Page 8 of The Devil's Wrath

I hailed a cab and gave the driver an address across town. As the city lights streaked by outside the window, I pulled a compact mirror from my purse and touched up my makeup, painting my lips a deep, vengeful red.

The cab pulled up to a seedy-looking bar on the outskirts of town. I paid the driver and stepped out, the bass from the music in the bar pulsing through the soles of my feet. I strode inside, ignoring the leering stares of the men hovering around the pool tables.

I scanned the room until I spotted him—Jake, Connor’s “best friend.” He’d always had the hots for me . . . and every other possession that Connor claimed as his. He leaned against the bar with a beer in hand and a smug grin on his face. I strolled over, putting an extra sway in my hips.

“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.” He smirked as I approached. “Surprised to see you slumming it in a dive like this.”

I leaned in close, trailing a finger down his chest. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he quickly recovered, his grin turning predatory. “Is that so? And what exactly brings you here tonight?”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the back of the bar. “I think you know exactly why I’m here, Jake.”

His eyes gleamed with wicked delight as he allowed me to lead him into the dimly lit hallway. “I like the way you think, babe. Connor’s had this coming for a long time.” I shoved him into the wall and pushed my body flush against his. He gripped my hips, his breath hot against my neck. “I’m in. Whatever you need, I’m your man.”

I smiled, a cruel twist to my lips. “Good.”

We stumbled into the bar’s filthy bathroom, a tangle of groping hands and bruising kisses. I needed to lose myself in sensation, to drown out the pain with pleasure. I wanted to make Connor hurt. I wanted to destroy him like he’d destroyed me. Jake was more than happy to oblige, hiking up my skirt and shoving me against the graffiti-covered wall.

It was rough and primal. But tenderness was for fools who still believed in happily ever afters. I was done being a fool.

After, as I adjusted my clothes and reapplied my lipstick, Jake leaned against the sink and lit a cigarette. “So what’s the plan, Wrenly?”

“Plan?” I questioned. “No plan.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “No? Then what was that all about?” He gestured between us, the implication hanging heavily in the air.

I shrugged and feigned nonchalance, even as my insides churned with a toxic brew of emotions.

Jake let out a low chuckle, taking a long drag of his cigarette. “Come on, babe. I know you. You didn’t just fuck me in this shithole bathroom for the hell of it. You’ve got something brewing in that devious mind of yours.”

I met his gaze in the cracked, dirty mirror, my lips curling into a smirk. “Maybe I’m just full of surprises.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. But I also know revenge when I see it. And you’ve got vengeance written all over that pretty face.”

I turned to look at him, plucking the cigarette from his fingers and taking a slow drag. The acrid smoke burned my lungs, but I welcomed the sting. It made me feel alive, electrified with purpose. “That wasjust me taking what I wanted for a change. Using instead of being used.”

“Not that I have any objections to that, but Connor might kill us when he finds out.”

“Connor may be a professional fighter, but he’s a little bitch when it matters.” I crushed the cigarette under my heel. “It’s simple. He thinks he’s untouchable—that he can fuck around and I’ll turn a blind eye. But he needs to know that two can play that game.”

Jake chuckled darkly. “So, what, you’re just going to fuck your way through his friends until he gets the message?”

I shot him a withering glare. “Don’t be crass. I have a bit more finesse than that.”

“You sure you want to go down this road?”

I met his gaze unflinchingly. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m game for whatever you’ve got planned. But let’s be smart about this. Connor may be a cheating scumbag, but he’s got a temper. And he’s got friends in low places.”

I waved off his concerns impatiently. “I can handle Connor. And as for his friends? I’m about to find out just how loyal they really are.” I planned to do so much more than that. I wanted to bring his whole world crashing down around him. I wanted him to feel the same gut-wrenching betrayal that I’d felt when I’d caught him with that skank’s lips wrapped around his dick.

Jake whistled low, pushed off the sink, and closed the distance between us, his hands coming to rest on my hips. “I’m down. But I gotta ask—what’s in it for me?”

I traced a finger along his jawline. My eyes locked with his. “What’s in it for you?” I leaned in close, my lips brushing against his ear. “The chance to finally one-up Connor. To show him that you’re not just his little sidekick.”

Jake’s grip on my hips tightened, his breathing growing ragged. “Fuck, Wrenly. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

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