“Thank you for being so understanding—especially under the circumstances, Wolf.”
He pulls back, and smiles at me, though I think he’s still sad.
“Maybe it’s because I’m older than this Devil and mature, but it could be because I love you so deeply. All I really want is for you to be happy.”
“Devil makes me happy,” I assure him. “I have to find him.”
“I can’t believe he left you, Tor. That’s not right. Maybe he doesn’t care for you—like you do him.”
“He cares. I mean, he’s never really said he loves me, but he definitely cares,” I murmur, trying not to let the doubts fill me.
“I don’t know this Devil enough to tell you either way, Tor. But I do know one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Real men don’t leave. If it had been me, they would have had to kill me to get me to leave you,” he says.
His words make me feel weird… It feels disloyal to Devil. I mean, it’s good to hear—I wish Devil was the one telling me that—but, at the same time, Wolf doesn’t know what our relationship has been like. He doesn’t know the hoops Devil has jumped through for me.
“I—”
“A real man never leaves the woman he loves. It doesn’t matter what the argument is about, Torrent.”
I think over his words. He’s really taken this better than I thought he would. I might be able to keep my friend out of all of this and that makes me feel better. Wolf is the only family I have left and I need him—especially if Devil won’t forgive me.
“I need to talk to Devil.”
“Torrent, are you sure that’s a good idea? It’s clear he doesn’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to see you chasing after someone who doesn’t deserve your time.”
“I have to, Wolf. I have to know if we can work it out… or if it’s over.”
“Very well.”
“What?” I ask, surprised.
“If you want to see him, I’ll take you to his hotel. We can go right after dinner.”
“That won’t help. Devil checked out of his hotel. I uh… I checked yesterday while I was in town.”
“Oh—”
“I should have told you. I’m sorry, Wolf,” I rush to tell him.
“It’s dangerous, Tor. I’m not sure what went on with Dodger. I’ve been trying to figure it out and tracking down leads, but until I can explain why the Koreans involved you at all, I don’t feel comfortable with you going someplace I don’t know.”
“I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself, Wolf.”
“But you can’t. You didn’t listen before and you were kidnapped. Because of that your father lost his life. You need to be more careful, Torrent,” he chastises and his words kill me.
They’re true, but having them spoken out loud by someone who loves me, destroys me.
“I need to go see him, Wolf.”
“See Devil?”
“Yes. I need to face him and at least try to explain everything.”
“Torrent, I can’t let you go that far on your own.”
“Then you can take me. Please? If Devil could hear from you that I’ve explained everything, it might help. If he could see us together, maybe he would understand.”
“Torrent, your father left a mess behind. I can’t pick up and leave right now. I only just got back.”
“But—”
“Besides, you don’t even know if he’s there. Devil could be anywhere. You don’t know anything about him. He might even have another woman, baby. You need to face the facts. He left you, and a man that could do that without an explanation can’t be trusted.”
I listen to Wolf and think about what he says. Devil… with another woman…
It feels like I can’t breathe. I don’t think he would do that. He cares about me. No. There’s no way.
I feel certain of that for about a minute. Then I remember how we first met... Devil at a store with a buggy full of condoms, planning to party.
Shit.WolfI plant the seeds where I need to, but I’m growing intensely bored with this damn game. When I get back to the club I’m going to need a bottle of whiskey and definitely play time with some of the girls. Had Devil not stuck his dick where it didn’t belong I might have been playing with Torrent tonight. At least I could have stuffed my cock in her mouth to keep from hearing her drone on and on.
A new plan is starting to hatch in my head. If I could make the club believe that Torrent and I were getting married and then kill her and leave her to be found the day of the wedding… I’d gain all the members’ sympathy and cooperation and be done with Torrent at the same time.
I sift through the particulars in my mind and almost don’t catch what she says next.
“I’m sure he went back to his club. His president was in trouble.”