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I needed a minute to think. I needed a minute to breathe. I hunkered down and shut my eyes. When Romero put his hand on my dirty knee, I felt a calm wash over me.

I was alive, free, and had a man who redefined what it meant to sin by my side. I was not going to waste time dwelling on what happened. My experience wasn’t even that traumatic. I’d been through so much worse.

If I wanted answers, I had to make him inclined to give them to me. With that, my eyes popped open and I took his hand in mine, forcing our fingers to intertwine.

“I was going to wallow in self pity,” I began. “But fuck that. I have a list of demands, and don’t interrupt me until I’m done, because I’m not allowed to interrupt you.”

“I won’t interrupt you. I’m not even going to let you start. You seem to have forgotten how our relationship works. I know what you want, and I know what you need.

“We’re going to talk about what happened on the bridge and all the other fun shit that correlates with it. But first, you’re going to get cleaned up. You’re going to eat, and I’m going to give you something to relieve some stress—and I’m not talking about my dick. I know how much you love him, but don’t worry, baby, you’ll have a reunion soon.

“It’s been two weeks and my balls are bluer than your eyes. I need to remind you what it feels like to be buried inside you. I’m going to fuck you so hard your tight little pussy will be left with a permanent imprint of me inside it. And then, you’re going to have to ride my face so my tongue doesn’t feel left out.

“Did I miss anything?”

I stared at him a full two minutes, the wetness between my thighs overriding all my other senses.

Dhal shifting in the backseat snapped me back to attention. He’d made me forget all about her while nailing every bullet on my list.

“Cocky fucking asshole,” I muttered, clenching my legs tighter and glaring at him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The sun was high in the sky by the time we finally arrived at our destination.

I peered through the windshield as Romero and Dhal got out. The building in front of us had once been a hotel—a nice one, if the architectural details were anything to go off.

People were lingering in the courtyard, some lining the walkway, guarding it. I spotted a few more up on the roof. If anything, Romero was always secure.

What I found a little surprising was that not all of them were donning their masks. Quite a few had their whole face exposed.

My door popped open and Romero reached in to help me down.

He took my hand and started leading me towards the entrance of what was once La Monte Suites, according to the weathered sign I could now see.

I faltered when I realized how easily I was going along with him into a strange place. I froze, leaving him with the option to either drag me or stop walking, too. “Is he in there?” I asked in reference to David, trying to pull my hand out of his.

He shared a look over my head with Dhal, some unspoken message passing between them. Before I had a chance to ask what the hell it was, he seized my upper forearm and swept my feet out from underneath me.

“What the fuck are you doing?” My sudden outburst snagged the attention of the few people nearby.

A fraction of a second before I hit the ground, he caught me. I was so close that if I puckered my lips I could kiss the ugly orange concrete.

He pulled me up to my feet, roughly, and forced me to continue forward. “Let me go,” I snarled at him, trying to twist away. The effort was wasted. There was zero strength left in my reservoir. I was like a kitten trying to take on a Doberman.

I had no idea what he was doing, intended to do, or why he felt the need to suddenly drag me. I attempted

to spin around mid-step and wound up being jerked so hard I bit my tongue, pissing me off even more.

“Don’t fight me, Cali, you won’t win,” he warned, turning me so I could see his face. There was an edge to his voice but his dark eyes were telling me something different.

My brows furrowed as I looked at him. What the hell was he was up to now? Knowing he wouldn’t—or couldn’t—outright tell me, I had no choice but to play along.

“Okay,” I harshly breathed out, before repeating myself a little quieter. “Okay, please don’t drag me anymore. I’ll be…good.” I almost gagged on the word.

“See, I knew you weren’t as stupid as you looked,” he whispered softly before glancing away, urging me forward albeit gently this time. It truly was déjà vu; the cocky fucker had said just as much the day he saved me from being a cannibal’s meatloaf.

Dhal opened one of the glass doors ahead of us without being asked. As we passed, her gaze clashed with Romero’s. I wanted to take her to the ground and crack her skull open. She hadn’t really done anything, which meant she’d done enough to make me want her heart to cease beating.