The thought makes me chuckle, for him to die so quickly, and unimportant, and in fear.
A shit stain on the earth has officially been wiped clean. Now that’s funny.
A hand softly touches my face, Dante’s hand, tearing my gaze away from Greg. “Come on, angel. I need to get yousomewhere safe.” My gaze tries to slide back to Greg’s body, but Dante holds my chin firm, “No more looking, angel. It’s done.”
Dante takes me by the hand, leading us out of the house. The storm has slowed outside, and we’re able to make it back to the pier. There’s a boat waiting there, and Dante helps me get on first, sitting me down on the bench, and then starts to untie the lines on the dock.
“What about your friend?” I ask, curious.
“He’s got someone coming for him. I’m only worried about you right now, angel.” The boat's engine roars to life, and Dante pulls back on the throttle, speeding off back towards the shoreline of Boston.
I wrap my arms around myself to keep the biting cold sea air from freezing me to my core. I don’t need to go hypothermic right now; that would suck.
Killing my ex only to die of being cold? Loser behavior.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive under a bridge. Dante ties the boat's lines to the concrete pillar, helps me stand, and lifts me out of the boat onto the concrete landing. Dante notices I’m barefoot and picks me up once he’s out, cradling me against his chest, and I’m thankful for the slight warmth. He carries me over to a car in the farthest, darkest corner of the parking lot, setting me down next to it. He walks around the truck, swiping his hand under the lip, and it unlocks. He pulls out clothes and shuts the trunk again. “Here, put these on.”
I take the hoodie and sweat pants from him, and turn to start slipping my wet dress off. At least it’s dark over here, but I don’t care; he’s seen me naked before. I need to get warmnow.
I pull the hoodie on first, slip the dress off, and pull the hoodie over my ass at the same time. I kick my dress aside and slip the pants on; my body immediately relaxes into the newfound warmth.
Dante grabs my hand and walks me around the passenger side, opening the door for me to get in. I settle into the passenger seat as he rounds his side and gets in, turning the car on and taking off into the night.
I don’t care where we go, as long as I’m with him,everything will be okay.
It’s a long drive out of the city, with winding roads and nothing but trees to look at, but we soon arrive at a gate. Dante rolls his window down next to a call box with a number pad. He reaches out, pressing the numbers, and the gate opens.
The driveway is long, but opens into a clearing, and the most beautiful modern cabin sits at the end. It looks as if it’s two stories: the front of the house has stone accents, while the rest of the house is wrapped in dark logs.
Dante pulls into the open garage, shutting the car off, and the silence threatens to swallow me up. Dante doesn’t say a word as he gets out of the car, rounding my side, and helping me out, not even as he takes me into the house, takes me up the stairs to a bathroom, and wordlessly turns on the shower and starts to undress.
The bathroom starts to fill with steam, and he comes over to me, standing in front of me, stark naked. “You need to shower, and then you’ll go lie in the bed and fall asleep, okay?”
I am exhausted, and I feel the ache in my bones starting to settle in as my body comes down from survival mode. I nod, and lift the hoodie off myself, Dante helping me take off my pants, and I step into the shower.
Rivers of pink contrast against the white tiles of the shower floor.
Not my blood. The blood of someone I killed.
Blood of my ex-boyfriend, who beat me.
Another vermin of the streets is gone for good.
Yes. Just like Vera said. The vermin need to be terminated.
Dante stands behind me as he takes a washcloth, squeezes some soap on it, and starts gently rubbing it all over my body. He scrubs every spot thoroughly, making sure not to miss a single place. I watch quietly as he grabs another bottle, squeezing it into his hands, and starts massaging my scalp. I whimper as his fingers work into my hairline.
After the massage, the rest of it is a blur. I don’t remember getting out, but as I lie in the strange bed, I look up atDante as he climbs into bed with me. His face is gaunt, and he looks at me as if I’m about to disappear any second. He reaches out, stroking my face. “Rest now. You’ll be safe here.”
My eyes flutter closed at his command, no longer able to fight off my exhaustion.
Dante
Luna’s breath evens out, and her face softens. She’s in a deep sleep now, giving me the window I need to get up and find Alex. I kiss her head softly, breathing in the scent of her soft skin before I pull away and leave the room quietly.
I pull out my phone and call Alex; he picks up on the first ring. “I have Luna secured. Did you get the body?”
“Yeah, I got him. Didyoukill him? A bit excessive, don’t you think, D?”
