They’d had to drug me to brand me.
I ran my hand over my left arm, tugging down my tight fitting hoodie just in time for Dante to rakes his eyes over me. “You ready?”
“For what?” I frowned as inky darkness covered the completely abandoned parking lot.
He didn’t answer.
He killed the engine.
The door closed with a heavy thump, and suddenly I found myself alone in the SUV.
I quickly got out of the car and jogged after his already retreating form, so much for feeling protected. And as if he heard my thoughts, he stopped walking, let out a sigh, hanging his head in the process all before wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
His arm was muscled — heavy.
It didn’t relax me.
Nothing about Dante relaxed me.
If anything, he sent every nerve ending I had into chaos, right along with my breathing and my rapid heartbeat.
“For appearances,” he whispered in that raspy voice of his.
It wasn’t enough that he was gorgeous.
His voice was… just rough enough to be sexy.
I tried to cross my arms. It was awkward.
So even though I told myself it meant nothing, that I’d played the part before for someone worse than him — when I wrapped my arm around his waist, my breath caught.
He stiffened and then pulled me closer.
I’d like to think we’d had a shaky peace agreement over pie and ice cream, but I wasn’t sure, because men like Dante would never be safe.
They would always be a choice you made if you had no other option.
Dante Nicolasi was the last resort guy.
Because he was the guy that would kill without blinking.
He was the guy that actually wanted to walk into a trap and see if he could fight his way out without losing a tooth.
I shivered.
“None of that shit,” he said in a low voice. “Head high, can’t have you looking weak, El. Eyes straight. Remember you did just pull a knife on me.”
I smirked.
“There it is,” he encouraged with a tilt of his lips just as we made our way around another building and another.
“How do you even know where you’re going?”
“The Spot,” he said in a bored voice. “Rumor has it — and know that the rumor came directly from the source — the mafia held a guy here once, beaten, nearly killed. It became a sort of urban legend. It’s not on the campus map, so unless you know where to go, you won’t find it.” We rounded another corner. “Chase said it was well hidden.”
“You told Chase?” I found that hard to believe.
“Hell no, I asked him if there was anywhere I could take a body and he laughed and said, The Spot.”
I nodded. “Makes sense, though a bit disconcerting that he’d just give you a drop off point.”
“Oh, he offered to help too,” Dante said in an amused voice.
I tried not to tremble at how easily he talked about death.
It had surrounded me for the last three years.
It still petrified me.
The smell of blood.
The stench of a rotting corpse.
Or the nightmare that I would one day be next if I didn’t do exactly what he wanted.
Every night, at midnight.
Cinderella was chased by her prince when the clock struck.
And I willingly gave my body to mine — fighting got you killed.
“See that,” Dante nodded his head. “Up ahead, the flicker of light, The Spot supposedly is directly to the left, which means…”
A few people made their way toward the building coming from the opposite direction. Nobody seemed surprised to see us.
Whispers and murmurs turned into laughter which turned into shouting and the sound of bone hitting bone.
Nausea hit full force as the smell of blood filled the air.
A guy in a leather jacket and a beanie looked me over, then Dante. “You here for tryouts?”
Dante nodded.
“You got dental records?”
I looked down.
Dante laughed. “Nah, man.”
“Well that was easy.” The guy cracked his fingers. “No cops. No snitches. No cameras.”
Dante held out his arms while the guy quickly patted him down. Obviously not finding the knife hidden in his jacket.
I grimaced while he turned his eyes to me.
“I’ll do it,” Dante said gruffly. “You can watch.”
“But—”
“I said,” Dante stood head to head to him. “I’ll do it.”
The guy held out his hands. “Whatever man, I don’t want trouble.”
“No. You really don’t.” Dante sneered then turned his hard gaze to me, I tried to keep my eyes straight ahead, tried to keep myself indifferent as he slowly ran his bruised hands down the front of my body, his knuckles almost felt… soft as they grazed the skin of my stomach and then, his hands were beneath my shirt. His jaw flexed as he ran his fingers across my bra, and then very strategically shoved a knife into my right cup and winked.
Cold metal hit my nipple just enough to make me sway toward him, I had no idea why. My body typically didn’t respond to a man’s touch.
Not anymore.
I’d been broken too much by it — to ever want it again.
And yet, when Dante ran his rough hands down my skinny jeans.
When he cupped my ass and then very slowly ran fingers down the back of my thighs, I could almost imagine a world where it would feel good.
So. Good.
And then his fingers were gone.
“’Bout time.” The guy sneered. “Or did you want to do a body cavity search too?”
“I’m game if you are.” Dante winked at me.
I scowled. Even though I found my cheeks heating with embarrassment.
“Pretty.” The guy seemed to finally notice me, and his brown eyes lit up as he focused in on my chest. I shuddered.
“Mine,” Dante all but barked at the guy, then jerked me through the door, nearly detaching my arm from its socket.
The metal door shut behind us, sealing us in.
It wasn’t what I expected.
It was about fifty times worse.
“Breathe through your nose,” Dante said under his breath, tugging me closer to his body as we weaved through the large crowd. “Don’t close your eyes.”
Five chairs were lifted up onto a platform like freaking thrones over the small blood caked circle in the center.
One crown.
And bleeding stars surrounding it, was etched on the cement.
And on each of the four cement walls surrounding us.
Bloody hand prints.
With RIP written over them in marker.
Dante turned his head toward mine and kissed me softly on the mouth, I wasn’t expecting it.
I clung to his shirt while his lips moved nimbly over mine, softly caressing my cheek and then meeting my ear. “Speak to no one.” He kissed my neck again then whispered in my other ear. “I’m serious, El. Keep your eyes forward,” Another kiss. “Head up.” His mouth fused against mine, I gasped as his tongue slid past my bottom lip, licking me up like I was better than pie, better than vanilla. “Don’t worry. I don’t lose.”
He broke away from me just as the talking around us died down.
I still clung to his hand.
My body shook as the five guys from earlier today sat casually on their thrones of blood, their fake power, with their Russian tattoos and seemingly good looks.
It was like looking at a fake god, an imposter.