“I think I’ll have quite the bruise.” I touch my cheek gingerly. “You do, and I’ll tell everyone you hit me. What sort of a man are you? You beat on your ex and then cry to the police when her bodyguard defends her? I expect the newspapers would quite like that story.”

“I came here to help, you ungrateful fucking bitch. You can forget that now. Learn the hard way what I know.”

He heads to the door, but Samuel has hold of him in three long strides. “What do you know?”

“Sorry. I don’t talk to men who beat people up, or whores. And by the way, before you lay one more finger on me, I have connections in very high places. I can have you out of this country before you can blink, and you won’t ever see Carolina or her dry pussy again.”

“It’s not dry with him,” I add conversationally, and Joseph sends me daggers with his pretty green eyes.

“Can’t kick me out of the country if you’re dead.” Samuel taps the side of his head, like the meme, and I burst out laughing. “Come on, Joseph, don’t make me bust up my knuckles. Spill.”

Joseph stares at me as if he’s waiting for me to come to his rescue, which is patently absurd.

Samuel sighs as if all patience is lost and grabs Joseph forcefully. He reaches for his gun, and shoves it right in Jo’s open mouth.

Joseph squeaks around the gun, and Samuel taps it against his teeth. “I literally don’t give a fuck. I will blow your brains out all over these cream walls if you don’t tell me right now.”

Joe starts to talk, babbling around the gun and making no sense. Samuel withdraws the gun and wipes the muzzle on Joe’s shirt.

“In English, please.”

“Lexy is crazy.”

Is that it? What he came here to tell me? He’s lost it.

“So?” I don’t understand him at all. “Firstly, I don’t think so; I've worked with the girl for the past year. Yes. She’s clearly stupid if she got involved with you, but even if she is crazy? So what? She’s not my problem. I’m not her friend any longer.”

“I don’t think you’re getting the importance of what I’m saying. She’s really deluded. Scarily so, and she didn’t like me. Her sleeping with me had nothing to do with me.”

Now, I’m utterly confused.

“Then what was it to do with?”

“You.”