Chapter 147 - One Hundred and Forty-Seven
Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Seven
Malachi’s POV
I was exhausted. The kind of bone-deep tired that came from running on three hours of sleep for a week straight, fueled by coffee and determination and the knowledge that everything was coming to a head whether I was ready or not.
The office was finally quiet. Everyone had gone home hours ago. I sat at my desk reviewing contracts that blurred together, numbers that stopped making sense, words that might as well have been in a foreign language for all the comprehension I could muster.
My door slammed open.
Travis stood there, swaying slightly, and for a second I thought he was drunk. But his eyes were clear. Clearer than they’d been in months. Which somehow made this worse.
He crossed the room in three strides and grabbed me by the throat, yanking me up from my chair with surprising strength for someone who’d spent years pickling himself in alcohol.
I could have broken his grip easily. Could have put him on the ground in seconds. Years in Dark City had taught me how to fight, how to hurt people, how to win.
But I didn’t move. Just looked at him with cold eyes and let the darkness I usually kept buried rise to the surface. Let him see exactly what I was capable of. Let him understand that the only reason I wasn’t destroying him right now was because I chose not to.
"Stay away from Alicia," Travis said, his voice shaking with rage. "I know what you’ve been doing. I know you’ve been sleeping with her."
I didn’t deny it. Didn’t see the point in lying when the truth was so much more satisfying.
"You’re right," I said, my voice calm despite his hand on my throat. "I have been. And she tastes fucking delicious."