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“You think you can leave me because someone claims to see you? I made you. I made you into the monster you are!” he yelled out.

Another grunt of agony slipped from Gunner as Mario snatched the knife back out. Blood began seeping out of his injury. Fuck Mario for thinking that he could own me like some object, that he felt he could try to make me feel like everyone sought to use me the way he did.

Chaos erupted the moment my body collided with Mario. My hand met soft fabric as my blade slid into Mario’s body like a hot knife through butter. Only the hilt was visible, the rest buried in Mario’s chest. A shot rang out, and blood spray littered the air. The sound of Gunner’s shouting let me know he was unharmed, and I focused on the warm body pinned under me. Mario’s face was already turning ashen; his eyes were widened in shock, but the crazed look had yet to leave. His hips bucked under me to unseat me, the drugs in his system prolonging his demise. He deserved to die slowly, and I wished I had the time to make him pay. But him dying, knowing I would never be his, would haunt him for eternity.

“I gave you everything!” Spit hit my face as his yell echoed in the room, loud enough to drown out the commotion.

“You gave me nothing,” I screamed back at him. “You kept me caged, dangling affection as a prize. But I never had your affection, Mario, did I? I was your obsession. But you made a grave miscalculation in thinking I was a meek creature. Now I’m going to rip your heart out like a trophy. I wish I’d known that I was letting a devil lead me away that day in the alley.” I leaned closer to Mario’s face, wanting him to see the hatred for him in my eyes. “I should’ve made you my second kill that day. Done El Diablo the favor of collecting you early. Say hello to him for me, asshole,” I said through clenched teeth.

Blood spilled from his mouth when he opened it to speak, an evil glint in his eye.

“I’ll see you there soon, Muñeca,” he whispered as I was hit with the familiar feeling of skin being punctured. I looked down to find a knife protruding from my abdomen. A yell sounded from behind me, but my vision started to blur, the last of my adrenaline leaking from my body. Before I could hit the floor, warm arms surrounded me.

“Damn it, Ryan. I was kidding when I asked if you were pulling some Cleopatra shit. You better not die on me.”

Suck a dick, Gunner.

“Words, babe. I want your words.”

I thought my mouth was opening and closing, and I’d said that aloud.

“I’m pretty positive you’re verbally castrating me in that pretty little head of yours. I want to hear it, babe.” The panic in his voice had a vise grip on my soul. “Give me something, and I need you to open your eyes. Damn it, Ryan,” he rushed out.

I hadn’t realized my eyes were closed. I tried to peel my lids back open, but they felt heavy and refused to cooperate. Rough fingertips brushed blood-matted hair away from my face, and the sounds rushing past clued me in that we were moving.

My throat felt cracked and raw while my lips were bruised. The toll of what my body had gone through was catching up, and the world went black.

Ryan

“Ms. Hernandez, if you touch those IVs one more time, I’ll whack you upside the head.”

I rolled my eyes at the charge nurse but didn’t rip out the plastic tubes like I wanted. She would hit me. I’d learned the hard way when I first woke up.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I won’t touch them…but only if you smuggle me an extra pudding,” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. Her hands landed on her hips, and she raised an eyebrow. Her salt-and-pepper bun moved back and forth as she shook her head. This must’ve been the mothering look people talked about.

“Please,” I tacked on, adding a sugary sweet smile that wasn’t anything like what I felt.

She gave a curt nod before leaving the room, and I was alone—again.

Two days.

That’s how long I’d been in this stark room with no clue what the fuck was going on. No Dex. No Nikki. No Gunner. I swiped at the tears streaming down my face. Every time I thought of him, those fuckers showed up. It pissed me off that my body reacted that way. I was angry he’d lied to me, angry I’d trusted him. And I was angrier that I still missed him, that when I’d felt his arms around me before the world went black, I’d bothered to hope he would be here when my eyes opened.

But he wasn’t.

Mario’s words came rushing back. Tell her, Gunner. Tell her how you fucked her for information.

My thoughts were so jumbled. How had I not known? But then again, how would I have known?

“The man cut off a fucking finger for me. What kind of agent does that?” I yelled out, my hands coming up to tangle in my hair. But there were also clues from the beginning. Clues from Gunner himself.

Legally acceptable? You think I’m a cop or something?

A humorless laugh fell from my lips. “Damn, you even asked me outright, didn’t you?”

I turned to my side and fell asleep, hoping my dreams wouldn’t involve a man with piercing green eyes.

A faint knock came from the door. But I didn’t bother acknowledging it. I just stayed curled on my side, staring at the wall. Like I had been for hours.