Page 13 of Desperately Delicate Viper

The dusty smell of the rarely touched books in this section of the library tickles my nose. Tucked into the back corner of the medical science section with my back against the row of books on the bottom shelf and a psychology textbook open in my lap, this is the closest thing to a “happy place” I have in my life.

My lips move silently as I eagerly read through a chapter about schizophrenia, drinking in the information like a parched man in the desert. It’s almost as interesting as the chapter I read last week on bipolar disorder. Almost.

Sometimes when I sneak away to hide here for the afternoon, I pretend everything about my life is nothing but a wild daydream I cooked up to make my boring life as a college student more exciting.If only.

It’s nearly impossible to dissociate like that today though. Not with memories of last night running through my head on repeat. The look in Luca’s eyes when I kneed him, the oddly gentle way he held me in place against the wall…

Why didn’t Luca just shoot me in the back while I ran away? It wouldn’t have been that difficult, would it? Even in the dark, afew blind shots would have made sense. But here I am, still alive and kicking. For how long though?

I shift the textbook on my lap and chew on my bottom lip absently.

He said he wanted to talk, but that had to be code for… something, right? If he didn’t want to kill me, surely Luca Moretti has to have another punishment in mind. Maybe he wants to pimp me out himself until he’s satisfied that I’ve learned a lesson about stealing from him. I shiver at the thought and my stomach twists itself in knots.

The worst part of all of this is that my plan was to buy a new identity from the Morettis before leaving town. Clearly that’s shot. I huff and let my head fall back against the shelf behind me, dragging my thumb over the glossy paper mindlessly as I consider my options.

Is there any chance that if I return the money and his watch, Luca will be willing to laugh this whole thing off? There was a time when I would have been naive enough to believe that, but I’ve seen too much shit in my life now. Guys like him aren’t content with breaking even. He’ll want something to soothe his bruised ego too.

A memory of wiping the tear off his cheek while I fucked him flickers through my mind, and I rub the aching spot in my chest.

The buzz of the alarm on my phone draws my attention to the time. I make a mental note of the page I’m on, then slide the book back into its spot on the shelf. Maybe once I get out of Wildcliff, I can enroll in some community college courses somewhere. It feels foolish and a little childish to dream of a better life, but I need something to hang on to. Fighting to protect Finn has kept me going this long, but once he’s out of my dad’s reach, I’m going to need to fight for myself. Until last night in that alley with Luca, I wasn’t sure I even knew how.

While I gather my stuff and get to my feet, I think about the other night in Luca’s car, the way he described me, the fire he said he saw in me… I feel like his words woke up a strength inside that I didn’t realize was there. It made me want to be the man he was describing; fierce and dangerous, the kind of man no one dares to fuck with.

I pull my phone out of my pocket so I can turn off the alarm. A familiar notification pops up along the top and I frown. Why would anyone be sending me money right now? I click on the little icon with the dollar sign on it, and the cash app opens on my screen. My breath catches and my knees quake as I read the transaction history once, twice,three times, trying to convince myself I’m misreading it.

LucaM has sent you money—$1,000

I scroll down just to make sure that it’s not the same notification from the other night when we met at the bar. But no, this one is definitely new. I tighten my grip on my phone and dart a glance one way, then the other as I hurry through the quiet stacks. The hair on the back of my neck prickles and I feel like the unfortunate heroine in every over-the-top slasher movie that’s ever existed. I pick up my pace until I’m practically sprinting, ignoring questioning looks from the librarians and other patrons as I flee towards the main door and burst out into the parking lot.

Everything is quiet, but that doesn’t do anything to convince my heartbeat to slow down. My phone vibrates again, and I yank it back out, fumbling it thanks to my trembling hands. It tumbles to the ground, and I stoop to pick it back up. When I press on the screen, there’s another notification from the cash app. I click it, and this time, instead of more money, the alert is telling me there’s a note attached to the recent transaction.

I squeeze my eyes closed for a half second, imagining a million terrifying things Luca might have typed out, from bonechilling threats to a cinematic “look behind you” that would precede me turning around to find his gun pointed directly at my face. Finally, I gather my courage and open the note.

I don’t want anyone else touching you. If this isn’t enough, tell me how much you need and I’ll make it happen.

You’re mine.

XX

Heat rushes through me and all the terror I felt seconds ago is swept away on a wave of indignant rage. I’mhis?

What. The. Fuck?

Who the hell does Luca Moretti think he is? I mean, besides the obvious…

I huff and grit my teeth. Clicking on his profile, I create a transaction to send him one dollar so I can attach a note of my own.

Fuck you.

It only takes a second before another thousand dollars hits my account with another note attached.

And here I thought I would have to beg.

My lips twitch with a grin that I quickly smooth into a scowl, even though I don’t think Luca can see me right now. I glance around the empty parking lot again just to make sure. I ignore the urge to respond again, even though adrenaline and an odd sense of excitement are pumping through me now instead of fear.

What is Luca playing at? He said he wasn’t into fucked up head games, but I can’t figure out what any of this means if it isn’t just a way to twist me up mentally before finishing the job. A petulant part of me wants to march my ass down to the warehouse district like I’d planned to tonight just so I can spit in the face of Luca’s command not to let anyone else touch me. But outside of the satisfaction of spiting him, there’s no reason forme to put myself through that if I already have the money I need to take home later.

I grin to myself as an even more fun, petty idea occurs to me. Luca sent me twice as much as I need. I could squirrel away the extra like usual, or I could spend his money on something way too indulgent, like treating myself to a fancy dinner and some new clothes.

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