Harwal, book 3

Chapter 20

I forgot Kor. How can I forget him?

"Is something wrong?" Harwal asks.

I'm bewildered that I could forget him. I need a plan to kill him, but when will that time come? We have so much on our plate that it's a big detour to go around the huge facility to go and find him.

I palm my cheek and tap my finger on it. It's certainly possible that he could be at the auction. Looking at his purchases implied he's very active in that. Going to the auction, though, that's a nut to crack.

"Sofia?" Harwal says, and my stomach makes a flip in excitement. How infuriating that I react to just my name.

"Sorry I was stuck in… in my… plans," I mutter, staring at Harwal's big arms and the muscles that ripple underneath his skin. He's pure deadly force. I know that, I've known that since I saw him. Harwal said that he could kill Kor. He wanted to kill him.

But to be honest, I want to be the one to do that. I want to see Kor's face as he takes his last breath. That son of a bitch has been ruining my life for too long. Grandma was right. There's no other way than to kill him.

"What plan?" Harwal asks, lifting his hand toward me, but instead of touching me, he snaps his fingers in my face. "Do you hear me?"

I scowl and consider smacking his hand away, but that wouldn't achieve anything. "I was thinking about Kor and the plan to screw him over." I place my phone on top of my drawer and grunt. "I mean the plan to kill him."

Harwal stares at my phone and tilts his head. "Who is… Kor?"

I follow his gaze and see the picture of me and Aaron on it. "That bastard who raped me. You saw the files," I snap and grab my phone. "Could you go make that coffee?"

Harwal doesn't say anything, but I hear his heavy steps echoing in the hallway. I feel a little bad for snapping at him, but I can't continue showing my…weakness around him. He has an irritating habit of seeing me at my worst. I lift my phone up and look at the picture Harwal saw. I touch my cheek again, feeling my age catch up to me even more.

God. Why didn't I appreciate the beauty I had? I was so pretty.

I shake off the depressive thought and stick my earbuds back on, continuing to listen my torture. I rummage through my clothes, trying to find Dr. Peep's favourite. A black sheer dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Of course while travelling I'll wear underwear, but within that stuffy room they're gone.

I sigh and pull out the dress, stuffed beneath all the other colourful clothes. Joddel is so dark and full of ash, that black is pretty much the symbol of this place. Also the soot is a big reason for black clothes. Everyone wears black, except the whores and sex slaves. They're supposed to be seen and be gawked at. All for some bit of money and advertisement. I lay out the dress on my bed and look for any breakage.

I've done shameful things ever since I was young, but after Dante was born I have never regretted the things I do. Everyone does what they need to do to survive. I can make excuses and hope it wasn't like this, but it is.

I wanted a normal family life, but shit went down hill fast after hearing I'm barren. To think I even have a child now... it's a blessing. It doesn't matter to me who was the one that put the bun in the oven, Dante is my boy and I'll do anything to make his life better. Even kill that son of a bitch Kor, who could come back to ruin my boy's future.

I just don't know how I'm going to kill a Zohra. That is something I need to figure out.

"Coffee," Harwal says behind me and I wave my hand for him to come closer. I'm not even surprised at his appearance. His weirdly silent, but sometimes loud footsteps, completely elude my basic human mind. It's like he purposely tries to sneak up on me… or purposefully stomps around.