Page 57 of Desire
Chapter Seventeen
DANTE
Dante stalked into the crowded New Haven nightclub. He scanned the room, searching for any sign of Kiki amidst the entangled dancers and drinkers. If Kiki thought she could get away with tormenting Emma, she had underestimated just how far he would go to protect what was his. This was where Kiki liked to hang out after getting punted from Couture. A flash of platinum blond hair caught his eye.
There. In the roped-off VIP section.
Kiki lounged on a black leather couch, sipping a martini as Joey sat rigidly beside her, face pale and fingers clenched tight around a glass of what looked like scotch. What the hell was he doing here? And with her, after what she did to his sister?
Dante moved through the undulating crowd, his gaze locked on his target. He shouldered past giggling twentysomethings and rowdy frat boys doing shots.
The closer he got to the VIP section, the more tightly he had to control his temper. She had seen him approaching and was enjoying every minute of the enfolding drama. Dante had to be careful not to give it to her. Kiki’s eyes met his, glinting with wicked amusement above her martini glass. She leaned close to whisper something in Joey’s ear. Joey tensed, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. The pained look on his face only stoked the boiling rage Dante struggled to contain.
As he stopped in front of them, Kiki’s glossy red lips curled in a practiced pout. She crossed her long legs, stiletto heels flashing. “Dante, what brings you here tonight?”
Dante narrowed his eyes. He kept his voice low and controlled, words slicing through the thumping music. “Cut the crap, Kiki. You know damn well why I’m here.”
She blinked up at him, all false innocence and barely concealed malice. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. I’m here enjoying a night out with my new boyfriend.” Her fingers slid possessively over Joey’s thigh.
“Really?” Nausea churned in Dante’s gut, because he was sure Kiki was just playing with Joey.
“Why don’t you fuck off?” Joey said, standing and swaying slightly. But it wasn’t the same Joey who had confronted him in the parking lot the other day. This Joey looked like a caged animal, wincing at the bright lights and huddling from the loud noise.
“Are you okay, man?”
“I said fuck off!” Joey roared.
“Why are you even here with her after what she did to Emma?”
“Emma?” That snapped some clarity back into Joey’s features. “What’s he talking about, babe?”
Kiki scoffed, meeting his glare head-on. “Oh, please. I didn’t do anything to your precious princess.”
Dante’s blood boiled, fingers twitching with the urge to wrap around her slender throat and squeeze until she choked on her lies. But she’d probably get off on that. He inhaled deeply through his nose, reining in his temper. “Don’t play games. I’ll show him your Instagram reels, how you made fun of Emma and turned her into a meme.”
“What?” Joey snarled, suddenly looking for a moment like his old self.
Rolling her eyes, Kiki shoved at Joey’s chest, but he didn’t budge. “You’ve got it all wrong. I was hacked. I bet it was Pepper. That anorexic pothead has had it out for me and Emma for months now. This was all her idea to hurt Emma and make me look like the bad guy. And you fell for it.” Crocodile tears welled up in Kiki’s eyes.
A mirthless laugh escaped Dante’s throat. “You expect me to believe that? You really think I’m that stupid?” His voice grew colder, quieter. Deadlier. “I know you, Kiki. I know what you’re capable of.”
She matched his icy tone, green eyes burning into his. “You don’t know anything.”
Joey stepped between them. “You need to go before I give you the ass-kicking you so desperately deserve.”
Dante’s jaw clenched, his gaze flicking from Joey’s strained expression to the way his shoulders hunched, as if bracing for a blow. He’d seen that look before, recognized the signs of a man haunted by trauma, drowning in the memories of a battlefield far away.
Drawing a measured breath, Dante took a step back, giving Joey space. “I’m not leaving until she deletes those posts and issues an apology for what happened ‘when she was hacked.’” He used finger quotes to underscore the last part.