Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Myles
“How do you feel?” Foster questioned as Hunter helped Collin to his feet.
I leaned against the doorframe, assessing the situation. Over the last few days, Collin has gotten stronger and stronger. He’s been trying to build up the courage to get out of bed for days now. When Hunter mentioned Club Euphoria, that seemed to get his attention. Now that he actually believed the purple-haired seductress was still alive, he has been in a much better mood. I knew better though but didn’t have the heart to tell him. He deserved at least some peace.
Men much stronger than her who were great swimmers never rose to the surface once we dumped them there. To believe that a one-hundred-pound girl who couldn’t swim made it out alive unscathed was delusional. Especially with how much blood had been on her.
“I’m fine,” Collin growled, slicing through my thoughts. Once he was on his feet, all blood seemed to drain from his face. He stumbled backwards, placing a palm on the wall behind him for support. His chest rose and fell in rapid succession, not used to standing due to being bed-bound.
“Collin, we don’t mind bringing your food to you if it’s too—” Hunter started but was immediately cut off.
“I said I’m fine. If I can’t make it to the cafeteria, then I’ll have to keep missing classes. I’m tired of living my life in bed, watching as the clock ticks by. It’s fucking with me.” Collin released a breath and closed his eyes, trying to will himself to move forward. “I think I got up too quickly is all.”
Finally, he took his first few steps. While they were wobbly and uncoordinated, they weren’t half-bad. Anger like no other surged through me when I remembered why he was like this. Why he could barely breathe in without flinching, and why his arm was still in that goddamn cast.
“I’m still going to pummel his face in for doing this to you,” Foster stated, obviously thinking the same thing I was moments ago. I nodded in agreement, itching for an actual fight against someone I couldn’t stand.
Hunter and Foster helped him out into the hallway, each gripping one of his arms to help steady him. Collin still had a limp as he walked, but it wasn’t as bad as it had been when he first came home.
“Collin!” A familiar screechy voice echoed through the hall, nearly shattering my eardrum.
Turning to face the culprit, Madison came rushing over to us, worry etched into her features. Her long blonde hair was curled around her shoulders, and she was dressed in a short pink skirt and matching tank top. Madison wasn’t anything like the girls I’d normally go for, but my annoyance for her stemmed so deeply that I might just make an exception. To see her coated in blood while I took her body in the most painful way almost brought a smile to my face. Almost.
Collin looked less than thrilled to be seeing her and didn’t even attempt one of his lazy smiles that he was so popular for. “What, Madison?” he demanded in a bored tone.
The girl in question reeled back, obviously not expecting such an unfriendly reaction from him. “I came to check on you,” she replied in a small voice. “I just now heard that you were back. Why didn’t you text me?”
Foster rolled his eyes, causing me to smirk. When Foster got annoyed, he was like a ticking time bomb, and this was an explosion I couldn’t wait for. Madison was usually the easier one to tolerate; she wasn’t as whiney as Jessica was—at least, not in front of us anyway. But since she gave Collin that ultimatum in front of Hunter, her time was coming.
“You have the worst fucking timing,” Collin mumbled. “I’m clearly trying to walk here.”
Madison’s cheeks turned pink. From embarrassment or anger I wasn’t sure. She quickly nodded and moved out of the way, coming to stand on the opposite side of me. Her fruity perfume wafted out into the air, causing me to scrunch up my nose as it filtered through my airways. It was so strong; I could taste it.
As we continued our way toward the elevator, Madison kept rambling on about all the gossip that had happened since he’s been away. None of us have been in school much since Collin was admitted into the hospital due to staying with him and because of my extracurricular activities. So, everything she was saying was news to us. She wasn’t an easy girl to tune out, so that wasn’t an option.
“Oh,” she chirped, as if suddenly remembering something important. “There were some bodies found at the bottom of the lake. Or, what’s left of them.” She giggled in amusement, speaking of it as casually as someone would about the weather.
This caused us all to stop in our tracks. In synchronization, we turned to look at her.
Foster was the first to speak. “What did you just say?” he demanded, taking a step toward her. Panic twinkled within his eyes, his posture becoming even more rigid than normal.
“You guys haven’t heard?” she asked in disbelief. “It’s been all over the school. Everyone’s talking about it.”
I wasn’t worried in the slightest. Even if they dug up these bodies, the fish would have eaten all the evidence away. My only concern was…have Raven and Aspen been down there long enough for that?
“Who are they?” Collin blurted, barely holding it together.
She shrugged. “They haven’t been identified yet. I think they’re making an official announcement on Monday in the assembly.”
“What made them want to randomly search the lake?” Hunter chimed in; his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.
“It wasn’t exactly random. Someone tipped them off and told them there were man-eating fish in there.”
The only people who knew about the fish were the ones who were eaten by them, us, Rocky, and Jax. All I saw was red. The fire began in the pit of my stomach and traveled through my body until I was consumed by it. First, he beats the shit out of Collin and then snitches. He was done being let off the hook.
The rest of the walk to the cafeteria was silent as we mulled over what we’d just been told. Soon enough, the entire school would know that Aspen and Raven were dead. The other bodies probably wouldn’t even be identifiable at this point. It didn’t matter though; it was unlikely that any of it would point back to us.
Once we made it to our table, Foster and Hunter helped Collin sit down while the rest of us went and grabbed food. When we made it back, I slipped into the seat next to Foster with Hunter on my other side. Madison made sure to save a seat beside her boyfriend before any of us had the opportunity to take it for ourselves.
Across the room, my eyes zeroed in on Gia who seemed more content lately now that she had Jax keeping her distracted. The two of them sat in a booth across from one another laughing over something I couldn’t even understand. At least he’d keep her out of our hair for a while.
“So, since I’m student body president, I’m in charge of organizing dances, parties, and other events,” Madison began. “I was thinking that it would be cool to have the perspectives of the most popular guys in school. Are you guys in?”
An involuntary snort slipped past my defenses, and I rolled my eyes. “None of us give a shit about some pointless dance or whatever the hell you’re going on about.”
The guys nodded in agreement, strengthening my claim. The last party we attended ended in murder. I was surprised they were doing any kind of event after that.
Madison huffed, annoyance flashing across her face. “It’s for the winter formal,” she argued. “There will be presents, games, dancing, all kinds of things. You can’t bail on Christmas.”
“Presents?” Hunter repeated with a snort of his own. “From who? Because most of our families don’t give a shit about us.”
“Some of the games involve gift giving. Plus, the staff is chipping in.”
Weird. They’ve never done this before. I’d be going regardless, because it’s the one time of year I would actually get to see my family. I’ve kept in contact with them here and there, but talking to them was difficult at times. It always made Shasta break down in tears, so I didn’t call as frequently as I’d like to.
While I was demented to my core, my family was one thing I cherished. My parents weren’t perfect, but they always tried their best. Unfortunately, even despite that, it didn’t stop my urges.
“So, are you guys in or not?” Madison repeated, clearly refusing to let it go.
“Fuck it,” I decided. “We’re in.” My gaze dropped to my tray, an assortment of vegetables staring back at me. Plucking a carrot from it, I plopped it in my mouth.
When I looked back up, all the guys were staring at me with dumbfounded expressions.
“You’re not serious,” Hunter growled, an annoyed bite to his tone. “You do realize that we’ll be helping decorate and plan this damn thing, right? Not to mention, Jessica is also part of it.”
I shrugged. Hunter’s girl issues were the least of my problems. He had to face her at some point. While Jessica might have been a huge pain in the ass and could do a lot of damage to those who pissed her off, there was no way she could touch us. I’d pluck her teeth from her pretty little head if she even tried some stupid shit on us.
Madison shifted uncomfortably from Collin’s side. A clear indicator that Jessica probably wasn’t too happy with her newest ex-boyfriend.
“Where’s Rocky headed to now?” Foster chipped in, his gaze pinned to the boy in question who was striding through the cafeteria like his ass was on fire.
“See you guys in third.” I winked, pulling myself to my feet.
The room was loud as I made my way through it, my eyes never straying from the brown-headed boy pushing himself through the front doors of the cafeteria. Just as he stepped outside, he turned. Almost like he was afraid someone was watching him.
Rocky’s gaze swept right through me—a large pole blocking his view, making me invisible. Seemingly satisfied, he turned on his heels and disappeared.
A slow smile stretched across my face. There was no telling what he was up to, but it was obviously something he wanted to keep on the low. I intended on finding out exactly what he was hiding. It could be nothing, but something was telling me that wasn’t the case.
Quickening my pace, I made my way outside. The cold air was ice against my skin, sending shivers tracking down my spine. The air was so thick with the cold that my breath formed a cloud of smoke.
My eyes narrowed as I took in the suspicious way Rocky walked. He made it a point to stick to the shadows, staying close to the buildings and ducking beneath windows. He definitely didn’t want to be spotted.
Biding my time, I waited until he was rounding the main office before making my move. He could be doing a deal, but that didn’t make sense with the lack of product he currently possessed. Whenever we did deals, he brought his entire crew and a bag. The only thing he had on him was his hoodie.
The wind attacked my lungs as I jogged toward the main office. My dark hair blew in front of my eyes, making it difficult to see, but that wouldn’t deter me. I was a born hunter, and right now, Rocky was my prey.
When I reached the office, I stayed back. Peeking around the corner, confusion filled me. What the hell was he doing at the teacher’s complex? If that wasn’t weird enough, Monroe opened the door and ushered him inside.
I thought they hated each other. What the fuck was going on?
A million thoughts started racing through my head. Why would Rocky Barlow of all people be at Monroe’s house during lunch hour? It obviously wasn’t for drugs. That much was clear. It sure as hell wasn’t for classwork. Monroe was an asshole when it came to his free time.
A breath of frustration slipped from my lips. I couldn’t just barge in there to see what the hell was going on. Not without backup at least. My gaze darted to the two windows—one on either side of the door. Lucky for them, black-out-curtains stared back at me.
I didn’t know what he was up to, but I would find out soon enough.
The rest of the day dragged on. I decided to wait to tell anyone what I had found out until we could all be together. Hell, I was still trying to wrap my head around it myself.
“You seem tense,” my newest victim purred in my ear. Her fingertips dug into my shoulders while she stood behind me, kneading out the knots with expert precision.
I chose her because she had that edgy look I was so fond of. Unfortunately, her personality didn’t match up. She was just an ordinary woman who wanted to get fucked. That served me quite well, however. It’s exactly what I wanted. Sluts who would spread their legs for me without any effort on my part. They enjoyed it…until the end. Her burgundy hair brushed against my arms at our close proximity while she continued rubbing my shoulders and neck.
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” I pried, genuinely curious.
A quiet laugh slipped from her lips, but this was no joking matter. I wanted to know what darkness she had buried beneath her skin. I wanted to know how brutal this needed to be. She definitely didn’t look innocent, but I knew better than anyone how deceiving a person’s looks could be.
When she realized I was serious, her laughter stopped, and her hands froze along my shoulder blades. “Why?” she asked quietly.
I shrugged before looking at her over my shoulder. Forcing an easy-going smile of my own, I jerked my head in invitation for her to take the seat beside me. Hesitantly, she obliged. The heat from her body radiated onto my own as we sat side by side, our arms brushing against one another’s with every steady breath we took.
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” She countered, raising an eyebrow.
I don’t even know if I could choose just one. My mask remained in place as I turned to look at her, taking in every detail of her face. Her eyes were brown and crinkled at the corners when she smiled or laughed. The olive tone of her skin was flattering, but nothing compared to Aspen’s milky white shade. This girl wore provocative clothing, telling me she wanted to be seen. The way her breasts fell out of her leather halter top, revealing the red and black ink beneath was indication enough. This girl was athletic, causing her muscle definition to become apparent. She was a fraud.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” I offered. “You tell me the worst thing you’ve ever done, and I’ll tell you mine.”
Her posture relaxed and a small smile spread across her face. “Okay,” she agreed. A crease formed between her eyebrows while she thought on it. After a few moments of silence, she released a breath of air. “When I was in college, before I dropped out, I went home for the holidays,” she started. “My sister brought her new boyfriend, and my family loved him. Hell, my family loved anything my sister did. She was perfect in their eyes.” A scoff fluttered past her plump lips as the memory took over. “That night, after being ridiculed at dinner for the way I dressed and for what I was majoring in, I snuck into my sister’s bedroom where they were both fast asleep. I stood over her boyfriend before gently removing the comforter and unzipped his pants. He woke up when I took him into my mouth, but to my surprise, he didn’t stop me. We fucked right there next to her.”
I wasn’t surprised. Some women let their emotions control them and were selfish, only caring about themselves and hurting others. If it hadn’t been her own flesh and blood she was bent on hurting, I might have understood why she did this. She was angry at her parents, not at her sister. She was jealous, insecure, and wanted to hurt her for that alone.
“Do you regret it?” I challenged, keeping my demeanor calm and relaxed. She needed to trust me for what came next.
“Would it make me the worst person in the world if I said no?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Not the worst person. You had your reasons.” As vile and unnecessary as they were.
“Your turn.” She smiled, folding her hands in her lap expectantly.
I nodded. “Okay. But I want you on the bed for this part.” I winked. A light layer of pink coated her cheeks, but she eagerly stood, just like I knew she would.
Grabbing my bag, I slung it over my shoulder and took her hand before we made our way toward her room at the other end of the house. I’d done plenty of research on her before making my move. She dropped out of college at nineteen, and then got her GED. After that she became a personal trainer and nutritionist which only took her four months through the advanced program she paid for online. She lied on social media about her progress photos, photoshopping them so that people believed she used to be overweight and worked hard for the body she now put on display. In reality, she’d always been skinny and just toned up which was relatively easy to do. She lied because that’s what people wanted to see—hope.
When we got to her room, I was taken aback by the color-scheme. The walls were painted a light pink, and her comforter was a light gray shade, much different from the colors she wore.
“Get undressed,” I instructed. “Lay on the bed once finished.”
Releasing my hand, she started unbuttoning her top, letting it fall to the floor. While she continued undressing, I reached into my bag and retrieved a pair of handcuffs and some rope.
“There was this girl,” I began. “Aspen.” My fingertips locked around my supplies as I let my bag slide to the floor. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the cuffs and rope, excitement evident on her features. “She was my foster sister actually. She was so innocent, so tame. I don’t know why, but I wanted to corrupt her.” Drifting across the room, I grabbed the woman’s hands and cuffed them behind her back. Next, I started binding her legs together with the rope, making sure the knot was tight enough so she couldn’t get free. “One day, after school, I took Aspen to my tree house with some of my friends. I ripped her clothes from her fragile little body and fucked her, stealing her virginity, stealing her first kiss, stealing her future.”
My eyes drifted to meet the female’s I had restrained. To my surprise, she didn’t seem deterred in the slightest. Her chest moved at a steady pace, her large breasts jiggling with every breath. She was calm.
“We’ve all done fucked up things,” she pointed out in a husky whisper. “Maybe she deserved it.”
Heat spread through me at her words. It took me long enough, but Aspen didn’t deserve it. I wasn’t sure anyone did. Sighing, I shrugged, letting her believe whatever she wanted for now.
“Years later, I saw her again,” I continued. “This time I had different friends. For whatever reason, I wanted to make Aspen pay for snitching on me for what I did to her. My friends were helpful with that. Long story short, we raped her again, and then killed her.”
This time, the woman on the bed froze, her breath stuttering. “Y-you’re fucking with me,” she accused.
Oh how I wish I was.
I didn’t have to say anything for the answer to dawn on her; my silence was enough. Turning my back, I moved to my bag and grabbed my knife. Usually, I’d fuck my victim, but I was no longer in the mood for that. Turning back to face her, her eyes dropped to the weapon snug within my palm. Immediately, she started fighting against her restraints, trying to free herself, but it was pointless. Whimpers slipped past her defenses with every move she made, her chances for freedom fading with every step I took toward her.
“Why are you doing this?” she demanded, tears already coating her eyes.
“Because we all do fucked up things, remember?”
A sob tore from her throat once I finally reached her bedside. Taking the knife, I placed the blade against her darkened nipple. “Please,” she begged. But her begs quickly turned to screams when I chopped the bud clean off. Blood ran down her breast and across her ribs, causing my dick to stir to life. I wanted her to look as ugly as she was on the inside before I killed her.
Next, I drove the knife into her shoulder blade, missing all major arteries. Her words became incoherent as she uttered them, the pain taking over and consuming her.
“On the bright side, I don’t think your family will miss you much.” I smirked. Gliding the knife down her stomach, I stopped right where her pussy was. Curving my arm, I ran the blade right up inside her with such ferocity, she gagged on her own cries. I thrusted the weapon inside of her two more times before withdrawing it. The silence within the room was loud as she faded in and out of consciousness. But I wanted her conscious when she died.
My final movement was driving the blade into her eye socket and watching as the life faded out of her good eye.
I probably wouldn’t have been nearly as brutal if she hadn’t said what she did about Aspen. Aspen was off-limits. Now she’d never utter those pathetic words again.
I told the guys that I probably wouldn’t go to the club due to having shit to do, but after all that adrenaline, I needed a breather. Hell, maybe even another victim. Reaching into my bag, I stared at the club looming mere feet away as I retrieved a small plastic pouch. My fingers grazed along the clear rocks within it, excitement pouring through me at the high that awaited. Placing a decent sized rock in my mouth, the bitter taste melted against my tongue right before I quickly swallowed it down and took a sip of my water. This was the good shit.
It didn’t take long for the drug to do its job, and before I knew it, a sheen of sweat slickened my skin. My breathing came out labored as my pulse raced, the blood roaring in my ears.
I returned the pouch back to my bag and zipped it up before throwing it over my shoulder. I used to get high nearly every night, but it’s been a couple weeks now and it hit much faster than it normally did. I was in for the high of my life, especially considering it hadn’t even hit its peak yet.
The cool wind was nice against my hot skin as I trekked through the parking lot and toward the massive building only feet away. My dark bangs blew against my forehead, offering me some contrast to the blazing fire within me.
After I checked in at the front desk and paid my fee, I searched for the guys inside. Several people crowded the dancefloor as the music blared around us, while others were at the bar, and the remaining few were being serviced by women.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Collin said, elbowing me in the side as he approached, the guys in tow right behind him. A smirk played around the edges of his mouth as he raised an accusing eyebrow.
I shrugged. “Didn’t want you assholes to miss me too much, so decided I’d make an appearance.”
Foster snorted in response, a playful glimmer to his light, blue eyes. “Well, you haven’t missed out on much. We haven’t been here long. Just grabbed a drink.” He inclined his head toward the opposite side of the club where the VIP section awaited us.
My hands trembled at my sides from the drug coursing through my body and I nodded, my lips as dry as the fucking desert. Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten such a big rock; it was kicking my ass.
We made our way through the assortment of bodies dancing against one another until we reached the VIP section. Collin sank into the armchair beside the sofa, leaving me and Foster to take the couch, and Hunter sat on our opposite side in the chair. We had a clear view of the downstairs area from here and could see the main stage if we decided not to purchase our own entertainer for the night, but we usually did.
Hunter looked at me, his eyebrows pinched as he took in my appearance. “You good, man?” he asked, concern filling his voice. “You look clammy.”
I huffed a laugh and nodded. “I’m great.” It was the truth. My entire body felt like it was on cloud nine. My leg bounced repeatedly, the urge to move was strong. Maybe I’d hit the dance floor at some point.
A blonde headed woman stepped into our section in nothing but a light blue thong and bra set. She offered us each a champagne flute before handing me the menus. Raising the glass to my lips, the beverage slipped down my throat with ease, cooling off my insides momentarily. Considering that the last thing I wanted was food, I handed that menu to Collin and looked over the one with the girls.
The woman talked to Hunter, rambling off her name and some other shit I didn’t care about. At least he was keeping her entertained so I could take my time.
One girl caught my eye on the second page. Her hair was long and red, her eyes as dark as Hunter’s. Annabelle. Keeping her in mind, I flipped to the last page, raking down it with interest until another girl caught my eye. Squinting, I took in her appearance. Light green eyes, purple hair, freckles scattered over the bridge of her nose to either cheek, and tattoos in all the places I’d carved our names into Aspen. My breath hitched. The resemblance was too much for it to be a coincidence, but I had to know for sure.
Clearing my throat, I directed my attention to the blonde once again. “We want Violet.”
The girl’s face tightened with irritation, and she gave us a tight nod. “Of course. I’ll send her right up for you.” She collected both of the menus after they were done ordering food and then she disappeared down the stairs.
“We could have at least agreed on the chick,” Collin grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. “You have a weird fucking taste in women.”
I rolled my eyes at his childish theatrics. “I don’t think you’ll complain once you see her,” I shot back, settling back in my seat.
There was no telling if this actually was her, or if she just had that striking of a resemblance to her. It was odd that she’d have the same freckles, the same piercings, the same eyes, literally everything. The only difference was the length of her hair and that it wasn’t black on top.
“If you say so,” Collin retorted with a frown.
In any other circumstance, I would have let him pick. It was his first time here after Rocky beat him to a damn pulp and he was still on the mend. Not to mention, he was riddled with guilt over everything that had happened with Aspen and Raven.
It didn’t take long before the waitress returned with their food and assured us that Violet was on her way up. My heart thudded rapidly in my chest as the blonde left us, my head spinning. It was the drugs. It had to be. Aspen was dead . No one had ever survived the pond before, and she couldn’t even swim.
Anticipation clawed at my throat as I waited. My patience was running thin, and I was seconds away from going to hunt her down just to see for myself. Just as those thoughts bounced around my skull, the purple-haired vixen entered.
Her eyes widened and her skin paled like she’d seen a ghost. My eyes raked down her body, shock exploding within my chest. I was seeing things. That had to be it.
“A-Aspen?” Collin choked out, rising from his seat.
Foster and Hunter both snapped their heads in her direction, matching expressions of disbelief contorting their features. She was fucking breathtaking. All inked up, long purple hair, piercings, and a black leather skirt that failed to cover her ass. She wore a matching halter top that zipped in the front, revealing her creamy skin.
Aspen looked around frantically and then she stumbled backwards as she inched toward the exit. I was on my feet in seconds, a growl exploding through my chest. There was no way she was running; I wouldn’t let her. Just as she was spinning on her heels, I lunged for her, gripping her arm tightly and turning her back around.
“I don’t fucking think so, little dove.”