Chapter 10

The bottle shattered with a sickening crack. Liquor and blood streamed down Nikita's face, blurring her vision. It happened so fast that no one had time to react. No one could have imagined she would be so vicious to herself.

"Nikita!" Killian's eyes widened in horror. He caught her as she swayed.

"What are you doing?" he roared. This stubborn girl would rather break her own head than bow it.

Nikita leaned against him, taking a moment to steady herself. She looked at Clifford. "Is that enough? If not, I can go again."

She reached for another bottle, but Killian stopped her. He was furious now. He turned to Clifford, his eyes red with rage. "Clifford, we've known each other for almost thirty years. Are you really going to take it this far tonight?"

It was at that moment that Latisha walked in. She rushed to Nikita's side, her eyes filling with tears of guilt as she saw the blood matting her friend's hair.

"What are you doing here?" Nikita asked weakly.

Clifford's brow furrowed. "Who told you to come?"

From his corner, Flint mumbled, "Uh... I did."

Latisha's gaze shifted from Nikita to Clifford, and then to Yesenia, who sat beside him like a queen on her throne.

Latisha walked purposefully toward them.

Yesenia instinctively grabbed Clifford's arm, a gesture that was part fear, part a declaration of ownership.

Latisha stopped in front of her. Yesenia tilted her chin up, her eyes glinting with triumph.

After a few seconds of silence, Latisha bowed deeply.

*I'm sorry,* she signed. *It's all my fault. Please, Ms. Winslet, forgive us.*

Yesenia looked away, though she snuck a glance at Clifford. His expression was unreadable.

"What's with all the hand-waving? I can't understand a word," Yesenia muttered, deliberately obtuse. She knew the basic signs for "I'm sorry" Latisha used them often enough. But she wanted to drag this out, to drive the wedge between Clifford and Killian even deeper.

Latisha bit her lip and turned to Clifford, her eyes pleading. He remained silent, an aura of cold fury radiating from him.

She moved to his side and knelt, tugging gently at his sleeve, not in a flirtatious way, but in a desperate appeal.

Nikita started to move toward her, but Killian held her back, pressing a wad of napkins to her bleeding head.

Yesenia tightened her grip on Clifford's arm, terrified he might soften.

Latisha tilted her face up, and a single tear rolled down her cheek, making her look utterly pitiful. She raised her hands agam. *Chifford, won't go back to work. I'll never go back. Please, don't do this to Nikita. Please.*

не

He stared at her slender fingers. remembered when she was first learning sign fanguage, asking her, whata certain sign meant. She had told him it meant "brother.

Only she knew the truth. It was his name. She had never once called him brother.

The room was deathly quiet. Everyone watched as Latisha humbled herself before her husband and his mistress, her dignity stripped away.