Chapter 3
CECILIA
In case you were wondering, talk is code word for threaten, blackmail, and basically, go out of your way to ruin my life. I should have seen this coming.
“Hey.” I wave.
It’s lame, but I’m not sure what else to do here. My heart races in my chest as I look from Austin to the door. “I, uh, actually need to leave. I’m sure Joelle and Kim are worried sick that I never came back to the dorms last night.”
He either doesn’t hear me or, more accurately, doesn’t care. And what he does next drops a ball of dread, like a heavy stone, into the pit of my stomach. Austin smiles. It’s charming and attractive. Or it would be on anyone else but him. Not after learning what he’s capable of.
He steps further into the room and closes the door behind him, locking me inside.
I swallow hard and try not to panic.
Shaking fingers hold the torn front of my dress together as Austin stands there with that stupid smile on his face. He eyes me up and down, like he’s remembering what’s hidden beneath my dress.
Bile rises from my stomach, coating the back of my throat. I wrap my arms around myself in a desperate attempt at modesty. Like it changes anything.
“What do you want to talk about?” My grip on my phone tightens. I wish the stupid thing wasn’t dead. That I could call for help. Before he came in here, he was talking to somebody in the hall, which means we aren’t alone.
If I scream, will anybody come help me? Does anybody even know that I’m still here? I think about it. Seriously think about it, because at this point, what have I got to lose?
Austin doesn’t look worried, though. He’s confident. Hell, relaxed even.
This is a man without a care in the world. Not about me screaming, at least.
“Did you have fun last night?” he asks, breaking the silence.
“Sure. Loads.” Lie. I most definitely did not have fun. Being assaulted is not fun. Being forced — I drop that train of thought. Hold it together, Cecilia. Now is not the time or the place. Right now, you need to get the hell out of here. The rest can wait until you’re home. Until you’re safe.
I force myself to smile. To relax. “But, like I said, I need to get going.”
“I get it.” Austin casually leans against the door.
“Just want to make sure everyone is on the same page. You know how it is. One small misunderstanding can fuel the rumor mill and all of a sudden, a night of fun turns into a bunch of bullshit in the media. Your dad is up for reelection this year, right?” The way he asks, with that curious glint in his eyes, it sets me immediately on edge.
“Why does that— “
He cuts me off. “My parents contributed. To his campaign, I mean. Did you know that?”
I shake my head, not understanding why any of this is relevant to me. My dad is running for Mayor again. Lots of people contribute to his campaign.
“I don’t like to brag…”
I barely manage to contain my snort. He’s rich, in the Zeta Pi fraternity, on the PacNorth soccer team, and good looking. His ego is bigger than this bedroom and he’s one of those guys that likes hearing the sound of his own voice, so he definitely does, in fact, like to brag.
“But my family is a big deal here in Richland.” Good for him. “We own Holt & Associates. The law firm down on Twenty-Second Street.”
That rock in the pit of my stomach turns into a boulder, and a barely audible gasp slips past my lips.
He hears it, and his smile grows even wider.
Holt & Associates is one of my dad’s campaign contributors.
But more concerning is the fact that they’re one of the best known law firms in the state.
Hell, maybe even the country. They like high-profile cases.
The controversial ones that get their firm on the news, which means more often than not, they represent problematic people.
Criminals. And they do a really good job getting them off clean.
“Recognize the name?” He chuckles. “I thought you might. Last I heard, they’re one of Russo’s largest donors. Your parents and mine are probably good friends.” He winks. “Like the two of us.”
Indignation floods through me. Friends? Is he serious right now? We are not friends, and I see what he’s doing now. “Fuck you.”
His eyes flash in surprise. “Excuse me?”
My cheeks heat and I mash my lips together as I bite back my words, but screw it. Screw him. “I know what you’re doing.” I’m not stupid. I can read just fine between the lines he’s so clearly drawing out for me.
Austin quirks a blond brow. “Do you, now?” His tone is condescending. If I was at all confused before, I’m not now.
Nausea sweeps through me when I nod my head, the motion making the room spin, but I manage to hold myself together. “You…” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “You raped— “
“Woah, woah.” He holds both hands up in the air. “See. That’s what I’m talking about.” He makes a tsking sound and shakes his head. “You and I need to get on the same page here, Cece. That sort of accusation can ruin someone’s reputation.”
My upper lip curls. “Are you screwing with me?”
His eyes are hooded. “I think we did a good amount of that last night, but if you’re looking for round two— “
“This isn’t a joke.” I swing my arm and hurl my phone at his head with every ounce of strength in me. It narrowly misses him, thudding against the wooden door as he jerks out of the way.
Meanwhile, I crash into the dresser beside me as I lose my footing, but I manage to stay on my feet, barely, nails digging into the dresser top.
I bare my teeth. “I’ll die before I let you touch me again,” I seethe. “Stay the hell away from me.”
Austin looks momentarily at a loss for words as he looks from me to my phone and back again before his expression hardens.
“You’re not feeling like yourself,” he tells me, bending down to retrieve my phone, “so I’m going to make myself clear. What happened last night was— “
“Rape.”
He continues on, ignoring me. “A few friends having a good time. We had some drinks. Things got a little out of control.”
I’d shake my head if I wasn’t so worried I was going to pass out.
“You… you—" I can barely get the words out, but I force myself to say them. “You held me down. You held my hands behind my back while—“
“While my buddies fucked your face,” he finishes with a smirk. “Yeah. I did. And you liked it.” The look on his face is one of complete satisfaction. He’s proud of himself. He makes me sick.
“No. I didn’t!” What the hell is wrong with him? How could he possibly think I enjoyed any part of what he did? “You helped your friends assault me and then you—” My brows pinch together. Parts of last night are still a little hazy.
It was late. I was drunk. I wanted to find Kim and Joelle and leave. I remember being tired and when Austin offered to help me find my friends, I took him up on it.
I thought it was kinda sweet. I didn’t know him that well, but Kim’s had a secret crush on him since freshman year.
Having his help was an easy way to introduce the two of them.
Give her an in. I talked her up, even. Told him how great my friends were.
How Kim was probably his type, and he seemed interested at the time. But it was all just a game to him.
He checked the yard while I checked downstairs, but no luck. When he suggested we check the bedrooms on the second level, I dismissed the idea. No way would either of them hook up with some random at a party. But Austin thought we should look, anyway.
He led me upstairs. I remember thinking it was weird when he bypassed the first two doors. Like he was heading for a specific room. And looking back, it’s clear he was.
There were two guys waiting inside, and when I apologized for disturbing them and turned around to leave, Austin blocked my escape. He used his size to press me further into the room, forcing me to stumble back before closing and locking the door behind him.
He planned it. All of it.
“You had it all worked out,” I whisper to myself.
“The room. The drugs.” He drugged me. I remember that now.
That must be why my head is so foggy. After he helped his friends, he forced his fingers into my mouth and rubbed something on my gums. A powder of some sort.
It tasted awful, but after that, everything starts to fade.
“What was it?” I ask.
“What was what?”
“The drug. Whatever it was you made me take.”
He doesn’t even bother to deny it. “Ketamine. And don’t give me that look. It helped, didn’t it? You were more relaxed.”
My hands curl into fists. “I didn’t want to relax!” I scream. “I wanted to leave. I wanted to get the hell away from you.”
He takes a menacing step toward me. “You got what you wanted last night, Cece. Stop deluding yourself. You came to a party dressed like that.” He points to my dress. “What did you think was going to happen?”
My mouth hangs open. “No girl wants what you did,” I tell him. “Wearing a dress and going to a party isn’t asking anyone for what you did.”
He snorts. “Stop making this bigger than it needs to be. You gave some good head and got laid. Get that stick out of your ass and move on.”
Laid. My mind clings to that word. There were three of him. Did they all—did anyone else —
“Did all three of you rape me?” I can’t believe I’m asking him, but I have to know. The last thing I remember after being drugged is Austin laying me on the bed. His hands groping my body. His fingers between my thighs and him climbing on top of me. But after that… nothing.
He glowers at me in silence.
“Answer me,” I beg. “Please.”
He huffs out a breath and rolls his eyes. “Benson and Chambers fucked your mouth. Only I fucked your cunt. Happy? Can we move this show along now?” He glances at the watch on his wrist. “I have practice to get to.”
The way he’s so blasé about everything baffles me. He admits to drugging me. To raping me. And yet, he’s more worried about getting to practice on time.
“You’re not going to get away with this.”
He sighs. “Yes, I am. The sooner you realize that, the easier things will get for you.”
The horrible thing is, he believes the words coming out of his mouth.
“I’m trying to help you, Cece. Get the two of us on the same page. The right page.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Austin rolls his eyes again. “If you walk out of here and make up stories, it isn’t going to end well. Not for you. Be smart.”
“Get out.”
“Cece—“
“Out!”
He sighs. “Look at the video I texted you.” He places my phone on the nearby desk. “I’ll send it to your email in case this little outburst of yours broke your cell. Make sure to watch it. You’ll reconsider things after you do.”