Chapter 91 His Warning
The panoramic elevator rose through the glass spine of the Etland Building.
Veyra stood near the window, her gloved hands resting on the railing. Below her, the city spread out like a circuit board. Headlights crawled along the arteries of the highway. Office towers blinked their lights in patterns she could not decode.
Leon Wei stood behind her, silent. He had not spoken since they left the car.
The elevator passed the eightieth floor. The ninetieth. The hundredth.
Veyra watched the sky deepen from orange to purple to black. The first stars appeared above the glow of the city.
She had been here before. The last time, she had been anxious about the bill. This time, she was anxious about something else.
The elevator slowed and a soft chime announced the 101st floor.
The doors slid open.
A hostess stood waiting. Young, polished, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun. She wore a black dress and a practiced smile.
“Mrs. Thorne,” she said. “Welcome back. Please follow me.”
Veyra stepped out. Leon followed a step behind.
The hostess led them through the restaurant. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead. The pianist played something slow and unfamiliar. The other diners glanced up as Veyra passed, then looked away.
The hostess stopped at a table near the window. The same table as before. The same view.
“Dr. Harrison will arrive shortly. Can I bring you anything while you wait?”
“Water,” Veyra said. “Sparkling.”
The hostess nodded and disappeared.
Veyra sat down. Leon took a position against the wall, his back to the window, his eyes scanning the room.
She smoothed her gloves. The lizard skin caught the light.
“Veyra.”
The voice came from behind her. Familiar. Smug. The sound of it made her stomach clench.
She did not turn around.
“Veyra,” the voice said again. Closer now.
She picked up her water glass. Took a sip. The bubbles were cold on her tongue.
A hand touched her shoulder.
She shrugged it off.
“I’m talking to you.”
Caspian moved into her line of sight. He wore a charcoal suit, perfectly tailored. His hair was freshly cut. His smile was the same one she had seen a thousand times—the one that said he was in control.
Veyra set down her glass. She looked at him the way she might look at a stain on the carpet.
“What do you want?”
“I asked you a question.”
“I didn’t hear it.”
His jaw tightened. He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down without waiting for permission.
Leon took a step forward. Veyra held up her hand. Wait.
“Why are you here?” Caspian asked.
Veyra looked at him. Really looked at him. The small scar above his left eyebrow. The way his tie was knotted too tight. The faint smell of his cologne which was expensive and citrus‑based.
“That’s none of your business.”
“You’re in a restaurant. On the 101st floor. In a building you couldn’t afford at all in your whole life.” He leaned back in his chair. “I think it is my business.”
Veyra smiled. It was a cold smile. Sharp.
“You’re my ex‑husband. You don’t get to ask where I go or why.”
The word ex landed like a slap.
Caspian’s face went ashen. His nostrils flared. He was not used to being reminded that she had left him. That she had survived him.
He recovered quickly. He always did.
“Fine,” he said. “We’ll play it your way.”
“There’s no game.”
“There’s always a game, Veyra. You just don’t see the board.”
She picked up her water glass again. Took another sip. The bubbles had gone flat.
Caspian leaned forward. His voice dropped.
“How did you manage to offend Xander Hale?”
Veyra’s hand stilled on the glass.
She thought about the pizza shop. Aunt Clark’s face after the slap. The way Xander’s men had smashed the chairs. The gun pressed to her forehead.
She thought about the call from her father. The threats. The demands.
She thought about Xiomara’s parents. Their home trashed. Their belongings broken. Their daughter humiliated.
“Sometimes,” Veyra said slowly, “it takes one villain to deal with another.”
Caspian stared at her.
“You think that’s funny?”
“I don’t think anything about it. I’m just stating a fact.”
“Xander Hale is dangerous.”
“I know.”
“He could hurt you.”
“He tried.” She set down the glass. “He failed.”
Caspian’s mouth opened. Closed. He looked at her hands. The black gloves. The metal knuckles.
“What are you wearing?”
“Gloves.”
“I can see that. Why?”
“Because my hands were cold.”
He shook his head. “You’ve changed.”
“No.” She looked him in the eye. “I’ve just stopped pretending to be what you wanted.”
He leaned closer. His voice was low. Almost a whisper.
“Stay away from Xiomara. Stay away from her parents. Whatever mess you’ve made with Xander Hale, don’t drag them into it.”
Veyra laughed. A short, dry sound.
“I’m not dragging anyone anywhere.”
“You already have. Xander went to their house. He smashed their things. He screamed at them in front of the neighbors. All because of you.”
She remembered Xiomara’s father. The way he had looked at her on the plane. The way he had smiled when Xiomara slapped her.
“I don’t control Xander Hale.”
“You provoked him.”
“He provoked himself.”
Caspian slammed his palm on the table. The glasses jumped. A nearby diner turned to stare.
Leon Wei took a step forward. His hand moved toward his jacket.
Veyra waved him back.
She looked at Caspian. At the red creeping up his neck. At the vein pulsing in his forehead.
“You’re going to make a scene,” she said. “In a restaurant where you’re trying to impress people.”
His eyes flickered toward the back of the room. Toward a table where two men in suits sat watching.
He straightened his jacket. Forced his breathing to slow.
“Stay away from Xiomara,” he said again. “Stay away from her family. Whatever you’re planning, leave them out of it.”