Page 28 of Dreadful

“Well, Percy. I don’t like the number she gave me, but I’m curious. What do you think she said?”

He shakes his head, and I tighten my hold again. “I-I don’t know! She had to have been lying. It was just this once—”

“Come on, Percy. What do you think she said?”

I don’t recognize my own voice—rough and low, full of pure hate. When I work in the meat locker, I’m cold and calculated. It’s the way I’ve trained myself to be ever since my father wrote me off because I let my emotions get the best of me growing up. And here I am, riding them like a violent wave, and goddamn, does it feel good.

“Answer me, Per—”

“Two!”

“Two? You sure?”

Talia grumbles something behind me. I stroke her knuckles with my thumb before glancing over my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I believe you.”

“No, wait! I-I don’t know the number, okay? Those are the only times I can remember!”

Cristo, first it was Vinnie conveniently not being able to divulge the crucial information I needed, and now this fucker?

“Lots of memory problems amonggli idioti, lately,” I mutter.

“Wh-what?”

“It seems you and my girlfriend don’t see eye to eye. I’m going to let you go, for now. But I want you to remember the numberyougave me, and I want you to try very hard to rack your tiny little brain to figure out what number Tallie gave me.Hai capito?”

He nods quickly, ready to agree to anything in order to escape the worst of my wrath.

“Perfetto. Now go to that afterparty down the hall. Mingle. Have a grand fucking time. Forget this happened, for now. But don’t forget my instructions.”

“Yeah, yeah, you got it, I swear. Just please don’t hurt me.”

A dark chuckle escapes my lips. “I can’t promise that.”

His eyes widen, but I won’t act on my threat just yet. I shift backward, closer to Tallie, so that I can keep shielding her. One good crack of my cane against his temple would take him out, but I don’t want to take any chances with her safety. When she’s fully protected, I remove my cane from his neck to release him.

He gulps audibly and doesn’t waste a second before sprinting out of the room.

“You nearly made it onto my list,bastardo,” Tallie mumbles under her breath.

“Don’t worry,vipera, I’ll take care of him.”

She jolts against my back as if she’s forgotten I’m still in front of her. Unlike the bakery, this time I’m prepared for her reaction. I let go of her hand and position my cane to lean on again. Today is a good day for my ankle, but my cane still helps for balance. Not to mention it’s incredibly useful for situations like we just had.

I step out of her reach and face her before she can push me away. Her forehead wrinkles as she assesses me, and I lean back against the wall to do the same. If she’s hurt, I’ll skip my plan and go take the motherfucker out in an alley right now.

A baggy hoodie no longer hides her stunning frame. Instead, her tight sweater dress highlights her curvy figure, and black leggings and knee-high black boots accentuate her thighs and long legs. My hands twitch, begging to pull her against my cock, but I don’t dare touch her. When I finally meet her gaze again, her eyes are narrowed with distrust.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No. He didn’t hurt me. But what are you doing here, Sev? Are you following me?”

“A little presumptuous, don’t you think?” I’m wholly enthralled by the venom in her voice, but I hide my awe with a tsk. “We only just met. Why would I follow you?”

“I saw you in the audience. It’s obvious you didn’t come to watch. So, if you’re not here for the show, whyareyou here?”

Why, indeed?