14 SAM
“There she is,” Valentine called out as I approached.
Connor, who had his back to me, slowly turned to face me. I tried to read his expression but couldn’t.
Valentine stood up, followed by Connor. They both walked toward me, making me stop and take a hesitant step back.
“Mohani asked me to come get you.”
“I don’t remember scheduling an appointment with him.”
“That’s what I was telling your friend,” Connor replied as he stepped into the space between me and Valentine.
“You know Mohani well. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’d want to… have a chat.” Valentine’s words dripped with venom.
“If he wants to talk to me, he can come here.”
“He’s in Asaf’s office handling some… matters. That’s why I came.”
This changed everything. Being in Asaf’s office would completely change the course of our failed plans tonight.
Valentine huffed.
“If you prefer, we can bring your little foreign friend along.” He looked at Connor, who didn’t seem to like the idea but was waiting for me to decide.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves on the walk from the bar to the office. I didn’t know if it would be better to go in with or without Connor.
It had been a long time since Mohani and I were alone together, and the last time hadn’t ended well. At the same time, bringing Connor in there with his overprotective-dad act would only put Mohani on the defensive.
When we entered the private lounge, some women were dancing practically naked while Mohani’s friends amused themselves by throwing money at them.
At the door leading to Asaf’s office, Valentine stopped Connor.
“You can wait here with us.”
“She’s not going in alone.” Connor’s expression was cold as his eyes met Valentine’s.
“It’s okay.” I touched his arm for a split second. Long enough for his gaze to cut right through me. “Wait for me here.”
Valentine smiled, and Connor didn’t back down right away. He kept staring at me, searching for any trace of common sense.
“I’m interested in what Mohani has to say,” I said slowly.
Defeated, he released me from his magnetic pull, and I continued on, following Valentine.
When we entered the office, Mohani and Asaf were arguing. Asaf was young and easily manipulated. It seemed like Mohani was Youssef’s true prodigal son.
Mohani practically shooed Valentine and Asaf away when he saw me, and suddenly that giant room felt tiny, filled with Mohani’s heavy presence.
I dug my fingers into my purse strap as Mohani came around the desk toward me.
“Samantha.” He stopped in front of me. His brown skin contrasted with the vibrant colors of his outfit. He always dressed well, even if his choices were bold at times. “Was that little show on the dance floor meant to get to me?”
“You thought so?” I tried to smile as naturally as possible.
“You know exactly what you promised me.”
“I’d never dance for any other man,” I said, recalling the conversation we’d had a few days before I completely dropped off his radar. “That was almost two years ago.”
“You don’t stop being my girl just because you’re not in my bed every week anymore.” He moved even closer, trapping me between him and the desk pressing into my butt. “And you know that… that’s why you provoked me.”
“I wasn’t trying to—”
“Yes, you were… you wanted my attention.” He closed the gap even more. “The question is: Why?”
“I was bored.”
“Or you missed me.” His hand traveled up the side of my arm, making me uncomfortable and flushed at the same time. “Who’s that guy?”
Mohani pointed to the screen behind me, which showed the other room in real time. I had to turn my head to see Connor sitting there, watching the room instead of the ass bouncing in front of him.
“A friend who came to see the city.”
“A friend…”
“Yes. Just a friend.” I took advantage of his distraction to edge a little farther away. “You used to be more welcoming… you used to greet me with a drink.”
Mohani smiled, seeing me give him what he wanted.
“Asaf doesn’t have anything you’d like here.”
“You still remember what I like?” I smiled, surprised.
“You have terrible taste in drinks with those awful imported beers.” He went to the minibar and opened it, searching for something. “Asaf’s addicted to these shitty sweet cocktails.”
He shook a bottle of blue liquid.
Mohani offered it to me, but I declined.
“I think I’ll pass.” He moved closer again, more determined this time, running his hand along my waist. “Tense?”
“I’m thirsty.” I pushed him away. “And a little tense.”
“It’s not like we’ve never been in this position before.” He flashed his gleaming teeth. “But if you insist on having something to drink to relax… wait here.”
He stepped out, leaving me alone in the room. I counted to three, then ran to the computer.
I searched for something useful, but found nothing. Mohani could view some cameras in real time, but the recording folders were encrypted.
“So much work to get into this room, and I'm going to leave with nothing,” I muttered, frustrated.
I desperately started rifling through the folders on the desk, the drawers, the shelves. I needed something—anything useful—without knowing exactly what or how.
Finding nothing, I sank into Mohani's chair, feeling completely defeated. The night was officially a fiasco. And Connor was right again… we should have left.
A notification sound pinged from the screen—a new email had arrived. The pop-up appeared on the left side, and I opened it without thinking twice.
It was a service invoice, and my heart sank—another dead end. But the logo caught my attention. I recognized it.
“This doesn't make any sense,” I muttered to myself.
The music from the anteroom suddenly swelled for a few seconds before being muffled again. I shoved my hand into my purse and touched the cold metal of the gun. My whole body shuddered. I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of the screen.
When the door suddenly opened, I was taking a selfie. At least, that was all Mohani could see.
“The light in here is great.”
“Here.” He opened the beer bottle and handed it to me. “German. It was the best I could get.”
I thanked him and took a drink. I was really thirsty. Connor hadn't let me have anything all night.
“Where were we?” Mohani pulled me to him again.
“Mohani… you said you wanted to talk to me,” I tried to pull away, but couldn't.
“I said I wanted to see you.”
“For what?”
“For what? Don't play dumb.” He pressed his mouth against mine, claiming it. I resisted, keeping my lips pressed tight. When I didn't respond, he bit my lip hard enough to draw blood—the taste of rust flooding my mouth.
“What the fuck, Mohani.” I pushed him.
“I think I got carried away.” He laughed, his lips smeared with my lipstick.
“You're an asshole.” I slammed the bottle on the desk and headed for the exit. He followed.
I was so furious I didn't hear him, and all I could feel was the throbbing of my swollen lip.
When I burst through the lounge door, I wasn't thinking straight. I noticed the stares in my direction and sensed Mohani behind me. I looked ahead and met Connor's eyes. His gaze flew from my eyes to my mouth, and his blank expression darkened.
He didn't ask questions. He just reacted—lunging like an animal. I still couldn't think, and everything seemed to unfold in slow motion before me.
I watched Connor's arm cut through the air and connect with Mohani's face. I saw Valentine and his friends try to intervene, to restrain Connor, who was like a wild animal. But I couldn't react.
I stumbled back a few steps as someone rushed past me toward Connor. I clutched my purse closer, and there was the gun—no longer wrapped in its handkerchief, the metal gleaming.
The naked women huddled in the corner of the room, as if they already knew it was the safest spot. I realized Connor was losing. “I should grab the gun,” my mind repeated over and over.
Then, by some stroke of luck or blessing from the gods, Connor got back up. Driven by some demon inside him, he threw off the men holding him and lunged at Mohani again.
This time driven by bloodlust. Relentless, his fists connecting with Mohani again and again. The people around were so shocked they barely moved.
“Connor…” my voice finally escaped when I realized Mohani was no longer defending himself. “Connor!”
I ran toward him, pulling him off Mohani's body. If not for the heavy breathing, I would have thought only a corpse remained.
“Enough.” Youssef's heavy, hoarse voice resonated in the room.
I stared at the man standing in the doorway, his silver-headed cane in hand.
“You are in my house. Respect it.”
“It was that asshole Mohani who started it,” I growled at him.
“I thought I had banned you from here, Riad.”
I shrank back, remembering his words from the last time I was here.
“Asaf, bring them both to my office. And Valentine… help Mohani.”
“We can leave,” Connor growled.
“My office. Now!” Youssef roared.
Youssef's men led us to his office, away from the chaos Asaf and Mohani had created. An imposing room covered in art—much of it probably fake and completely extravagant. Screens everywhere. Watchful eyes monitoring every inch of the room.
Youssef sat down, and we were firmly guided to sit across from him. Connor wiped the blood from his eyebrow on his shirt cuff, and my lip felt like it had gotten an express filler treatment.
“Youssef, we just want to go home and—”
“I don’t recall giving you permission to speak, Riad,” he cut me off. “Why is there a New York detective in my house?”
Connor stared at Youssef, and I stared at Connor. I hadn’t expected Youssef to know who Connor was. At least not while we were still here.
“I’m on vacation,” Connor replied.
The old owner of Azur leaned over the desk, his expression growing more serious as he stared at the guard who lunged for my purse and snatched it from me.
“Hey, give that back!” I scolded, but he ignored me, carelessly opening my purse and pulling out the gun. He placed it on the table between us.