Dalliance - Z.M. (An Exquisites Original Story)

16; Devil In Me

Chapter 16

"And I'll never get the devil outside of me."

(Zayn's POV)

When I had received Raine's text, it was safe to say that I was angry. Not at Apollo, not at the whole fucking thing, but just at Raine. Why, why can't she just stay out of trouble for a second?

It seems that she can't control herself from getting in cars with viciously horrid serial killers, I mean, I do understand why she would want to in the first place. It seems like a picnic to me. Note the sarcasm.

Apollo, too, can't keep his sneaky little hands off of her, which already infuriates me more. The jealousy in my blood when I see her getting lured into his whole ripper vibe swirls like a tornado, and if it weren't for the fear of death, I would've raised my gun and shot him in the head every time he even glanced at her the wrong way.

After I'd gotten out of my initial stage of mind boggling anger, I'd gotten myself to text and call Apollo, over and over again, until he gave up the location. They were at the training facility, most likely preparing Raine for the horrors of the underground, the hidden world beneath our very feet. It wasn't surprising to me that she had been so easily latched onto all of this, Apollo been planning it for a while. I just never expected him to get away with it.

Now that he has, though, I know I can't stand between him and the master plan he has that I need to know more about. As far as I know, she looks like Moon, the daughter of our biggest competitor, and she can get things done that neither of us can. I hadn't expected to get pulled back into the life I'd temporarily attempted to forget, yet now that Raine's here, I can't force myself out.

I've been trying to gather as much information as I possibly can about the importance of Raine for Apollo, but all I know is that she's useful for a few missions, nothing more. I'm planning on digging up more blood-stained dirt and latching onto a loophole that can pull the both of us - Raine and I - out of this mess.

She's handling all of this relatively calmly compared to everyone else who has walked into our operations and ended up ending their own lives rather than handling the responsibility. Raine deserves credit, and no doubt the longer she's in this, the more toxic it'll get. Still, this isn't the life for her. I'm going to get her out of all of this, no matter the price I have to pay.

Now, I pull up right behind Apollo's car at the facility. When I step outside my car, I spot Ana standing against the wall, a cigarette between her lips. Her gaze is glued on me brazenly, eying me as I walk up the steps and towards the gate.

I attempt to ignore her because I'm here for Raine, but she doesn't let me go without a clever remark.

"Can't even say hi?"

I stop dead in my tracks, swallowing hard. My sanity is telling me to walk in the building, but all of the anger and frustration she's built inside of me since she's left is pounding at me, screaming to escape.

"You couldn't say bye," I snap, turning to look at her. "It's only appropriate."

She cocks a brow, taking a step towards me. I let go of the door handle and turn to face her, crossing my arms over my chest. Her blue eyes, once my kryptonite, now haunt me every waking moment of every day. Today's the day it stops, the pain, the fucking hurt she put me through - no more.

"Time has done you well," she compliments teasingly, though it does nothing for me.

"Why are you back?" I ask her, not caring for the small talk. When I had heard she was back, I'd had hoped it was for me. But no, of course it wasn't. She's back for everything in the world but me, and I know she'd leave again without looking back. It makes me hate her, standing this close to her. It makes it hard for me not to pull my gun out, but I control myself. I need answers first.