Dante
Istand there staring off into space as Luna leaves, slamming the door behind her, leaving a hollow void in my chest.
I’ve fucked up beyond repair, and it’s all my fault. I don’t know what I was thinking, surprising Luna like this. I thought—hoped—that she would—I don’t know,accept me? Love me for the fucked up person I am? But I see the errors in my misjudgment; seeing her so scared of me made me feel sick, but I couldn’t stop. It wasn’t like in the woods; she was afraid then, but she knew I wouldn’t hurt her; she felt safe with me to explore that fear. It wasn’t like that night when I was spying on her fingering herself; the Peeping Tom wasn’t a threat to her, so she felt safe to explore that fear.
Wolfy scared her; she thought I killed, well, me, and her first thought was to ask where I was so she could be with me if she was about to die. Luna loves—loved me, and I threw it away because I’m an egotistical psychopath that thrives on toxic relationships. I wanted her to be scared, I wanted to taste her fear, but I never wanted to break her.
“You broke me, Dante. Congratulations. Something no one has been able to accomplish until now.”
I stand in the same spot for I don’t know how long. Long enough for the lights to run out and leave me in darkness.
That’s what I am anyway.
Darkness.
My face tingles with the imprint of her hand, the last thing my angel touched—but Luna is scared of me now, and nothing will be the same again.
I make it back to my condo, and a moving box is left in the living room as the last thing I need to take to my new home. I was going to surprise Luna with it once it was renovated and furnished, but that’s not going to happen now.
A deep sadness settles in my bones, and my body finally gives out. I cry out, feeling torn in halfby my greed and desires. Tears stream down my face for the first time in a long time; the last time I cried like this was for my mother, her crumbled, bloody body on the floor. I could have saved her if I had stayed home that day, like I tried to do. If she had let me protect her, she would be here.
My phone rings, and my heart stills.
Luna.
I pull my phone out, but Alex’s name is on the screen. I almost let it go to voicemail, but something told me to pick it up. “Hello?”
“Dante, I need you in my office now. How fast can you get here?”Alex sounds panicked.
I sniff, wiping at the tears on my face. “Alex, listen, I’m not in the mood tonight for one of your lectures—”
“They have your girl, Dante.”
“What?” It felt like all the air in the room was sucked out at once. “No, I–I just left her. Luna should be at home.” I put Alex on speaker and pull up my cameras. I switch back and forth, and check every room in her apartment, and there’s no sign of her or a struggle.
No.
“My guy said they brought Luna in a few minutes ago. She’s unconscious, but alive. Get to my office now, and we will talk more.”
“Coming now,” I say, picking up my helmet and running out the door.
Alex rewinds the footage on the screen several times, and I try to keep myself from vomiting every time I see Luna’s face when she sees it’s Greg in her apartment on the security footage.
I should have killed him when I had the chance. He was right in front of me, and I let him get away.
I willnotbe merciful this time.
The darkness in me burns under my skin now, begging me to set fire to everything and everyone responsible for her kidnapping.
My phone dings with results from my database of the new information I learned about Luna, and it comes back with a hit.
-Elena Becur, 32, Las Vegas, Nevada.
-Romanian American, Female.
-Parents David Becur & Gwendelyn Becur (Stirling), Deceased.
I stare at the list on my phone, and my heart twists into a vice. This is Luna: Elena, my angel. Alex has his guy keeping an eye on her while we come up with a plan to get her out of there and to safety, but not being able to see her has been driving me insane, and I’m about to tear this city apart. But I need to keep calm, going off the deep end, and turning into the psychopath I know I can be, won’t help Luna. Itcould get her killed.
