The image of Gio’s face splattered in blood as he laid punch after punch to one of my kidnappers shoves itself into my head. Then the flash of silver as he sank a knife into the man’s throat follows it. There are two Gios—one is the playful golden retrieverand the other… smiles as he beats a man to death. Forgetting that fact would be a dangerous thing.
Nolan, Lex, and I get out of the car and round to the back where Gio’s already met up with someone he appears to know. He’s got his arm slung over one girl’s shoulders and is talking animatedly with her and her friends. To my surprise, none of them shove him off or demand a peon like him get lost. Instead, the girl under his arm cuddles closer and makes goo-goo eyes up at him.
My own attention narrows. “He better fucking watch it,” I say coldly.
The men on either side of me look at me and then back to Gio. It’s Lex who sighs and steps forward. “I’ll remind him to keep it in his pants.”
“No.” I stop him with that one word. “He can fuck whoever he wants to fuck,” I tell him honestly. “You all can?—”
“Baby—”
I hold up a hand, stopping Lex from defending either himself or his boys. I need to say it. “I don’t care what the three of you do. If you want to be manwhores and get your dick wet in any pond of sludge you want, have at it.” Slowly, I meet first Lex’s eyes, then Nolan’s. “But if you try to climb back into bed with me after the fact, we’ll have a fucking problem.”
Nolan’s shoulders tighten as he turns to face me. “We’re not fucking around on you, Jules,” he says, his tone just as severe as my own.
I flick a look to where Gio laughs at something one of the blonde bimbos surrounding him says. “Yeah? You could’ve fooled me.”
“Look at him.” Nolan’s command has me scowling.
“I am,” I snap.
“No, reallylookat him,” he repeats, moving closer. Nolan shifts until he’s right back at my side and then slightly behindme. He bends, pressing his mouth close to my ear. My eyes travel across the grounds to where Gio is.
The jeans and t-shirt he changed into are clean, but there’s no mistaking the holes in his pants and the fade of the shirt color as anything other than the wear of time. It’s not a homeless-style fashion that rich kids exploit to seem down-to-earth. It’s the reality of not buying new clothes every other week and throwing them out after one wear. It’s not wasteful. It’s real usage.
Why the hell did he even want to come? If it was just work then they could stop in and do what they need to and then bounce, but no. Gio wants to stay. He wants to play.
“See the way his eyes tighten at the corners,” Nolan breathes, reminding me of his presence.
Sucking a rapid breath, I focus on Gio again. Now that Nolan mentions it, I do see how tight the skin around his eyes is, and his mouth.
“His hand is loose over her shoulders,” Nolan points out, gesturing beyond me to where Gio has his arm wrapped around the girl. She’s clinging to him, but other than the arm he has around her, he’s not touching her. He’s not even leaning into her, but slightly away as she brushes against him.
“If he doesn’t want to be over there, then why is he?”
Nolan rounds me, hooking his own arm around my shoulders and dragging me much closer than Gio’s currently holding the Barbie wannabe. “Because, Princess.” His voice dips low, seductively so. “We’re here for more than drug dealing. We’re here for information too.”
The inside of the McMansion is as elaborate as the outside. I’m not sure if I recall who actually lives here or not. I’ve been to somany houses over the course of my high school years—this year notwithstanding—that I’ve lost track. As I make my way inside, though, I pick up the little clues that tell me even if I have been here before—no one actually lives here.
All of the paintings on the wall are pretty, but none are of any real value. They’re either prints of famous art or photographs of old people that have likely passed on far before this party was ever even a thought in whatever teenage idiot’s brain that contrived it. It’s not unlike the house that Viks is staying at. There are plenty of wealthy families from all over that buy up land and build elaborate mansions even in places like Silverwood. They stow the expense under some elaborate tax deduction and let it rot until it’s useful for some vacation or another.
“I’ve got some rounds to make,” Nolan announces as soon as we’re past the door, nodding towards Lex. “You’ve got her?”
I scoff, drawing his attention. “I’ve got myself,” I say. “I don’t need a bodyguard.” Even if it’d be nice to just hang with one of them, if they truly do need to work, I’m not going to kick up a fuss.
Nolan snorts and shakes his head. “Princess, you’re not the one who needs guarding. Everyone else needs guarding from you.”
I flip him off much to his amusement and he disappears into the throng of people a moment later. Lex and I make our way through them next, dodging around the girls in their sky-high heels and trying to breathe through the sheer amount of cologne filling up the space. Had all the prep parties been like that in the past and I’d just forgotten?
A hand captures mine and I glance up. Lex is so close, practically smashed against me that I can’t even see his face, just the subtle ticking of the vein beneath his jaw. He tightens his hold on me and nudges me in another direction. I start movingand soon enough, the two of us have made our way out of the initial crowd of partygoers and into what looks to be a giant kitchen. When I spy the professional bartender slinging drinks in a black button-down shirt as he smiles for a couple of giggling girls, I swear I throw up a little bit in my mouth.
I waste no illusions that he’s flirting with who are obviously underage girls. He’s probably hoping for even more in tips than whoever is paying him to be here. All thoughts of the bartender at this kind of party evaporate as Lex leans into my space, so close that his lips brush my cheek for the barest of seconds.
“Stay here, I’m going to grab us something to drink.”
I squeeze his hand back in understanding. A moment later, he’s slipping away. Propping myself on the wall nearby, I scan the crowd. An odd sense of curiosity curdles in my gut. I recognize a few of the girls I’d once gone to cheer camp with. As much as my mom wanted me to be the next cheer queen, even they knew I’d never been as into it as they were.
Ten minutes go by without Lex’s return. I arch up onto my feet, looking over people’s heads as I try to catch sight of him. I take a step away from the wall, intending to go find him when a shocked gasp stops me.
