Page 18

Dante

Twirlingthe glass in a soft circle, the smell of scotch breached the air. Taking a long sip, I let the liquid burn against my tongue before swallowing hard.

I could still hear her, still see her, and I wanted her gone. If anyone else had pulled the shit she just did, I would have fucking killed them without a second thought.

But this girl was different.

I didn't like the way she made me feel, I hated how she tugged at something inside me that I had shutdown years ago. Emotions didn't play well in my line of work.

They are not welcome. Ever.

People make mistakes when they start to feel shit. If you think about what you're doing, then you let it seep in and turn your dreams into nightmares. I refused to have nightmares.

It was bad enough that the memories were there to begin with. I didn't need to deal with my conscience too. It was easier to think of people as objects, an obstacle to jump in order to get what was needed.

Dragging my fingers across my forehead, I squeezed my temples. My head was pounding with a fierce headache, crushing and constricting my brain.

Ivy made me want to punish her, to fuck her. I wanted to make her scream, make her beg. I wanted the power to bring her so close to coming that she'd be dangling on the edge and wouldn't be able to take it.

Then I wanted to send her over that edge, watch her body tremble as the feeling washed across her body, and made her melt beneath me.

Fuck. This is going to be problem.

The cell in my pocket went off, the ring slicing through my ears, and helping to feed the pain in my skull.

Tugging it out, I hit the button. “Yeah.”

“Well, is it done?”

“Yeah.”

“That's it? That's all you have for me?” My father sounded pissed, and he didn't even know the half of it yet.

“What do you want me to say? Yes, we have her. There, you feel better now?” Sliding deeper into the chair, I took another long swig of the drink.

“Don't be an ass, Dante.Is it done?”

Letting out a loud sigh, I grumbled. “It is, but it wasn't smooth.”

“What happened?”

“Tony is a fucking idiot, that's what happened. So, now he's gone.”

“What the hell do you mean gone?”

“What the fuck do you think I mean, do I need to spell it out for you?”

“Fuck, Dante, what went wrong? This was an easy job, how the hell did you fuck it up?”

Of course he wanted to blame me. How convenient. He sends his stupid fucking men, but it's somehow my screw up. I told him what I thought, he didn't want to hear it.

“Me?I didn't fuck up shit. It was those two dumb fucks you sent.”

“You know what, I don't want to hear it right now. You have her, that's all that matters.”

“Is it? Because right now, I'm at the safe house with her.”

He didn't say a word. His breathing was thick and filled the speaker. I knew he was trying to figure out in his own way what the hell had gone down. But I couldn't tell him over the phone, and he knew it.