Dangerous

Chapter Twenty Three: I Prefer Words Over Bullets

I grab a cookie off the plate and take a bite, staring out the window.

A couple more members of the Q Team had arrived and while some remain distant and quiet, the others introduce themselves. They all seem to have some kind of past with Quinn, like:

"She killed my sister. So I'm just getting back at her."

"She deserves to die- she killed my mother!"

Although it makes sense that they want revenge, this is MY Quinn and I hate every single one of them for trying to kill her. Sammie is probably the only exception.

As I take another bite of cookie, Sammie takes a seat next to me. "Kind of funny in a sickening way, isn't it?" She says. "A bunch of people gathered, talking and eating, planning the death of a murderer."

I look at her. "Yeah. Funny."

She sighs and takes a drink of lemonade. "Do you like the cookies? I made them."

"Of course you did." I take another bite. "They're good."

She nudges me. "I-" she cuts off as the door to the apartment gets knocked down.

"Where's Ariana?" Cole demands.

"Oh my god," I mutter. "Cole, what the hell are you doing here?" I say through gritted teeth as I stand up.

"I don't want you here with these psychos," he says, his eyes darting around at the faces of the readily armed Q Team.

"You have no say in it," I hiss out.

"I've listened to their conversations. They're sick people."

"And I'm not? You're not?" I growl. I walk over to him. "You better get out of here before I kick your ass."

He flinches and a feeling of satisfaction intensifies in my head.

"Now, wait a minute," Tanner says, walking over. "We can't let him go. You heard him- he knows all about us."

I turn on Tanner. "So what are you saying?" Though I don't show it, my heart races with fear for Cole. He's strong and so am I, but there's not a high chance we can both escape if needed with the whole Q Team after us.

Tanner looks thoughtful. "Do you have a criminal record?" He asks Cole.

I answer for him, "He went to jail, charged with murder. I got him out and erased his criminal record."

"Well, maybe....we could..add him to our team?" Says Tanner. "It's either that our kill him: completely up to you two."

I purse my lips and glare at Cole. "He can join," I spit out finally.

"Good." Tanner smirks.

* * *

After introducing Cole to a few people, I go to the apartment across from where the Q Team's HQ is, only to find it's already occupied by a girl named Mary who's on the Q Team.

I had talked to her for a minute in HQ- we had to be pulled apart. Let's just say I don't like her. At all.

"Sorry," I say with false politeness. "Didn't know this room was infested with snakes."

Her glaring gaze looks me up and down as she snickers, "me neither:"

"You really don't want to test me," I warn, narrowing my eyes.

"You can't do anything about it- I doubt Tanner would be happy if you laid even just a finger on me," she growls.

I smirk. Perfect. If I can't touch her, I can use my words against her. I haven't been able to destroy someone with them in so long and excitement flows within me.

I sigh as I walk to the window. "You're an open book, you know that, Mary?" I say, looking outside.

She snorts, but looks a little curious and scared. "Yeah, okay."

"Really, you are. I mean, I practically know everything about you." I shrug.

She laughs nervously. "You don't know anything about me."

Now's my chance.

"I know that you spend every second every day wishing you were prettier and cooler than you are," I sneer. "I know that everything you do is so that maybe you'll get ranked up and people will stop looking down on you. I know that you have never experienced love as a child." She looks down and I find another thing out about her. "Your parents are dead, aren't they?" I wrinkle my nose.

She whips her head up. "How do you know that?"

"Darling," I growl. "You're an open book. Let me tell you more that you might not even know. I know that you're out of your mind scared of all these murderers around you. Deep inside, you know this isn't your place but you've turned to it because killing, you think, will take your pain and put it on somebody else. You know you're worthless and so you see no point in trying to be worth something. You know you're not wanted. And another thing- you're terrified of me." I lean close to her. "You're terrified of the things you've heard about me. You know what I can do. And I bet you just realized- I'm doing it to you right now."

I am hanging her by her neck with my words and I love the feeling. Tears fill her eyes, she looks frozen, and then she falls to her knees on the ground.

That is how things work. You don't mess with the legend that is I, Ariana Montgomery. Because I am full of deadly poison.