“Fucking asshole,” I scowl.
After, I lay in the sheets, skirt strewn up around my waist, Dino quickly disappears into the bathroom and Lorcan climbs off me and fixes himself. The back of his neck has raised welts where my nails dug in. Lorcan turns around. His eyes are shuttered, closed off to me again. I’ve hurt him by pushing him away, and now he’s punishing me by doing the same.
“Are you coming home?” Lorcan asks, not even bothering to look at me as he tucks himself back into his trousers.
It’s like that then, is it?
“I am home,” I say.
Lorcan scowls and stalks toward the bathroom to clean up. I should clean up too. I can feel his cum leaking out from between my legs and onto the bed. I’m covered in Dino’s too. The feel of it sliding over my skin arouses me, so I turn my focus to my sweet Dino, who is exiting the bathroom as Lorcan goes in. He takes me in with hungry eyes. I doubt his hand satisfied him enough. I moisten my lips, tasting him, and give him a come-hither look.
I’m still starved.
I need more.
“Come here,” I say, patting the bed next to me.
Dino shakes his head, looking absolutely disgusted with himself. In his hands is a towel. He takes a step closer, offering it to me.
I ignore his gesture. I’m broken, may as well be dirty too.
“This isn’t why we came,” he says, putting the towel on the bed next to me but still keeping me at arm’s length.
The laugh rises and sticks in my throat. “But you did come. Both of you,” I say, making eyes at him.
Suddenly, he hisses.
“What—” He strides forward and lifts my skirt, exposing the brand Ethan gave me. “—happened? Who hurt you? Dante?” he exclaims.
I glance down. The wound is no longer visible. It’s dressed in a white gauze which is stained red with blood. All that fucking must have made it weep. It’s not very discreet. They must have been too preoccupied to notice before. I shrug. “Adrien,” is the only word I say.
“Your fucking father did that to you?” He’s cute when his nostrils flare and his dimple appears out of nowhere.
“He ordered one of his men to. It’s fine. Stop fussing.”
Dino runs a hand through his hair. “And you want to still stay here? I don’t get you, Viola. Why? Why not come home?” His eyes plead with me to give him an answer he understands.
I could tell him about my mother. I could explain that running away again won’t fix my past. That I need to finish this. The darkness demands it. My stained soul needs it. I’m sick and tired of running. All this time I killed other perverts for vengeance, when the real monster was in my blood.
My fucking father…
But I don’t say any of this. Dino turned his back on his family long ago. Lorcan is adopted. Jude paid me to kill his family off. They would never understand the pull of familial ties.
Of blood.
I sit up and stare into Dino’s wounded eyes. He’s close enough for me to reach for him, but I don’t. He still has his hands on my thigh, branding me where he holds me with his own kind of pain.
Love taints all it touches.
And that’s why I have to burn it all down to the fucking ground.
“Let me be clear,” I say. “I am home. This is where I belong. It was fun to play vigilante with you boys for a while, but now I need to go back to being a grown up.”
“What about the plan?”
“Screw the plan. I'm a hired gun not a charity worker. I killed for each one of you. Joseph. Carl. Even Mr. Hands. You had me for a month to take care of your teacher problem. I did what I could, with no fucking reward, and look where it got me!” I snap, gesturing at the burn on my leg.
“So, what are you saying? That we were nothing but a distraction?”