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I entered through the double doors and stepped into the parlor, the lights on low, the smell of flowers and sandalwood in the air. I slid my hands into my pockets as I slowly paced around the room, gazing at the artwork on the walls that I didn’t care about. The furniture was dark, the rugs were dark too, and the walls were covered with a gray wallpaper. Everything matched Dante’s personality perfectly, dark and elegant.
Footsteps approached. The sound of heels was distinct. They grew louder until they rounded the corner, and then the point of her heels tapped against the bare hardwood. Scarlett entered the room in a black pencil skirt with her collared shirt tucked into the waistband, looking professional but also fuckable. Her eyes shifted to me, but they only remained for a brief second before they darted away.
Her father was right behind her. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Bye, Dad.” She gave him a hug as he kissed her on the temple. Then she walked past me and out the doors, her computer bag over her shoulder, and disappeared a moment later.
The second she was gone, Dante’s face fell. The warmth in his eyes turned to ice, and the features of his face hardened to stone. His rage was quiet but rampant and potent. He stared at me for several seconds, his hostility filling the space that surrounded us, the air becoming so thick it was hard to breathe.
I held his stare and waited for the explosion.
“You seem to have a death wish, Axel.”
Here we go.
“Was I unclear before?” He slid his hands into his pockets then took a step closer to me.
I didn’t want to lie anymore. Didn’t want to pretend Scarlett meant nothing to me. And I didn’t want to tiptoe around this man any longer. This fucking psychopath. “Kill me, then.”
His eyes narrowed at the threat.
“She’ll know it was you. And then she’ll want nothing to do with you.”
Several more seconds passed as he stared me down, his silent eyes sharp like knives. “Yes, that thought crossed my mind as well. So, you’ve left me with no other choice.” He turned to his man standing in the corner, his arms resting together in front of his waist. All he did was give a slight nod, and that man ran off.
Dante turned his gaze back to me, and then slowly, the corner of his mouth rose in a smile, this plan a great source of mirth.
A moment later, I heard more footsteps, and then the man rounded the corner—with my father.
He had my father by the arm, bruised and bloody all over his face, blood stained on the collar of his shirt. His glasses were gone because they must have broken when he was punched in the face. The man shoved him hard to the floor, making my father cry out in pain as he was sent to the hardwood.
“Dad.”
Dante pulled out the gun so fast and pointed it at me. “Back.”
I was forced to still on the spot, seeing my father on his hands and knees as he tried to right himself. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Dante pointed the gun at my father’s head. “He’s here because of you, Axel. Because you disobeyed my wishes and snuck around behind my back. This is what happens to people who cross me.”
“Stop pointing the gun at him.”
Dante moved closer and pressed the barrel right against his head.
My father remained still when he felt the cold metal, and he breathed harder as he panicked.
Dante’s maniacal eyes were focused on me.
“This is between you and me. Not him. He’s just an old man. Let him go.”
“Wish I could, but like you said, I can’t kill you.” Then he smirked. “So I guess this old man will have to do.”
“You think I won’t tell Scarlett?—”
He cocked the gun. “These are my demands. You will end your relationship with Scarlett. The justification is your choosing. And then you’ll stay the fuck away from my daughter.” He pressed the barrel into my father’s skull again. “Or I’ll shoot this asshole.”
I shifted my gaze to my father, who was trembling and moaning incoherently, scared shitless.
Dante grabbed my attention. “Tell her about this—and I’ll shoot this asshole.”
