ZOE
The air got stuck in my lungs when I saw Nikolai stand up. His chair creaked, his gaze locked onto me, and that glint in his eyes said that hell had just opened for business.
I clutched the bag of hamburgers to my chest as if it were a bulletproof shield. I had grabbed it from the table reflexively when I saw him get up from his table. I watched him walk like a lion ready to go after its prey.
Damn it, I thought, forgetting to breathe.
"Zoe," whispered Esteban, noticing how my smile froze, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, yes, of course," I lied, though what I really wanted was to evaporate and vanish into the air conditioning.
Nikolai walked toward the exit with a cat-like calm, jaw tense, eyes fixed on me. He said nothing, he didn't need to, his look said it all. “You're in trouble, Zoe.”
