Chapter 8
I’m still on the floor, trying to catch my breath and wrap my mind around what just happened. This doesn’t feel real. I must be having a nightmare, and any moment now, I’m going to wake up.
“Come on, get off the floor.” Colt grabs my upper arm and pulls me to my feet. My legs are shaky, but I manage to stand on my own.
Looking around, I notice Nix has disappeared into the bathroom. He returns, holding a washcloth in his hand. “You might want to wipe your face before you go back out.” He holds the cloth out to me. I stare at it like it’s a foreign object.
“Or don’t, then you can brag about getting to suck my dick.
” He shrugs, dropping the small towel to the ground.
My eyes follow the wet rag as it falls to the floor and lands in a careless heap in front of me.
I don’t know what it is about this piece of fabric, maybe the way he discarded it so easily… just like I’ve been treated.
My brain simply turns off, and my body takes over. Like a feral animal, I attack, disregarding my own safety. I don’t care if he hits me back. All I care about is hurting him, even if it’s just a little.
I fling my arms, curling my fingers until my hands turn into claws, and I use them as my weapons. The sharp edges of my nails dig into his skin as I run them down the side of his face. He hisses out in pain and slaps my hands away before covering his face with his arm.
I’m not done with my attack, though. Clenching my hands into fists, I pound them onto his chest as hard as I can. “I fucking hate you!”
“That’s enough!” Colt grabs me from behind, pulling me off his brother. He holds me just like he did before, close to his body, with his arms wrapped around my torso tightly.
Nix drops his arm, and I take in his scratched-up face. Four bright red, equally spaced-out scratches run down the side of his face. One of them is so deep that blood drips down his jaw.
He lifts his hand, bringing his middle finger to the deepest scratch. When he looks at that finger and sees the blood at the tip, his shocked expression turns even darker than it was before.
“You’re going to pay for this,” he promises.
I have no doubt he means it.
“And you’ll pay for what you did,” I snap back at him.
Shaking Colt off my shoulders, I spin around and push past them. Speed walking through the house, I slide open the back door and make my way over the deck and past the pool. The sound of heavy footfalls following me only makes my legs move faster.
I’m so focused on getting away from the guys that I don’t notice Deborah in the midst of the people I pass. By the time I do, it’s already too late.
Her body slams into me, her elbow digging into my ribs as she shoves me toward the edge of the pool. My bare foot slides over the wet tile until there is nothing below anymore.
All I can do is twist my body midair, so I won’t face-plant into the water. I hit the surface on my back. Pain radiates from my back through the rest of my body, making me regret turning in the first place. I should have gone headfirst.
Holding my breath as I go under, I curl up in agony.
Cool water engulfs me as I sink to the bottom of the pool.
Even through the water, I can hear laughter from above, and for a moment, I wonder if I could just stay here forever.
I could close my eyes, let the darkness eat me up, and stop breathing forever.
Would anyone care? Would someone even miss me?
Fuck them.
Shaking the morbid thought away, I kick my legs and push through the water until I break the surface.
I suck in a deep breath and ignore the laughter coming from the rest of the party.
I swim to the other end of the pool and lift myself out of the water.
Without another look back, I walk to the truck and sit down on the other side of it, where no one can see me.
With my back against the large tire, I wrap my arms around my torso. I’m soaking wet. The thin dress I’m wearing is completely useless in keeping me warm. It doesn’t take long for me to start shivering.
I play with the thought of just starting to walk home when I hear Colt and Nix approaching. I push myself up off the ground just as they come into view. I don’t need to be on the floor, cowering at their feet when they get here.
Neither one of them says a word. They simply unlock the truck and climb in. I get into the back seat, hoping to ruin the leather with the pool water dripping off me.
We’re about halfway home when Nix breaks the silence. “You know if you tell anyone about tonight, all the people at the party will say you’re lying.”
“Contrary to what you might think of me, I’m not stupid. I already figured that’s the whole reason you brought me along.”
He doesn’t give me an answer. It’s not like I expect one, either. We drive home in silence the rest of the way.
Nix parks the truck in front of the garage. He cuts the engine, and I open my door to jump out as fast as I can. I’m still shaking, partly because I’m freezing and partly because I’m so fucking angry. Angry with them and angry with myself for letting this happen in the first place.
I haven’t even made it to the welcome mat when the front door flies open, and James appears. “What the hell is going on? Why are you shaking and soaking wet?” He looks past me to his approaching sons. “And what happened to your face?”
“Leni fell into the pool. She freaked out a little, and when I pulled her out, she accidentally scratched me,” Nix explains. The lie falls from his lips so easily that if I didn’t know better, I would believe him too.
“Is that true, Leni?”
“What’s true?” My mom comes up behind James, looking between us in confusion. “God, Leni, why are you not wearing a bra?”
I look down at my dress, realizing the thin material has basically become see-through, the outline of my nipples clearly visible. Even though I’m still cold, my face suddenly turns hot, and I’m sure my cheeks are bright red.
As quickly as I can, I wrap my arms around my boobs. “Can I please just go to my room?”
“Not until you tell us what’s going on? Did you really fall into the pool?”
“I…” Shit, what am I going to tell them? My hesitation is enough to spark James’s suspicion.
“You two, go to your rooms,” he orders his sons. To my utter shock, Nix and Colt obey without a word. They push past James and disappear into the house.
James motions for me to come in while my mom goes to the living room to grab a blanket. I step into the foyer, and James closes the door behind us. My mom wraps a blanket around me, and I pull it tight, trying to get warm.
“Amanda, baby, why don’t you go lie down. You need to rest. I’ll make sure Leni is okay.”
“Yeah?” My mom looks so confused, unsure what to do.
“It’s okay, Mom. You can go back to sleep. I’ll be fine,” I assure her.
“Okay, honey, I’ll see you in the morning.” She lets out a yawn, rubbing her eye with her fingers before slowly making her way back up the stairs.
“Now, tell me what happened tonight. What did my idiot kids do to you, and why are you soaking wet?”
This is it, the moment I’ve been waiting for. I have a chance to tell him everything, all the things his sons have done to me, and what they forced me to do tonight.
Yet when I open my mouth, all the words I want to say are stuck in my throat. I can’t make my voice work, and I don’t know why. I want to tell him. I want to confide in him so badly, but when I try to force the words out, I hit a roadblock.
Maybe it’s shame, guilt, or simply fear that won’t let me speak. Whatever it is, it makes my whole body clam up, and my tongue feels heavy in my mouth.
I can’t tell him, at least not today.
“Nix was telling the truth, I fell into the pool, and he pulled me out. I didn’t mean to scratch him.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod. The lie leaves a bitter taste on my tongue, but for some reason, that still feels better than the truth.
James doesn’t seem convinced, but he is also not pushing the subject. “All right then, why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I force a smile, wondering if I just made the biggest mistake of my life.