CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Victoria
It was early evening when I woke up in Craig's bed. I'd crashed not long after we'd had sex, the adrenaline from the day's events evaporating. Groaning, I stretched, feeling a pleasant soreness between my legs.
"Evening, sleepyhead." Craig spoke, drawing my attention to where he sat working through footage on his computer.
Wrapping his blanket around my body, I stood from the bed and moved to stand beside him.
"Did you find anything?"
"No," He sighed. "Whoever hacked the systems at the center made sure the loop was sent to my backup instead of the live footage."
"What does that mean?"
Craig turned his chair to face me, his hands settling on my waist. "It means they put the cameras on a loop before they broke in, not after, to cover their tracks."
Before I could ask any more questions, my cell phone rang. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I began to look for my pants. They'd been thrown across the room without care in the heat of the moment. I found them and retrieved my phone, seeing Tiffany's name just as the call went to voicemail.
I knew she would show up at the manor if I didn't call her back, so I hit the call button. She answered on the first ring.
"Bitch! Guess who I ran into!" She squealed into the receiver.
"Hey, Tor," I heard Noah say in the background.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"Avalon Park. I was here with G.G. and we ran into Noah. We were going to go to dinner somewhere, but we decided why not have an impromptu hang with our favorite girl?"
"Tiff…" I said in warning.
"Tory." she replied dryly. "Don't even say it. I already know you're going to say the Warden won't like it, but fuck him. I stand by what I said before. Keeping you locked away in the manor isn't healthy and it isn't protecting you from anything."
"They're doing what?" I heard Noah growl before he took the phone from Tiffany. "We're coming over right now, Tor. If those guys are holding you hostage in your own home, I have some things to say about it. Like it being against the law, for starters."
"It's not like that," I shot back, my eyes flitting to Craig, watching me curiously from his chair. "You know Tiffany likes to exaggerate things."
I could hear the sounds of the phone being jostled as it exchanged hands again.
"We'll be there in twenty." Tiff said. "We can leave Noah behind if you want." I could practically hear her scowling at him through the phone.
"I'd really rather have dinner another night, Tiff. It's been kind of a shit day and I just want to hole up in my room and read."
"Even more reason for us to come now. Besides, you know you can't say no to me." She laughed.
"Time with your friends would be a good idea," Craig added, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. "I haven't had a chance to cook for anyone outside the manor in ages. It could be fun."
Scowling at him, I mouthed 'traitor' before sighing into the receiver. "Fine, see you soon."
Tiff squealed in delight before saying goodbye and ending the call. I glared at Craig as I scooped my clothes from his bedroom floor. He shrugged, an easy smile playing on his lips.
"You need some normalcy, Bunny. After this morning, having your friends come here is not only the safest option, it's a good distraction."
I flipped him off with my free hand before storming into his en suite bathroom to dress. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend time with my friends; I just wasn't ready to put on a brave face and pretend that everything was normal. Someone had destroyed my office at the center and left a clear threat to Tiffany as a means to scare me. And I was scared.
The note left with the gift was still in my jeans pocket. A potent reminder that someone was stalking me. Staking a claim they had no right to and threatening the people I loved to force me into compliance. When the strange text messages started, I'd thought one of the men meant to protect me was responsible, but they wouldn't have acted against the center. Even if they weren't above making threats against my friends, I'd seen how much they valued the youth center. Knowing the texts couldn't be them and telling them about them were still worlds apart. I already suspected they'd become even more insistent that I didn't leave the manor because of the attack on the center. I would not give them more ammunition by telling them I was getting creepy texts.
Craig had already left his room by the time I'd dressed and tamed my hair. As irritated as I was that he seemed to side with Tiffany's insistence that I needed company, I couldn't help but smile at the small glimmer of excitement I'd seen in his eyes when he talked about cooking for others. His love for the craft was endearing in a way I hadn't expected.
"What have you been up to, Petit Démone ?" Leighton asked, waggling his eyebrows and surprising me when I stepped out of Craig's room.
"I don't think that's any of your business." I replied tersely, continuing toward the stairs.
Leighton's face fell, his brows furrowing in confusion. "You're still mad at me?"
I slowed to a stop, sighing heavily. "I don't know, Leighton. What you did… It was really messed up. But you also saved me by beating a man to death. It's… I don't know. It's complicated."
"I'd murder anyone who wanted to hurt you, Victoria." Leighton replied.
He spoke my name with a sort of reverence I'd never heard from him before as if it wasn't already strange for him to call me something other than the pet name he'd given me the first time we met.
"VICTORIA brISTOL GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!" Tiffany's voice echoed up the stairs, saving me from having to respond to Leighton.
He grinned at me, gesturing for me to go ahead without another word, and I bolted halfway down the stairs. My steps slowed as I neared the bottom and entered the foyer. Tiffany was standing beside Noah, her arm looped through the arm of a woman I recognized from my work with the center. The newcomer would have seemed out of place with Tiffany anywhere else in her jeans, t-shirt, and ponytail. Contrary to what she liked to portray, Tiff wasn't shallow when it came to the appearance of others.
"There you are, bitch! Meet my date–"
"I know who she is," I beamed, closing the distance and reaching out to shake the other woman's hand. "Georgialynn Anderson. I'm Victoria Bristol. You do quite a bit of work with some of the women who have children at the center."
Georgialynn grimaced. "Please, call me G.G.," she replied, shaking my hand. "I've always hated that my parents went full trailer park when naming me."
"Of course," I smiled. "My apologies. I just recognized you from several articles about your work. I'm honestly, really thrilled to meet you in person. I've been wanting to connect with you for ages about some ideas to do with your outreach work and the kids at the center."
"Well, if it isn't Princess Barbie," Leighton spoke, causing me to glance over my shoulder and find him coming down the last of the stairs. "And it looks like you brought a narc."
I turned my attention to Noah just in time to see his lip curl in disgust.
"Why don't we move into the great room? We can chat while we wait for dinner." I said quickly, hoping to break the sudden tension filling the foyer.
Noah moved to my side and slipped my arm through his. "Sounds like a plan to me."
He led me to the great room, leaving Tiff and G.G. to follow behind us. Leighton just grinned at him as we passed, waiting to fall into step beside Tiffany.
"Who's your friend?" I heard him ask Tiff.
I tuned out the introductions, but Leighton's sudden laughter caused me to glance over to them as I settled into one of the sofas in the great room.
"I'm shocked, Malibu Barbie. I wouldn't have ever guessed the low-key nerd thing did it for you."
Tiffany laughed, pulling G.G. to sit on the couch with me. "Well, crazy pants, I'm full of mysteries."
"Do you still keep the to-go menus in the kitchen?" Noah asked, clearly still uncomfortable with Leighton's presence.
"Yeah, but actually, Craig is cooking for us."
Tiffany squealed in excitement. "Oh my God, yes! The breakfast he made after we went out that one time was fucking orgasmic. I've been dying to find an excuse to make him cook for me again. Honestly, if I didn't love you so much, I'd fuck him just to have him obsessed with me enough to cook for me all the time. I still might if you don't soon."
I cut a hard look at her from the corner of my eye. I knew she was only joking, but the acrid rise in possessiveness struck me before I could stop it. It took only a second before I could school my features, but it was enough for her to catch it.
"Oh. My. God … Alright, alright. So he's off limits. Either way, this means I have an excuse for him to cook for me, too." Her grin was wide, and she elbowed me. "I don't play with other people's toys without permission. I have standards."
"Who are you trying to convince, Fashion Barbie?" Az's voice sounded amused from somewhere behind us. "Mercer."
"Casadei," Noah replied tersely.
Tiff flipped him off, rolling her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure that was Craig playing with my toys, anyway." Leighton grinned, causing my face to flush furiously.
Noah tensed, his eyes roving over me and taking in my response. His lips turned down in a pinched frown as Tiff playfully slapped my arm.
"You bitch, tell me everything!" Her eyes shot to Az, who'd rounded the couch and settled into an empty recliner. "Was it good? Better than the Az-hole?"
"The Princess fucking wishes she could crawl into my bed as easily as those three." Az growled, his fingers digging into the leather arms of his chair. "Unlike my friends, I have–"
"Cork it, Az." Rich's deep voice cut through Az's words. "Craig tells me we're having a dinner party, but this looks more like an interrogation of the Princess. I didn't clear either, but I know which one I'll throw you all out over."
Az's lips drew into a thin line, but he didn't finish what he'd been about to say. I cast a relieved glance at Rich, leaning against the wall at the entry to the Great Room. The urge to mouth 'Thank you' was nearly overwhelming, but Tiff and Leighton had embarrassed me enough already. They would definitely spot it, and I didn't want more questions. That didn't stop Rich from catching the relief on my face, and he winked at me from where he leaned against the wall. I chose to ignore how it made my chest flutter.
"So, this is the sort your father has protecting you?" Noah said, raising a brow in my direction. "I knew you had Casadei as muscle, but I wasn't aware of the whole..." He gestured around the room, not finishing his sentence.
"What's the matter, Mercer? Jealous?" Az smirked. "Or just too dense to notice a hole staring you in the face? I'm a little concerned about your ability to serve and protect if these are the kind of detective skills you're working with."
"I think I'm going to go check on dinner." I interjected, standing from the couch.
Each step toward the kitchen was punctuated by thoughts of how bad an idea this dinner party was. I wasn't sure what Noah's deal was, but the tension in the great room grew with each new addition. My shoulders relaxed when I stepped into the kitchen, and the scent of gumbo reached my nose.
"Hey, Bunny." Craig smiled over his shoulder. "Come to check on things?"
"Yeah, it was getting a little intense in the great room. We need to feed everyone before they turn on each other."
"Joey is already setting the table. This is almost done. The bread is cooling over there." He tilted his head toward the far end of the counter. "If you want to mix the salad together, we can get everyone to the table in five."
I scanned the room, finding a large salad bowl on the island counter with a myriad of prepped vegetables waiting beside it.
"You already chopped everything?"
"Of course, a good chef always does his prep work first." He chuckled. "There's some seasonings behind the bowl there too. Make sure you add those while you're mixing everything together."
I went to work putting the salad together, and by the time I was finished, Craig was moving the gumbo from the pot to a serving dish. I followed him to the dining room to find that Joey had already gathered the others to the table, and the tension in the room had only risen in my absence.
Rich sat at the head of the table, Az to his right, Leighton to his left. Joey sat next to Az, followed by Noah. I assumed an empty chair between Leighton and G.G. was for Craig because Tiffany sat directly opposite Noah, leaving the foot of the table for me.I placed the salad in the center of the table before taking my seat, feeling like everyone's eyes were on me.
"Eat up," Craig crooned, plopping down between Leighton and G.G. after he'd placed the serving dish filled with gumbo and a tray of sliced bread next to the salad.
"Ladies first." Noah said, snatching my plate and bowl from in front of me and serving up my meal.
Unsure how to respond, I mumbled a thank you before turning to Tiff and G.G., intent on striking up a conversation about the plans I wanted to discuss with Georgialynn. Tiffany smirked at me, her eyes pointedly shifting between me and Noah. I gave her a slight shake of my head and rolled my eyes before conversing with her date.
"So, G.G., I saw the most recent article on the expansions you're implementing in your work. You're intending to start providing therapy and other supports to the children of the women you work with?"
"That's the plan. It's not enough to get these women out of dangerous situations and help them heal. They can't afford to put their kids in therapy and ensure the cycle is really broken. Getting the kids to trust us and open up so we can really help them has proven difficult."
"I think I have a proposal that could help with that! Before the incident with the Gala, I'd been working with Mrs. McMillan on expansion plans. I've been trying to garner the donations we missed out on after the fire to get that going again, but maybe if your donors are willing to invest, we can speed things up. The kids are already comfortable there, and it might make them more willing to open up if it's somewhere they already feel safe."
"Speaking of the center," Noah interrupted. "I heard there was an incident there this morning."
All five of the men at the other end of the table stiffened.
"What would a beat cop know about an incident at the youth center?" Az drawled. "I'm pretty sure your only job is writing parking tickets."
"Enough to know that a cleanup crew had already been there before Mrs. McMillan called me," Noah shot back. "She seems to be under the impression that a beat cop is better protection for Victoria than five gangsters."
"What the fuck, Tory. Why didn't you tell me something happened at the center?" Tiffany demanded, reaching out and squeezing my arm before turning to narrow her eyes at Rich. "You're supposed to be keeping her safe."
"It's being handled," Rich replied smoothly.
"Doesn't look that way from where I'm standing. I canvassed the area after Mrs. McMillan filled me in, and nobody, not even your boy's high-tech security system, saw a thing."
"What are you implying, Mercer?" Az spat.
"I'm not implying anything. I'm saying outright that Hugo Bristol made a mistake picking you assholes to protect Victoria. I'm saying the suspicious lack of evidence makes me wonder if you five didn't position yourselves to be able to hurt her for some reason."
Leighton stood from his seat so fast the wooden chair clattered to the floor. "Say that again. I fucking dare you." He seethed, murderous intent in his eyes.
"While I think Noah's theory that you guys are trying to hurt Tory is a bit ridiculous, she does seem to keep being targeted and put into more and more dangerous situations the longer you guys are her bodyguards." Tiffany piped in.
"What the hell, Tiff?" I demanded. "You're the one that is constantly nagging me about Rich's rules."
"I know, babe. I'm just saying, you were never in this much crazy shit before these five came around."
"Fuck you, Barbie." Joey hissed, causing my mouth to fall open in shock. "Maybe we should have a chat about the company you keep."
The dining room devolved into arguing and veiled threats. All the men, even Tiffany, shouted what they each thought was best for me. G.G. and I sat in stunned silence as their voices grew louder, each screaming to be heard over the others.
"Enough!" I screamed, standing from my seat and slamming my hands against the table. Eight sets of eyes turned to me, the room falling into silence. "I am so sick of everyone trying to decide what's best for me. I am a fucking adult. I'm not a child. I'm not a toy for you to fight over."
"Tor–" Tiffany started.
"Shut the fuck up, Tiffany." I snarled. "You're supposed to be my best friend and here you are arguing with these six idiots about what I should and should not be allowed to fucking do. All of you have overstepped so fucking far that you'll be lucky if I don't cut all of you off. I don't have to like some of the rules that Rich put in place, but I am smart enough to know which ones are actually going to keep me safe."
"Could have fooled me." Az snorted, causing me to turn my anger on him.
"Tell me one time I've refused to follow one of these stupid rules and intentionally put myself in danger, because from where I stand, it seems like you're just salty my ex called you a fucking thug. That's what you are, isn't it? I used to think you were one of my mother's success stories, but if anything, you've just proven to me that you never learned anything other than how to be a massive dick."
Leighton started to clap, and my head whipped toward him, my eyes narrowing. "Don't even fucking get me started on you. I am fucking done with this. All this posturing and bullshit, 'I know what's best for Tory.' This was supposed to be a nice dinner with my friends. Instead, it became a pissing contest between Az and Noah before you all decided to go for asshole of the year awards. None of you have the right to make decisions for me. If any of you gave a shit about me as a person, or hell, just keeping me fucking safe, you'd be having a discussion with me about the best courses of action. All any of you care about is your fucking egos."
Still seething, I turned on my heel and stormed from the dining room. I'd come to expect Rich and Az to try to dictate my life, but Tiffany and Noah were a low blow. I'd only grown angrier by the time I stomped into my room, slamming the door behind me. I paced my floor, muttering about how wrong all of them were and how trapped I felt by their need to control me. My eyes landed on the window Leighton had climbed through just days before, and an idea formed in my mind.
Before I could reconsider, I'd climbed out my window and was sneaking quietly around the manor toward the garage. I didn't have my car at the estate. It was still at my apartment, one of my father's men taking it out once a week to keep it running. Calling an Uber was out of the question, too. I'd left my cell phone in my room, not bothering to grab it when I gave in to my impulsive idea. I knew from how often Craig took me to the center that the guys kept a spare set of keys to their vehicles in the garage lockbox.
I made my way to the box when I was sure I'd slipped into the garage unnoticed and punched in the code. My lips curled in satisfaction as the door popped open, and I saw keys to Az's Porsche hanging inside. Grabbing them and a garage door opener, I practically ran to the Porsche and climbed inside. Unless they were still arguing, they'd likely hear me leave, but I didn't care. I needed space from all of them, and taking Az's car to get that space felt like a special sort of 'fuck you.' Grinning to myself, I turned the car on, hit the button to open the garage door, and held my breath. The moment it was raised enough to make it out, I tore off into the night, intending to go anywhere that wasn't the manor.