Trigger (Pericolo #3)

by Kirsty-Anne Still

  She sniggers. “I reached the point of questioning my sanity a long time ago, and I could never hate you. Believe me.”

  “You just watched me castrate a man.”

  “Who did wrong,” she counters, admonishing my claim. “Now, let me clean you up, please?”

  I cock a brow – is this girl fucking for real? I shrug, allowing her to lead me off into one of the restrooms. As we enter, I scowl, forcing everyone to leave the area. While I lock the door, Ryleigh’s already over at one of the sinks, filling it with hot water. She puts one hand up to the soap dispenser and motions for me to go to her side. She turns the water off and she takes my bloodied hand so tenderly that I wonder if she realizes she’s touching the hands of a killer. She seems unfazed as she dips them into the water, running her long, slender fingers over my own to lather the soap and to clean them. She looks content as she works to rid me of the red stains and I wish for a millisecond that I could just see what was going on in her head.

  “Never had you down as a slave,” I muse, trying to rattle her, but she just gives me a small grin. “How are you so calm?” I ask, perplexed by her seemingly unaffected behavior.

  I watch her in our reflection, her head downcast as she washes my hands with a gentle ease.

  “I’ll wait until I see you kill a man for no reason to lose my cool.”

  “That was no reason. I do that for fun, Ryleigh. I take men like him, torture them and then maim them if not kill them. I don’t allow the police to do their job. I do it for them.”

  Now, she finally looks up. Our eyes meet in the mirrored panes, but still I’m yet to see her fear. In the beginning, she did, but now that she’s found her voice is listened to, she seems calmer.

  “As you said, he ran a pedophile ring. That’s a just cause.” Again, that small smile graces her lips and she shrugs. “I have nothing to lose, Dante. That’s why nothing scares me.” Her giant brown eyes lay upon me, offering me very little remorse and she doesn’t even show an ounce of pity for herself. “I’ve lived a lot in my life, survived the unthinkable. You think I’m another girl who has naïvely walked into your life and will get scared and run. Well, I’m going to prove to you I’m not. You won’t ever trump what I’ve already seen in this life, and that’s a fact. What you did back out there... it’s nothing to me. You’re going to have to work a lot harder, Mr. Valentino, if you want to scare me.”

  If this doesn't come close to what she's already seen, then I think it's time I changed the game. She thinks she's seen it all, she thinks she has witnessed the devil consuming life and taking all that is sacred. If she wants to see me at my worst, then I'll give her the graphic version of myself.

  I was being nice, saving her from the inhumane methods I was taught, but she's set a challenge, and I am never one to be beaten. I will see this through until the end, until I have what I am after. She wanted to follow me, and I wanted her broken; it’s only fair that we both get what we want.

  I now know she’s a challenge, but that makes me want her even more.

  “I promise you now, little wolf. I won’t hold back until you’re feeling a whole world of pain.”

  I watch, waiting for her to waver from her stoic position, but instead, I watch as her eyes become emblazoned and she squares herself. A small smirk curls itself onto her red lips, and I witness a new Ryleigh be born – this one has more of an idea of who I am, what I’m capable of, but yet still wants to run with the pack.

  It’s making my fucking cock twitch.

  “What do you say, cara?”

  “Bring it on.” Again, she doesn’t waver from her original stance.

  Three simple words that have never spoken as a beautiful litany until today.

  8RYLEIGH

  As I walk along the sidewalk, I feel anticipation burn as I head toward my second shift at Dynasty. I barely slept last night; I watched every passing hour tick by and all I could see was Dante. He stood before me, fresh from that torturous show of punishment, and I wondered over and over again why I hadn’t recoiled and demanded being cut free from him.

  I had no answer for that persistent question.

  As I walk in, I see Dante laughing with Bethany. I head toward him, my head held high, but when he looks at me, I see the way his smile dwindles and disappears, and I feel my stomach bottom. He stands up straighter; he’s back to dancing upon that edge he’s always on around me, and I realize I’m the only one who makes him this way.

  My mind frantically starts to try to decipher what happened. After he brought me back to the club to pick up my car, we seemed like we had somehow grown closer. It felt like we were on more of a mutual footing than ever, but something had changed.

  I must have said too much last night. I hadn’t given him all the details to my past, but maybe what I did tell him was a bit too much. No one’s ever cared for the pathetic sob story of my life, so why would Dante suddenly be the one person to be different?

  I resist going to him and throw my greeting out as I head for the staffroom.

  I throw my things into my locker and slam the door shut. I’m pleased to be alone as I slam my palms against the metal and lean my head against the cold surface. I steady my breathing and strive to remember that Dante Valentino is not an easy man to understand. The amount of times I heard that over the years is insane, but now that I’m living a double life with him, I’m finding the ride a dizzying one. I’m trying my hardest to be everything he wants me to be, but how can I do that when I have no idea where I stand. One moment I feel like I’m doing right, pleasing him, and the next thing I know, I’m back on my ass feeling like a schoolgirl pining over her latest crush.

  “Your shift started a few minutes ago,” Dante’s voice suddenly strikes into the silence.

  I push away from the locker before I reply. “I’m just coming out.” I struggle to steady my breathing, try in vain to rid the hurt that I feel at his sudden behavior change toward me. “I’m sorry. I’d have been here sooner, but I had car troubles.” I turn to face him and give him a small smile. “Did you want to me clean the tables again? I noticed a smear on one of the windows. I can do those for you, too. I can get started right away.”

  I see his lips begin to twitch, my sudden need to submit to him clearly pleases him, and it’s nice to see the Dante I’ve gotten to know a little coming back to me. Not the one who seemed stricken by my appearance in his club. But as soon as it appears, it disappears, and I can’t keep myself quiet over the fact there is a massive elephant in the room with us – one that will start to suffocate me.

  “Do you want to end whatever it is we’re doing?” I ask him, catching off guard on his way to his office. I watch as he stills before me, his head bowed, and I steady my breathing. “I know I’m impulsive and defiant, so I understand if that’s something you don’t want to deal with. I also know I come laden with baggage. Christ, do I.” I breathe, struggling with what I’m opting to do. “So, if you want to just be my boss, that’s fine. I think we both realized I wasn’t easily scared, nor was I particularly, erm, squeamish.”

  “Will you just slow your roll a little, cara?” he asks, shaking his head as he chuckles. I watch as he puts his right foot forward to close the gap between us and my entire body comes to life again. “I couldn’t toss you aside even with all my might,” he tells me, breathing words with such sincerity. “I’m just unable to deal with a woman of your stamina. I’m trying with all I am to keep the lines from blurring, but you’re something I had never comprehended. You don’t realize that you’re something I never knew I was looking for.”

  “What’s that?” I all but exhale my question. “Because I have no idea.”

  It’s now that he closes the gap fully, reaching out with a hand to caress my cheek and cause every one of my muscles to relinquish their tension. I don’t say anything, just revel in the intimacy.

  “You’re my carpe diem,” he tells me with a soft murmur. “You’ve given me a new purpose in my world, albeit a dark one. You’ve made m
y life a little more just by gracing me with your presence, but now I realize that my life was mundane until I met you.”

  “You just want me so you can break me down to some pathetic excuse of a human being.”

  “And what a hard task you’re making that,” he admits, giving me one small, twisted smirk. “Now, I want you working the bar today. I have some new cocktails I want to try out and I want you to learn them first.” I nod and he starts to back away, preparing to leave. His final comment comes as he begins to head out. “I expect you out there now.”

  “Before we go, can I just say something?” I query, wringing my hands as I remain on my spot. I watch him turn around, a brow pushed up watching me. “I said too much last night,” I confess, giving him an uncomfortable smile. “I just want you to forget I ever told you anything.”

  “But that’s the thing,” he stops me, his words beginning to heat. “You don’t tell me near enough. You dance around what happened to you.” I see his annoyance suddenly burst to life across his features. “You’re an anomaly to me, Ryleigh. I know nothing, really.”

  “Well, I guess we’re even,” I start to say, finally moving across the room. “I know nothing about you. Seems it’s a fair game once again.”

  “Something tells me we’re going to be learning a lot about one another,” he says, following behind me. Suddenly he’s right against me, a hand coming to my hip, stopping me in the doorway. His head comes to rest over my shoulder, his lips near my ear. “Some parts more than others.”

  I become unbidden to the seductive notes that wrap around me and I tell myself to remember to breathe. He keeps me close, keeps the intimacy from breaking, and I struggle not to turn back to face him.

  “Now, get behind that bar and show me you’re worth being up there.”

  And just as quick as it started, the moment defuses as he pulls away. The instant coolness wraps around me, and I know he’s stepped away from me. I don’t need telling. I walk from the room, ahead of him as I make my way out onto the club front. I go and stand at the end of the bar, taking a spot next to Beth as she reads from a white sheet of paper.

  “Dante said you were getting trained with us,” she comments, not looking away from the sheet. “Be prepared, he’s a hard bastard.”

  “Don’t I know it,” I admit dryly. That causes her to look up at me and I smile. “What have we got to make?”

  She shares the paper with me and I begin to read down the list.

  “This one,” I say, pointing to the third on the list. “The Brooklyn Nights sounds good...”

  “And pretty relevant,” Bethany agrees.

  “No, that’d be this one,” I say, pointing to the one at the bottom. I direct my attention to Dante as he sits before us. “Dante, aren’t you too classy for porn star cocktails?”

  “Oh, quite the opposite,” Dante remarks with a twinkle in his eyes. “We need to cater to the masses.”

  “Or keep us true to our roots.”

  Bethany laughs before agreeing with me. She turns away to grab the alcohol and I watch as Dante sits back on one of the stools, intent on watching us. I give him a wink, preparing him for how fun this will become, and I realize that for the first time in forever, I’m smiling. I shouldn’t be though – I know that.

  I don’t know how I can find pleasure in life when I’m in debt, pretending to be better off than I am, and following a proud killer around. But for once in my life, I don’t care.

  I’m finally enjoying myself, finding that I fit in with another group of people like the ones I did at the club with Jackson. I’m proving myself to Dante with every passing second. Every cocktail he’s demanded we learn, I’ve learned. It doesn’t matter what we try; I do no wrong. I know that won’t be lifelong, but for now, I love to challenge the asshole.

  “Ryleigh.” I don’t even need to look to know whose voice that is. “Jackson told me I would find you here. I’m sorry for turning up unexpected.”

  My eyes bulge as I look at Derek standing before me. He has a file in his hands, and I know he’s here to deliver more painful truths. I’ve been so wrapped up in changing jobs and running around behind Dante that I have completely neglected the whole reason I moved clubs – to pay a private detective.

  “Excuse me,” I say quietly, placing my mixer down and moving out from behind the bar. I can feel Dante watching me as I make a beeline for Derek. The moment I can, I am wrapping my hand around Derek’s arm and dragging him back to the entrance. “You can’t come to my work,” I say in a low tone, ushering him toward the door. “I can’t have visitors at my work, and that includes fucking PIs.”

  “I couldn’t wait for our next meeting,” he tells me, an urgency to his tone. He even shakes me off, showing me that he isn’t leaving. “You’re closer to it all than you think.”

  I toss him a questioning look, my eyes squinting as I watch him more intently. He looks around, surveying the club until his eyes settle. He’s quick to look away and back at me, and when I look over my shoulder, I see Dante sitting in his line of vision. I know he’s an intimidating man, but to have such an effect from across the room seems a tad over the top.

  “What are you getting at here, Derek?” I say, turning him away from facing Dante.

  “It was a huge fiasco, your family’s death. It was all covered up. A man went to trial for the murders and the court sentenced him to death for it. That’s why there’s nothing else on the murders, but there are massive holes. The other survivor, the boy… his family’s murder was rumored to be a mistake. They were never meant to be targeted. They were killed by their own.”

  I feel like he’s overloading me with information. I’ve gone from barely knowing a thing to knowing too much in the course of two weeks. In the whole of my twenty-four years, I have never felt more overwhelmed with news than I do now.

  “They were seen as the cover-up family. Someone screwed up. Someone wronged those behind it all. There is so much more to what happened to you than anyone ever cared to see.”

  “I can’t do this with you now,” I say, conscious of the eyes on me. “This isn’t a good time.”

  “Fine,” Derek says, finally understanding. “Take this.” He thrusts a file into my hands, allowing me to take it. If anything, I feel like he wanted to get rid of it and the dirty secrets that lie within its pages. “You don’t owe me for the additional fees to find this. I wasn’t expecting to find what I did, but it’ll help you. Just whatever you do, do not let this fall into the wrong hands.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Ryleigh, if that information checks out, then your life is precious. Yours and his.” I see a grave look in his eyes. “You got away. If the rumors are right, then they won’t want survivors because that means witnesses.”

  “I was four...” I trail off.

  “And you and I both know you remember enough of the important details. I don’t know what you have planned but make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.”

  “I never had a wrong one,” I say, giving him an honest smile. “Now, I have to get back to work.”

  “Okay,” he says, nodding his head. “I’ll keep digging until you tell me not to, but that was too important to have sitting around any longer.”

  I watch as Derek takes one last look around before leaving. I wait for him to disappear before I turn and race toward the back room. I don’t want to discuss what just happened with anyone; I just want to make sure this file stays hidden.

  “What was that about?” Dante asks as I bypass him at the bar. “Ryleigh?” he queries, following me as I don’t stop. “Talk to me.”

  “It’s nothing,” I deflect, throwing my locker open. I clutch at my bag, rushing to shove the paperwork into my bag. “I hired him to find out what happened to my family, that’s all. I’m paying him to do a shit job of piecing my past together.” Throwing the bag back inside, I’m quick to shut the door and lock it tight. “Seems I’m just an ordinary case of what happens to orphan children.”

&
nbsp; “It didn’t seem that way,” he bites, showing he observed more than I would like.

  I feel my throat closing up. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Fine,” he relents, dropping the inquisition altogether. “I’m heading out for a business lunch... I need you to join me.”

  “Me?” I squawk. “Why me?”

  “Because it’s a business lunch.” He gives me a pointed look, clearly enjoying my perplexed emotions. “You didn’t think because of last night we’d suddenly slow the pace and you’d get away with a few days off, did you?”

  “Well, I don’t know,” I say, admitting that feebly. “I don’t know what to expect with you, Dante.”

  “Ah, little wolf, that’s all part of the fun.” He waltzes toward me, that look of intent boring into me. “You follow my lead and we work effortlessly, but by the end of this afternoon, you won’t be so innocent.”

  I scoff, laughter creeping out of me. He thinks I’m innocent? If only he knew the vicious objectives I live by on a daily basis. Derek knows I’m a girl with a need for revenge, but Dante’s yet to meet her. My innocence was ripped away from me, and I was never granted the opportunity to get it back.

  “Lead the way, then,” I remark, crossing my arms across my chest. “I’m excited to see what your plan of action is for me.”

  “Oh, Ryleigh,” he chortles, excitement bursting to life in him. “This one will be messier than last night’s spectacle.”

  Now, while his comment riles me, I don’t let it scare me. I knew this would happen; he raised the bar and it would only ever be made higher. I don’t respond. I go back to my locker, take my things from it, and cock a brow to show I’m ready. I watch his lips twitch at the corners and he turns to leave. We don’t need words. I know enough to follow, and he knows I will. I hear him, while I’m still a few steps behind. He’s telling the girls we’re heading out, and I refuse to look up at them as I follow his footsteps. After all, what’s the new girl doing with the boss?