Page 56 of Kiss of Deceit

“No…I’ve been engaged once.”

The playfulness in his voice had disappeared, and his cold tone proved I needed to tread carefully about this topic.

“What happened?” I asked gently.

“I caught her fucking my friend,” he said, anger raising in his voice. “They were having a fucking affair behind my back for months.”

My stomach twisted painfully. “I’m sorry?—”

“It was a long time ago,” he cut me off gruffly. “Both of them mean nothing to me anymore.”

“Is that why you came to Winterlake? To forget?”

“No. I just needed a fresh start.”

We lapsed into silence as I processed what he just told me. I hadn’t meant to stir up memories to upset him, but I’d been curious about his past. He began massaging my shoulder softly. When his hand drifted lower, my gut churned. He was touching me right near my scars.

“Tell me who bothered you tonight,” he said in almost a whisper. “Who put that fear in your eyes?”

“What?” I choked out, his demand catching me by surprise. I fully expected him to ask about my scars.

“Tell me who it was,” he repeated roughly. “I’ll make sure the asshole never steps foot in my bar again.”

A warmth spread through my chest that had no business being there. But I didn’t miss the danger swarming his voice. Like when he threatened Tristin. Kole might be a good person, but he was capable of violence, just like me.

“No one talked to me,” I mumbled, shifting in his hold.

He sighed. “Dani.”

“It’s true.” Nausea swirled in my stomach as I thought about how to answer. “I heard someone say something…and it just brought back bad memories.”

“Does it have to do with…” he trailed off, brushing his fingertips over the scars on my stomach.

“Yes,” I forced out thickly. “I guess we both have fucked-up pasts.”

“I have a feeling yours is worse,” he muttered so quietly I nearly missed it.

“I’m usually fine,” I promised, blurting it out before I thought about it. “But sometimes certain things set me off and force me to relive that night. What I heard tonight made that happen.”

He kissed my shoulder. “I might need to know what those things are. If we do this again—I don’t want to do anything to scare you.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Plan on torturing me for hours while your masked friend kills mine?” His stunned silence only spurred me on. This was the first time I’d ever spoken about it outside of therapy. “Are you going to slice me? Bury a blade into my stomach and leave me for dead?”

“Fuck,” he hissed out the curse. “Dani?—”

“No plans to do any of that?” I interrupted. “Then you won’t scare me. It was never about sex for the monsters who hurt me. They got their gratification from fear and torture.”

He blew out a shaky breath. “Please tell me they’re rotting in prison.”

I nearly laughed at his words. That was the difference between him and me. Between good and bad. He wanted them to pay for their crimes the legal way. I wanted their blood on my hands as I paid back every slice of pain they inflicted on me. The craving to see the fear in their eyes when I ended their life was how I stayed sane. Someday I’d have my revenge.

“No,” I answered him. “They never got caught.”

“You’re looking for them.”

His statement had me going still. “Excuse me?”

“Your job,” he clarified. “It makes sense that you profile criminals. You want to find them.”