Chapter 49
Vienna
“I can’t believe he was watching you have sex,” Rachel whispered to me as I stood outside Gabriella’s door a few hours later.
Dante had retrieved the heart and ordered Pivot to get rid of it. There wasn’t much we could do since the drone had already fled, but he was already in talks with Hacksaw about defence for future drone use, should it come to that.
I’d spent the rest of the day with Gabriella, putting a smile on my face, pretending nothing was wrong, until eventually she went to bed, her eyes too heavy to remain open a second longer.
That’s when Dante and I had told Rachel everything. And she was equally horrified on her friend’s behalf, knowing she had been violated once again.
“Pfft, I don’t give a shit about that,” I replied, my voice equally as quiet. “My ass is fire. I hope he got plenty of shots of it.”
Rachel rolled her eyes at me. “I think there are more important things than the state of your ass,” she said. And then: “Are you going to tell her?” she asked, nodding her head at Gabriella’s door.
I thought about it a moment. It was the same question I had been asking myself all day.
Should I tell her? Would it benefit her?
“What’s the point?” I sighed. “It’ll send her straight back into that place she’s just come out of.”
“I know what you’re saying, and I know you mean well, but…” she bit her lip, looking away.
“But…?” I prompted. “Come on, Rachel. It’s not like you to hold back.”
“This is a violation, Vienna. Nico was watching you both have sex. He was probably getting off on it. Doesn’t she deserve to know?”
“I seriously doubt he doesn’t have other footage of her. Gabby has mentioned that he used to record her all the time.”
“Right—she mentioned it. Meaning she was aware. She wasn’t aware this time. Doesn’t she deserve to know that it’s happened again? I would want to know.”
“What will it achieve? She already knows he’s around. She already knows he’s watching her. She’s already listened to him shagging her mother’s dead body. Does she really need more trauma adding to her life?”
“I don’t want to add more trauma. But I do want her to know what’s happening!”
“For what purpose, Rachel? Do you think that it will help her in the slightest?”
“I promised her this was her safe space!”
“And it still is!” I hissed back. “We have never had drones fly over here before, and Hacksaw is seeing what he can do to make sure it never happens again. Nico has shown his cards now. He has to know that the drone was a one-time thing. He has to know we’ll be on alert for them.
A message has already been sent to the club to shoot any drones spotted, whether they’re over the compound or not. ”
“I know but—”
“We can’t entertain buts, Rachel. We can’t.
Because if Gabriella thinks this place isn’t safe, she’ll flee.
She’s putting a smile on her face and making the best of things as bravely as she can, but deep down she’s terrified.
Why ruin that for a one-time thing? Why shatter her illusions when you and I both know that she is safe here? Why put doubts in her mind?”
“Because it’s her body, Vienna! She has the right to know what footage of her is out there.”
“Yes, she does. And when all of this is said and done, I will scour the entire fucking country to make sure I retrieve every single recording I find and burn the lot of them. But what does it achieve right now? How does it aid her in the slightest?”
“I—”
“Rachel, listen to me. Gabriella is not well, not really. Think about what you went through with Alex. Remember everything he did to you. Would you want to know about each and every violation? Or would you rather trust that those who love you took care of it first?”
She paused then, her eyes clouding over as she remembered her own horrific past. “I wouldn’t want to know, no. But I still think I should be given the choice.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Dante asked, climbing the stairs with a sleeping Axel in his arms.
“The drone,” Rachel replied simply, and Dante’s jaw immediately clenched.
“What about it?”
“About whether or not Gabriella needs to know.”
“She doesn’t,” he said firmly. “Can we be done with this conversation and get to bed now?”
“I think she—”
“She doesn’t,” Dante interrupted.
“I don’t want to lie to my friend.”
“And I don’t want to lie to my old lady, but this is the fucking situation we’re in!” I hissed, doing my best to keep my voice quiet.
“What happened to honesty at all times?” she hissed back, glaring at me. “Isn’t that the whole point of you two? Aren’t you supposed to be painfully honest with one another?”
“And where would it get her?” I snapped back. “What would it achieve? She knows Nico is watching her. She knows this, Rachel! She knows because I fucking told her!”
“I—”
“No. You don’t get to have a say in this.
I could have hidden it from her. I could have shielded her from everything Nico was doing, but I haven’t.
She’s aware he’s around. She’s aware that he’s seeking her out.
I’ve been as honest as I can—so much so that I was banned from her room these past few days because I was fucking honest with her about the dressing room.
So if I choose to hide a few things from her, if I choose to protect her mental health, to guard her peace, then I will fucking do so! ”
Rachel glared daggers at me. “So your word is final, is it?”
“Yes. When it comes to this, my word is absolute. Ask yourself what it will achieve other than her realising that this place isn’t as safe and secure as we have made it out to be?
She reclaimed some of herself tonight, she took back some of her power.
She doesn’t need to be sent straight back to where she was because of some vindictive little prick who thinks he owns her, okay? ”
“You know she will find out eventually.”
“Fine! So what if she does? I’ll tell her the truth if she asks.
But she doesn’t need to know every fucking detail.
Not everyone is as strong as you. Not everyone is capable of knowing everything.
If I have to keep some of the more gruesome details from her in order to keep her mentally healthy, why the fuck wouldn’t I do that? ”
“Vienna—”
“I think we need to weigh up impact over intent,” Dante interrupted. “I get what you’re saying, Rachel. Your intention is to be kind. Gabriella deserves the truth. But what would be the impact of that? That’s the point Vienna is trying to make.”
We both looked at Dante in shock, having forgotten he was there to begin with.
I took a deep breath, sighing heavily. “Dante is right. I get you’re mad, Rachel—trust me, I fucking get it.
Don’t you think I’m furious with myself for putting her in that position?
For not thinking ahead and anticipating something like this?
I fucking hate myself for letting her be caught during something that should have only been shared between us two.
If that’s how bad I’m feeling, I can’t imagine what it will fucking do to her.
So, no, she won’t be finding out. Swear to me you’ll keep quiet. ”
“You know I won’t break your trust. If you tell me not to, then I won’t. But these things have a habit of coming out.”
“And I’ll deal with it at the time if that happens. But for now…” I sighed. “For now, can we just let her know a moment of happiness for once in her fucking life?”
We all looked at the door that concealed Gabriella from our view.
“You’re right,” Rachel said. “She deserves some peace. Lord knows Nico won’t wait too much longer before he makes himself known again. Let’s enjoy what time we have without him.”