Entangled Chaos (Entangled Duet Book 1)

by C. M. Radcliff

  The last time I was in the VIP room was with Kai. I’ve turned down every request since then and Vincent is fucking pissed.

  I move around the club, sneaking shots like I do most nights. We’re allowed to drink, but Vincent keeps us on a tight leash. You can’t be on top of your game if you’re trashed.

  Fuck Vincent and his rules.

  Walking around the corner of the bar, I grab a flask of tequila that I hid and drain the rest of the liquor.

  I usually limit myself to just the flask while I’m here but fuck it. Grabbing a shot glass and a fresh bottle, I fill it to the rim. My throat is numb from the alcohol and the tequila goes down smoothly.

  “What are you doing?” Tierney questions as she comes up behind me.

  “Doesn’t fucking matter,” I slur as I spill the tequila on the counter as I try to fill the shot glass.

  I slam back the shot and Tierney rips the glass from my hand. “You’re wasted.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I turn to her, ignoring her concerned expression. “So what if I am?”

  “You know the rules, he’ll fire your ass.”

  Shaking my head, I chuckle. “Like I fucking care. I have enough money, I don’t need this place,” I slur, swaying back and forth.

  Tierney grabs my arm and drags me through the crowd and through the back door. I stumble behind her, tripping over my feet as the room spins. My heart pounds along to the bass of the music and I laugh as I keep stumbling and running into her.

  We get into the dressing room and she roughly pushes me down onto a chair. Grabbing my clothes, she throws them at me. I don’t bother catching them and laugh as I watch them fall to my feet.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” she scoffs as she drops to her knees. “You’re a goddamn mess.”

  “Thanks for the newsflash.” I roll my eyes.

  Tierney grabs my feet and pulls off my heels and slips my leggings onto my legs.

  I’m fucking pathetic.

  I sit silently, succumbing to the numbness seeping into my mind as Tierney finishes dressing me. She slips on my sneakers and rocks back on her heels, putting her hands on my knees.

  “Look,” she says quietly. “I know you’re going through some shit right now and I know he’s to blame.”

  Cocking my head to the side, I raise an eyebrow and frown.

  “I don’t know what happened between you two, but it’s not worth it,” she says, standing back up.

  “You’re right.” I nod in agreement as I lean back in the chair. “And it’s none of your fucking business.”

  Tierney ignores me and grabs her phone before turning her back to me to make a call. Slowly standing up, I steady myself as I grab my purse and keys.

  “Nope. No way,” Tierney barks, ripping the keys from my hand. “I called you a cab. You can barely walk, let alone drive.”

  “I’m fine. And I’m not leaving my car here.”

  Tierney sighs and shakes her head at me. “I’ll drop it off after I get off. Go home, sleep this shit off and I’ll cover for you.”

  “Fine,” I mutter and throw my purse over my shoulder. I stumble slightly as I shuffle to the exit. Tierney walks outside with me just as the cab pulls up. She holds open the door and helps me in.

  “Thanks,” I mumble as she stands back up.

  “Don’t thank me, I’m just doing what friends are supposed to do.” She looks down at me with pursed lips as a flash of hurt passes through her eyes.

  Friends become weaknesses.

  And weaknesses destroy you.

  I turn my head to face forward and mumble my address to the driver. Tierney slams the door shut without another word and the cab pulls away from the club.

  I only have one weakness and he burned my world to the ground.

  Kai

  THE SECURITY WHERE she lives is fucking terrible. All I had to do was make up some bullshit about being her boyfriend who lives out of town and they let me in.

  Fucking idiots.

  It worked to my advantage, but the thought alone has me cracking my knuckles and clenching my fists. If it was that easy for me to get in, what’s stopping anyone else from getting in here?

  I park down the street from her condo and watch it for any signs of life. Her garage door is shut, the driveways empty and not a single light is on.

  Glancing down at my Rolex, I notice it’s only half-past midnight. With it being a Friday night, I’m sure she’s at work, but I have no problem waiting.

  I’ve already waited long enough.

  A flash of headlights catches my attention as a yellow cab turns onto the street. Sitting low in my seat, I watch as it pulls into Dahlia’s driveway. The door of the car pushes open and Dahlia stumbles out, visibly drunk and drags her purse with her. She says something to the driver before slamming the door shut and he quickly drives off.

  I’m out of my car and toward her house before she even reaches the front door. She fumbles with her keys, cursing under her breath as I stride up the walkway behind her.

  I stop on the steps as her keys fall to the ground.

  “Goddammit,” she mumbles and crouches down to pick them up. She loses her balance on the way down and her feet don’t move quick enough.

  Jumping forward, I reach out and catch her just before she hits the ground. She gasps loudly and her body grows rigid. Pushing my arms off her, she crawls away and spins around to face me. The panic is crystal clear in her eyes as she stares at me wildly.

  “It’s you,” she sighs, and her body relaxes as she slumps back against the door.

  “It’s me,” I assure her and sit down on the step. “Why aren’t you at work?”

  Rolling her eyes, she tilts her head forward with a bored expression. “Because I’m not.”

  Amused by her alcohol-fueled attitude, I chuckle lightly. “Fair enough.” I nod and stand back up.

  Taking a few steps toward her, I reach down to her with my hand. “Come on,” I command. “Get off the ground.”

  She glares at my hand before looking back at me with bloodshot eyes. “I’m not coming anywhere.”

  A wicked grin plays on my lips as I raise an eyebrow at her. “I think I’ll be the judge of that.”

  “Fuck you,” she mumbles and lets out a flustered breath. Ignoring my hand, she gets up on her own and uses the wall to help support her. She reaches back to the door with empty hands and looks back at her keys on the ground. “Fuck me.”

  Bending down, I pick up the keys and hold them in my palm. She holds out her hand and stares at me. “I’d rather fuck you when you’re not shit faced.” I wink and shove her keys into my front pocket.

  “What the hell!” she yells. “Give me my damn keys.”

  “Come eat with me,” I counter.

  She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not hungry.”

  “You’re going to turn down free food?” I frown. “There are poor children in the world who are starving to death and you’re going to turn down a free meal?”

  “Fuck you and your free food,” she scoffs. “Send it over to Feed the Children or wherever the fuck instead.”

  There’s that fire that I’ve been looking for.

  I’ll keep playing because I live for that fucking burn.

  Closing in on her, I put my hand against the wall and tilt my face down to hers. “I believe you owe me a conversation.”

  She stares at me silently, challenging me with her burning green eyes. “One conversation,” she agrees and lightly pushes past me. “You’re driving.”

  Rolling my eyes as if she ever had a choice, I follow her and watch the way her hips sway from side to side with every step.

  “You sure you don’t wanna kill us both tonight?” My voice drips with sarcasm.

  She had already been killing me, many years ago. I was a dead man walking since the day I first saw her.

  Dahlia stops at the passenger’s side door as I hit the unlock and remote start buttons. The engine purrs quietly as she reaches for the handle,
but my hand is already there.

  Her fingertips are soft as they gently skate across the back of my hand. I inhale sharply at the contact as the electricity from her touch shoots through my body. She gasps and quickly withdraws her hand and cradles it against her chest.

  The air is thick with lust and it’s suffocating. Taking a deep breath, I shake it off and pull open the door. She slides inside and tilts her head back to look at me.

  Smiling sweetly, her eyes are full of fire. “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead already and it wouldn’t be from a car accident.” She pauses with the venom dripping from her fangs. “I wouldn’t waste such a nice car just for the sake of getting rid of you.”

  “A little materialistic, aren’t we?” I counter, cocking my head to the side.

  “Nah.” She shrugs and shakes her head. “Just practical.”

  Grabbing the seat belt, she twists her body away from me to strap herself in. Smiling to myself, I quietly shut the door and walk around to the driver’s side and climb into the car.

  The ride is silent as I whip my car through the city. Dahlia stares out the window and I don’t push her to talk.

  She agreed to one conversation and I don’t want to push my luck.

  Pulling into the parking lot, Dahlia glances at me, raising her eyebrows. “People like you eat at diners?”

  People like me? What the fuck?

  “Believe it or not, people like me, don’t have to go to restaurants where the cheapest appetizer is over a hundred dollars.”

  She scoffs and shakes her head.

  Turning off the car, I open my door and climb out before bending back down. “I’m surprised that people like you even eat.”

  Her green fiery eyes flash to mine as she unbuckles her seatbelt. Letting it slide across her body, she slowly narrows her eyes. “Never said that I do eat.”

  Closing my door, I laugh as she climbs out and slams hers shut. I walk around the car and wait for her. Cutting her eyes at me, she pushes past me and heads across the parking lot.

  Smiling, I follow her into the diner and slide into the seat opposite of her in the booth that she picked.

  Our server comes right away, pouring us each a cup of coffee. Dahlia grabs the cream and sugar and pours enough in to completely mask the coffee.

  Blowing on mine, I slowly sip it, while watching her mix her little concoction.

  “Of course you drink yours black,” she mutters as she stirs the spoon vigorously. “Your coffee, your car, your clothes... is there anything you don’t like black?”

  Setting my mug down, I fold my arms on the table and lean on them. “Actually, there is,” I admit.

  She glances up at me when I don’t continue. “Doubtful, but let’s hear it.”

  “Your heart.”

  Dropping her spoon in her cup, she freezes with her wide eyes glued to mine. She’s completely thrown off and I fucking love it. She thinks she’s the only one who can talk shit and spit game, but she’s wrong.

  “Are you guys ready to order?” the girl asks as she approaches our table. Dahlia quickly grabs her spoon and recovers as she swallows hard. Staring down at the menu, she orders her pancakes and bacon. The girl turns to me and I simply shake my head, satisfied with my coffee.

  “Really?” Dahlia purses her lips. “You’re not even going to eat?”

  “I didn’t come here for the food,” I admit, leaning back against the cushioned seat.

  She takes a sip of her diabetes in a cup and watches me over the rim of the mug. She scrunches her nose as she sets it back down. “Clearly you’re not here for the coffee because that tastes like fucking shit.”

  Chuckling, I shake my head. “Nope. Not here for the coffee either.”

  She sighs in resignation and crosses her arms over her chest. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”

  Sitting across from me and staring at me the way she is has my mind going blank. We needed to talk about everything and suddenly, none of that matters.

  “You’re breathtaking,” I breathe, ignoring the warning signals ringing in my head. “You still have that wicked tongue and those vicious fangs. You were never all bark and only all bite.”

  Dahlia stays silent and watches me carefully. Even with her handcrafted mask in place, the emotion in her eyes can’t be concealed.

  Our server quickly slides Dahlia’s plate in front of her and leaves without another word. Dahlia’s eyes never leave mine.

  “The memory of you was a pain that I carried deep in my soul,” I say as I reach across the table and grab a piece of her bacon. “But you... you fucking ruin me.”

  A moment passes and she jumps out of the booth to her feet. “I need to go home,” she demands.

  Looking up at her, I chew my piece of bacon and frown. “Sit.”

  Shaking her head, she laces her fingers together and cracks her knuckles. “I can’t do this, not now and not with you.” She quickly walks away and the bell on the door rings as she opens it.

  I had one chance and I fucking blew it.

  Pulling out my wallet, I threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table and quickly follow after her. Jogging out into the parking lot, I find her standing by my car waiting.

  She ran, but not from me.

  She was running from her feelings.

  Dahlia

  SOFTLY CLOSING THE front door, I drop my head and rest my forehead on the back of it. I wasn’t drunk anymore and now was the time I needed to be.

  Kai and his bullshit sobered me up very quickly. His words drained all the alcohol from my system and left me with nothing.

  Caught off guard, his words shook me to my soul.

  And I ran.

  My body told me to keep running, to run until my feet bled, but I didn’t. I was tired of running.

  Kai brought me home from the diner without uttering another word. The tension in the air was thick and the space was silent. I was caught still in a state of shock.

  And now I stand here, alone, replaying the night and every word he spoke to me over and over. I could never see him again, not after this. The force between us is too chaotic and unstable. No one is safe when the sparks start to fly.

  He never lit a fire inside me. He lit me up like a bomb and created an explosion inside me.

  He decimated me.

  A loud knock above my head startles me and has me jumping backward. Creeping slowly, I open the door, just far enough to peek out.

  I should have grabbed my gun.

  I hit the light switch and turn on the porch light, exposing my unwelcomed guest. His head drops to shield his eyes from the bright light.

  “Kai?” I whisper in confusion. He shifts his weight nervously with his hands jammed in his front pockets. His hair is messy and sticking up in different directions.

  His soft brown eyes meet mine as he lifts his head. I feel naked under his gaze as it penetrates through my skin and into my soul.

  “What are you doing he—” I question him as he cuts me off with his lips. Slamming one palm against the door, he wraps his other hand around the back of my neck and lifts my face toward his. His lips are rough and his kiss is dominating as I let him in. Parting my lips, I let his tongue slide into my mouth and tangle with mine.

  He pours his heart and soul into me in the only way he knows. Rough, hard, greedily and always in a frenzy. He’s calculated and never in a rush, but when he wants something, he wants it now.

  And when he wants something, he’ll take it however he needs to.

  I let him take everything from me because it was already his. It was always his.

  I lived in denial for far too long. He came back for me and that’s all that really matters.

  Lifting me up, Kai pushes both of us through the doorway and up against the wall.

  “Upstairs,” I murmur against his lips. “On the right.”

  Kai growls as he grips my ass harder and bites down on my bottom lip. I moan into his mouth as he holds me closer against him and carries me upstairs. Backing
into the door, he has me in the room and on the bed naked in under a minute.

  He steps out of his clothes and the bed dips down as he climbs over top of me. Slowly lowering his hips, he slides his throbbing cock into me and fucks me until I can’t think straight.

  Kai

  THE SUN HAD JUST BEGUN to rise, painting the sky in swirls of orange and pink, as Dahlia slipped into a deep sleep. Her warm breath skates across my chest as her breathing slows.

  It’s all so surreal, lying here with her in my arms. I always hoped that one day I would hold her again, but never did I imagine that it would actually happen.

  Not after everything we’ve been through or what happened to her after we were separated.

  After that day, the day I lost her, she took a piece of me with her. Lying here with her in my arms, I found my missing piece.

  For the past ten years, I’ve barely existed, merely navigating my way through life as a puzzle missing its most vital piece.

  She was the missing piece that I had always needed.

  With her lips slightly parted, she sighs in her sleep as she wraps her arm tighter around my torso and nuzzles her face against my chest.

  If I took my last breath right now, I would die the happiest man in the universe.

  She looks so innocent in my arms, just like the girl I knew many years ago. With her face relaxed, she’s comfortable with the false impression that she’s safe.

  It’s just an illusion with me back in her life.

  She’ll never be safe now.

  Closing my eyes, I bury my face in her hair and breathe her in as I quickly drift off into a dreamless sleep.

  Peeling my eyes open, I can hear the vibration coming from the floor. Ignoring it, I close my eyes again and wrap my arms tighter around Dahlia.

  A string of vibrations goes off three more times when I realize it’s my phone. I left it in my pants pocket which are now laying on the floor in the middle of the room.

  Dahlia stirs again and sighs with a small smile on her lips. She’s too peaceful to disturb and whoever is blowing up my phone is insignificant.