Page 33 of Violent Truth
LILY
Dice clutchestwo eyeballs in his hands. He reaches for my face, dropping the flesh to the carpet. The orbs land with a dull thud.
He wipes the back of his bloody knuckles on my cheek, stroking me. The blood is cold on my skin, but his touch is so damn warm.
And I laugh. Because I feel happy. I feelsafe.
My best friend is alive. I found her. And Dice saved us both.
Another man with crew cut black hair shows up behind him. An unlit cigarette hangs in his mouth. I spot his missing pinky and remember his name—Ronin, the same man who escorted me from the club, to the resort, and back to my house. He tosses Dice a set of keys, and Dice gets to work, unlocking Piper, then Katie. Ronin helps them stand up.
Dice leaves me locked up.
I pout my puckered lips at him. “What are you waiting for?”
“Don’t do this again,” Dice growls.
“I told you I was done waiting.”
“No. You said you were done. That’s it. You didn’t say you were going to break into Mr. Harry’s home by yourself.”
“I didn’t break into his home. I was invited in!”
Dice shakes his head slowly, both annoyed and amused by my response.
A man with black eyes spotted with patches of blue, circles the corner. He glances over at me. “All of this for a fucking woman,” he says.
Another man comes up behind them, running a hand through his gray hair.
“Mr. Harry made it clear. He was never interested in signing the contract. He was probably pulling us along as part of his arrangement with the Ito-gumi,” the old man says. “Dice made this decision for himself, just like you carve your own path, Niko.”
At those words, Dice looks down at me.
“You do that again, and I will chain you up forever,” he warns. There’s a softness in his black eyes. He’s serious, only because he wants to protect me.
I want to protecthimtoo.
“Deal. Are you going to unlock me now?” I ask playfully.
This time, Dice stands up and rolls his shoulders. His eyes never leave mine.
“I like you in chains,” he says.
My thighs twitch, and that hint of amusement in his expression grows. Heat travels between my legs, warming me from the inside out.
“Then lock me up in your cage,” I whisper.
Then, for the first time ever, Dice smiles at me. It’s awkward and unruly, like a goofy predator, and seeing that expression makes me melt.
Piper’s body quakes, tipping to the side from exhaustion. The old man catches her.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “He gave me these drugs, and I can’t—”
She shakes her head, too drowsy to finish her sentence.
“We’ll take care of you,” the old man says. “Don’t worry.”
Dice unlocks me, then helps me walk over to my friend. I wrap an arm around her back, holding her up.
