He gripped my left arm, his fingers digging into my flesh so hard I whimpered. “Give your man a message for me, will you?”
He handed me another note. I eyed it and then him. “You gonna kill me if I read it.”
“Yes.” He didn’t even blink.
I nodded and shoved it into my messenger bag. “At least you’re honest.”
“I have my days.” He winked like he was flirting with me when we both know he wouldn’t hesitate to end me.
“Why did you come here? To Chicago?” I asked.
He paused, a look of irritation crossed his features. “I don’t really think you’re in a position to ask me probing questions.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I just thought we were passing notes in class and making small talk, my bad.”
I returned my attention to the professor.
Andrei kept his voice low. “Not all of us are given the luxury of having endless amounts of money — at least endless amounts that aren’t frozen by the US government. So I got creative. Made new friends.”
“Dangerous friends?” I guessed.
“Stupid ones,” he fired back quickly. “Ones I can manipulate just like I do everyone and everything in this god forsaken universe.”
I was too shocked he was even speaking to me about things like that to respond, I just nodded and glanced away.
“If he double crosses me, I will kill him — I won’t kill you. I’ll tie you to my bed,” He caressed my arm. “I’ll tie each leg to a post so I can see you whenever I want, fuck you whenever it pleases me.” My lips trembled. “Yeah, I’d like that, maybe I’ll just maim him so he can watch…”
I jerked free.
He laughed and stood, then just walked right out of class like he was allowed to actually do it while the professor was mid communications speech.
I breathed in and out.
I counted the number of times my breath felt like it was getting caught in my lungs.
And when class was over.
I bolted toward the door. Exit. I needed an exit.
And I needed Dante.
He was already waiting for me.
I launched myself into his arms and kissed down his neck then whispered in his ear. “He doesn’t trust you, not yet, do something scary.”
I handed him the note.
Dante looked down at it, smirked, and then grabbed my hand.
We were moving fast.
Too fast.
People started to stare as Dante kept me pinned by his side.
Andrei was outside, his minions next to him.
They each looked pleased with themselves.
Dante released my hand, kissed my forehead, and said, “Stay here.”
“You get my note?” Andrei asked.
“Didn’t read it.” Dante shrugged.
Andrei’s smile fell. “You probably should.”
“I’ll get there.” Dante pulled, his Glock from under his uniform and held it at his side. “Now, which one.”
“Excuse me?” Andrei’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits.
“Which one do you want me to kill.”
Maksim made a choking noise and laughed.
“Never mind, I’ll pick.” Dante pointed the gun at Maksim. “Your preference, foot, leg, arm, or chest?”
“None.” Maksim clenched his teeth. A muscle worked in his jaw.
Andrei folded his arms and grinned, then said. “Leg.”
Dante fired off two shots into Maksim’s thigh. Both rounds skimmed the outside of his uniform, and he fell to his knees, screaming in pain.
Dante put his gun away. “Touch her again and I’ll rip your tongue out. This isn’t about her. It’s about me making a name for myself with whoever the hell is willing to give it to me.” I noticed his ring wasn’t on anymore. “You don’t get to question her, you don’t get to scare her. She’s mine.”
“Then put a fucking muzzle on her.” Andrei sneered. “She talks too much.”
Dante’s hand shook at his side. “We doing this or not?”
“The note.” Andrei nodded. “It goes down tomorrow. I hope you’re worth it, since you’ve shot one of my best men, I’ll need you on top of your game.”
“I’ll make sure to wear red so they don’t see my blood.” Dante turned his back on him grabbed my arm and we walked off.
I was shaking with terror.
He seemed to be shaking with rage and adrenaline.
Once we were out of ear shot, I reached up and touched his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I won’t be okay until I put a bullet between that piece of shit’s eyes.”
“I’m sorry.”
He frowned down at me. “For what?”
“I feel like this is my fa—”
“I swear if the next word is fault I’m going back and shooting him, ending this right now.”
“You know what I mean.” My shoulders slumped. “If I had died then—”
“Then we would still be at war because that’s what happens when selfish pricks with no moral compass are given a gun and power, all right?
I nodded and hung my head. “Okay.”
He opened the note and read it. “It’s an address.”
I sighed in relief. “That’s good, right?”
“It’s either good or it’s a trap.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Soon.” Dante kissed the top of my head, “This will be over with, soon.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Dante
MIL WASN’T AT the house.
The tracker we had on her said she was shopping.
El was exhausted so I forced a nap on her.
Which left me and Chase staring each other down, waiting for his wife to get home.
He slid the wine bottle toward me. “You think this will work? Just out right asking her?”
I shrugged. “We know she’s not really shopping. Maybe she’ll feel guilty enough to just tell you everything.”
“You think I haven’t tried that every day?” He swiped the wine away from me and glared at it in disgust. “I can’t keep going on like this. Living with her knowing this is killing her — killing us. And the sick part is, I think she wants to tell me, I think she wants it to go away — and I’m terrified she knows the end — and refuses to involve any of us because of it.”
I hadn’t thought of that.
“What, like she’s protecting us?”
Chase just shrugged.
Mil walked in the door ten minutes later.
No bags.
“Shopping?” I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice as I eyed her empty hands.
“You would know, stalker.” She winked like it was funny, I shook my head and looked away, I hated liars, hated them.
Chase stood. “Where you been Mil?”
“Doesn’t matter, Chase.” She gave him a sad smile. “I already told you, none of it matters when I walk in these doors, just let me be your wife, not a boss.”
“You agreed to be both,” he said sadly. “Let us help you.”
She paled, and looked down at her hands, like they were stained with blood she refused to tell us about. “This is the part where I tell you, that you can’t go where I’m going, you can’t do what I’m doing. This is the part where I tell you I’m leaving you, Chase.” It was impossible to miss the tears filling her eyes right along with the raw fear behind them.
Chase stumbled into his seat, and then shot out of it and charged her. “The hell you are!”
Tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “I love you but—”
“BUT?” He roared. “I give you my fucking heart and soul and you say you love me but?”
Nixon jogged into the room, his right hand held a gun.
Trace wasn’t far after him, her own gun in hand.