug take hold. I can’t fight it even though I claw at him, each swipe of my nails turning heavier, softer.

I shake my head, tears stinging my eyes before everything goes black.