I yawned, and catching it, Dino called the limo driver to meet us out front shortly. When we made our way out and slid into the back, Dino pulled me onto his lap, nibbling at my neck. Being tipsy and overly happy at Dino’s demeanor during this trip, I leaned into his mouth.
Dino called out to the driver, “Privacy,” and without a word, the partition window went up.
Dino kissed his way down my neck, onto my chest, and then swiped his tongue in the valley between my breasts. “Have fun tonight, baby?”
I clutched at his head and moaned, “Oh yes, honey.”
With a swift tug at the neckline of my simple black dress, my breasts were bared, and Dino took a stiff peak into his mouth, sucking with enthusiasm.
My back bowed with the intense pleasure flowing through my body.
“Who is he?” Dino asked quietly, before switching to the other nipple, laving it with his tongue.
Panting, in a haze, I responded, “Who?”
Lifting his head, he muttered, “The bartender. Who is he?”
Blinking slowly, I pulled back to look at my husband. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.”
He smiled before lowering his mouth back to where I needed it. I sighed in appreciation.
A sudden, burning pain radiated through my breast, and I yelped, trying to pull back. But Dino’s arms tightened around me. A second yelp was pulled from me as the pain returned with a vengeance. Frightened, I pushed at my husband’s shoulders. “Dino, stop.”
But he bit me again. Harder.
Gritting my teeth, I swallowed a wail of agony, as I whispered a broken, “But it’s my birthday!”
With a firm hand, he pushed me off his lap and onto the floor of the limo. I landed on my stomach and, with a harsh wheeze, the breath was knocked out of me. I heard the jingling of his belt. The bottom of my dress was harshly lifted over my hips, and my panties pulled down to my knees.
I wasn’t ready for him when he entered me from behind, muttering, “You lying little bitch.”
The pain was unbearable.
With every jolting, dry thrust, hurt plagued me, my stomach rolling, white spots dancing in front of my eyes.
I was going to faint.
Deeper and deeper he went, grunting and mumbling abuse into my ear, until finally—thankfully—darkness embraced me.
The only realization that Dino isn’t tearing my body apart comes in the form of a choked scream escaping me, as I clamber back into the corner of the sofa like a wounded animal. My shaking hands rise up to cover my open mouth, and I pant softly into them, a light sheen of sweat on my forehead. I blink through stinging tears.
I try to swallow through the thickness in my throat. My frightened statement sounds into the silent room, “I hate you.”
Ling and Julius exchange a curious but frowning glance. Ling shrugs discreetly, but I catch it, and suddenly, I’m mortified.
As my cheeks heat, my subconscious laughs.
You’re losing your mind.
My attempt to clear my throat weak, I lift my gaze to meet Julius’s. “If you don’t plan on killing me tonight, is there somewhere I can get some rest?”
It takes him a moment, but he speaks gently. “Upstairs. Second room on the right.”
Upstairs.
My foot hurts like a bitch, and he gives me a room upstairs. Of course he does.
Punishment.
I’m being punished. I understand the message being sent, and I’ll take it on the chin.
Slowly making my way past them both, standing tall, although every second is pure torture on my wounded foot, I carefully take the stairs one at a time, my tender heel aching with every step, but I don’t let them see my pain.
I don’t dare.
I’m good at hiding pain. Living with Dino made sure of that.
They can take everything from me, but I won’t let them have my pride. They can pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
My eyes follow Alejandra as she steels her will and passes me with her head held high. The delicate scent of her shampoo trails behind.
Orange and vanilla.
I try not to breathe it in, but I can’t help myself, and when I do, I breathe it all the way into my lungs, closing my eyes in silent prayer. I don’t know what to do with her. She’s turned my world on its head.
The little woman is defiant, strong-willed, and mouthy. None of those traits should be sexy, but I’d be lying if I said the angry pout of her lips didn’t stir me in ways I wish it didn’t, in ways I’d have to ignore.
What happened down here a minute ago… I don’t know what the hell just that was, but it would be really great if it didn’t happen again.
Her blank stare, her bleak gaze, will haunt my memories. The moment she came crashing back down to earth, she reentered the atmosphere with a bang. Whatever the fuck it was she saw scared her half to death.
In a normal situation, I’d say she earned the terror and to shake it off, but something about her… something is off. The entire situation is off. For once, I don’t understand the motive. And it eats away at me. My mind runs a mile a minute.
What am I not getting here?
If I had any sense at all, I’d pick up my pistol, follow her into that room, aim for her forehead and shoot, sending her body back to her father.
But a mild sense of injustice flares through me as I think about this puzzle. Having always been one to trust my gut, I am set on finding the missing pieces. I find myself becoming invested and wanting to know all of what Alejandra Gambino knows.
I need to figure out where I fucked up.
Why did she frame her husband?
“What are you doing, Julius?”
Lifting my head, I catch Ling staring at me, her perfect brows raised. She shakes her head lightly and asks quietly, “What are you doing?”
My back straightens and I move to walk out of the room.
Ling’s next words halt me in my tracks. “I can sneak in while she’s sleeping. Boom. She won’t know what hit her.” She adds, “She’ll go quickly. Quietly.”
She’ll go quickly. Quietly.
The statement is too much. “You aren’t curious?” I turn and watch her carefully. “You don’t want to know why she did what she did?”
Ling remains quiet a moment before speaking through a tired sigh. “She’s a convincing liar. You don’t get to be that good without practice. Trust me, I know.” She pauses a second. “Makes you wonder.” After a long moment of mutual silence, Ling shrugs. “She could be a selfish bitch who wanted Dino’s money to herself. Maybe she planned this from the beginning. Maybe she’s not right in the head.”
I pause, arresting her with my solemn gaze. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
My partner slides down to sit on the sofa, her expression cautious. “No. I don’t.”
Her face is almost unreadable. My brows narrow at her. “What do you think?”
Ling looks mildly uncomfortable as she shifts in her place and clears her throat. “The thing that just happened, when she spaced out…” She bites her lip before speaking softly. “It used to happen to me, Jay. It used to happen a lot.” As my gaze turns questioning, Ling mutters, “Post traumatic stress.”
My gut coils and I tiredly run a hand down my face. Fuck. The last thing I need is to sympathize with Alejandra Gambino. I’d rather have not known this.
Ling, once again putting on her game face, rolls her eyes. “So what? It doesn’t matter. Shit happens. You pull up your panties and move on.”
It doesn’t matter.
I remain silent, but my lingering solemnity has Ling worried. When I feel her hand on my arm, I look down to see her pretty almond-shaped eyes blinking up at me in question. “I can make it quick. She’ll just go to sleep and never wake up. Some people would give their left nut to die like that.”
No. It shouldn’t matter.
But I can’t help but feel there’s more to learn from this little woman. I would need to get inside her head, need to
get close to her, take her apart piece by piece and open her up.
My decision made, I shake my head, and Ling dips her chin in defeat. With a huff, she moves to walk away from me, but I catch her wrist before she can escape. “Four days. I’ll give her four days. If I don’t get anything worthwhile out of her by then, she’s gone.”
Ling’s anxious expression softens. She raises her hand and gently cups my jaw, running her thumb over it. “Julius, you’re one of the only friends I have, and I would do almost anything for you.” Her emphasis on “almost” is more than apparent. Dropping her hand from my cheek, she takes a step back, away from me. Her eyes turn frigid, and her mouth sets in a grim line as she adds menacingly, “But I will not die for you.”
Her heels click away, and left to my own devices, I lower myself to the sofa, digging the heels of my hands into my eyes.
She’ll go quickly. Quietly… It doesn’t matter