Page 55 of Dirty Behavior

Would I give away information that could get us killed?

Would someone be able to find us?

It was just too risky.

The phone rang a third time, and this time, I couldn't ignore it. It was the same number, what if it was Dante?

My hands were shaking as I opened it and hit the button. “Hello?”

There was no one there, but I could hear breathing. The speaker crackled, a long, deep breath filled my ear.

“Hello, Dante, is that you?”

I waited, listening and praying to hear his voice. Pushing the phone deeper into my ear, I tried to see if I could hear any background noise or sounds. Still nothing but dead air.

“Hello?”I asked again, my voice ragged and weak as I spoke.

“Hello, Love, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again.”

My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't feel my legs or my arms, everything just went numb.

“Come on now, don't be shy. I know you remember my voice, it hasn't been that long. Come on, Love, say something.”

The rage inside me bubbled up. The fear I felt when I heard Remo's voice manifested into something else. It turned black, purging my veins like thick tar.

“Fuck you.”

His laugh was deep, and I could picture him as he did it. His head falling back, eyes closing tight as his mouth gaped open. “Oh come on now, play nice.”

“I will never play nice, you can go fuck yourself, Remo.” My hands began to shake the more it set in that he was calling this number, seeking me out.

“Celia—”

Cutting him off, I snapped. “That's not my name.”

“That's where you're wrong. Are you forgetting that you're mine? I'll call you whatever the fuck I want. But forget that for now, we can discuss a name later.”

“There's not going to be a later, Remo. I'm done with you.”

His voice skipped, crackling as he spoke. “You will never be done with me, that's not a choice you have.”

“What do you want, Remo? Why are you calling?”

“Honestly, I wasn't sure if anyone was going to answer. I thought I was going to have to send someone to get you. It's a nice surprise that you picked up. But I think you're going to enjoy my surprise much more.”

Pulling in air through my nose, my fists balled up tight. “Go to hell.”

“You might want to watch what you say to me, Love. I have someone here who might dislike hearing you speak to me that way.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I think you knowwhoI'm talking about. Here, listen.” I could hear a sound in the background, a deep groaning that washed my skin in terror. The hair on my neck stood up, my body convulsing.

“Can you hear that, Ivy?”

Muffled grunts turned to a scream, a loud smack and violent crack stabbed my ears like hot sparks. My brain was blistering, chest burning.

Dante?