After the driver drops us off at the main road, I leave Dino to pay him a huge tip, and walk up the long driveway to the school.
With the millions in his offshore account, Dante, according to Quinn when I made Dino call her back, went ahead and bought the buildings of Sacred Heart using a shell company he owns after the school had permanently closed. He never told me that he did that, but I guess I never asked.
Why the hell would a grown-ass man want a school?
I wait until I’m inside the building to ask him that to his face. Dante and Lorcan are sitting inside the teacher’s lounge when I enter it. Well, Dante is. Lorcan is standing outside the courtyard window on his phone talking animatedly. He hasn’t seen me yet.
“This is a step up from a cabin in the woods, D,” I say as soon as he looks up. My eyes flick to the gaping hole in his shoulder. He’s been shot.
“You made it,” Dante says, jaw clenched as he takes me in. “Where are your fucking clothes?”
“Quinn’s bringing some over,” I say, clutching Dino’s jacket around me as I stalk over to inspect Dante’s wound. It’s not too serious. I let out a breath. “You’ll live.”
“Glad to hear it. Will you?”
“Just a bruised lip, a broken wrist, and a sore head. Why this place?” I ask him, ignoring his real question because I’m not ready for it, roving my eyes over the chintzy sofas and the dark wood paneling on the walls.
What just happened is going into a dark pit in the depths of my psyche like everything else, to be dealt with a lot later.
“It’s the last place anyone, including your father, would look for us,” Dante says.
I nod but furrow my brow, glancing back at the guy I grew up with. “That’s why you bought it?” I know nothing about this man.
“No. I bought it because after you killed the headmaster, it was dirt cheap.” He smirks. “And I always wanted to run an assassin school.”
I stare at him until I realize he’s fucking with me.
I punch him in the shoulder.
“Goddamnit, V.” He winces.
“Don’t fuck with me.” I glare until he holds up a hand.
“Fine, fine.” He gives a slight chuckle. “Besides being a hitman, I also flip property. And I’m going to make a killing turning this place into apartments.” I always wanted to know what Dante does besides slaughter people. Now I know. It seems too mundane.
His blue eyes run up and down the length of me. There’s an expression of concern.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re off your game.” His eyes narrow as he cocks his head. “What happened?”
I shake my head. No. I’m not going there. Whatever happened in that house with Kristian stays in the fucking dark pit until I kill him.
“I’m fine,” I lie as the door opens and Dino bursts in with Quinn.
“Oh my fucking god,” she exclaims as she storms over. She takes one look at me and shoots an evil eye at Dante as though it’s his fault, and then escorts me down the hallway to the girls’ locker room where she orders me to shower and change.
I don’t try to fight her.
I’m done fighting for a little while.
In actual fact, I might be done, period.
After I skin Kristian alive and cook his genitals while he watches.