Chapter Eighteen

EMMA

Emma nestled against Dante’s side, her fingertips tracing idle patterns across his sweat-slicked chest. She tilted her head to gaze at him, noticing the faraway look in his eyes as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured, propping herself up on one elbow. “You seem distracted.”

Dante exhaled heavily. He turned to face her, his expression grave. “Kiki is dating Joey. And he’s showing signs of PTSD. I’m worried about him.”

Emma sat up in bed. “What? How do you know that? Did he come to see you?”

“No. Kiki had her claws into him at a club she hangs out at in New Haven. The way Joey flinched anytime someone walked too close to him and the way he was reacting to noises and loud stimulation was telling. I’d have to talk to him more to be sure, but I’ve seen that look before, in guys coming back from war zones.”

“I’ll talk with him. Make sure he sees a doctor.” Emma knew it was just like Joey to suffer something like this all by himself. She had known something was up. It was almost a relief to know she hadn’t been imagining things.

“Why was he with Kiki?” she asked. “Was he trying to hurt me?” That was almost unthinkable, but Emma wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

“No,” Dante said. “He hadn’t known about the memes and Kiki claimed she was hacked.”

“Bullshit,” Emma snorted.

“Has Pepper been giving you any problems?”

“Pepper Dayne?” Emma thought about it. “No. She and Kiki were frenemies though.”

Dante grunted. “Kiki tried throwing her under the bus as the one responsible for the posts.”

“I’ll talk to Joey,” Emma said again. “Remind him that Kiki has been a bitch to me since I’ve gotten here.”

“He might not believe you,” Dante said.

Emma’s mouth opened and closed for a moment in shock. Of course he would believe her. She was his sister. But then she recalled how hurt he had been when they talked at the diner about Dante. Emma had asked Joey to butt out of her love life. What if he said the same thing to her?

“I want to protect Joey,” she said. “Just like he wants to protect me. But I can’t, can I?” Just another thing she seemed to be failing at.

“There is a way.” Dante paused, seeming to choose his next words carefully. “If we want Kiki to back off and leave the two of you alone, she’s got to believe that you and Joey don’t matter to me.”

“Is she in love with you?” Emma asked, caught between jealousy and misery.

Dante snorted. “No. She’s a toddler who is pissed her toy got taken away from her. But unlike Ezina, no one has ever shown Kiki the proper way to act when something like that happens. I tried, but she didn’t want to hear it. I was already trying to transition her out of my dungeon when she pulled that stunt in Colleen’s office.”

“Did you sleep with her?” Emma hadn’t meant to voice that aloud, but now that it was out there, she both wanted to know the answer and dreaded it.

“No.”

“There’s more. I can tell by your tone.”

Dante shook his head. “I let her blow me a few times.”

Emma grimaced. “Did you ever...” Make her come? Send her into orbit with your tongue?

“No.”

That was something at least.

“And while she was still my sub, the sexual part of it had stopped long before you came to Couture. She was not what I wanted and I was not who she needed.”

“She seems to think differently.”

“That’s because she doesn’t like to hear the word no. She would have come to that conclusion on her own eventually. Now, she’s fixated with making me pay. Unfortunately, that means you and Joey are on her radar as a means for her revenge.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“Kiki thrives on attention and causing chaos. If no one is paying attention to her or cares what she’s doing, she’ll move on. The only thing I was able to come up with was that we’re going to have to either pretend not to be a couple or hide our relationship from anyone who might report back to her.”

Emma stared at him, stunned into silence as the implications sank in. Hide their relationship? After everything they’d already been through to be together? Her mind reeled, struggling to form a coherent response. She shook her head slowly, trying to clear the fog of disbelief.

“So what exactly are you saying? That we have to sneak around like we’re doing something wrong? Pretend there’s nothing between us whenever we’re in public?”

Dante reached out to stroke her cheek. “I don’t like it any more than you do. But if it keeps that psycho bitch from messing with Joey’s head and your life, I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

Emma sat up, drawing the sheet around her body as a sudden chill ran through her. The warmth and intimacy of their passionate encounter just moments ago now felt like a distant memory. Her mind churned with conflicting emotions—anger at Kiki for forcing them into this position, fear for Joey’s well-being, sorrow at the thought of losing the joy of openly being with Dante.

As much as it pained her, Emma knew Dante was right. Protecting Joey had to be the priority right now, even if it meant sacrificing some of their own happiness. She understood the toxic influence Kiki wielded all too well. How many times had her cutting remarks and vicious sabotage left Emma doubting herself?

“I don’t want to hide. I think...” She couldn’t finish the sentence, emotion clogging her throat. Dante pulled her back into his arms, holding her tight against his chest. Emma squeezed her eyes shut, breathing in his scent, memorizing the feeling of his skin against hers.

But then she pulled back from Dante’s embrace, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Is this what you want?” She hated that her voice wavered.

Dante shook his head. “No, but it’s the only way I can think of to make Kiki bored enough to find another victim to torment.” He cupped Emma’s face, his thumb brushing away a stray tear. “I hate this as much as you do, but we have to protect Joey.”

Emma leaned into his touch, drawing strength from his presence. “There has to be another way to put an end to this nightmare.”

“I’m open to ideas. If you can think of anything, I’m all ears.”

Emma’s shoulders slumped as she shook her head, her mind drawing a blank. The weight of their predicament settled heavily upon her, and she knew what she had to do. “I don’t want to sneak around, Dante. I think it’s best if we end things for now.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I love you, Emma. Never forget that.”

A sob caught in Emma’s throat as she reached up and unclasped the collar from around her neck. The delicate metal felt heavy in her palm as she pressed it into Dante’s hand. Without another word, she slipped out of his bed and left his bedroom. The chill of the night air raised goose bumps on her skin. She managed not to lose it until she was safely back in her own room. Then she cried like her heart was broken, because even though Dante said he loved her and this separation might only be temporary, it was broken.

***

THE NEXT DAY, EMMA found herself in the storage closet, mechanically sorting through the racks of clothing. Her movements were robotic, her mind a million miles away. She couldn’t shake the misery that clung to her like a second skin.

Pulling out her phone, Emma typed out a message to Joey with trembling fingers. I broke up with Dante. Your turn to end things with Kiki. She’s no good for you. She hit send before she could second-guess herself, hoping that Joey would at least call her. He hadn’t returned any of her phone calls for the past two days. Mom and Dad said he hadn’t come home either. Emma wondered if he was staying with Kiki.

Kiki’s relentless online attacks had taken their toll, each vicious comment and snide remark chipping away at Emma’s sense of self-worth. She could feel the weight of the ridicule pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. Why had she put herself out there and tried roller derby? Had she stayed at Couture, stayed safe, this would have never happened.

As she leaned against the shelves, Emma tried to focus on the task at hand, but her vision blurred with unshed tears. The fabric beneath her fingers felt rough and foreign, no longer bringing her the joy and excitement it once had. She was so sick of crying.

In the oppressive silence of the storage closet, Emma felt more alone than ever before. The internal battle raged within her, the urge to run back to Dante’s arms warring with the knowledge that she had to see this through. Just until Kiki had moved on and Joey went back on assignment. She could do this. This was already the longest Joey had been home since he joined the army. He’d probably go back any day now. With a shaky breath, Emma straightened her spine and wiped away her tears. She had waited all these years for Dante to recognize her. She could wait another few months.

Emma dragged herself back to her desk and slumped into her chair. The computer screen glared at her, and she halfheartedly clicked through her emails, trying to distract herself from the emptiness that consumed her.

An unfamiliar subject line caught her eye, and Emma frowned, her curiosity piqued. She opened the email, her eyes widening as she read its contents. A contact from her student teaching days was asking if she was interested in interviewing for a teaching position at a local kindergarten.

Emma leaned back in her chair, her mind reeling as she realized that she wanted to apply. Searching her feelings, she was honest with herself. Was she still afraid of the violence? Yes. She thought she always would be. Was she going to let that stop her again? She thought about it. She thought about it long and hard.

The opportunity presented itself like a lifeline, a chance to escape the chaos and heartbreak. Yet, even as the possibility of a new future dangled before her, Emma hesitated.

She glanced around the office, taking in the familiar surroundings that had become her second home. Couture had given her a sense of purpose, a place where she could excel and grow. The thought of leaving it all behind filled her with uncertainty. She’d gotten her confidence back here. Dante had helped her grow into being Queen Mab. And, yes, while Kiki had put a bit of a dent into all that hard work, she hadn’t obliterated it. Emma’s experiences here, both at Couture and in Club Inferno, had awakened a strength within her that she never knew she possessed.

She had faced her fears, embraced her desires, and discovered a resilience that had been lying dormant all along. The thought of stepping back into a classroom and doing what she loved, what she had gone to school for, was tempting. It was like she had been given a second chance.

Before she could second-guess herself, she wrote back to her contact telling them to submit her name as a candidate for the position. Then she hit send. For a panicked moment, she wondered if it had been the right thing.

Yes. It had been. At the very least, she could interview for the position. She didn’t have to take it if she was offered it. Heck, they might not even want to interview her. But it was a start. It was something positive. Something better than just wallowing in self-pity and allowing Kiki Pretty to dictate her life.

Kiki had taken so much from her—her confidence, her relationship, her peace of mind. It was time for Emma to take something back. She returned to her computer, her fingers flying over the keys as she accessed Couture’s employee files. Maybe there was something in Kiki’s modeling assignments or contracts that could give Emma leverage to back her off Joey.

Was what Emma doing illegal? Yes. Should she stop right now? Yes. Was she going to? No.

As she scrolled through the information, her eyes scanned the screen for any connection that wouldn’t like the type of mean-girl publicity that Kiki was throwing out there. Dante had taken away Couture from Kiki and that had to have been a blow. What could Kiki not afford to lose? Emma didn’t know, but she was going to find out.