CHAPTER THIRTY
Victoria
Joey and I entered Volfase, the small upscale boutique known for its formal attire. I'd purchased most of my gowns for charity events from the small shop and, after visiting a handful of others, decided I'd probably find my dress for the hospital event there. Joey seemed content to follow me from store to store so long as he was given a fashion show while I made my decision.
I was digging through the racks, making more small talk with him when it occurred to me that I still didn't know what had pulled Leighton away from my girls' night with Tiff. I suspected it related to the interrogation I'd witnessed, but I wasn't sure.
"Am I allowed to ask if the other night was part of whatever caused Leighton to leave in a hurry wearing a mud mask?" I asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to draw attention to the conversation.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, your, uh, guest. The day before everything with him happened, Leighton kind of invited himself to my night with Tiff before he got a call and took off." I shrugged. "I was just curious if the two things were related, if I'm even allowed to know that."
"What was Leighton doing barging into your girls' night?" Joey frowned, handing me a black satin mermaid gown he'd pulled from a rack.
"Being his weird self as usual and comparing me to a high end steak like it was supposed to be a compliment." I snorted. "I still don't know what his crazy ass meant by that, but he seemed to think he was being genuinely sweet when he said it."
Joey's brows furrowed, and he placed a hand on my arm, turning me to face him. "He said what, exactly?"
"It was stupid really," I laughed, turning back to browse the dresses in front of me. "Tiff started a game of truth or dare, and his truth was to say how he felt about me. The psycho went off on some thing about how he feels about me the way he feels about a high end steak. Not really a compliment, ya know, but he seemed to think it was."
"That's because for Leighton, it is." Joey replied.
"What do you mean?" I asked, rummaging through the racks with my free hand.
Joey raked a hand through his hair and puffed out a breath. "Explaining Leighton is like, I don't even know. It's just difficult. In case you hadn't noticed by now, he doesn't exactly feel things the way a normal person does. Sometimes I wonder if he even feels anything at all outside of our little family. I know he's loyal and cares about the four of us in his way, but outside of that, I've never actually seen him give a damn."
"You're rambling, babe." I snickered. "None of that tells me what you're trying to get at."
He propped one arm on the rack and leaned into it. "Leighton cares more about food than people. Him comparing you to a 'high end steak' is as close to a confession of undying love as you can get."
"Get out, you're making that shit up." I scoffed, grabbing a cowl-necked A-line in a deep wine shade.
"No, to that gown and me making this up." Joey retorted, snatching the gown from my hand and placing it back on the rack.
I gave him an incredulous look as he rummaged around, grabbing a backless trumpet gown with a plunging neckline and a slit on one side that ran to the hip. The emerald green color was lovely, but the dress was far too revealing for me to wear to a charity event.
"I'm serious, Sweetheart. You can't… really handle L the same way you would other people. For him, a comparison to one of his favorite foods is kind of a big deal. He doesn't know how to say those things any other way." I noted how he measured his words to make me understand and turned the thought over in my head as I placed the green gown back on the rack.
"I don't know if it makes up for things. I mean, a dedicated fight and a comparison to steak doesn't leave a girl with the warm fuzzies that let you know he's serious." I responded as a black gown hanging on the wall caught my eye.
A sleek mermaid dress with a modest slit and a keyhole stand collar that gave way to gathered open shoulder sleeves. I grabbed it off the wall and held it up to look in the mirror.
"What was wrong with the green dress? Or the satin one? You'd be stunning in anything here, so why are you trying to cover yourself from neck to toe?"
"I don't think my tits hanging out is a good look when I'm trying to rebuild my donor list. Besides, do you really want a bunch of rich old men ogling me the whole time we're at the event?"
"Point taken. Get that one." He replied just as the chime over the door rang.
I smiled and patted his chest before I noticed he'd gone still. There was a scowl on his face that was eerily reminiscent of his more feral side. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what could cause him to suddenly look fit to kill, but I turned my head to follow his gaze.
"Fucking Benson," I muttered, unsure why Joey was glaring daggers at him. It wasn't like they'd met before. Az was the only one who'd had a run-in with my ex.
"Craig did a decent job describing him," Joey said as if he'd read my mind.
Benson's eyes scanned over the shop, landing on me before I could ask Joey what it was precisely that Craig had told him. My ex made a beeline toward us, a scowl to rival Joey's spreading across his face.
"I thought you'd learned your lesson about running with thugs, Tory." Benson hissed as he came to a stop in front of us.
"What I do and who I run with aren't your business, Benson," I replied curtly.
Benson grabbed my arm, causing Joey to stiffen beside me. "You know it is, Victoria. How much you sully yourself running around with petty criminals doesn't matter. You know you're going to end up with me. You were always mine, and you'll always be mine. Even if I am running out of patience waiting for you to get this rebelliousness out of your system."
Joey shifted to intervene, and I gave him a look to let him know I had the situation handled. "Whatever crazy ideas you have in your head just because our parents expected us to grow up and get married, don't mean I'm yours, Benson." I spat.
Benson squeezed my arm tighter, leaning forward so our noses nearly touched. "I mean it, Victoria. I won't wait much longer for you to come to your senses. I expect you to be ready to announce our engagement this fall before I have no patience left."
"And that's enough of that." Joey snarled, pushing Benson's hand off me and stepping between us. "Doesn't look like Victoria wants your hands on her, so I suggest you back off."
Benson ran his hands down the front of his shirt, smoothing it out as he looked at Joey with his lip curled in disgust. "I expect the help to better know their place. I thought you lot would have learned your lesson when I found your friend taking advantage of my fiance in the back room of that shady nightclub Temptat!on."
Joey smirked cruelly and let out a short laugh in Benson's face. "We're not in the business of taking advice seriously from the unremarkable."
The response only caused the pair to fall into an argument filled with heated whispers. Every time I tried to intervene, Benson would throw another nasty comment my way, causing Joey to lay into him. After several minutes, I'd reached my limit of their macho bullshit. Angrily re-racking the dress, I backtracked down the aisle so that I could head to the exit without either of them following after me.
I'd no more than stepped two paces away from the door and taken a deep breath of the fresh air when arms circled around my waist.
"Weaselly fuck said you'd be an easy grab. Looks like it didn't take much to get you away from your bodyguard." A gruff male voice crooned into my ear as he muscled me toward the alley on the side of the shop.
Fear skittered through me, but I refused to let it rule me. "Fuck you," I hissed, elbowing the man as hard as possible.
He loosened his grip on me just enough to turn me so I could face him. "You stupid bitch." He snarled as his palm collided with my face, hard enough to rock my head back.
Stars exploded in my vision for a few seconds, but as I felt him grip me and attempt to move toward the alley again, the adrenaline took over. I tried to pull away, wiggling in his grasp and digging my heels into the sidewalk.
"Get away from me!" I screamed, which caused a few people on the sidewalk to slow their pace. None of them stopped, which caused my fear and anger to ramp up even higher. We only made it a few feet down the alley by the shop when the man released my arms and began to retreat.
I sank to the ground and watched him run as trembling overtook my limbs first. I needed to get back into the store. I couldn't just sit here. But I couldn't make myself move.
"Victoria!" I heard Joey's shout around the corner.
"Joey!" I choked out, trying not to cry.
He skidded to a stop before me and reached down to pull me to my feet. His eyes roved wildly over my face, taking in my bloodied lip.
"Who did this to you?" He growled, gripping me tightly by the shoulders.
I turned to look behind me, catching sight of the man still running down the alley. "Him."
I didn't even know Joey was carrying a gun until my ears were ringing from the shot. The man who had tried to take me took two slow, stuttering steps before collapsing face down on the pavement. My head jerked back toward Joey, and I found him looking me over with concern.
"You're okay," He murmured, pulling me against his chest as he tucked his gun back in the holster at his back. "I've got you. He can't hurt you now, I took care of it."
"You… Did you kill him?" I asked, burying my face in his shirt.
"Yes." Joey replied as he gently rubbed my back. "Let's get you back to the manor. I need to send someone to clean this up."
"He was so far away. How can you be sure?" I asked, pulling back to allow him to lead me toward the mouth of the alley.
"You watched me beat a man with a golf club, but my marksmanship is what's surprising?" He chuckled.
"It's not funny, Joey." I scolded, swatting his arm. "What if he's still alive? He could… What if he goes to the cops?"
"Sweetheart, gang members don't go to the cops. But if it makes you feel better, I can go down there and put two more in him to be sure." He offered, turning toward me and brushing his thumb across my jaw. "Would that help?"
I pressed my lips together and winced at the pain in my busted lip before responding. "No, I think I just want to go home."
"Let's get you home, then." Joey replied.
I slipped my hand into his, letting him lead me back to the car. Something about being in the vehicle left me feeling safer already. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked out the window. Just as we drove past the shop, I caught sight of Benson, frowning at his phone as his fingers flew over the screen.
My phone chimed in my pocket, and I slid it free, expecting a tirade from my ex. Instead, the words on my screen caused my blood to run cold.
Don't let them come between us. You were promised to me. You are mine.