Chapter 45: Chapter 45

I looked over, startled as people rushed to hold Kali, one of the participants, back as she tried to lunge at Tessa, another participant. Tessa clung to the arm of a man as she watched Kali nervously.

The commotion attracted many eyes, and everyone began murmuring in confusion, wondering what was going on.

“Are you trying to embarrass me?” the man standing with Tessa barked at Kali.

“You’re embarrassing me, you bastard! You dirty, backstabbing asshole! I hope your dick shrivels up in her dry fucking hole!” Kali screeched.

Gabby gasped. “What language!”

“What’s going on?” I asked Gabby and Rena as we watched the man quickly grab Kali and escort her from the room. Her screeches echoed as they moved farther and farther away.

“We know nothing,” Rena replied.

“The news will likely spread soon,” Gabby said. Out of the three of us, she was the most social—her networking skills were off the charts. Learning information was easy for her, which was why I thought she’d do well in the intelligence unit for the Roscottos.

“Hey, Catalina, we haven’t had the chance to meet yet. I’m Tina.” One of the candidates came to introduce herself. She was someone I’d never interacted with before, but I didn’t turn down her attempt at making friends.

That set off a chain reaction, just like at the opening ceremony. Now that the games were coming to an end and my position was set in stone, everyone seemed to be interested in connecting with me.

It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I quickly adjusted. Gabby, Rena, and I stood in the center of the largest group in the room.

We talked about the games and the toll each game took on us before we speculated about what was next. Some women were still in the dark about the theme for each game, so I relayed that information.

Through the women’s gossip, I surprisingly learned a few interesting details, like the fact that some of them were already getting offers from different branches within the organization, and that a Volkov spy was imprisoned in one of their homes.

Even the men mingled with us and participated in our conversation, offering their expertise on certain situations.

The only candidate who stood out like a sore thumb was Heidi. She was the sole woman sitting among a group of men at the back of the room. They were the members of the Reaper Corps. Their aura was intimidating to say the least, fitting for the Roscotto family’s personal bounty hunters.

Heidi happened to glance in my direction, and our eyes met. Different shades of brown clashing together with an array of emotions.

There was something about her that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. She made me uneasy. Her eyes, especially. They gave nothing away. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

I broke eye contact and tuned back into the conversation happening around me.

Soon after, I spotted Stefano walking out the door, his phone pressed to his ear.

~Is he leaving?~

“I’ll be back,” I said, excusing myself from the group and following him out of the hall.

The chilly night breeze caressed my exposed shoulders as I looked around for Stefano’s familiar figure. I spotted him off to the side with his back turned and quietly walked closer.

I didn’t alert him of my presence and simply stood behind a large column, listening to his conversation.

“Camille is at your club again?” he asked, his voice laced with irritation.

Was he talking to Anton?

“What is she doing?”… “Dancing? Is she alone?”… “What friends?”… “Watch her for me. I’ll send her guards over.”

He hung up the phone and then dialed another number.

“Where’s my sister?” His voice was thick with his anger. “You don’t know? So you lost her?”

I smiled to myself. It looked like Camille pulled another one of her disappearing tricks to evade her security guards.

Stefano ran a hand through his hair and began to pace.

“I don’t care about your fucking excuses. She’s at Anton’s club. Find her and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”… “Does he have a fucking bucket list? There’s only one club Anton visits!” he snapped down the line and then hung up the phone.

I watched as he released a heavy breath and bent his head back to look up at the sky. He tucked his hands into his pockets and simply stood there, lost in his thoughts. His figure struck quite a lonely scene, and it made my heart ache.

I wanted to go to him and keep him company. Our fight had gone on for way too long. There were probably so many things burdening him right now, and I wanted to help as best as I could. I wanted to share the strain he placed on himself.

Just as my feet moved to go to him, a shadow walked by me, and I blinked in surprise as a woman approached him. Another participant.

I froze.

“Um, excuse me…”

Stefano turned to look at her. Annoyance festered in me as I saw the way she bashfully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled up at him.

~Was she attempting to flirt with my boyfriend? Was she tired of living?~

“Hi, it’s chilly outside, isn’t it?”

“Who are you?” Stefano asked. His skepticism toward her immediately calmed the raging waves of anger that were simmering under my skin, so close to the surface.

I loved that he could easily see through her act and didn’t bother to entertain her.

She wanted to try and push her luck with Stefano. I knew some women often approached other men in these games, but Stefano had never had that happen to him. At least, not to my knowledge.

Everyone knew that we had dated before the games started, so trying to change his mind so he’d abandon me was next to impossible.

I guessed some women still had those lofty goals, however.

The woman seemed determined as she sashayed toward him with a confidence I couldn’t help but admire. “I’m Vanessa. You look as handsome as ever, Mr. Roscotto.”

My lips curled in disgust at the way she purred his name.

Stefano glanced at his watch impatiently. “You should tell that to Catalina. Maybe then she’d treat me better.”

~Excuse me?~ My eyes narrowed. There was a bitter undertone to that compliment, as if he was trying to say that I was being the difficult one. Because of that, I couldn’t even enjoy the fact that he mentioned me to her.

Vanessa giggled and made an act of hugging herself to signify that she was cold. “Catalina doesn’t appreciate you. You need someone better. Someone who’d be willing to kill for you if you asked her to.”

A wry smile curled his lips. “And where would I find a woman like that?”

She shrugged and bit her lip, glancing up at him furtively. “She may be closer than you think.”

Stefano waved her away, his lips pulling into a straight line. “I’m not interested. I’m satisfied with my girlfriend.”

I smiled.

Vanessa lightly tugged on his jacket. “But can she satisfy you enough for you to call her your fiancée?”

~Bitch!~ I glared at her, one thought away from storming over there myself and dragging her away from him.

Stefano clenched his jaw and said through gritted teeth, “I’d advise you to keep your hands off me.”

Vanessa couldn’t take a hint. Her finger trailed down his side as she teased. “Why? Are you fighting the urge to give in to me? I know many ways to make a man cum. There’s this trick I do…with my teeth…”

Stefano quickly gripped her hand and bent her wrist backward before releasing her. She yelped in pain and tugged her wrist into her chest with wide eyes.

Stefano glared and raised his voice. “If I have to warn you again, I’ll put a bullet through your head. Do not touch me without permission. You are not her.”

Embarrassed, Vanessa turned around and scampered away.

Just as she approached my little corner, I walked out of the shadows and blocked her path. She stopped, startled to see me.

“Catalina!”

She still held her wrist to her chest.

I pulled out the gun that was strapped to the holster on my thigh.

She stiffened, taking a step back in fear.

I opened the clip and let all the bullets fall to the ground. I caught one and gripped the arm Stefano had injured. She cried out as I forcibly shoved the bullet into her palm and closed her fingers around it.

I smiled. “Try that again, and this will be the bullet that ends you.”

“You’re crazy,” she muttered.

My smile widened. “For my man, yes.”

She quickly shoved past me and disappeared inside. I watched her leave before turning to face Stefano.

He was already looking at me, with churning gray-blue eyes that sang choruses around my heart. We stared at each other for a few seconds, many emotions passing between us.

But the emotion that stood out the strongest was something we didn’t need to speak out loud.

Love.

Both of us stepped forward until we were face to face, and Stefano’s arm snaked around my waist to tug me into him. I tilted my head up, anticipating the clash of our tongues in a heated kiss that sent my mind and body reeling.

I gripped his hair and tugged him close, our heated kiss turning into a make-out session filled with our pent-up frustrations.

When Stefano pulled away, his lips latched onto my neck greedily.

His ragged breathing echoed in my ear as he pulled away. “Are you ready to go home?”

I panted. “Yes, sir.”