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Killian’s head reared back in surprise. “That’s not what I—”
“That’s exactly what you meant. You want me to fix him,” I snapped. “Maybe he’s beyond my help. From what I hear, he’s lost it.”
“That’s not true.” He looked as if he was about to argue that point some more before changing tactics. “Sienna, he might have left, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you. He’ll listen to you.”
“If he cared, he wouldn’t have left me to deal with everything on my own.” I could feel the tears pricking at the corners of my eyes and willed them not to fall.
“Sienna, I’ve known him since I was born. He’s never been like this with anyone except you.”
“And that’s supposed to, what? Make me feel better?” My laugh was short and bitter.
“He loves you, Sienna. You have to know that. You can’t just give up on him.”
I stepped closer to him, forcing him to look me in the eye. “Then he shouldn’t have disappeared.”
My shoulder bumped against his as I brushed past him. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like partying anymore. I just felt exhausted. The music was too loud. It wrapped around me like a python, slowly forcing the air from my lungs. The people were too close, too sweaty. It was overwhelming, the flashing lights and deep thuds of the bass.
I needed to get out of here.
Forcing my way back to the front door, I didn’t even bother to try and find my friends. I’d text them later saying I hadn’t felt well. Right now, I just needed out. I needed fresh air and to get away from this crowd. This life.
Bursting through the door, I ignored the surprised looks of the bouncer and the line of people waiting to get in. Let them stare. I didn’t care. Gasping, I stumbled down the street, swiping my phone on. Since I’d come with Gemma, I didn’t have my own ride back home, and I couldn’t just take the car and driver when I knew Gemma would need it in the morning. I called a taxi instead, waiting at the street corner, trying not to shake.
Seeing Killian reminded me of everything I had been trying to forget. I didn’t want to remember. I didn’t want to think about any of it. But I couldn’t just go home…or, at least, I couldn’t go back to my flat. The Snake had somehow left that message there without any signs of a break-in. Perhaps there were still some traitors in our midst, but I was too tired to even begin to deal with that issue at the moment.
Going out tonight had been a mistake.
5
DANTE
The club was loud. Numbingly loud. I let the bass thud against my bones and beat in my chest. Lights flashed, dark one moment and light the next. The movements of those around me were euphoric. Drunk on the energy in the room and the alcohol in their veins. I’ve been thriving off of this type of chaos the last few days.
It took me a while to realize that I had been looking in all the wrong places. The Snake wasn’t skulking in the shadows of back alleys and empty warehouses. No, he was hiding in plain fucking sight. Any deals he made, I traced them back to our own god damned clubs. Our own businesses. Out in the open, unafraid. Taunting us.
So I’ve been hopping from one underground club to the next—or, at least the ones Mateo had managed to save after the Snake nearly ruined the Rosanias. I’d even gone to Gio’s just a few nights ago, but wasn’t able to stay for long. The memories were still too strong. Too painful.
I knew that hunting down the Snake would take time, but it still pained me to leave her behind. I knew she might never forgive me. That she might not even welcome me back. I could have just lost her for good, and I didn’t even know. I wouldn’t until I finally came crawling back. But I couldn’t think about that now. I had to shove her out of my thoughts just to dull the feeling of loss in my chest.
Tonight, the music filled that empty space between my ribs. I let it flow through me as I watched the dance floor for any sign of a meeting. I scanned the edges, watching the men and women lining the walls, but everything seemed normal. It wasn’t as if the Snake’s men would have their symbol tattooed on their heads, though that would make my job a hell of a lot easier.
Yet, I didn’t need a symbol tonight. I’d caught wind of a small group of associates the Snake had hired for the attack on Sienna’s warehouse. It had been by luck that I’d discovered them. One had gotten a bit too drunk at The Salamander, ordering the most expensive bottles on the shelves and flashing his pay to anyone who dared to glance over. I knew no one else was paying that kind of money around here—not the Irish, the Russians, and certainly not us. It was fairly obvious to anyone who knew where he’d gotten that kind of money, and getting the rest of the information out of him in the back alley had been all too fucking easy.
Now I was at the club he’d claimed was their usual place, which irritated me. They were using the Rosania's own clubs to meet and plot how they’d take down the damn hand that fed them all these years. It pissed me off to no end and fed the monster even more rage than he needed. Right now, he was coiled tight beneath my skin, begging to be let out. My control was slipping more and more each day the longer I was away from her.
I couldn’t worry about that right now. Pushing aside any thought of her, I checked the crowd again. If they were meeting here, they wouldn’t be in the chaos. It was too loud to even hear myself think, let alone hear any devious plans to take down an entire branch of the Italian mafia. Downing my drink, I caught sight of a back door I hadn’t seen earlier. It was nearly hidden beyond a pillar, painted black to match the walls. One man stood guard, though he was trying hard to blend in. I caught the flash of a grip just above the waistband of his jeans. He was packing some heat, which was odd when he was supposed to be here letting loose. Stumbling over, I staggered from side to side, nearly toppling into him.
“Oh, damn,” I let my words slur, my eyelids drooping lazily. “So fucking sorry. I guess I had too much.” I laughed it off as he angrily shoved me away.
“Fuck off.”
My eyes flashed. The only warning he had. In seconds he was out, a nasty gash across his forehead, courtesy of the pillar’s edge. I let him slump to the floor, tucking him behind the pillar, the shadows hiding him fairly well from those still dancing out on the floor. No one noticed shit. Without a glance back, I slipped through the door.
A long hall stretched out before me, leading to another door—this one rusted metal. I could hear chatter and laughter beyond it, a thin strip of light escaping from the bottom. Stalking closer, I took out the flask from my back pocket. My whole schtick tonight was just to be a drunk idiot. Nobody ever suspected the drunkards.
Crashing through the door, I nearly fell to the floor. Catching myself on the wall, I righted myself before glancing up. Four men glared back at me around a square, metal table. Cards were already laid out, with more clenched in their fists. Seems like I crashed their poker night. What a delight.
“Whoops,” I muttered, squinting as if they were too blurry to focus on. “This isn’t the bathroom.”
