“It fell out of a picture frame you broke,” Shayna said. “You want me to tell you everything? I will. Anything you want, Finn. But why can’t you do the same?”
I looked at her. “It’s none of your fucking business. You ran into this mess, not me.”
“You’re supposed to fuck me, Finn. Get me pregnant, right?”
“Go inside and go to fucking bed,” I said.
“No. Maybe I’ll go call Zander. Tell him everything. How does that sound?”
I grinned. “You do that, sweetie. Call up Zander right fucking now. Tell him anything you want. But I can promise you this… whatever Fiore wants, he gets. I’m your safest bet no matter what. And if you fuck with me or fuck with Fiore, you’re going to end up dead. Trust me, it won’t just be a bullet through the back of your head either. Oh, no. It’ll be much worse than that.”
Shayna just stared at me. “Who was she?”
“Leave it be.”
“Where is she now? Is that why you’re like this, Finn? Why you’re one second okay and the next second kicking over end tables?”
“Go inside,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Did you love her? Did you use her? What happened?”
I looked at Shayna. “Don’t fucking try to be anything other than what you are, sweetie.”
“Which is what?” she asked.
“A pussy to fuck,” I said. “That’s why you’re with me. I need your pussy and you need my dick. That’s the only way we can survive. So unless you’re going to bend over, shut your mouth, and open your legs, then get the fuck away from me.”
That did it.
Shayna’s eyes went wide. I could see the tears in her eyes, even in the darkness. She hugged herself and walked away. I watched her walk away, like a damn fool. I could not get involved. Not again. Not that same road. Not that same destination.
When Shayna was out of sight, I grabbed the picture and opened it.
It was taken right where the cabin stood now.
Shayna had found my darkest secret.
She had found out that my heart was not only capable of loving, but also capable of shattering.
18.
(Shayna)
I slept soundly without so much as a flicker of a dream. I woke to find someone at the end of the bed. And it wasn’t Finn.
I gasped and jumped back, sitting straight up. The room spun a few times because of the blood rush. My heart pounded.
A hand reached out with a gun in it.
All my mind could think was one thing - Zander.
He’d found me. He’d found us.
I looked to the door.
Finn was out there.
Oh, shit.
That meant Finn was dead. If Zander attacked, there would be no survivors. He and his crew prided themselves off creating bloody scenes. They’d kill someone and then shoot them a hundred more times just to make a bigger mess. They made it so the crime scenes were nightmares.
The person at the end of the bed turned.
It wasn’t Zander after all.
It was Fiore.
Finn’s boss.
“Good morning,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”
I exhaled. “Yeah, sure. Right. Good morning to you.”
Fiore eyed me and then smirked. “A little cold in here?”
I looked down and gasped. The t-shirt pulled against my breasts tight and my nipples were pressing through. Thankfully I at least had clothes on. Well, I didn’t have any pants on, but the lower half of my body was under the covers.
I grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to my chin.
“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” Fiore said. “Is Finn treating you well?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. You two busy at work?”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to lie to Fiore. Not without Finn and I agreeing on some kind of plan.
“If you’re asking…”
“How many times did he fuck you last night?”
Ohmygod…
My cheeks started to burn. I pulled the covers tighter to my body. I felt so uncomfortable with Fiore at the end of the bed. Yet he was there, staring at me.
He then let out a little laugh. “Well, I’ll just have to assume for now. But don’t worry, I’m not against checking on things.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said. He then turned and brought his right leg to the bed. He leaned at me and touched my leg over the covers with his right hand. “I know Finn told you my story.”
I nodded. “I’m very sorry about what happened.”
“See, the thing with apologies and grieving and all that… it gets you nowhere. So what’s the fucking point? Zander had a plan and it worked.” Fiore gently clapped his hands together. “I applaud him for that. Sometimes defining what’s ours creates bloodshed. It’s no different than what our ancestors fought for years ago. The battles for land, territory, promise, and purpose. Kings staring across the land. It’s just a different time now. The fight is different, the war is the same.”
“I can help,” I said. “I can get Zander to come here. You can get him. Kidnap him and do…”
“Shhh…,” Fiore said. “I already know what I want. I don’t go against my initial instinct. I did that once and it ended up with my poor Luca leaving this world. Did you know that?”
I shook my head. “No.”