The Payback (Team Zulu 2)

I snorted, interrupting Dante’s messed-up monologue.Random, my ass.

He ignored my outburst and continued. “You were critically injured in the shooting. The perpetrator was never found, and you’ve taken it upon yourself to embark on a career in criminology. I believe your thesis on modern organized-crime strategies is shaping up to be quite groundbreaking. How very noble of you.” Dante grinned like the devil himself. “I’m sure Kieran would be proud.”

I froze. Every muscle tensed with the urge to propel my body over the table between us and beat the ever-loving shit out of this asshole. “Don’t you dare say his name.”

He held his palms up. “Don’t get angry with me. I didn’t pull the trigger.”

A muscle near my eye spasmed. “But you or one of your men ordered the drive-by.”

“I’m a businessman. I have no desire to dirty my hands with street politics and turf wars. I’ve never been charged with a criminal offense in my life. I assure you, my record is as clean as they come.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” By some small miracle, I refrained from delivering the foulmouthed tirade he deserved.

“The fact remains, you have a motive for seeking revenge on my family’s organization. And now that I’ve seen what you’re capable of, you seem less like the pretty sorority girl I imagined and more like an assassin.” He eyed the bloody knife on the floor. “A switchblade? Really? Do you have an Uzi in your backpack?”

I plastered a sweet smile on my face. “Pass it here and I’ll show you.” I didn’t have an Uzi in there, but I did have a badass Desert Eagle .44 Magnum.

Dante let out an amused laugh. “That’s cute, but I don’t think so.” He leaned back in his chair. “I think it’s possible you’re planning something incredibly unwise.”

“I arm myself for protection. I’m no assassin.”

“Care to explain why you were snooping around where you shouldn’t?”

I ground my teeth until my jaw ached but remained silent.

Dante tilted his head, a look of curiosity on his features. “You aren’t at all what I was expecting.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “Can you get to the point? I’m sick of listening to your wannabe-Hollywood-villain death speech. Spoiler alert—you’re not winning any Oscars this year. If you’re going to kill me, hurry up and do it.” As brazen as my words were, that I was still breathing meant Dante was here for something other than blood.

He laughed. “This is rather refreshing. I usually have a very different effect on women.”

“I imagine they mostly run away screaming.”

“So foolishly brave.” He shook his head. “That will make this much more enjoyable.” He opened and shut the lighter one more time before placing it in his pocket. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in business, it’s that knowledge is power. This information I have on you, I can either share it with the boss, or I can keep quiet.”

I shifted in my seat. “Why would you do that?”

“You and I have gotten off on the wrong foot. I’m not the monster you think. I can be benevolent when it suits me.” He picked a speck of lint from his tie. “In return for keeping your secret, I want you to work for me. I know where your career is heading, and I believe you have the potential to become a valuable asset within the Justice Department.”

If he thought I’d be his puppet, he was deluded. I’d sooner have no job than stoop that low.

I shook my head. “No. Never.”

Dante’s eyes tightened, and his carefully manicured mask of civility fell away for a microsecond before he put it back in place. “Tell me, is your little goth roommate involved in your revenge plot? Should I start asking her questions?”

“No!” I blurted. God, I didn’t want Lettie dragged into this mess.

“I think I can see how things will go between us.” Dante flashed a sinister grin. “Have you ever witnessed a mustang being broken in?”

“I’m not a goddamn horse.”

Ignoring my comment, he continued. “There are several ways to go about it, but the quickest and most effective method is to break the animal’s spirit. Once they know their place in the pecking order, a harmonious relationship exists between rider and beast. It can even become more than that. Sometimes, it’s…satisfying for both.”

Vile, disgusting creep. As if we could ever have asatisfyingrelationship. I despised being in the same room as him. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more unappealing, but if you’re telling me you like to have sex with horses, then I stand corrected.”

Lettie might be right. Maybe Ididhave a death wish.

A muscle flexed in Dante’s jaw. The simmering hostility in his eyes gave the impression he wanted to toss me over the balcony to watch me splatter on the pavement below. If I couldn’t hold anything else over him, at least I’d rattled his cool.

Dante stood, and the legs of the chair scraped across the floor. He approached, and it took all my courage not to let him sense how nervous he made me. I kept my eyes trained on the featureless wall straight ahead, even as he arrived at my side.

He leaned low so his lips were close to my ear. I failed to suppress the icy tremor that shook my bones.

“Be at Vixens tomorrow night. For now, you’ll wait tables, but I plan on keeping a close eye on you to see what other skills I might find useful. I already have a few in mind.” I flinched when he sniffed my hair and almost leapt from the seat when he wrapped his cold hand around my throat. His hold was firm. Not enough to restrict air, but enough to feel the potential strength of his grip. “You work for me now. And bywork, I mean Iownyou.” His voice dropped lower as his thumb shifted up and down the column of my throat. It was a disturbingly intimate gesture that triggered a sudden bout of nausea. “If you fight me on this, and I’m really hoping you will, I’ll enjoy breaking you in, Sage. It will be my pleasure.”

I pressed my lips together to stop them from trembling. It didn’t work, and when Dante noticed, he let out a low groan of satisfaction.

Fuck you, I wanted to say, except I worried he might think that was a good idea.

As though he recognized my restraint, he said, “See? That’s better.” He released my throat and plucked his jacket from the chair. “See you tomorrow, Sage.”