If You'd Let Me

Chapter 8

I watched him, waiting for him to notice me and all hell to break loose, because there was no doubt it would.

Then his eyes met mine. I looked back at him bored, appearing uninterested, leaning back in my chair and feigning feeling at ease. I wasn't. He was a threat, and I to him.

He glared and I simply returned a blank look.

"What the fuck is he doing here!" his voice boomed through the apartment.

Eliza flinched at his raised voice.

He advanced at me, but that didn't get a reaction out of me. I remained stoic, leaning comfortably back in my seat.

"Zed, what are you doing? He's the friend I told you about." She was confused. I would have been too.

I wouldn't have become friends with her if I knew she was his sister. It was against the rules. But I hadn't known.

Zed grabbed me by the throat, yanked me out of my seat and pushed me up against the nearest wall.

I could've dodged him, but I simply didn't bother.

Eliza looked at us shell shocked from across the room.

I shot her a smile, to ease her worries, but Zed caught it.

"Don't you smile at her, you bastard." He studied me. He wouldn't find anything though. He kept his eyes on me, but spoke to Eliza, "I'll ask you one last time, Liz. What is this bastard doing here?"

"Let go of him, Zed. I told you, he's my friend. You promised to behave!"

Zed ignored her and tightened his grip on my throat.

"Long time no see, Zed," I smirked, wanting to rile him up. I was succeeding by the looks of it.

He scowled and pushed me harder against the wall.

I didn't respond. He wanted me to react to his display of violence. I didn't, for the sole purpose of annoying him.

"What do you think you're doing? 'Befriending' my sister?"

I shrugged and simply kept looking at him.

"Fucking answer me," he growled.

I looked at Eliza. She was frozen in place across the room. She definitely hadn't expected this, when she imagined me meeting her brother. But I hadn't expected her brother to be Zedekiah Rosenheim.

I had been right to guess her last name wasn't Rose. It was Rosenheim, like her brother's.

I took my sweet, sweet time to answer, pissing him off even more — on purpose of course. "Didn't know she's your sister, Zedekiah," I spoke, my voice carefully neutral.

"Don't call me that!" he glared.

I quirked a brow at his reaction. "Why did you tell me your name before, if you don't want me to say it."

He growled, gritting his teeth, sneering at me. "What's your name anyways?"

Zed had been a Haima before my time. He had been Carmine's former partner, which was how I had met him and how I knew his name.

There was a rule at Haima, which dictated that any contact between a Haima and a former Haima was forbidden. Which was why Zed was so angry right now and rightfully so.

Carmine and Zed were the only exception to keep in contact. I had spoken to him a few times, but not enough to say we were more than acquaintances.

So being in contact with his sister was not something he would like, I could imagine. But in my defence, I hadn't known she was a Rosenheim or I'd have steered clear of her.