by K. H. Kate
But he’s still stuck at the woman. “It’s not for you to hide something like this. What would your Padre say if he knew? It’s a disgrace to let an enemy live at your own home.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t left bastards of yours in enemy territories.” I scoff. “You weren’t exactly hush hush about it.”
Even if he wants to argue, I know he has done worse things than me. "Fair enough." He shrugs, not countering me. "But you can't tell me that you don't remember the old days. When we used to hunt those traitors like an animal and kill them limb by limb. Don't you?"
Look at the fucking past. Once a devil and his associate used to hunt humans like an animal and prey on them. With a laugh, I realize that he still may do. Maybe he never stopped.
"Don't give me that look, Dante." My tone comes out as pleading. I only want to finish this war and breathe a little knowing that every fucking thing I care about is safe. If Pedro can get away with messing with me, who to say the next ones won't be the other families? Or the cartels?
"Fine, you’ll find the girl in Akaroa. And just so you know, I'm just making sure you haven't changed. Vita was very vocal about what she thinks-"
I cut him off with a glare. "And that's the reason I can't ever trust you or your pathetic opinions. So fuck off."
He has nothing to say about that. Cause when things come to me or him, he will always choose himself. Like he always did. Like that one time I needed him to help which almost caused Spade's life.
So yes, he can choke on his selfishness for all I care.
"Careful, Ace. You may be the boss now but I have been with this family even before you were born. I know things you can never even think of."
"Like burying Spade alive?" I look back again to make sure Raine is where I left her. "Back off my case, Dante. Unless you want my men on yours. The only reason you are alive is because of Pedro."
That brings a chuckle from him. Not finding what's so funny about, I'm ready to finally aim the gun on his head when his eyes dart to my right, seemingly interested in something other than me.
"What the fuck are you looking at, estúpido?"
"An angel I'm sure you corrupted already. Is that the girl you were hiding?" My blood runs cold at the assumption. Mierda! That woman can't sit well for five fucking minutes without causing trouble.
"None of your business, Dante. And, the next time you see Vita, let her know that she can say goodbye to her dream wedding."
For a fleeting second, anger flash over his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“You know what it means.” I’m tempted to arrange a deal for her, just to spite them. “No one from the family will marry her, Dante, not without my permission. So tell her to get ready for a wedding out of La Eme. With someone from the Outfits perhaps?”
“You wouldn’t do that. You won’t.”
“Watch me.” Vita is not the same girl that we grew up with. She could’ve refused to help me but no. She’s vindictive enough to bring Dante in this. Even after knowing what he did to Spade…Another chuckle tickles from me that I notice trying to stagger away from my past. My shoulder throbs again, I don't think before I find myself throwing the woman at the car and start running. I only have to give a quick glance outside as I catch his last words.
"...I’ll make you pay for it."
***
"Where are we going?" Raine asks while looking out of the window. Though she sees nothing but the clouds and storm that's coming sooner than I thought. If I know Dante...he is already planning something. Merida! I should've known better than asking for help from Vita.
"Um...can I know where we are-?"
"We're going to New Zealand," I answer her previous question with a grunt. My mind is already busy planning out the next move. We have to find Pedro's daughter, use her as bait, then try to find what Dante is planning and if mama finally-
Fuck, too many things to do, and too little time.
"Why?"
I sigh at her dejected tone. "Because the woman is in there. We need to catch her before any other cartel can get their hands on her."
"If I find her…what are you going to do with her?" She wonders aloud finally looking at me. There's no malice in them but I can't ignore the look on her face. It's contradicting with her tone. I want to say I don't fucking care...but damn it. Maybe I do.
"What are you thinking?" I counter. She doesn't expect that. Her breath hitches for a second before she covers that up with a shrug.
"Nothing."
"So you weren't thinking about what I am going to do with that woman just right now?" Exposed. She has nowhere to hide as I grab her chin hard enough for her to look only at me. "Tell me, Ms. Taylor, were you thinking if I am going to keep her as I have kept you? If I'm going to kiss her as I have kissed you? Will she feel just like you felt-"
She doesn't even have the nerve to sound apologetic. "So what if I did?"
If I'm surprised by the statement, she isn't. Cause there's a fire in her eyes that wasn't there before. And it burns more than my shoulder, more than my clenched fist. She eyes my fists with a narrow gaze as she laughs. "If I was right that day….what’s the meaning of fighting this anymore?"
It's a morbid thought she has left for me.
I don't know how long I think about that same question. Only when I feel the small hand on my own that my control snaps. Like I catch the surprise on her eyes as she finds herself on my lap rather than the seat she had claimed the moment we entered this private jet.
"Do I want to fight anymore?" I repeat her question. Just keep talking. I beg over and over to think about anything other than her touch. Any fucking excuse, another lie maybe? "I don't know."
I have to lean farther into the seat when her answer is in the form of a hesitant touch on my cheeks. She doesn't go any farther than that as she whispers the answer I already know. "I hate you. I hate what you do to my mind. I want to rip you apart for that. Can I?"
Rip me apart?
That's a new concept for me. One I can't wait to feel. I have had a bad day. But nothing compares to the fire when her lips finally find mine. Is this her way to rip me apart?
Then I'd gladly hand her my gun to finish it all off...
CHAPTER 25
RAINE
Ripping someone apart never felt this liberating. This...satisfying.
I don't have to think, don't have to be afraid. All I have to do is...feel. Feel the promise of a devious punishment for touching him. But, it's impossible to think about punishments when I've someone to destroy. Someone to play like he's been playing me from the very first day. And I doubt I'll ever get a chance like this again.
To hurt him.
To hear him groan when I want him to whimper in pain. Is it pain though? I tear my lips from him to see his eyes. They are not hard today, just exhausted. For some reason, he doesn't let his hands wander. Instead, he fists the cushion brutal enough as if he wants to maul my skin just like that until there's no part of me left without bearing his mark.
"What are you doing to me, Raine?" He doesn't give a damn that he sounds pathetic. His voice is too raw, too haunting to be Ace Martinez's. Maybe, in the end, he became tired of the game of Russian roulette. Maybe he hates my touch. Maybe he hates me.
"This is what you do to me." I have no choice but to say the truth. Yes, that's what he does. He destroys, he kills and now he's making it too easy for me to do the same. "You…you take everything without looking back."
Maybe that's why he growls when I find him throbbing through his pants. Common sense hasn't returned in full force for me yet. So I take the chance to stop thinking. Sliding my hands along his body makes him flinch in surprise. Like he didn't intend for me to keep my words.
I want to rip you apart.
"What are you-"
"Let me win." It's a plea. A plea I'm not sure if he'll be able to hear through our harsh breathing. But surprisingly he does. He lets me use him. He keeps still while I take everything from him without looking back.<
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Every time my hips rise, his eyes flicker to the motion in an almost dreamlike frenzy. As if he still can't believe that we're here. Every time I've to clench my teeth to stop the moan from surfacing. Every time I bite his skin until it's torn.
Every damn time I mark his back with my nails. Even so, the smell of pure wine haunts me as he growls out to stop himself from touching me. Now, this is torture, this is the painted picture of pain for him.
"Mi Barbie!" He curses out, his fingers raking through his own hair in a harsh tug. "Me matas."
You kill me.
He calls out over and over, only then that I notice what I am doing. Whether intentionally or not, I've broken something in him too. Like he did to me. Like only a broken thorn can ever do to the person holding the flower. You can’t cut the thorn without getting hurt in the process.
"Mierda!" Within the blink of an eye, I feel myself spill on his thigh. There's no shame in the way I leave my mark on him. There's only wildness, a promise to destroy back. He didn't come. It's his torment and my reason to escape.
I don't have enough time to stumble back as his lips crash against mine. Unforgiving, volatile, and just like...Ace. He doesn't give a damn that I don't scream. That I don't push him back once I've taken him like an animal.
"You have the nerve to rip me apart." He snarls with a grin. A dangerous contrast with his shadowy eyes or is it I who's vision is blurring? "What to say I can't do the same?"
"Because you've already done so."
But did he really? A voice mocks in my head. This voice is worse than Ace, worse than even my brother. It's like an unwanted part of me that can't be killed in any way.
"Is that so?" I follow his finger as it circles around my neck. Not tight enough to kill, but enough to make a warning. "Then it wouldn't be a crime if I ruin you farther, will it?"
God, I hate that I can’t hate his touch when his hands find my thong, prying me open for him. Not even when I hear his zipper open with a snap, his eyes sharper as he guides me to where he throbs most. He’s too big, I’ve to bite my lip to stop a holler.
“There’s no turning back after this.” He warns, hissing when my arms almost smother him. Too close, not enough. This is our game now. I think I cry out, scream, moan but he never stops talking.
“You can’t leave. I won’t fucking let you.”
My lips open to disagree but a whimper leaves instead. For more, for an ounce of sanity. But his eyes are too dark, his thrusts too collective as if he knows how each one rips me to pieces.
“You’ll have to kill me.” He laughs, sounding more insane than angry. “If you leave…there’s no other way.”
I look down and the faint line of dry blood is still there. I can choke him with these same hands. Then why isn't he stopping me? It's like he's in my head. His voice is clear as he grits out. "You want to kill me, Barbie. I can see it in your eyes."
I want to. God, how I want to just let this beautifully cruel man fall off his wagon. But he shoves himself with another grunt and my mind goes blank. Then there’s only cries of despair and floating promises.
Fucking hell, Raine.
You’re my thorn.
You’ll cut me deep but I won’t be able to walk away.
You crave me. Is that what he meant? I want to ask but exhaustion begs me to take some more time. For now, sleep is all I need. Maybe that's why I collapse into my original seat. I need to rest. Clear my head. That's what my body screams for me to do. But in the corner of my mind, Nick doesn't forget to creep in like always.
Whatever lets you sleep at night, Raine...
CHAPTER 26
ACE
As per Padre's words, you have to take any kind of poison willingly if you want to always stay on top. No matter how they suffocate you, no matter if that makes you less than a human. You take it and you fucking smile while you're at it.
So, I have done them too. In the family's name, for our business, I have done so many questionable things but desperation was never one of them.
I was never desperate enough to bow down to a betrayer. I wasn't desperate to save the La Eme, our family. And I never had so many expectations from a woman whose brother is anything but good news.
Raine. Irritation fills my mind as I can still feel her lips around me, tormenting me, hating me. I'd take desperation over her every time. Unfortunately, I can scratch her from my life with a simple shot, but I can't drag her from my mind. My eyes unintentionally seek her from the shadows, how easily she sleeps in the bed knowing there's a killer with her. How easily she lets me take her to an entirely new country, how easily she just accepts my touch...
"Are you hearing me?"
With a harsh sigh, I have no other choice but to retreat from her. She looks peaceful but I know that won't be for long. Once I'm through this phone call, I will have to drag her to violence myself. And when it's all done, there will be nothing left of her.
Desperation. I remind myself. It all has to do with that, not because of the way my eyes darken when she's near. It's not because I want to sink into her every time she looks at me like I'm the only one who she can trust.
"Ace? You there?"
"Just tell me what you know." It takes everything in me to not let out a shout. To not let him know just how little control I have left to consider.
"Fine, fine. There we go. You'll most probably find her in the alleyway near the hotel I booked for you. I have men looking out for her and they said if you show her that you are filthy rich or have something precious with you, she'll willingly come to you. That's your only chance." My fingers curl into fists the longer I can hear Ares lecture me about how I should proceed with my plan. "Make sure she is alone. Just be careful and we don't have to worry about anything."
I doubt he's telling the truth. I may have saved him from Vita but there’s always a chance that she will make us pay. He’s not just worried, he’s terrified. So, I humor him enough to mask the growing wariness. "Fine. You'll get a call once I have the girl. Tell Dante I will do exactly what I promised him. Adiós."
"Will do, see you soon."
Dropping the phone in my pocket, I stalk toward the room where she is still sleeping. But not as peaceful as before. She thrashes around the bed like there are invisible chains around her, shackling her to the bed. Before I know what I am doing, she gasps opening her eyes. Only then I realize that I've been shaking her all along. She tilts her head at me in gratitude but I throw it away as a thought of selfish act. I need her awake.
"What time is it-?"
"We have to go." I hate to sound so damn desperate. But she's already stumbling over the bed to reach for the door when I stop her. If she's startled by the sudden change of plan, she doesn't let me know.
"Not like this." Giving her a once over, my nostrils flare. Pale skin, dark lines under eyes, and with her red hair a curly mess, she looks nothing as a filthy rich should look like. I am already walking to the closet door before she can question me. Inside, there are clothes in her size ready to be used. Though she doesn't even bat an eyelash when I tug a black one from the pile and throw it in her way.
"Make yourself presentable."
Her eyes widen as if to ask, presentable? For what? For who? There's a dangerous question lurking behind her eyes as she leaves for the bathroom with the dress tightly clutched in her hand.
Finally.
She takes her sweet time as I check for anything to hear from home. But there are only a few messages from Dario asking me where I am and when I will return. My knees shake the more time she takes. Time is ticking. Padre's voice is a constant reminder hammering in my head. Come on. When I'm sure that she must have jumped from the bathroom window that the door opens and I've never been sorrier for anyone.
The expensive black dress can't hide the fact that she hasn't slept for days. The water drops still on her face makes me think that she tried to use water to freshen up. But even that's a failure as they only make her look like a lost little girl. The eyeli
ner enhances the prominent dark lines around her eyes, the half-assed bun on her head hiding the tangled pieces and the red ruby bold lipstick can only hide the chapped lips from farther.
But the closer she gets, the more it sounds like an impossible job to make her look like someone with money.
Her cheeks flame as if understanding what's going on in my head. "I couldn't find anything to hide this-"
"Take this and let's go." The designer handbag looks like a joke to her appearance but this will have to do for now. Ares said the woman we are looking for is desperate for money. We will just have to hope that this bag will be enough distraction from the woman handling it.
She doesn't say a word as we push past the hotel lobby. Just before we can leave the hotel I turn to the men around the entrance, waiting for guests to come. My eyes turn to them and a plan is already brewing in my head. Grabbing her hands, I let out the foolish words in the open for the whole crowd to hear.
"Mi amor, you took the engagement ring with you, didn't you?"
For a second, she looks at me baffled before catching another rasp from leaving her lips. "Y-Yes. I did."
"Good, good." I nod. Just for the show, I tell myself. It's all for that woman, Gwen to catch up with us. "We have to celebrate tonight. I've booked the entire hotel for us."
By now people are looking at us once in a while. Good, we have an audience. She feels it too as she grits out. "Of course."
We don't have much time to consider as we leave the hotel to find the nearest alleyway. Ares said she should be near. There's no way to tell where that woman is hiding. She can be anyone from the crowd. This fact makes me more paranoid as I drag Raine through the people to hide around the back entrance of a bar. We can see everything perfectly from this distance but that doesn't mean we can't be toyed with.
Her eyes reveal nothing as she asks. "What do I have to do?"
"Wait for the girl to come," I grunt, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "And let her want to rob you. You know what to do after that."