Page 50 of Trigger's Temptation

Capone lights up a cigarette, and I rush inside. I find Aerianna hitting Jonas Mercer with a metal pipe. She has blood splatter on her face, neck, and arms. Jonas is swinging back and forth with his head down and blood dripping from his face.

I carefully grip the metal pipe in her hands, and she lets go. “Easy, Little Kitten.” I pull her close. “I got you.”

Aerianna looks at me with tears in her eyes. “He killed her.” Aerianna straightens her shoulders and clears her throat. “He told me that after his brother, Josiah went missing, Jonas played with Allison for months before he got tired of her and killed her. He knew I was looking for her. Trigger, he knows all about me. How? Is he my stalker?”

I tighten my hold, shielding her from the horror around us. “No, baby. He’s not.”

Her body trembles against mine. I shift my gaze to the new guy. He’s awake, fear replacing hatred in his eyes. He shakes his head violently. I exhale. “But I think I know who is.”

Aerianna shivers, her fingers gripping my cut. She’s close to losing it, and I don’t want her to feel vulnerable in front of people she doesn’t know. I glance at Tiny and Dagger. “I’m going to take her in to get cleaned up. Get the information we need from him, and then you have free rein.”

For the first time in my adult life, I didn’t get my hands bloody on this one. It’s a strange feeling not to be the one in charge during a torture session, but my priorities are shifting. They are now focusing on the beauty in my arms. She is my top priority now and forever.

Once Aerianna has my cut on her back and my ink on her skin, the only way out for either of us is death.

Aerianna presses a trembling hand to her face as I lead her inside the clubhouse, away from the sounds of the interrogation. She’s still covered in Jonas’s blood. I watch the emotions on Aerianna’s face as her thoughts drift to what just happened. She stares at herself in the mirror, breathing heavily, and finally, it hits her. She’s never been this person before, the one who draws blood in cold, calculated vengeance. But I know for Allison, she would do it again.

“You okay?” I ask, standing behind her and resting my hands on her heated shoulders.

Aerianna flinches, wiping away the blood splatter from her skin, but the tremor in her hands is too much to hide. “I’m fine,” she’s lying.

I always know when she’s not being honest with herself. Aerianna turns to face me, her back against the sink, still trying to regain control.

“You’re not fine. Talk to me, Aerianna.”

“I killed him, Trigger. I hit him so many times, and he...” Her voice cracks as the reality of what she’s done sets in. “I wasn’t the person I was when I walked in there. He made me that way.” Her voice drops to a whisper, “I’m broken.”

Aerianna’s body presses closer against mine as she fights to steady her breath. Her heart races against my chest, and I can feel the struggle within her, the guilt and the darkness of what she’s just done. But I also feel her resolve, the unshakable drive that’s been with her since I first met her. She’s fighting a battle inside herself, and I know she’s trying to reconcile the woman she was with the woman she had to become tonight.

“You’re not broken, Aerianna,” I murmur, my voice soft but firm. “You’re still you. But now, you’re stronger than before.You’ll never be the same, but that doesn’t mean you’re not still the woman I trust with everything.”

Her arms tighten around me, clinging to the comfort I offer, and for a moment, we just stand there in silence, the only sound is her labored breathing. The blood on her hands, her clothes, it doesn’t change how I see her. It doesn’t erase the woman I’ve come to care for deeply, even if she’s not sure how she feels about it yet.

“I don’t want to lose myself,” she whispers against my chest, her voice fragile but steadying as the minutes pass.

“You won’t. I won’t let you,” I promise her, holding her even tighter, as if my arms can protect her from the demons she’s facing inside. “Whatever happens, we face it together. I’m right here, Aerianna.”

She pulls away slightly, just enough to look me in the eye. Her gaze is vulnerable and raw, but I can still see the fierce determination in her that pulled her through tonight. “I don’t know if I can live with what I did.”

I gently tilt her chin up, guiding her to meet my eyes. “You don’t have to decide that right now. Tonight was about getting answers. You’ve got them. Now, let’s just breathe, okay?”

She nods, a tear slipping down her cheek before she wipes it away quickly. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Aerianna. You’re mine, and I’m not going anywhere.”

The tension that’s been coiling in her shoulders slowly starts to dissipate as she leans into me once again. I know it’s going to take time for her to process all of this, but I’m not going to let her go through it alone. Not when I’m the one she needs, and she’s the one I need.

“I’m right here, Little Kitten,” I murmur, brushing my lips over her forehead. “Always.”

As I hold her, the weight of her decision looms, but the connection between us solidifies further. She might have crossed a line tonight, but the safety and loyalty I offer make it all feel like it was worth it.

Chapter 21

AERIANNA

As Trigger comforts me, my mind starts to spiral again, the image of Jonas bleeding and gasping for breath still fresh. The questions gnaw at me. My head is pounding, trying to figure out who is stalking me.

I pull away from Trigger’s embrace, my eyes searching his face for answers. "You said it wasn’t Jonas, so who the hell is it, Trigger? Who the hell knows everything about me?" The pain in my voice is laced with fear. Fear of someone watching me, waiting for the right moment to strike.

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