I Am Mustafin

| 20 | - Behind Closed Doors

I sit on the window seat of the bedroom that Efrem and I were escorted to, watching the door as I patiently wait for him to return. He left me here with Alek guarding the door right outside, demanding that I stay put, like he always does. Although this time, I don't intend to test the waters by walking out of here before he tells me to.

Things are different here.

I understand one thing and one thing alone: we are not the only ones who have been invited. I overheard Deonta'e tell one of his guards that the other Ringleaders will be here tomorrow, and at first, I was a little too worried about having to see Haden again to think about the fact that we're here an entire day early.

Why?

The sectors aren't as close to each other as they seem. Between the Mustafin and Diallo border, it's only about six hours. The rest? Much farther, Talos and Wen being the closest to Diallo as they are next to each of the Diallo's borders, respectfully across from one another. For us, we drove through the center of the Wen sector to get here.

What I've been thinking about for the past half hour and want to know is why we are here and why everyone else is supposed to be here when they were all just at Efrem's home a few days ago. Why are they meeting so soon again? What happened between then and now that warranted them meeting again? And...why are we the only ones here early if we're not the ones who live furthest?

I guess now is my opportunity to ask.

The door swings open, Efrem emerging from the hall with a smug look on his face. He closes the door behind him, eyeing me as he walks across the black and white marble floor. In the next moment, he takes off his jacket, tossing it onto the bed before undoing the cufflinks of his shirt. He neatly folds his sleeves up, revealing the veins in his muscular forearms that trail up his arms.

He doesn't bother removing the holster that hugs his torso, although now, I can see that he's carrying two guns, one on each side.

"You can speak now," he suddenly says. "Whatever's on your mind...you can speak freely behind closed doors."

I arch a brow, my eyes finding his own. "Oh?" I muse. It's almost irritating just how arrogant he comes across. Then again, if I were in his shoes, I'd probably be sitting on a pretty high horse too.

"Why are we here?" I ask as I cross my arms. Kicking the shoes off of my feet, I bring them up onto the cushion seat, crossing my legs beneath me. "Wasn't everyone just at your house like three days ago?"

Efrem chuckles lightly as he draws his hands into his pockets. He walks over to the dresser, giving it his back as he leans back into it. He turns his head in my direction, looking at me as he says, "I'm not sure how much you know about how things run here, but every couple of months, the Ringleaders gather to discuss...political matters."

He pauses briefly and sighs softly, adding, "That is what we're doing here for the rest of the week. As for why Kane, his wife, Deonta'e and Amara were at our home a few days ago is a personal matter."

Our?

I hum lightly, nodding slowly as I draw the inside of my cheek between my teeth. My gaze falls away from him, eyeing the red sheets on the only bed in the room. There's a small black sofa across from it and I can't help but wonder...

"It wouldn't be the first time we lay in bed together," Efrem's voice is stern, my eyes snapping back to him. There's a playful smirk playing on his lips as he watches me shift uncomfortably where I sit.

For a while, I don't say a word, hoping that he'll tell me that he's joking, but he doesn't. Instead, he watches me, more than likely waiting for me to say what's really been on my mind since we arrived here.