Chapter 22
The night is cold, but I need the speed right now.
Landon stays close on his bike. He knows better than to lose me.
It would be a good night to kill time at a bar, maybe get drunk enough to forget shit for a few hours. Fight someone, threaten a few scumbags, just for kicks—something to bleed the tension out.
But not tonight. I’m not out here to drink. Tonight, I have business.
Tonight, I’m meeting the fake-ass “friend.”
The one who ran her mouth to the cops and put them on my doorstep.
I need to find out exactly what she said.
One way or another, I’m getting answers.
I sit on the bike and light a smoke. I want to take my time with it and enjoy it.
I know she’s inside, and she’s not going anywhere.
She’s too pathetic to walk away from a chance to screw with someone just because they dangled the word “photoshoot” in front of her like it’s gonna change her miserable life.
“You want me to go in first? Break a few things?” Landon asks casually, exhaling the smoke. I don’t respond; I just let the cigarette numb me for a while. “Hell, I’ll drag her out by the hair, if you want.”
“Not yet,” I say coldly, inhaling the cigarette. “Tonight, we try it the easy way.”
He snorts. “You’re kidding?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
Landon, Landon … typical Landon. Kill first, ask questions never. Always needing a leash.
“But, boss—”
“Wasn’t I clear?”
His jaw locks and his breathing becomes harsh—forced, I’d say. He hates being told to shut up, but I don’t give a damn.
He doesn’t speak right away. He sucks his smoke harder, like he’s trying to decide whether pissing me off is worth the risk.
“Paul reached out,” he mutters. “Wants to meet. Says it’s urgent.”
I stare at him. “Paul?”
“That rat-fuck who should’ve stayed in the ditch you put him in.”
I laugh. “What, now he wants to hold hands?”
“He’s asking for protection. Says someone’s coming for him.”
“So? Let them. Saves me the effort.”
Landon blinks. “He might be useful. He’s offering something.”
I step in closer. He’s a bit shorter than me, broader, but right now, he looks small. Good boy. I like it when people remember who’s in charge.
“You really think I give a shit if he’s useful? One wrong move, and I’ll split him open and read him like a book.”
“But if we—”
“You think I’m asking?”
Landon’s mouth snaps shut.
I hold the smoke in my lungs a little too long, like I’m deciding whether to exhale or snap his neck. He’s a good soldier. He’s loyal, fast, brutal. But lately, something’s been off.
“Set it up. Somewhere quiet.”
“Tonight?”
“Let him sweat a bit first.”
He nods, already reaching for his phone.
“And Landon?”
“Yeah?”
“If he brings backup, I’ll cut out your tongue and feed it to him.”
He swallows hard. “Got it.”
Landon might act like a good soldier, but I need to push him harder, break him down, and see exactly where his loyalties really lie. Especially after that bullshit with Torres.
“Good.” I fling the cigarette from my fingers and straighten my leather jacket. “Now, let’s get some answers.”
I walk across the street first, and he follows me.
I step into the bar. It’s the same shit, different night—slumped-over men pawing at women who’d rather claw their eyes out and desperate girls grinding on wallets, hoping to get the highest bidder. Sweat, smoke, cheap perfume.
Where the fuck is she? Probably on her knees in the restroom, sucking someone off. And that’s the charitable assumption, given what I know.
How the hell was Kate?ina so blind? Living with that kind of woman … she’s too trusting. Too fucking soft for a world like this.
And then there she is, stumbling out of the restroom.
I knew it.
She’s tugging down that pathetic little pink dress, trying to look like she still has some dignity. Behind her, some bulked-up asshole follows, grinning like he just won a prize.
I move in closer, my hands in my pants pockets and my eyes locked on hers like a predator circling its prey.
“Hello?” she says, unaware of who I am.
“You don’t remember me, sweetheart?”
Her eyes widen the moment she places me. Her face goes pale, like she’s seen a ghost.
I’m worse than that.
“You!” she whispers, unblinking.
She turns to run, but Landon grabs her wrist firmly, holding her in place. She winces at my smile. Smart girl.
“Miss me?”
The dude she was fucking before steps between us—muscles, attitude, all bravado.
“Back off,” he growls, puffing his chest out, trying to look taller than he is.
Before I can speak, Landon moves.
He steps in front of me, straight toward the guy. His stare is empty and emotionless. I bet he wishes things will go sideways, so he gets a chance to break him.
“You’ve got about three seconds,” Landon says. “Then, I make sure you can’t pick up a fork without help.”
The guy freezes and swallows.
Landon tilts his head, grin twitching like it doesn’t belong on a human face.
“You think I’m joking?” he whispers. “Try me. Please.”
The man steps back fast. He doesn’t say a word; he disappears.
I turn my gaze to Emily, who’s in shock. “Now that we’re done with the warm-up, let’s talk about you. Mind following us outside for a while? It’s too loud here.”
“B-But,” she stammers.
I take a step closer. “I insist.”
Her breathing’s uneven, but she gets the word out. “Okay.”
We three head for the door.
No one stops us. No bouncer. No questions.
This place is dirty enough that no one cares who walks out with whom.
“What do you want from me?” she asks, still stumbling from Landon’s pushing.
I shut the door behind us, the muffled bass of the bar cutting off, and step into the dark alley next to the building.
“Less than you think, sweetheart,” I say. “For starters, please excuse him for being so harsh.”
She turns to glance at Landon like she might get an apology. That’s funny. He doesn’t apologize, and I don’t ask him to.
“What’s wrong with him?” she asks, her upper lip hooking up in disgust.
“He can be a bit of a caveman.”
She swallows hard, still trying to hold on to her attitude. “You think you can just drag people into alleys and threaten them?”
I glance back at Landon. He shrugs and rolls his eyes like he’s bored. He is.
“You sent the cops to my door. I thought I’d return the courtesy.”
She crosses her arms. “You were talking to her the same day. Do you honestly want me to believe it’s just a coincidence?”
“You think I give a fuck what you believe?” I step closer and lean in. The smell of her cheap perfume hits my nose. “You sent pigs to my door like you’ve got any idea what you’re dealing with.” I touch the ends of her loose and unruly hair. “And now look at you. Out here, all alone with me.”
Her nostrils flare. “You’re a psychopath.”
I need to break her. I need to make her confess it, and since I can’t touch her ‘cause she’s a helpless woman, I need to push her in other ways.
“Let’s drop the fake concern. You didn’t send cops to help her.”
I take a slow step closer. The way she tries to stay in place is amusing.
“You sent them because you saw her smile at me.”
Another step.
“She was finally smiling. For the first time since you met her.”
Another.
“She was always the better one. The one to be offered the photoshoots.”
“I was trying to help,” she snaps, but her voice is shaking now.
“She’s the pretty one. The girl who came from abroad, stealing your thunder.”
I halt right in front of her, towering over her.
“And you fucking hated that,” I add. “All that work. Starving yourself. Burning your face off with bleach. Faking every smile like your life depended on it. And still, nobody fucking saw you. They saw her. Every single time.”
“Shut up!”
“No. You shut up and listen,” I growl. “I’ve seen her. Do you know what she did when the jobs came in? When the cameras begged for her?” I lean down until my mouth is almost against her ear. “She looked bored.”
She shudders, and I slowly pull back.
“Meanwhile, you were backstage biting your tongue, trying not to scream every time they pointed at her like you weren’t standing right there.”
She shakes her head frantically as tears start pooling her eyes.
“Don’t lie to me,” I say solemnly. “You didn’t want her to be found. You wanted her gone.”
Her chest begins to rise and fall more rapidly. Still trying to pretend she’s the good one in the story.
“You saw your chance. Cops asking questions. Reporters sniffing around. Finally, it was you they came to. You got to wear her skin for a day. You got to matter.”
“That’s not—”
“Admit it.”
“I didn’t—”
“Admit it, Emily!”
“I was jealous, okay?” she screams as tears run down her cheeks. “I was fucking jealous!”
She stands there, shaking, ashamed, trying to choke back tears. Landon chuckles and lights up a smoke.
I smile. “See? It wasn’t so hard.”
She keeps her head low, refusing to raise her eyes and meet mine like a fucking coward.
She’s nothing. Just a bitter, clingy idiot who thought she could play in my world. All I see is a weak, jealous girl who couldn’t lie straight if her life depended on it.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was all just some pathetic misunderstanding. No scheme. No hidden truth about him. I can’t lie; I’m disappointed. I believed I could get one step closer to him. I didn’t come here for nothing, but that’s exactly what I found. There’s nothing left worth my time.
“Go back inside.”
“No, wait.” She grabs my wrist. Landon twitches, already reaching for his gun. I glance at him sharply, and he stops. “Please keep her where you have her.”
Excuse me?!
I stare at her.
She says it like she’s doing us both a favor. It’s like she’s handing over something dirty, something she’s finally done pretending to protect.
This is the same girl who acted concerned, as if she cared.
“You were worried not long ago,” I say flatly. “Remember that? Walking around like some heartbroken little saint, acting like you gave a damn.”
She swallows hard. Her hand is still on my wrist.
“I was,” she blurts. “I—I am worried. But you seem nice, right? I mean, you won’t hurt her, will you?”
“You think I’m nice? Nice?” I snap, yanking my hand from her grip. “You sent cops to my fucking door, tried to play the grieving roommate, and now you’re here begging me to keep your little friend locked up like a pet in a cage, and you’re asking if I am nice?”
I step closer, my eyes penetrating hers.
“She doesn’t deserve what you’re doing to her. You’re the kind of bitch who wants someone dead if it means your pathetic little ego gets a scrap of attention. As long as you get to be seen, you don’t care who gets buried,” I bark, my voice rising.
Suddenly, a smile brightens her face. “So, you actually do have her.”
She’s fucking filth. Lower than I thought. And that smug little smile makes me want to crush her skull in my hands just to shut her up. But I want to hear how deep her sickness goes before I decide which part of her to break first.
“I knew it,” she chirps, her fake-ass tears already drying. “I’ll go to the cops.”
“Boss, can we kill her already?” Landon exhales indignantly, pulling his gun out.
“My friends saw you, dumbass. Dragging me out like some lunatic? Yeah, good luck hiding that.”
Landon steps closer to me, pulling the hammer of his gun. “Please?”
I clear my throat, choking back my laugh. “Landon no. Let’s hear what our charming little snake has to offer.”
He groans, rolling his eyes. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”
She flips him the bird—zero survival instinct.
Landon snaps. “Oh, you little skunk—”
He moves to grab her, but I block him with an arm, not even looking his way.
“Whoa, whoa. Let’s not repaint the alley with her teeth just yet.”
He growls under his breath, and she’s still standing there like she’s won something.
She has no idea she’s circling the drain.
And I’m enjoying every second of it.
She’s still wearing that smug little grin, like she thinks flipping off Landon bought her some kind of leverage.
Cute.
“You’ve got my attention. Congrats. That’s not easy. You gonna tell me why I shouldn’t let him turn your face into a smear on the pavement?”
“Uhm …”
I cock my head. “What’s the master plan, pumpkin?” I clasp my hands in front of me. “C’mon. Impress me.”
“I need money.”
Landon barks out a laugh before I can react.
“Money?” I raise a brow.
Her eyes dart between us. “I want money, so I don’t go to the cops, and they don’t shove you both in a cell.”
“Oh, you want to blackmail me. Kinky.” I smile broadly before dropping into a solemn expression, reflecting my true anger. “You think flashing that ratty little backbone in this alley makes you dangerous?”
Landon’s grin spreads like wildfire. He’s already picturing what he’ll do to her.
“Cops don’t scare me, love. I’ve dumped bodies in places so deep even God gave up looking.”
I take one more step closer, watching her so-called attitude fall away.
“I wipe them out like they never fucking existed.”
Closer.
“And no one even comes looking.”
Closer.
“You just handed me a reason to make sure you never open your mouth again.”
“I’m sorry,” she mutters, trembling again.
“I didn’t catch that.”
“I’m sorry!” she says louder.
I don’t talk, letting my silence swallow her whole.
“I hope I made myself clear.”
She nods sharply.
“Well.” I exhale with a smile. “Glad we talked.”
I walk away without looking back, but every part of me wants to turn around and finish it. But I don’t. Not yet.
“Why did you spare her?” Landon asks as we cross the street.
“Watch her. I want to know every move she makes. I’m just waiting for her mistake.”