Page 126 of The Slayer
If Alaine had stayed that night, she would’ve known Chuito wouldn’t have been able to deny that he was in love her. He’d never denied it. He’d never lied to her. Not really.
He’d been in love with her all along.
And there hadn’t been any groupies.
She’d just made that up in her mind like she made up so many other things.
She looked at her wrist again, seeing the mark he had left there, and let out a sob because the dream was still dead. The happily ever after. The house and kids and a quiet, peaceful life here in Garnet.
She could have it…with someone else.
But without Chuito, it just didn’t feel like a love story, not even close.
It felt like a desperate, sad reality that would stretch out into years of unhappiness because she had fallen in love with a gangster instead.
One who had killed people for revenge.
And had stolen cars.
And sold drugs.
And was stuck in the mafia whether he wanted to be or not.
She closed her eyes, because she was so very tired. She dreamed of the devil after she cried herself to sleep. It was hot and terrifying and everything she had been brought up to fear.
It scared her to death.
But she still asked him how she could buy a ticket to hell.
The happily ever after died.
But the love story didn’t.
It was still very much alive.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Alaine didn’t sleep that long.
The dreams of hell and brimstone shook her to her core. The image of the devil was still in her mind, because he had looked a lot like Chuito.
That disturbed her most of all.
She didn’t know what to make of it. She didn’t know what was rolling around in her subconscious. Maybe the sheer petrifying knowledge that she was willing to live a dangerous existence tinged with darkness and crime for Chuito rather than be forced to live out something much more sensible without him.
She couldn’t possibly be considering that.
But a part of her was, because she showered and cleaned up with determination. Then she drove to Jules’s house at a little past ten, knowing Chuito had probably gone to Tino’s.
Walked there, apparently, because he didn’t have a car.
That was quite a walk.
She parked in the driveway.
Jules and Romeo had one of those fancy four-car garages; each spot had its own door, and all but one was closed.
The one where Tino’s Mercedes GL was usually parked.
