Page 12 of Depraved

“What the fuck is going on?” I yell again.

Her hand stays on her neck as she shakes her head at me. “Obviously I didn’t know it was you, Dante. Jesus, what are you doing here?”

My eyes dart to the handprint on her throat already blooming red and purple on her alabaster skin.

I could’ve killed her. I was killing her.

I instinctively reach out, but she flinches away from me.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” I promise, but the skepticism on her face is ironic. “You don’t look at me like that. You fucking shot me.”

I jerk my head, motioning for her to step closer to me, and take her chin between my fingers as she does. I tilt her head to look at her neck closer, letting out an irritated breath.

Sarah’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “How are you mad? Did you hear me? I could’ve killed you, Dante.”

I twist her head the other way to look at the marks, scowling as I do.

“You aren’t that good of a shot.” I painfully smirk, inspecting my shoulder and letting her chin go. “You grazed me. It’ll hurt like hell, but I’ll be fine.”

Footsteps come closer from the hall, and I know it’s Vincenzo. Sarah looks toward the noise and backs away, putting her eyes back on mine.

“Vincenzo, sto bene. Rilassati. L’ho gestito.”Vincenzo, I’m fine. Relax. I’ve got it handled, I call out as he fills the doorway.

Depositing his gun in the back of his pants, he looks at me confused.

I motion with my head to the gun at his feet, and he looks down, bending to pick it up, then looks back to me. “What the fuck?” he asks, shaking his head.

I push the door slightly more ajar, allowing Sarah to come into full view.

“Come ho detto.”Like I said, Vincenzo states, surprised to see her.

His eyes take in the scene and appraise what’s happening and then land on my bloodstained shirt. “She shot you?”

“She did,” I answer, still staring at her, my curiosity beginning to fester.

“She’sright here,” Sarah replies sarcastically.

Her arms cross over her chest as we stand in the silence, and I let my eyes search hers. The longer I stare at her, the more her face gives nothing away.

Sarah’s defensive.Interesting. My question niggles at me in the back of my mind.Why the fuck is this girl carrying a gun inside a club that nobody would ever touch?Something’s not right.

I turn to Vin, reminded of the other thing not right. The business we brought to Church tonight.

“Where’s the guy we brought in?”

“Chained to the cabinet…and quiet,” he answers, but I’m staring at Sarah again. And she doesn’t react. At all.

I nod, pulling at the top button of my tuxedo shirt as I study her, struggling against the pain in my arm to pull it free.

Sarah steps toward me and slaps my hands away. “Stop it. Let me,” she breathes, taking over undressing me.

She pulls the buttons closer to her, and I breathe heavily as my arm burns like hell.

“Careful,” Vincenzo directs sternly.

But I lift my hand to quiet him. “Lasciala lavorare.”Let her work.

“Jealous? You want to undress him?” She winks at Vincenzo, and he grumbles and looks away, taking a step just outside the door—enough room to give us privacy but also to remain on guard.