A Promise of Torment (A Violent Agenda)

VIOLA

The next morning, I wake up early before it’s even light to check my phone for messages. Then I grab some sports gear from my room and go for a run. There’s nothing from Dante yet so I can only imagine he was too busy to check in. I use the run to sort through my thoughts.

There’s a flare of dawn in the sky as I push my body to the point where I’m gasping for breath. The cold has seeped through my clothes to my skin, chilling the sweat and burning my lungs.

Reminding me…

I’m not dead.

Yet.

I run for a while longer. When I get to the edge of Adrien’s property, my anklet starts going berserk. I slow down to a stop, panting, and glance down at it. The light on the side is flashing red.

When I was younger, I watched one of Adrien’s whores get dragged back to him with her leg blown off. I always thought at the time that one of the security men might have done it with a shotgun. But now…

Has the fucker really put an exploding fucking leash on me?

“I wouldn’t go too far if I were you.”

I spin around to see Gigi, face smug. What I wouldn’t give to peel that face off, strip by strip. She must see that in my eyes because she steps closer and closer until she’s right on top of me. I, on the other hand, have nowhere to go. If I keep moving back who the fuck knows what will happen. I wouldn’t put it past Adrien to have collared me in a way that means I physically can’t leave. Not if I want to keep my fucking leg.

“Back off, Gigi,” I say, looking up at her. She’s taller than me. But that just means she underestimates me.

She steps closer again. “If you want to try and escape, I won’t stop you. In fact, I may just help you.”

The bitch is going to push me.

I brace myself, lowering the center of gravity, knees bent and locked. It’s a fighting stance for women that’s meant to make it impossible to be moved or tackled to the ground. Quinn was the one who taught it to me when we used to train together.

I don’t get to find out if it holds up because the scream of an engine revving makes us both startle.

I glance behind me as Gigi looks over my shoulder.

A disgusting yellow McLaren roars onto the driveway and then pulls up beside us. The window is down enough for Lorcan to stick his head out.

“Get the fuck in.”

I don’t wait for a second invitation. I walk around Gigi and then step around the front of the car. I slide into the soft leather bucket seat, and as I pop the seatbelt closed the car takes off toward the estate.

“You went home?” I say as we pull into the courtyard in front of the house.

“I wasn’t fucking staying here all night. I almost didn’t come back.” Of course he didn’t. Lorcan needs someone to hold him or he can’t fucking sleep. I haven’t forgotten.

“Harmonica kicked you out early?”

Lorcan snorts. “As a matter of fact, the other way around.”

“Good for you,” I say. Then after a moment I add “You shouldn’t have come back.”

“I keep my promises. Unlike some.”

I wrack my brain to think of a promise to him that I’ve not fulfilled yet. “I told you. I’m working on killing Kristian,” I say.

“No, you sent Dino to keep tabs on him while you played happy fucking families with your stepbrother.”

So that’s it. He’s jealous.

“I never told you Dante was my stepbrother.”