I didn’t even know she had a daughter. Then again, Raf tends to keep quiet about his family bullshit. If she hadn’t shown uphere, he may never have mentioned it– but now that she has, the guy is like a ticking time bomb, dangerously close to detonation.
He’s been on a rampage ever since he saw Ava yesterday. I overheard him leave several screaming voicemails for his father, but as far as I know, Gideon hasn’t called him back yet.
Which has Raf raging even more.
The most effective way to unleash his inner demons is through a fight, so I’ve been texting with the coordinator of the bare-knuckle boxing matches in Dyersville to book Raf a slot. In the meantime, though, we just have to deal with his shitty mood as he struggles to keep his rage contained.
“So, what are we going to do about her?” I ask as the three of us sit around our usual table for lunch in the Bistro, knowing one of us has to bring it up and it sure as shit isn’t going to be Wes. He’d rather keep the peace than instigate chaos.
Me, on the other hand… I live to watch the world burn.
Raf stops chewing, his frigid gaze flickering up to meet mine. If looks could kill, I’d be a fucking goner, so it’s a good thing the devil’s not ready for me to claim his throne in hell yet.
“Can I at least fuck her before we run her out of here?” Wes sighs, assuming he knows where this is going. “She’s already primed, just give me ‘til the end of the weekend.”
I shake my head, eyes trained on Raf’s. “She’s not going anywhere, is she, Raf?”
He just stares back at me, deadpan.
Wes squints, his gaze sliding between the two of us while we remain locked in a staring contest. “What do you mean?”
Wes doesn’t have the same psychopathic tendencies that Raf and I do. Don’t get me wrong, the dude’s still fucked in the head, but he buries that shit deep and tries to pass as normal while the two of us embrace our inner demons.
Why hide them away when they’re so fun to dance with?
I don’t break eye contact with Raf, my lips spreading into a devious grin. “He wants to play with her a little before we cut her loose, dontcha buddy?”
It’s almost too perfect. Raf has an axe to grind when it comes to his father’s whore, and what better way to do so than punishing Ava for the sins of her mother? Gideon just did his son a fucking favor by delivering her here to our doorstep, offering this girl up to us like a sacrificial lamb for the slaughter.
The look in Raf’s eyes is stone cold, but the corner of his mouth ticks up the slightest bit, making him look goddamn deranged. I’d never say it out loud, but he’s every bit Gideon’s son. And since I know Raf as well as I do, I could peg the cruel, twisted game that was forming in his brain from a mile away.
“You guys are fucked up,” Wes mutters.
I dart him a smirk. “Does that mean you don’t want in?”
“Of course I want in,” he grumbles.
Because even though Wes plays the role of the golden boy, he’s just as twisted as we are. Probably even more so, if he ever fully gave himself over to the darkness inside instead of trying to repress it.
The Invictus society not only creates monsters, but also provides a playground for them to flourish.
“So, how do you want to play this?” I ask, leaning in with a conspiratorial grin. “The way I see it, Gideon just served this girl up to you on a silver platter, Raf. This isourturf,ourrules, outside of the damn Invictus itself. They handed us full reign here to cut our teeth, so I say we take advantage of it, show her where her place is.” I lean back with a shrug. “Hell, maybe your old man sent Ava here as a peace offering, so you can take out your rage on her instead of him for a change.”
“Sounds like something he’d do,” Wes snorts. “Sadistic bastard.”
Raf’s Adam’s apple bobs with a hard swallow as his gaze slides between Wes and me, his expression an unreadable mask. Then he finally speaks.
“Tonight,” he says simply, lifting his coffee cup with a sinister gleam in his eye. “I say we throw a little party, give her the welcome she truly deserves.” He swings his gaze to Wes. “You said you laid the groundwork, right? Make sure she shows up.”
I see a flicker of hesitation in Wes’ eyes, but it’s gone just as quickly as it appeared. While he may be the only one of us with some semblance of a conscience, he’s going to enjoy toying with Ava just as much as Raf and me. Maybe evenmore.
“Easy,” he scoffs, never lacking confidence in his ability to charm the pants off a girl. I’ve gotta admit, he’s proven gifted in that department. He’s a far cry from the skinny nerd who couldn’t get a girl to give him a second look in middle school.
“Speaking of easy,” I mumble, my gaze lifting as Stella, Chelsea, and Blair strut into the Bistro.
The three of them are the queen bees of this place– the ones every girl wants to befriend and every guy wants to fuck. Except for me, because prissy and uptight is decidedlynotmy thing. Or Wes, because Stella’s his twin sister. Though some twisted part of my mind delights in that taboo fantasy.
Raf casts a glance in their direction, beckoning them with a lift of his chin.
