Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
DOMINO
T he room was steeped in darkness, but I could still see him. The soft glow from the city lights filtered through the curtains, painting his skin in pale, silver-blue shadows. He was sprawled across the bed, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other draped across his stomach.
He was dreaming. His lips parted slightly, his breath deep and slow. Restless, even in sleep. Whatever played out behind his closed lids had him shifting faintly, his fingers tightening into a fist before loosening again. I wanted to know what he was seeing, to pry his skull open and crawl inside.
Was it me? Did I haunt him the way he haunted me? Or was he reliving our evening in the woods with Brielle?
I reached out, my knuckles just barely brushing his cheek. He didn’t stir. I liked him like this—soft, unaware, completely mine. The weight of the world couldn’t touch him here. No one could.
His lips parted on a quiet exhale, and my eyes traced the curve of his mouth. So delicate. So fucking deceptive. No one would guess what he was capable of—how sharp he could be, how beautifully cruel. But I knew. I had molded him with my own hands, guided him deeper into the darkness, and wrapped him in it like a second skin.
And he let me.
Remi stirred before his eyes opened. I watched the shift; his breathing changed first, the slow stretch of his limbs beneath the sheets, the way his fingers flexed like they were still searching for something even in sleep. Then his gaze landed on me.
I sat beside him, my elbow resting on my knee, watching. Waiting.
“Creep,” he muttered, voice thick with sleep.
A smirk curled at the corner of my mouth. “Good morning to you, too.”
He stretched, his back arching slightly, sheets slipping lower, revealing more of his pale skin that I had mapped with my teeth and hands. My fingers itched to touch, to claim, but I had something else for him first.
I reached into my pocket, feeling the smooth bone between my fingers before pulling it free. The small pendant gleamed faintly in the low light. A sliver of something primal, something mine , stirred inside me.
“Sit up,” I ordered.
He blinked at me, still groggy, but when I dangled the leather cord in front of him, his gaze sharpened. He pushed himself up against the headboard, tilting his head as he studied it.
“What is it?”
I leaned in, lifting the cord over his head, letting the pendant settle into the hollow of his throat. Bone against skin. It belonged there.
“It’s for you.”
His fingers ghosted over it, his brows drawing together slightly. “What kind of bone is this?”
I smiled, slow and dark. “Does it matter?”
Something flickered in his gaze—hesitation, curiosity. Then, understanding. The smirk that followed sent a pulse of heat through me. He gets it. He gets me.
“One of your kills?”
Not this time.
“Yours,” I murmured.
His fingers curled around it, testing the weight, the meaning. He didn’t ask for details. He didn’t need to. The look in his eyes told me he knew exactly what this was. Not a gift. Not a token.
A mark.
I reached out, dragging my thumb along the edge of his jaw, tilting his chin up. His pulse beat steadily beneath my touch, a rhythm I had memorized. He swallowed.
“Looks good on you.”
His lips parted slightly, breath feathering against my wrist. My fingers tightened beneath his jaw, just enough to feel the way his muscles tensed before relaxing. Submission. Trust.
He wasn’t afraid. He should be.
“Say thank you,” I murmured.
His smirk widened, eyes glinting. “Thank you, Domino .”
The way he said my name sent a thrill down my spine. I leaned in just enough to let our foreheads brush and let him feel the heat rolling off me.
“Good boy.”
His hands slid up, curling around my neck as he pulled me in. Soft lips met mine, teasing, tasting; a groan rumbling from his throat as I tightened my grip, forcing him deeper into the kiss. I took my time, claiming every inch of his mouth, owning the way he melted beneath me. A whimper slipped free.
When I pulled back, we were both breathless. His sleep-hazed eyes were now glazed, cheeks flushed. He licked his lips, tipping his head.
“Shower with me?”
The words hit me like a spark to dry brush. My muscles clenched, my body already anticipating—his slick skin under the water, his face pressed to the tiled wall as I dragged my tongue over his entrance until he was trembling. Until he was too weak to stand. Until I had him wrapped around me, legs locked at my waist, fucking into his pliant body until he screamed my name and his release branded me like fire.
I exhaled sharply. Then, I smirked. “Lead the way.”
Remi toyed with the pendant around his neck as he headed into the bathroom. My fingers were making quick work of the buttons on my shirt when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Ghost
I’m coming up!
Domino
Fuck off!!
Ghost
No can do, boss. Urgent.
Fuck! My morning was ruined. If Ghost was here at this time of day, it was bad news.
“Remi,” I barked. “Get dressed. Meet me in the lounge.”
The sound of water hitting his skin tested every last thread of my patience. The thought of stepping into that shower, pressing him against the cold tile, and sinking into him until he was nothing but a trembling mess beneath me—it was a distraction I couldn’t afford. Not now.
Not when Ghost was about to walk in.
He’d already spent too much time alone with Remi and watched him too closely. Was too damn interested. If he were anyone else, he’d be dead already—like Kyran Stirling would be shortly.
But Ghost was useful. Too useful to dispose of— yet.
The elevator chimed, and the doors slid open. Ghost stepped out, expression unreadable, but his eyes glinted with something sharp. Amusement. He was enjoying this.
“You’re not gonna like this,” he said.
I sighed, tucking my hands into my pockets. “Then start with something I will like.”
A smirk moved over his lips, but he didn’t waste time. “Kyran’s pressing assault charges. My guy at the precinct says he’s got enough to make it stick.”
My jaw flexed. “He doesn’t have shit,” I spat.
That little fucking rat just moved up the date of his execution.
Ghost lifted a shoulder, unconcerned. “He’s got witnesses. And Rutter’s already called me twice.”
Right on cue, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and answered.
“This isn’t going away, Domino.” Rutter’s voice was tight, clipped. “Kyran made sure of that. He’s playing it smart—police backing, solid evidence. If this goes to trial?—”
“It won’t.”
“You can’t just make him disappear,” Rutter warned. “Not without consequences.”
I let the silence drag, let the weight of my next words settle over him. “Watch me.”
I hung up.
Remi leaned against the wall, watching. Waiting. That look in his eyes—the one that meant he wanted to see what I’d do next—only made the fire in my blood burn hotter.
He wouldn’t have to wait long.
Kyran was a fool marked for death, but his father? Stirling Senior needed a reminder. He was playing a game that he was about to lose. One he’d never recover from.
I turned to Ghost. His cool, amused gaze locked onto mine. “Pay Rutter a visit. Remind him what I said would happen if he stepped a toe out of line.”
His smirk widened, his posture shifting in anticipation. “I’ve got the recording.” He licked his lips. “How much do you want him to see?”
Ghost liked toying with people who fucked with the DeMarcos, almost as much as I did. Letting him off his leash once in a while was always… entertaining.
I held his gaze steady. “Everything.”
His pupils dilated. “Everything?” His fingers twitched, excitement bleeding into his voice.
“You got it, boss.”
“And when you’re done…”
Ghost leaned in, eager, practically vibrating with anticipation. “Yes?”
I let the silence stretch just long enough to make him desperate for it. To make him need it. “Dismantle the Stirlings until there is nothing left.”
His grin was razor-sharp, sick with delight. He loved this part. The breaking. The ruin. The hunt. And then—he dared to glance at Remi and fucking wink.
A low snarl tore from my throat before I could stop it, possessiveness curling through my gut like barbed wire. “Mine.”
Ghost knew exactly what he was doing. That laugh—sharp, teasing—was cut off the moment the elevator doors snapped shut.
Good. Because if he lingered a second longer, I would’ve slit his fucking throat right here.
The fire started at midnight.
It wasn’t random. It wasn’t reckless. It was precise. Controlled. It hadn’t taken long to get everything I needed into place. Kyran was oblivious, too consumed with trying to take me down to realize his demise was happening before his eyes.
I watched from across the street, hands in my pockets, as the flames licked up the side of Kyran’s apartment building, curling like fingers against the windows. The smoke slithered into the night sky, thick and choking.
It started in the walls—old wiring in the breaker box. A surge overloaded the system, and then boom. A fire that looked like a tragic accident but was as far from that as was conceivable.
By the time the first flames reached his bedroom, Kyran was already outside, in only his boxers, standing barefoot on the pavement, watching his world go up in smoke.
His chest heaved, face pale in the flickering orange glow. Panic clung to his skin like sweat.
I crossed the street slowly, my steps deliberate.
He heard me before he saw me. His head snapped toward me, and his whole body went rigid.
“Y-you,” he stammered, backing up a step. “What the fuck did you do?”
I tilted my head, letting the weight of my gaze bore into him, letting him think .
“You should be more careful, Kyran,” I murmured. “Old buildings like this… accidents happen.”
His nostrils flared. “You think this is gonna make me drop the charges?”
I took another step forward, forcing him back.
“No,” I said. “This is just to remind you who you’re dealing with.”
His jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists. He wanted to fight, but he wouldn’t. Not now. Not when he had nothing left.
“Say the words,” I told him.
His lips pressed into a tight line.
“Say it, and this ends,” I said, my voice dropping lower. “Say it, and you walk away from this with something left.”
His shoulders rose and fell, his breaths coming fast. His gaze flicked past me—to Remi. And just like that, the truth came out.
“It was never about you,” Kyran said quietly.
I stilled.
Remi frowned, confusion flickering across his face. “What?”
Kyran tensed, his eyes locking onto Remi like he was something he wanted to sink his teeth into.
“You,” Kyran said. “It was always you.”
Remi’s face paled. He shook his head. “You’re lying.”
Kyran laughed—cold, bitter. “You think I’d go this far for revenge? For pride?” He scoffed. “No. I did it because I wanted you . Because I should have had you.”
Remi took a step back, shaking his head. “You’re fucking insane.”
Kyran’s mouth twisted. “And yet, you were the one always playing games with me. Always looking for a reaction. You wanted me to want you.”
Remi stiffened. “What the fuck?!” He choked. “I only ever tried to be your friend.”
Kyran scoffed, body vibrating with tension. “Y-you went out with me?—”
My patience snapped. In a blink, I had my hand around his throat, yanking him close until our noses nearly touched. His breath hitched, but he didn’t fight.
“You’re going to forget this ever happened,” I murmured, voice ice-cold. “You’re going to drop the charges. And then, you’re going to disappear. If I ever see your face again, there won’t be a building left to burn—you will be the ashes.”
Kyran swallowed hard, his pulse pounding beneath my grip.
“Say it,” I ordered, deadly quiet.
His eyes flickered toward Remi one last time, something desperate and raw in them. Then, he exhaled sharply.
“I’ll drop the charges,” he rasped. “I’ll disappear.”
I shoved him back. He stumbled into the wall, eyes blown wide.
“Good boy,” I sneered.
I turned, grabbing Remi’s hand, knowing he wouldn’t move until we were gone. But then Kyran proved me wrong and made the biggest mistake of his life.
Like a fool with nothing left to lose, he screamed a war cry and charged. “If I can’t have him?—”
His words cut off with a thick, wet gurgle—a blade buried deep in his throat. My switchblade. His legs crumpled beneath him, hands clutching the wound, blood bubbling through his fingers around the steel stuck in his neck.
I wrapped my fingers around the handle and stared into the dying eyes of a man who thought he could take what was mine.
“Remi is mine. He was mine the moment he stepped into Marlow Heights,” I spat, twisting the knife. “You will never know what it’s like to sink inside him.”
Kyran’s breath hitched, his pupils wide, tears streaking his face. A limp hand reached out toward Remi.
Remi sneered, stepping back.
I crouched beside Kyran, my voice dropping to a whisper as I yanked the knife from his throat. Thick red waves poured down his body.
“You will never know what it’s like to watch him kill.”
His breath stuttered, wet and shallow, blood staining his lips. Another tear slipped free.
“B…b-but…”
A hollow laugh curled from my lips as his slack hand fell into the growing pool of blood.
I leaned in, pressing my lips to his ear. “He’ll draw your death when we get home.” My fingers curled tighter around the blade at my side. “Then I’ll fuck him with the knife I used to kill you.”
Kyran shuddered—one last, pitiful tremor. The smallest puff of air left his lips, and then… nothing. His body went slack, folding into the crimson pool beneath him.
Remi stood there, head tilted slightly, watching every minute shift in Kyran’s body with something like fascination. Curiosity.
His eyelashes fluttered against his sharp cheekbones, and when those ice-blue eyes met mine…blackness. A visceral hunger so deep, so insatiable, it burned through him like a fever. Like a calling.
Mine.
Anything he asked of me, I’d give him.