Page 13

Rachel

We both scrambled out of the car as soon as it came to a stop and flew at Dante. I wanted to throw myself in his arms and both slap him for being so stupid as to allow himself to be taken, and fuck him senseless for getting himself out of there.

My heart was hammering in my chest, and I’d be a bigger idiot than I suspected if I couldn’t own up to the fact it was because I was anxious to see him and relieved that he was okay.

As well as an overwhelming sense of relief for myself that I hadn’t had to go flying into the lion's den.

I wouldn't admit it to anyone other than myself, but the thought of going to Alex's and Ben's club had filled me with nothing but anxiety.

I knew it was a new location, but it was filled with the same people, the same atmosphere, the same everything.

I knew it would do nothing but bring up bad memories that I had done everything in my power to suppress.

Just another example of how much Dante has come to mean to you. My inner voice mocked me, and I mentally kicked myself.

Just whose side was I on, anyway?

“Get this piece of shit away from me before I slice his throat in the middle of the fucking street and shit down his useless neck.”

A million emotions and questions rushed through me.

Relief.

Confusion.

Anger.

Delight.

Questions.

So many questions.

Why did he have Callum?

Was he hurt?

Did he miss me ?

“Did he miss me?” Fucking hell, Rachel, you've gone soft.

Okay, now I was just straight up throwing myself mixed signals. I needed my bed.

This wasn’t like me, and it was more than a little overwhelming.

My instinct was to retreat back into blank mode, and tuck every emotion into a tiny box in my mind that I would never open again.

But I didn’t want to be that woman anymore.

Being blank and unfeeling was no way to live.

I was determined to be honest with myself.

It's just I didn't know how to handle such a flood of different feelings, and so, rather than voicing any of the things I was feeling, I instead said the first dumb thing that came to mind. “I see being kidnapped hasn't improved your language. Swearing shows a lack of intelligence.”

He shot me a feral look. I could practically feel my insides smirking with delight. “Do you know what else shows a lack of intelligence?” He all but growled at me.

“I don’t, no. But you love the sound of your own voice, so I'm sure you're about to tell me.”

“Cool it,” Vienna hissed down my ear before opening the boot of the car to shove Callum inside.

“It shows a lack of intelligence to piss off a man who is quite clearly at the end of his bastard tether.”

“Well, first of all, I never claimed to have intelligence. And second, I'm not trying to piss you off—”

“Oh, I know. It comes easily to you.”

“Thank you. I'm flattered. Anyway, I was simply making an observation about your colourful language. It's called education.”

“The last time you educated me I lost my favourite leather jacket.”

“Don't bring up ancient history to hold it over me in a present argument.”

“Get in the fucking car or get in the boot with Callum.”

I raised my eyebrow at him and stayed exactly where I was. “Please.”

“Excuse me?” He spluttered, slamming the boot shut.

“‘Get in the car,’ please,” I mimicked, folding my arms and throwing my head back in defiance.

“I don't have time for this,” he came at me, picked me up by my waist and all but threw me onto the backseat.

I landed on my stomach, my breath expelling in a painful huff, and I just about managed to drag my feet out of the way before he sent the door flying shut with far more force than was necessary.

“Asshole,” I hissed under my breath, watching as Dante pulled out his phone.

“Are you fucking braindead, woman?” Vienna asked as he got in the car, shooting me a concerned look through the rear-view mirror.

“You're all too sensitive. I was only playing.”

“There's a time for playing, and there's a time for keeping your idiotic mouth shut. This was the time to keep your—”

“Idiotic mouth shut, yeah, I got it,” I finished for him as Dante climbed in the car, hanging up the phone as he did so.

“Did you get hold of Crash?” Vienna asked.

“Worse. I got my mother.”

“Ooft. How was she?”

“Loud,” he said shortly.

I leant forward, poking my upper body between the two seats.

“I missed you too, Dante. I'm so glad we've reached the point in this situationship that we're able to express ourselves so freely and… ouch!” I snapped as Dante punched my knee and Vienna nipped my waist.“That was completely uncalled for.”

The two men simply shot me nasty glances, and I smirked in response. I wasn’t deliberately trying to be annoying, but Dante always brought out the worst in me. And, if I was being honest, the relief at seeing him more or less okay was making me borderline giddy.

I had butterflies in my stomach from the second I had seen him marching down the street, and they were only getting stronger the longer I was around him.

I had never felt that before. Not since my ridiculous teenage crush on Alex. And even they felt more like dying moths compared to the glorious butterflies currently making me feel like I could throw up.

When had this happened? When had the shift occurred, and why was I only being made aware of it now?

Had you asked me yesterday, I would have told you Dante was a bastard, and he could go to hell as far as I was concerned.

I would have told you that I cared more about roadkill and plaiting my own pubes than I did about his welfare.

And yet today, he was still a bastard, and he could still go to hell, but I’d like to go with him and annoy old Lucifer for all eternity together.

I flopped backwards, keeping my eyes on the mirror so I could watch Dante's reactions as we started driving.

He was obviously in pain, but his insane pride and stubborn streak refused to allow him to show any weakness.

Every time we rounded a corner, his lips twisted slightly, or little lines appeared in the corners of his eyes, but other than that, he remained stoic and expressionless.

Vienna slammed the brakes on, and I watched as Dante winced. “You stupid prick!” I hissed, kicking the back of Vienna's chair before I even realised what I was doing.

“I beg your pardon?” He asked, his eyes wide with shock. Even Dante raised an eyebrow at my outburst.

“I get travel sick in the back.” I muttered weakly. “You're driving like you think you’re Lewis Hamilton.”

“We're at a red light. I had to brake!”

“You gradually slow down. You don't slam the brakes on hard enough for every organ in my body to come flying out of my mouth.”

“Oh, no, we can't be having that, can we?” He snapped back. “Although it would leave so much more room for all the bullshit constantly pouring out of your lips.”

“I see you two have got on well in my absence,” Dante chuckled.

I caught his eyes in the mirror, but I looked away as quick as I had met them, my cheeks flaming. I saw the sardonic gleam in them, and I was in no mood for his mocking.

He knew I had lashed out at Vienna for his benefit, and I was mortified that I was so easily read. I should have known. Dante had always seen right through me. Even when I hid behind my robotic blankness, he knew what it meant. He somehow always knew.

It took everything I had to hold back and not throw an insult at him.

I was a petty, childish woman, but even I knew better than to poke the beast this time.

Dante was clearly in no mood for my shit, and so I sat back and observed, wondering how the fuck I had reached the point where I was not only concerned for his welfare, but concerned just how deep these new feelings ran.