Page 10 of Vendetta

In my search, I found a coat closet and a bathroom. The vision that greeted me in the mirror was the stuff of nightmares. Unfortunately, now that I’d decided I had to get home, there wasn’t time to fix my face. I was taking too long as it was, but I wiped the smudges from under my eyes, tossed my hair into a messy bun, and continued to investigate. Finally, in the corner near the balcony, one last plain door stood out like a beacon. When I peeked through it, I spied a set of concrete steps leading down.

Perfect, the fire escape. There didn't appear to be an alarm, so I pushed out into the breezeway.

The stairs were cold under my bare feet as I scurried soundlessly downward. It took me longer than I’d hoped, and I stopped counting floors after ten, but I finally made it to the exit.

Now all I had to do was get back to Claudia’s place.

Nico

I woke alone. The sky was a bright blue along the horizon through my expensive tinted windows. Her smell, muted with suppressants, clung to me. Licking it off my skin sounded more appealing than it should. Despite the unrelenting draw, I wasn’t an animal, so I refrained somehow.

I should hate her, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she moved on the dance floor and in my bed. The way her dress molded every perfect curve and the way my sheets bunched in her hands when she fell apart. Now that I knew how soft she was and how sweet her screams were when I sunk my knot into her, I didn’t know how I was ever going to live without her.

The sound of footsteps on carpet sent my head whipping to the door, only to find my dour bodyguard, pack mate, and occasional lover, Cruz, striding in unannounced, and worse, alone.

“Where is she?” I asked, my words harsh with sleep.

“Gone.” His deep voice was almost as dark as the shadowed look in his eyes.

“Don’t lie. That’s not possible.” I flung my bedding to the side and dragged myself to my feet.

Cruz didn’t comment on my bare ass other than checking it out as I walked past him into the massive living room. I’d only taken a few steps before I knew.

She really was gone.

Her subtle rose and saffron scent was already fading. My eyes landed on the chair where my favorite hoodie usually was. It was gone, too.

“She stole my hoodie… She stole my fucking hoodie… and left… in the middle of the night! Chicks don’t leave me. I leave them,” I said, irritation pounding through my veins, but a smile crept across my mouth, ruining the delivery of my harsh words. That brat stole my favorite hoodie and left me standing with my dick in my hand, literally. She was going to regret that as soon as I saw her again. That was a certainty.

Cruz laughed. “Yeah, she did. At least she got something out of last night other than a hangover. A sweatshirt was the least you could do for making her endure your presence. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing her again soon, anyway.” He tipped his head toward the small scrap of paper sitting on the chair where my hoodie should’ve been.

I retrieved the note and scanned the string of numbers scrawled in perfect, looping script. “Oh? Are you jealous?” My lips quirked into a mocking grin.

“Who am I supposed to be jealous of? You, or her?” He moved back into my room, plucking her panties from under a discarded pillow.

I followed and stepped into his personal space, wrapping my hand around where he held the scrap of satin. “If you’re jealous of her, I could fix that for you right now. You should’ve come up last night. I thought you might’ve. She smelled so good, even through the suppressant. My dick has never been harder for anyone, even you.” I leaned closer, so my bare chest was pressed against his immaculate suit. “Her tits were fucking heaven and her ass… you should’ve seen it. The only thing that would’ve been better is watching you slide into her next to me.” My words trailed off until all that was left was a growl in his ear.

He stepped away, grinning. “You’d better not be getting attached. Don’t forget we’ve got a job to do.” The laughter faded from his tongue with each word.

I only smirked. He didn’t need to know I was already half obsessed. But he was right. She was a means to an end. Revenge against her family. I was going to make her suffer for what her father did. But that would come later, after I’d taken everything from her, piece by piece.

“Why aren’t you more worried that she’s gone?” He moved around the room, setting the scrap of silk on the bedside table next to the gun resting there.

“What did you want me to do? Chain her to my bed?” The image of her naked body bound and spread across my sheets flashed through my mind, and my dick twitched. “Anyway, I didn't expect her to steal my hoodie and leave in the middle of the night. I wasn't even sure it was her at first, but the scars on her back were a dead giveaway. It’s fine. We never exchanged names. She didn’t know who I was. We’ll just pick her up later, as planned.”

“Fine? She snuck out, and now my job is harder.” He brought his fingers to his nose and inhaled. “She does smell good, though. Omegas all smell good, but this… this isn’t normal.”

“Sick fuck,” I muttered and shook my head. “Don’t pretend to complain. You could’ve stopped her, too, but you didn’t. You love the chase. Besides, we have an in.” I chuckled, but an odd feeling of possessiveness washed over me.

I’d never been jealous of him. We shared partners often. Sometimes we even got carried away and fucked one another, but not this time. Not when she was the daughter of my sworn enemy. A man I’d vowed to destroy in every possible way. Starting with her.

She’d slipped right through my fingers, but something about Rosalina Reyes was different, and we both knew it. What that was, I didn’t know yet.

“She snuck out the emergency exit. I had no idea she was gone until Ollie showed me the security camera playback.” He grabbed the Glock from the nightstand.

I hoped I was right, and it was fine. My faithful guard dog would do his job, but I couldn’t afford a fuck-up. The pieces of my revenge were falling into place, and we’d be ready to make our move when the time was right. I wouldn’t let Rosalina Reyes ruin our carefully laid plans. No matter what my instincts were screaming.

His dark eyes dropped to my mouth. “I need to go,” he said, reluctance coloring his words. “I just came to let you know I got the call we’ve been waiting for. There’s a meeting on some fucking island an hour up the coast. I can’t be late.”