Page 5 of Twisted Games of Revenge

“Yet he still runs it,” I snip, my tone full of bitterness toward the situation. I still can’t understand, if the boys all love me the way they say they do, why couldn’t they just take care of him like they would any other situation?

“You’re a smart cookie, aren’t you.”

I drop my head, staring into my drink. “I wouldn’t say so. I nearly ended up dead in your back alley tonight.”

“But you didn’t. Instead, you killed that slimy piece of shit to save yourself.” She wipes a cloth over my knife, cleaning it before handing it back to me. “You might need this again. A young pretty girl like yourself alone in this fucked-up city, I know I wouldn’t be walking around without a weapon.”

I shrug, sickness swirling through me. I don’t want to think about what I did in that alleyway. I can’t, it’s too horrible. The girl they have turned me into isn’t someone I ever thought I would be. A killer, just like them. But if I didn’t hurt him, he would have raped me, and who knows if that would have been the worst of it.

She watches me curiously. “You know that dude you killed was Wyatt Cross. He’s not just a cop, he’s on Enzo’s payroll. He was the scum of the earth, you did us all a favor, every last chick in this town. Trust me. Don’t go feeling guilty over it.”

Goosebumps prickle over my skin. He was one of the dirty cops on Enzo’s payroll. She’s right then, he’s the scum of the earth.

She holds out her delicate hand I think for me to shake. “Sloane Stryker, I think we should be friends.”

I examine her hand like it’s a foreign object. “Can’t afford friends in this life.”

Her peach lips twitch up at the sides. “That sounds like something a Moretti would say. Girls like us can’t afford not to stick together. In this town we are the minority. Unless you have some dude calling you his, you’re fair game, and we both know what happens to too many of us.” She motions to the wall, and I get a shiver down my spine.

I swallow the lump now formed in my throat. “Is this town really as bad as they all say? I used to think the boys were just trying to scare me, but now I get a horrible suspicion their threats hold some truth.”

“This town is a dictatorship and has been for way too long, fucking Enzo.”

I finally hold my hand out and shake hers firmly. There is something in her honesty that makes me trust her instantly. We both want the same thing.

“So, Harley, now that we’re friends, are you going to tell me why you’re in my club tonight?”

“I’m going to destroy Enzo Moretti.”

Her eyes go wide, and I practically see as her chin hits the floor in shock. “Get in line, sister. You and half this town who have a death wish.”

“Yeah, but half this town aren’t already missing and presumed dead. I am.”

She sits up a little straighter in her armchair, and I know I have her attention. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

I inhale deeply, knowing there is only one way to get her help and that’s by coming clean and telling her all of it. “Yesterday, I left my life as Harley Havardi behind. It was the only way to escape and make sure the Moretti boys didn’t get hurt because ofme. I couldn’t live with myself if they did. And Enzo was hellbent on taking everything from me, even his own sons. That man hates me because Alessandro had the nerve to fall for me. Or at least that’s why I think he wants to destroy me. It could also be because he killed my ma and papa.”

“He hates you because you’re female. Trust me. But let me try and understand your story. The Moretti boys?” she asks, looking confused by the ranting of the crazy girl sitting in her office. That’s what I must look like.

“Alessandro, Ricky, and Maddox, even my brother’s not safe because of me. I’m positive Enzo would have killed them all just to ruin me. So, I had to leave to save them.” A silent sob wracks through my chest, leaving a pain so deep it makes my chest feel like it’s going to implode.

She purses her lips, and I can see she is considering everything I’m saying. “So, you’re dead?”

“Yeah, I guess. I was supposed to get onto a flight to Australia and just disappear, but I couldn’t do it. I need to make Enzo pay for everything he’s done to my family and the boys. And I wasn’t leaving them here to deal with him in their way. Because they’re not fucking doing anything. Do you know how frustrating that is?”

She studies me, and I wonder what the hell she’s thinking. Probably that I should be locked up in an insane asylum. I feel like a crazy person when I explain my story, so I’m sure she thinks I am. “I’m going to help you. God knows you need it. I recognized you in a fucking second. A black hoodie isn’t a great disguise, sis.”

“It’s all I had.” Watching her, I wonder about her intentions and what I would owe for her help. I know that’s how these gangs work, well, at least I think that’s how they work. “Why would you help me?”

“I showed you the wall. Fucking Enzo is behind it all.” Her head drops, a sadness washing over her I didn’t expect to see. “And a few days ago, a very close friend of mine went missing, and I’m positive Enzo had something to do with it as well. It’s been happening more and more. I have a duty to protect my staff and my friends from motherfucking predators like Enzo Moretti and his high-profile friends who think they can use us and spit us out at the end. And any girl who wants to take him down, I’m here for it.”

“What was her name?” I ask, not sure if I really want the answer because I already know it.

“Pia.” She lets out a sad sigh.

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, trying not to see the horrible images that are still plaguing me from what I witnessed. “I’m so sorry, Sloane, she’s not missing. I saw Enzo kill her. She was working with him, giving him information to try and destroy me. And he just…”

Sloane’s porcelain skin pales further, and she nods once like she knew it already. This chick is tough as nails. She doesn’t fall apart like I would’ve. I wish I could be more like her. Instead, she holds up her hand. “I don’t want the details, Harley.”

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