“Hang tight this is going to be a rough ride.”
As if he needed to tell me what to do. I grab onto his waist as the bike’s tires burn through the asphalt.
There’re so many questions swimming in my head, but the most pressing one is why are these people shooting at us?
“Fuck!” Dante curses as one bullet whips past us, too close for comfort. Dante swerves hard just as another motorcycle whips past, the driver holding a gun trained on us.
I feel Dante’s muscles tense against my body as he makes a sharp turn, taking us to a busier street using the traffic as cover.
For a few seconds I can breathe easier, the gunshots seized and we’re given a moment’s r
“So, what did your mom leave you?” Dante asks once we are safe behind our bedroom doors. It’s a bit unnerving how he’s suddenly asking all these questions since his declaration in the car. Is he actually serious about learning everything about me? “Just this, it’s a key to somewhere I think,” I reply, fishing the pouch from my jacket pocket. “Here. Have a look.” I add, offering the velvet pouch to him. But instead of the pouch, Dante snatches my hand, turning it over as the pouch falls, forgotten on the floor. “You’re hurt,” he says, concern etched on his face as he inspects my hands. I hadn’t realized it until he mentioned it. No wonder my hands
“All done?” It’s Dante, leaning against his black as midnight Mustang GT. Under the sun the car glistens like a newly polished leather shoe. “I’m guessing you’ve come to pick me up?” He only nods for me to get in the car. “Killian and the others will follow.” I didn’t think I’d ever get used to having three bodyguards follow me closely but Killian and the others are extremely good at making their presence as non-threatening as possible. It sometimes feels like I’m just hanging out with friends. “What did you find in the vault?” Right.
“These paintings. I see myself in them.” Especially that hand sculpture. A confession. Something I hadn’t realized myself, yet when she asks it rises to the surface on its own accord. Much like how when a siren sings, sailors throw themselves out to the open sea to hear more, only to lead to their deaths. Jean brings out the parts of me that I have fought so hard to bury. I’ve been swimming in my darkness for as long as I can remember, barely knowing what it feels like to bask in the light without fear. But when Jean takes my hand, warm and secure around my trembling ones, I forget. Fighting against my better judgment, I look up to meet her eyes; amber orbs shi
Jean There’s nothing but chaos in my head as Dante pushes me against the door, my hands firmly in place above my head, pinned by his large hand. If I’d asked to relay what had transpired between us, I’d have no words, only pure emotions running through me as Dante nudges my legs open to slide his knee in between them. Ruin. That’s it. That’s the one word, I’d use to describe it. Dante will be my ruin, but still, I find myself melting in his kisses. The way he’s touching me becoming unbearable. The heat pooling in my stomach grows as Dante intentionally rubs his knee against the softest part of me.
He says one thing but does another. I haven’t seen Dante for days since we returned back to his estate with the promise of punishment but then he’s nowhere to be found. When we arrived back, I was forced to walk back to our bedroom uncomfortably. Luca had pulled Dante away, saying something about how: “Our guest is feeling cooperative. I thought I’d wait for you to do the honors.” I have no idea what that means, but it must have been serious because there was an obvious change in Dante’s demeanor, and I don’t miss the coldness in his voice when he told me to go back first. He’d even assigned Killian to train me today. “The boss is just busy,” Killian says as he helps me put on the weights on the bar.
“Jean, come on. You’ve been ignoring me for the better half of this 15-hour flight.” Whine all you want, Dante. I’m not ready to talk to you yet after how you treated me earlier. I adjust myself in my seat, even though this is the softest leather chair I’ve sat on. Having a private plane really does have its perks. “Will you please stop giving me the cold shoulder? There are things we need to discuss.” Dante says with finality, having had enough of my tantrum. But I don’t care, I don’t have to be nice to him to discuss business.
“It’s just a party. How hard can it be?” ‘Me and my big fucking mouth.’ I think to myself as I make my way through a crowd of dancing bodies. Nervous and itching in this dress Dante made me wear, I grimace when sweat-slick bodies bump into me. But the moment I hear Dante’s voice in my ear, I somehow find a semblance of calm. “Calm down,” he says through the earpiece I’m wearing. The tiny piece, hidden by my hairstyle. “I’m right here with you.” “Yeah, right,” I mutter to myself, sure that Dante couldn’t possibly hear me over the blasting music. Luca said they’d be somewhere in the club and on standby, but I have no idea where.
Shit. My mind is a mess. How far away are we? Did our comms work even with this distance? Where the fuck are we even going? I mentally slap myself for getting in a car with a complete stranger, but I was so focused on getting my mission done that I just jumped at the opportunity. And then there’s that thing Maia slipped into my mouth, which I’m now pretty sure is an acid. A hallucinogen. How long has it been since I took it? Nothing looks weird or trippy yet so I’m guessing it hasn’t been a half-hour yet. Suddenly, there’s static in my earpiece. Unconscio