The Predator (Dark Verse #1)

by RuNyx

Tristan 'The Predator' Caine. They called him the predator. His reputation preceded him. He rarely went on the hunt but when he did, it was over. When he did, he went straight for the jugular. No distractions. No playing around. For all his unruffled attitude, the man was more lethal than the knife cutting into her thigh. He was also the reason she had come to the party. She was going to kill Tristan Caine.

“It’s for your daughter’s protection, I understand—” Her father interrupted whatever Tomas had been about to say. “It’s not her protection that concerns me. It’s ours.”

“She’s dangerous but she has no idea how much. It’s best if we keep it between us.”

"One day, Ms. Vitalio," he spoke quietly, "I am going to enjoy collecting that debt very much." He leaned in, lining his mouth with her ear, his scruff rasping against her skin as her hands fisted to keep another shiver down. "And you know what? You're going to enjoy repaying it."

For whatever intents and purposes, the Outfit sons had knowledge and interest in the codes. What she didn't know was whether Tristan Caine did have the codes and was pretending not to have them, or if he was genuinely searching for them. Nothing about the man was genuine. Layers buried beneath layers.

If voices could be drinks, his was a centuries-old vintage whiskey, rolling off the tongue, down the throat, leaving a trail of fire inside, making every cell in the body aware that it had been consumed.

A walking, talking Mission Impossible, that's what he was.

"One day, I'm going to carve your heart out and keep it as a souvenir. I promise."

"No one else gets to kill you, Ms. Vitalio," he spoke quietly. "The last face you see before you die will be mine. When it comes to death, you're mine."

In that moment, the enemy had done what no one had ever even tried to do for her. He had made her feel a little less lonely. The moment would be over when the sun came out.

"We've been honest so far, Ms. Vitalio," he murmured. "I'll be honest now. I despise you but I want you. Fuck it, I do. And I want you out of my system."

“You see this room? Here’s where we play. But it’s not for money. For information.”