Chapter 23
I don’t knowwhere we are.
Or why I was so angry in the first place.
But the look in Mac’s eyes as he hovers over me makes me not give a flying fuck.
With a grip on the back of the chair, he sinks himself inside me, every muscle in me turning to mush. He groans in my ear, thrusting deep, his throbbing hardness against my tightening walls. “Did I make myself clear?” He hovers his lips closer.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Feeling him inside me again gives me that thing I hoped for. It’s like it erases everything. I’m not worried about why he didn’t respond. Or why his name’s on the mural. The way he consumes me reminds me of just that. We’re a team. We sure as hell fuck like one.
“Now come for me like a good girl.” When he plants his lips on mine, that seals it. A wave of euphoria washes through me as the walls fall apart around us. So do my fears. So does the image of Greta in handcuffs.
My body is his again as I let it all out. “Fuck, Mac!” I cry before his hand slams over my mouth. My body feels like it”s being shocked again and again as my brain goes blank. I melt into his kiss, into his thrusts. I let myself fall apart on Mac McKinsley.
He keeps his eyes on mine as his thrusts slow, my body collapsing into the chair I’m tied to. His words land in my ear. “Try to fuck me over again and we’ll have a problem, Everett.” His voice rumbles through me as my trembling body before he pulls away. His thickness leaves me, and I crave it again. Mac is the worst drug. He’ll leave you in withdrawal in seconds.
Standing up, Mac’s eyes wander my body, spent and used by him. Pulling his pants up, he smirks before he turns towards the door. “And stay the fuck away from Gray Whitney.”
“Madame.”A server in a black vest stands next to me, holding a tray of champagne I know tastes like heaven. Taking it, the first sip already helps calm my nerves.
“You’ll be at Paradise Botanicals tomorrow night, understand?”
I don’t know if I should be here after what happened to Greta. I haven’t heard from her. I don’t know where she is or if she’s okay. I also haven’t heard from Mac since he devoured me in the rink’s control room.
My cheeks tingle remembering how he sunk himself inside me. How he took control. How he reminded me we’re a team.
I hope that rings true tonight.
The champagne in my hand matches the heels on my feet, courtesy of Mac. This two-piece black ensemble I”m wearing is a gift from him too. A laced crop top with a cutout means there’s more skin exposed this time. I usually hate wearing something this revealing but this outfit makes me feel like a model again. And the way the flowy skirt hits the floor makes me feel regal. A queen.
Paradise Hill’s botanical gardens is a fairytale, on acid. The theme is Alice in Wonderland and it’s as smokey as the caterpillar’s pipe. The smell of different flowers blends with tobacco and weed as guests smoke at their will. The setting sun casts an enchanting glow on the elite crowd dressed in designer labels. Tall trees I’ve never seen stand adorned with fairy lights, twinkling as I walk by. They help welcome me into this whimsical realm. One I finally feel part of.
My eyes scan the crowd for that sculpted body. Those shiny eyes. But I don’t see him.
“Who keeps inviting you to these things?” Hannah emerges from a bush of lilac flowers. She”s in a sparkling white dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. Two slits on each side of her dress reach her ass, and the top of her dress sits like a bra. She eyes mine, her nose twisting.
“Wait, let me guess.” Grabbing another glass of champagne floating by, I hold up my free hand like a stop sign. “I’m Valley Vermin and I don’t belong here.”
“Even in McQueen.” She crosses her arms, the rest of her posse joining her in more revealing numbers. “It doesn’t matter how many designer dresses you steal. You won’t fit in. Ever.”
Faking a yawn, I look around the room again. Still no sign of Mac. “Hannah, you bore me. Kinda like how you bore Mac.” Her head jolts back. I smile.
“Ember Everett?” A woman with a pink pixie appears beside me, her matching pink nails coming to my shoulder.
Hannah blurs in my vision as my body stills.
Blinking, it’s hard to get the words out. “Gerri Mainland?” It might look like we know each other but Gerri is a well-known QuickGram influencer turned mogul. All from her digital art.
“I’m so honoured to meet you.” Her multi-coloured dress makes her look like a fairy, especially when she smiles with purple-painted lips.
“Me?” Turning my back to Hannah blocks her out of this moment. “I’m so stoked to be here with you.”
“Your work is blowing up,” Gerri explains. “And for good reason! It’s spectacular. Can we chat?”
Spectacular? Is this really happening?
“Uh, yeah…” I’m still in shock as Gerri takes me around the garden. While my eyes search for Mac along the way, I’m on cloud nine without him. Gerri praises my work and tells me of other known artists falling in love with me.
Me!
“You’re going places,” Gerri says, clinking her champagne flute to mine. “And I can’t wait to see where that is. Paradise Hill is a great start for you. There are so many?—”
“Tell me how much you hate Malcolm McKinsley.”
Beau’s voice startles me, Gerri’s words fading as Beau’s voice comes from a distance.
“Fuck Malcolm McKinsley, that insecure asshole.”
My eyes widen, my grip tightening around my glass as my voice follows.
“I want his head. On a platter. On a stick. Buried six feet deep.”Where the fuck is that coming from?
“Is that you?” Gerri looks around.
Scanning the space, I spot a speaker near a big stone fountain not too far away.
“He’s a predator I wish would go extinct. And I’ll be the one to do it.”
“I’ll be right back,” I say, my heels hustling to the speaker.
“I want his head. On a platter. On a stick. Buried six feet deep.”
My words replay, my stomach tight, my hands turning to fists. Did he do this?
My hands wrap around the chord when I get to the speaker, tugging it out. But that doesn’t stop my voice.
“I wish he would die. Even if I have to be the one to do it.”
My eyes land on another chord and I follow it. Getting closer to the source, my stomach tightens.
It brings me to a big screen, a projection of my face large enough for everyone to see. I’m holding a flask, my face so red you can hardly see my freckles. It’s the video from that night in Beau’s car and if people doubted me being there before, they sure as hell won’t now.
Rushing to the screen, I pull it down, guests gasping around me as it clatters to the floor. But that doesn’t stop my voice either.
“I’ll be the one to do it.”
A speaker stands closer to me and I reach for the chord plugged into a column. Tugging it out, silence takes over.
My shoulders drop but looking around makes them come right back to my ears. Everyone stares at me. Whispering.
“Ember was with Beau before he died?”
“You think she killed him?”
“I knew we couldn’t trust Valley Vermin.”
“She wants to kill Mac.”
I shouldn’t be here.
I was an idiot thinking I should.
It was only a matter of time before I came face-to-face with Beau’s disappearance. What I notice though, is that the part right up until Mac comes into the car played. Nothing else.
You’re collateral damage.
Is that why I haven’t seen him? Is this why he wanted me here?
Hannah stands nearby, laughing with her posse. Turning back and looking for Gerri, she winces, walking away.
The whispers get louder and louder, the room tilting as my legs wobble.
“Murderer.”
“Psychopath.”
“Maniac.”
All words I’ve called Mac.
A golden tray of drinks rolls by. “A signature cocktail, murderer?” I blink at the server, realizing they’ve said madame and not the word in my head. My eyes land on a full bottle of clear liquid. Gin, vodka, rum? I really don’t care.
Taking it off the cart, the server blinks back at me. “Thank you,” I say, unscrewing it and bringing it to my lips. Gin. And that only reminds me of that night some more.
The server wheels the cart away, leaving me with the bottle. But I’ll need much more than a sip for relief.
“Rough night?” Gray approaches me in a shiny green suit, a silky beige shirt underneath to match, all the buttons undone. He really knows how to flaunt his sculpted figure. He has a drink, amber liquid in a small glass. His black eye looks more healed, those butterfly bandages gone. He clinks his glass to mine. “I heard it. Everyone did.”
I respond by taking another long drink from the bottle before I ask “Where the fuck is Mac?”
Gray shrugs. “Haven’t seen him.”
And now I know why.
“I’m leaving.”
“Fuck that,” Gray retorts like I’ve said something more insane than what’s on the video. “Then everyone will know you”re guilty. Don’t run away. You’ll make it worse. Trust me. Besides, you look amazing tonight.” He swings my long bubble ponytail, my thick hair complimenting the style.
“So what do you suggest? I stand here and listen to everyone call me a murderer?”
“You’re supposed to be here. So act like it.” Gray smirks, holding out a hand.
Stay away from Gray Whitney.
Fuck that. I’m not facing this alone.
I take his hand and he grips mine, guiding me through the gardens as people move out of our way. When I”m beside him, people still treat me like royalty, despite what Mac tried to do. We get to the garden bar by the pool, the moon shining on the water.
“Let’s say goodnight to your problems,” Gray says. He holds out a rolled-up hundred-dollar bill, tilting his head to the mirrored tray on the bar. “You look like you need it.”
Staring at the tray makes my breath still. I’ve seen people do this in the movies. Hell, on the block. But I’ve never touched it.
My dad’s voice rings in my head.
Remember who you are and what you”re capable of. Drugs will only dim your light and cloud your judgment. You”re better than that.
Mac dimmed my light. Not drugs. So fuck it.
“First time?” Gray asks. He laughs when I nod. “Paradise is the best place to experiment. It’s clean. Straight off the boat to Ryung. If you want some life back in you after that video, I would highly recommend. But, no pressure.”
Whipping my hair over my shoulder, I take the bill. Gray’s hand falls to my back and it helps to know he’s there.
Let’s do this.
Lining the bill with the line of white powder, I take a long sniff.
“Uh, Ember? That line was mine,” Gray says, but I’m too distracted by my nose burning as the powder tickles my throat. “You alright, Rookie?”
My shoulders fall when nothing changes. “Yeah, I feel… ” Then the world tilts. A rush flows through me, one that reminds me of the feeling Mac gives. My heartbeat quickens, the space around me becoming clearer.
“Don’t worry,” Gray says with a chuckle. “I’m right here with you.” He says what I need to hear. The thing I wish was coming from Mac.
He’s too busy throwing you under the bus.
Gray’s hand comes to mine and I grip it. The music returning to the party feels more intense. The beat flows through my body, a smile pushing at my face. And for a moment, Mac’s antics feel easy to handle. This party feels easy to handle. And since I’m here, why not reap the benefits?
Gray matches my smile when I turn to him. “How is it?”
“What else you got, Whitney?”
“Em-ber! Em-ber! Em-ber!”
Gray chants my name, getting the guests around us to chant with him and … okay I’m not sure how I got here. But it doesn’t matter.
I”m fucking alive.
A bottle of whiskey sits in one hand, a joint in the other. Standing at the edge of the pool, a small crowd stands around us, party guests back on my side.
As for Gray? He never left.
“I dare you,” he says, standing next to me with the bottle of gin I had earlier. Ignoring Gerri’s glare is easy when the rest of the crowd looks at me for their entertainment. So I do just that. Entertain. “Bet you won’t.”
“I would,” I respond as I stare at my reflection in the water. My hair’s down from the ponytail it was in before, my fiery coils on display. It’s as fiery as I feel inside.
Gray’s voice comes closer. “Even with Mac watching?”
My head pops up, hearing his name.
Then it happens.
The thing I was waiting for all night.
Mac stands under a white wicker arch, the colourful floral arrangement framing him. It’s a contrast to his all-black attire. Black slacks and a collared shirt. But the way he always looks effortlessly put together makes him fit in. Just like I do right now. He crosses his arms and I can feel the heat of his glare from here.
“Tell you what.” Taking Gray’s hand, I lean towards him, Chet Faker’s “Gold” playing over the speakers. “If I go, you go.”
Gray doesn’t hesitate, shrugging his shirt off his shoulders. He reveals those sickening muscles and this time, I let my eyes wander. It’s fair that whistles come from the crowd, his tan highlighting his abs and pecs.
“Your turn,” he says, taking the bottle from my hand.
With one last look at Mac, I strip off the dress he got for me. First, the top. Then the maxi skirt. It drops to the floor, the crowd whistling some more as my nipples harden under the cool night air. Then I kick the dress into the pool.
“No turning back,” Gray says.
Nodding, I flick the joint to the pool next and hold my hand out for Gray again. He takes it.
“We’re in this together.” If Mac can’t hear me I hope he reads lips.
“Let’s do it,” Gray says.
And with that, we jump.
Relief fills me as the cold water takes over my body. It’s still easy to hear the warbling cheers from above and for a moment, it’s just Gray and I.
Opening my eyes, he’s in front of me, a stupid smile on his face. Then he swims up.
I follow him to the surface, finding the ledge to push myself up. When I do, my wet hair falls over my face, but something’s different. It’s quieter than before, the cheers and applause replaced by silence.
When I push my hair out of my eyes, that chiseled face finally greets me.
Mac crouches over the ledge, murder in his eyes. “You, fucking, moth.”