Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
SCARLETT
“ S o, it’s Ace’s birthday tonight?” Jade asks, as she shamelessly steps into my bedroom, not bothering to knock. She walks over to me as I’m slipping into the faux leather miniskirt I’ve chosen for the party tonight and places a bottle of tequila and two red solo cups on the counter beside me. She hands me one cup which surely contains some kind of cocktail she’s concocted.
Taking the cup, but ignoring her obvious question, I pull a white sleeveless, cleavage baring crop top from my closet. It’s one of the sexiest pieces I own and purchased from the ritzy boutique in town. I had yet to find an occasion to wear it, so tonight seems like the perfect opportunity. I hold it up to my chest trying it on as I look in my mirror, debating on whether to wear it.
“What can you possibly get a guy who has it all?” Jade asks, as she moves behind me, looking over my shoulder at my reflection in the mirror.
“Who says I’m getting him anything at all?” I say, turning and hanging the top back in my closet. It’s a no go. I can only imagine the glares I’d receive from the judgmental pricks and snobby bitches of the academy if I showed up in that. Not to mention, Ace would surely have some kind of aneurysm and be furious at me for baring so much skin in front of his friends and devotees.
On second thought.
“A night of unadulterated passion. Maybe the gift of submission,” she continues to speak, as I continue to ignore her. I look up at her as she smiles, winking at me and interrupting my thoughts with her chatter. Jade’s dressed in a beautiful turquoise strapless dress, ending just above her thigh. Her five-inch, stiletto heels make her look like a runway model, except with curves in all the right places, not an anorexic twig figure.
“Maybe not,” I mutter, pillaging my closet, searching for something else to throw on.
“Come on, Scar, I bet the sex is out of this fucking world. God, I can just imagine it. His demanding, dominating nature, you’re sultry, relentless defiance, a match made in hell that surely feels like heaven.” Jade moves to pull the hanger back out of my closet, throwing the provocative top at me. “And yes, you are wearing this.” I scowl at her, just as she raises a brow to me silently, letting me know she won’t back down unless I put it on.
Damn her, and the power she has to read my thoughts.
Deciding I’m not in the mood to listen to Jade’s snickers all night and the fact that I couldn't care less what the entitled assholes at the party tonight think of me, I pull off my sweatshirt, slipping on the sultry top.
“Can you just stop talking, Jade,” I sneer at her, rolling my eyes, as an exasperated look replaces her cunning grin. “Please do not talk about picturing my sex life.” I unhook my bra and pull it out through the bottom, no use in trying to wear one with this top, as I adjust it making sure it covers all that needs to be covered.
“Hell yes, no bra, free them nipples, babe,” she says, shimmying her chest at me. Annoyed by her comments, I throw my bra at her, but she quickly dodges it, laughing loudly at my futile attempt. “ What, I can’t help it, besides it’s not like you’re a quiet one.” My eyes go wide in terror at her response. “The cabin, you guys were fucking like rabbits. Screaming and moaning like wild animals. We heard you. It was hot,” she adds, explaining her earlier comment.
“How did you?” I ask, but she interrupts me again.
“I have a confession,” she mutters blankly, her mood instantly shifting to a more solemn one.
“What?” I ask nervously, taking a sip of the cocktail she brought me. Definitely tequila, with hints of orange juice and pineapple.
“I fucked Bass on New Year’s Eve,” she blurts out, causing me to nearly choke on the drink, spit it out, and watch it splatter all over the mirror. “Actually, I fucked him the first night you guys got to the cabin as well. When you and Ace were fucking like rabbits, it’s how I heard you guys. I was next door in Bass’s room. To tell you the truth, you guys moaning kind of got us going,” she shrugs her shoulders, laughing at the look on my face.
“What the fuck, Jade!” I yell, this time choosing a box of tissues on my dresser to throw at her. She dodges once again, slightly losing her balance in her heels.
“I know, I know, I fucked up. God I fucked up, but damn if it wasn’t fucking hot. Like holy shit the man knows just what to do.” She bites her lip, her eyes practically rolling back.
“Wow, declaring your devotion to the big man. Must have been some crazy sex to turn you saintly,” I say mockingly. “Didn’t know you two were?”
“Oh fuck no, it was a onetime thing, obviously. Well, two times actually. I mean he’s fucking gorgeous, and like I said, a savage beast in the bedroom, but fuck if I can stand being in the same room as him.” She moves over to my dresser pouring us each a shot of the much-needed liquor.
“Careful, Jade, sounds a lot like you like the guy. I mean I’m the number one example of how hot hate sex can be. It literally sums up my entire relationship with Ace. But with Bass, I mean is it possible to say he has more demons than Ace? ”
“Fuck if that isn’t true. I mean the way he fucks, God it honestly felt like he wanted to fuck me to death. The choking, the restraints, the ass grabbing, squeezing, smacking. He’s fucking rough, I mean thankfully I’m no fucking virgin, cause ouch.” I blush at the mention of choking and rough sex, remembering the shit I practically begged Ace to do to me, and how Jade and Bass probably heard me. But restraints and tying up, well that’s a different story.
“Okay, I don’t need the gory details, Jade.” I set my drink down on the counter as she hands me another cup with the shot.
“If not to my fucking sister, then who am I supposed to confess to.” We clink cups, gulping down the tequila in one swift drink.
“Do you like him, like him?” I cringe from the unpleasant taste of the alcohol as it burns seeping down my throat, making me gag as the smell hits my nostrils. I have no idea how she can drink this shit. God, I hate tequila.
“What the fuck kind of question is that Scar, are we in middle school or something?” she sneers, pouring herself another. I shake my head letting her know I’ll pass.
“Calm the fuck down, it was a question. Besides, didn’t you want to talk about it?”
“The sex, nothing else,” she pouts, making me believe there might be something more she doesn’t want to talk about. Who would have guessed? Actually, anyone could have. The attraction between Bass and Jade has been escalating ever since we got here. The way they argue and bicker constantly, completely different from the passionate fighting between Ace and me. Bass and Jade challenge each other trying to one up their insults, mocking each other with jokes and humor, all while eye fucking each other with their seductive glances. Jade bows down to nobody, but with Bass she’s always seemed off her usual game. And if I dare say, the cold-hearted—I’d even go as far as saying heartless prick—actually smiles when she’s near.
“So, you do have feelings for him?” I ask, questioning her, watching as her cheeks blush slightly. “You wouldn’t be getting so defensive if you didn’t care.”
She gasps dramatically, shocked, as she brings my hand up to lie over her heart. “Sis, you better than anyone knows this thing in here, supposedly keeping us alive, is incapable of ever feeling anything more than disdain for anyone who isn’t you and the guys. It has limited capacity, real bad turnaround time, and no current vacancies. Out of order, disconnected, not in service. Definitely never will be for a man, Daddy Dearest made sure of that. And if he hadn’t, well Roman secured it never will.”
I get what she means. Everyone she’s ever loved has up and left her. She never got the chance to meet her mom, even though Chaz was a horrible father, and even worse human being, doesn’t change the fact that to her, he was the only male figure she had to look up to. Jade was Daddy’s little girl, at least until he met my mother. Not to mention the fact that her brother is still MIA. My heart sinks with the memory of Chaz’s death. I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to tell her what I know, what I saw. The only way to help her now is to find Roman.
“Never say never, Jade. I’m the perfect example of how much a good dick can change what we thought we believed,” I say, hoping she didn’t notice the way my expression changed with the mention of her father.
Her eyes soften slightly as she looks up at me, a look of understanding appearing behind her bright green eyes. “You really like the fucker, huh?”
“Not for lack of trying to fight it,” I say, exasperated, as I grip my face with my hands running them desperately through my hair. “I shouldn’t, Jade. There are so many justifiable reasons I shouldn’t, you have no idea the things he’s done, the extent of the depravity he’s involved in, but I can’t fucking fight it. He’s everything I hate, everything I’ve grown up despising, yet he consumes my every thought. He’s like a virus killing me slowly, like a drug, my addiction to him is fervent. I can’t fight it. ”
“I guess we’ve both come to realize what they say is true. It feels so damn good to be bad.”
Tonight, we once again wander out of the comfort of our confinement behind steel gates, and travel to the underground world of Galen Grove, about twenty minutes west of Hillcrest Hills city center. Galen Grove is the rebel love child of Hillcrest Hills and its lesser counterpart Pleasant Hills. Crammed with nightclubs, bars, strip clubs, hotels, and casinos at every corner, it’s the Vegas of the West Coast. Depraved, indulgent, and glamorous.
Here of all places, is where Ace is hosting his eighteenth birthday party. Torment, an elite nightclub located in the basement of the city’s number one luxury hotel, The Gallant , just along the outer city limits, is apparently one of the top nightclubs in the country. Celebrities, socialites, the glitterati, and their rebel offspring turn to Torment for its discretion and incomparable entertainment. I’m told it’s an indoor nightclub, which regularly hosts high profile musicians, bands, and other artists, with Vegas prices and prestigious invite only guest lists. Of course, as you would imagine, it will be strictly Ace’s for the night. I guess that’s another perk of being the demon king in training of Hillcrest Hills.
Ace has been nowhere to be found these last few days, strictly making sure everything for tonight is prepared. My friends believe he’s been making sure the party goes on without fail, and that we’re just coming to party hard, get wasted, and play rich kids for the night.
But Ace and I have a plan, and her name is Lilith Steele.
I have yet to see my mother again since that horrid night at Servite Manor. If I am to believe Carrington’s sordid comments from New Year’s Eve, where we are going is exactly where she’s hiding out. If I’m going to figure out why I am here, in order to gain an upper hand on Wesley Servite, I need to know what she knows, and her overall connection to this place.
She betrayed Chaz, who I believed to be her warped soulmate, blaming him for everything in the blink of an eye. Who’s saying she won’t turn on Wesley with the proper motivation? Which is why I need to figure out what it is she wants.
Jade, Stella, Kai, Drake, Ruby, Jax, and I pull up to the valet entrance of The Gallant Hotel, in a limo Ace sent over for the occasion. Who would have ever thought us troubled teens from the debauched slums of Pleasant Hills would travel by limo more often than not?
The hotel before us is grandiose, as expected with bright lights, impeccable architecture complete with arched entryways, all surrounded by rose bush gardens and various Greek god and goddess fountains displayed across the lawn. It’s at least twenty stories tall and is truly the epitome of luxury and elegance. No wonder it’s a prime location the wealthiest people in town frequent.
“So why didn’t you ride here with the birthday boy?” Ruby asks, as we exit the limo that brought us here. “I’d think he’d want to, you know, show off the little slut he has on his arm?” Her black skin-tight dress emphasizes every curve of her body, accentuating her perfect hourglass figure, and long model-like physique. Her five-inch heels make her stand at least six feet tall, meeting Jax’s height with no problem.
“Ruby, enough,” Drake growls from beside her as we head for the front entrance, where we find a set of steps draped in a long red carpet leading to the front doors of the hotel. The outside is buzzing with teenagers, mostly from the academy, dressed to the nines in glittery dresses, ass-baring miniskirts, and minuscule lingerie, but who am I to judge? Here I am looking exactly the same.
“What? It’s just a question. Or is it he’s now eighteen and moving on from a child to a real woman,” she adds, referring to the fact that she’s already eighteen and I have a couple weeks to go.
“Fuck off, Ruby!” Jade sneers, stepping into her. Ignoring her, Ruby rolls her eyes, flipping us off and walking toward the door with Jax by her side. Drake turns to me, a blank look across his face, as he shakes his head and without a word moves to follow them.
“Say it, Dragon, by all means don’t hold back. Got something to add to your sister’s petty remarks?” I ask angrily. I’m not in the mood to put up with the judgment from these two tonight, when they have no clue what I’m dealing with. I expect it from Ruby, but it shocks me after all that’s happened that Drake’s still quick to judge my decisions.
“Not anything you’d care to hear,” he mutters, turning back to face me.
“Try me,” I challenge, stepping toward him. His eyes quickly roam over me, crassly judging my chosen attire, and he shakes his head once again. I threw a black leather jacket over the skimpy crop top, my nipples clearly poking out from the frigid January night. His eyes move down to the fuck-me, black heeled boots I paired with my outfit making my miniskirt barely cover my ass. I guess Drake isn’t so keen on my outfit.
“Not this time, Scar, you’ve dug your own grave. I’m done trying to get you out. I guess I’ll just have to sit back and watch him bury you in it,” he says, turning around and continuing to walk toward the hotel entrance.
“Then why are you even here?” I shout after him, but he doesn’t look back at me as I speak.
“Well, that was awkward. What’s up with you two, anyway?” Stella asks, walking up behind me.
“Nothing,” I groan, turning to face them. “So we ready to get fucking wasted tonight, because I need a drink or ten.” Kai eyes me warily as he moves to wrap his arm around my shoulder. Jade and Stella take off toward the entrance, with us following behind them. We’re silent for a few steps, Kai shocking me with his action after weeks of ignoring me before I break the silence with the question that’s been eating at me for weeks.
“He told you, didn’t he?” I ask, referring to what Drake found out about The Horsemen, Ace, and his family. Not to mention what they did to him.
“He didn’t have to. I knew from the moment I saw him all bruised up and beaten that it wasn’t some underground cage fighting he got himself into. I knew he’d snuck out to follow them. I told him I’d go with him, but that night he left before I got home, and well, he wasn’t answering his phone. I had no clue where he was. Then he texted me saying he was going to skip out on the cabin, which I figured he’d do. I offered to stay back with him, but he told me he wanted to be alone.” A look of guilt clouds his hooded eyes as he shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have listened to him; I should have stayed. Then maybe I could have…”
“You couldn’t,” I say, interrupting him. “There’s nothing you could have done to prevent what happened. Drake should have known better than to go snooping around. He’d been warned, we all had. Since the day we first set foot here, we were told to walk with our heads down, but he chose not to listen.”
“And you’re actually taking his side. Why am I surprised, you are fucking the bastard. Must be some hell of a dick, Scar,” he says crassly, pissing me off. I shove his arm off of me pushing him back, but he doesn’t falter even in the slightest.
“Fuck you, Kai! You do not know what you’re talking about!” My yelling catches the attention of a few classmates around us. Jade and Stella quickly turn as well, watching intently, wondering what the hell we’re arguing about.
“That’s because all you do now is keep secrets. Scar, we used to be family. All of us. Now you act like you don’t fucking remember it,” he shouts getting louder. The entire crowd lined up at the door is now watching our debacle intently. I see Drake, Ruby, and Jax leaning against the door watching us attentively, confused looks plastered on all three of their faces.
“Family doesn’t treat family like shit for the decisions they make. I chose to be with Ace, and you guys can’t get over your alpha male bullshit and accept the fact that I now have someone else to look after me. That you guys aren’t the only ones I need.”
“You found a new family.”
“That’s not what I…”
“I’m damn proud of you, Steele. Just don’t come crawling back to us when he throws you out on your ass because daddy told him he can’t date out of his class.”
Kai spins around to leave, but he doesn’t make it far before Ace appears and grabs him by the collar getting in his face.
Kai laughs hysterically doing nothing to fight Ace off. “Gonna beat the shit out of me too, asshole?” Kai taunts, and I see the raging anger blazing in Ace’s eyes. This is going to get ugly quick if I don’t put an end to it. I rush over shouting at both of them.
“Stop!” I yell as I approach them. Ace quickly moves over to me letting him go.
“Are you okay? What the fuck was he doing to you?” he asks, tenderly tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Nothing, we were just having a conversation.” I glance toward Kai, silently asking him to walk away as I turn back to Ace bringing my arms around his neck and pulling him in closer to me, hoping to distract him from the argument he saw us having. “Happy Birthday, baby,” I say, softly placing a kiss against his lips.
His expression instantly changes, a wide grin taking the place of his angry scowl. “Are you ready for this?” he says, wrapping his arms around me, his hands sliding down to grip my ass. His hands fist the bottom of my skirt as his face contorts, his eyes roaming over my outfit. He steps back, releasing me as he takes it all in. “What the hell are you wearing?” he asks, slightly amused.
“Your gift,” I say, turning around, showing off my ensemble. “Do you like it?” I ask coyly .
“As long as it’s just for my eyes.”
I move toward him, standing on my tippy toes to whisper in his ear. “The outfit, no, but what’s underneath will be tonight.”
“Fuck,” he moans into my neck as he wraps his arms around my waist. “Let’s get this night started.”
By definition, the word “torment” signifies a severe physical or mental suffering. Seems fitting given everything currently going on in my life, that I find myself in a place with that given name, but as we walk through the golden gates of the most infamous nightclub in the state, nothing resembles that in the slightest.
The walls are metallic, the ceiling black with glimmering, iridescent star lights, and all around the room, golden drapes spun across to represent the dazzling rays of the brightest star.
“Holy shit, tonight is going to be a hell of a night,” Jade says, grinning wider than I’ve seen since we’ve arrived in Hillcrest Hills.
“Oh no, we’re getting drunk again, aren’t we?” Stella asks, her eyes wide as she turns to me, the four of us walking over to the VIP area on the second level of the nightclub.
“That’s the plan, Little Silver!” Ace shouts out, his voice subdued by the blaring volume of the music vibrating through the room. All around us over-privileged teenagers dance, drink, and do God knows what else, without a care in the world. Without implications, without consequences. Living life to the fullest, carefree, and extravagantly. No villains who dare harm them, no devils sent to torment them, no worries whatsoever beyond the simple fact of getting drunk, getting laid, and staying rich.
Not like the rest of us mediocre folk, and that’s putting it nicely.
We come to these events, join in on the festivities with our peers, only to forget the reality of how we live. The reality that is our pathetic lives. We come to play rich kids for the night, act carelessly and without consequence, live life without a care for those around us .
Live a dream, before waking up and reliving our most terrifying nightmare.
Reality.
I know it’s wrong of me to label these kids and judge them solely for being wealthy and not having to struggle or work hard for what comes so easily to them, for what they were born with. Still, I find it hard to believe that living a life like this is a hardship. But as we arrive at the VIP area to find the other three guys waiting with their permanent scowls, daunting glares, and paranoid glances, they’re a testament of money and power not being all it’s cracked up to be.
These boys are lost, haunted, and secretly terrified of the world they live in, but they’re blinded by its wealth and the pretense of power they hold. Power is the most dangerous of highs. It tricks you into believing there’s more to life than what you have, and that having it all is what’s most important. It makes you crave more, and the more you have, the less human you become. The vice devours you from the inside out and you lose all sense of morals, consumed by greed and gluttony. Tormented by envy and wrath toward those who have more than you.
In the end, one question remains…who has it worse?
Is it those of us who live knowing what to expect and dread what’s coming? We become pessimists, who assume the worst, never to be disappointed. Or is it the ones blinded by all they have, only to suffer the loss of all that makes them human, of what really matters?
Ace and I walk hand in hand, the scheming glares of those around us, searing me as we walk past them. The disgust in their eyes, the envy in their gazes. They hate that we’re together not only because they wish they were in my position, but because of what I represent–dirt, trash, the filth that sits at the bottom of the barrel.
How is it that someone like me, gets everything that is he?
If they only knew.