Viola
Ineed to end Joseph, but all I can think about is Dante.
The rest of the weekend, I’m restless. The dreams don’t come back, but the buzzing under my skin never stops. The night in the hotel room wasn’t enough to satisfy the cravings within me, although it came pretty close.
Dino and Lorcan.
Together.
Fuck. Now it’s even more complicated.
Just don’t think about it.
Trust my brain to think of the most simple solution.
If only dealing with Dante was as easy.
I could kill him. That would satisfy the monster inside of me. But killing Dante won’t satisfy my curiosity, not unless I torture the reason why he’s stalking me out of him first. Since he’s not dumb enough to be seduced and drugged, that’s never going to happen. I’d have to kill him from a distance, if I’m going to have the slightest chance of succeeding.
No. I’m going to have to be more cunning with my ex mentor. Blackmail. It’s the only way to get him off my back, and get answers. But how and with what?
What does Dante fear the most?
The answers to those questions elude me until Sunday night when he sends me another fucking message.
V. Monday is almost here.
Are you ready to play another game?
I stare at it. Is this the same guy who taught me the fucking rules.
Have you forgotten rule number 3?
Rule number three—get in and out, fast.Dante appears to have forgotten that the longer you wait to make your move, the longer things can go wrong. I’ve no idea what’s making him delay the inevitable, but obviously it works in my favor.
After a few seconds, he replies.
Have you forgotten rule number 6?
Is he fucking with me? Rule number six—don’t get caught. Why and how would I get caught? Is he mocking me? Warning me? What the fuck are you trying to tell me, Dante?
All I know is, getting caught is the worst thing that can happen to any hired gun. Especially me, since I’m not just hiding from the police.
Interestingly, Dante’s worst nightmare, I can guarantee, is also getting caught.
With that in mind, I get to school super early on Monday, when it’s still dark out, and make my way to the staff room. It takes me a few tries to figure out the missing digit from the code I saw Laura type in, and then I’m in. Dante thinks he has the upper hand, when in reality he’s clueless. Nothing is sacred in school.
The lounge is blandly decorated with muted pastels. There are several tables and a couple of well-worn sofas lined up against the walls. There’s even a small kitchen area. None of this interests me. I head straight to the row of tall lockers.
I’ve no idea which one belongs to Dante but I take a guess that it’s Mr Hans’s old locker. Luckily, I still have the dead teacher’s phone. I open it up and scroll to the notes section where Mr. Hans helpfully left every other password in his pathetic life, including one for the school locker assigned to him. As I finish punching in the code, it swings open.
Inside is a neat stack of poetry books on a shelf, a suitcase in the bottom compartment, and nothing else. I flip through the books, looking for anything of interest. Then I quickly rifle through the suitcase looking for a personal item like a hairbrush, a piece of clothing, or even a used envelope. Of course, I find absolutely fuck all.
My plan to blackmail Dante by framing him for Hans’s murder depends on me getting evidence to plant in the dead man’s apartment. Particularly DNA evidence. His body might be gone, but there’s more than one way to get the police excited.
But Dante has always been super careful. If only he hadn’t burned the cabin to the ground…No matter, there are other ways to get someone’s DNA.
I’m just going to have to get closer.