V
Tori
L issa’s words seem to cut through everything like a knife. Including whatever final thread was keeping me attached to the last shred of my patience.
I raise my foot, resting it on the lip of the table, and then kick it hard. The table glides a short distance across the tiled floor before it slams into Lissa’s thighs, and her yelp pierces the air. With a lunge forward, I manage to grab a handful of her immaculately straight, shoulder-length hair.
She attempts to jerk back, but I grip her hair and yank her forward, then she lands face first into the table. Before she can recover, I push her head down, allowing it to turn to the side as I hold it in place. Her face is smeared with blood from the puddle that’s still dripping all over the floor.
Grabbing the only piece of cutlery that had fallen off the table—a fork—I clutch it in my fist and bring it so close to her eye that if she were to blink, her eyelash extensions would brush the prongs.
“I didn’t kill Declan, but if I did have anything to do with him taking his own life, it’s only because he felt guilty for thinking he’d killed me first. So if anybody here makes me need to repeat myself on this matter, you’re going to find out what two years in a public school really teaches you. Starting with you, Lissa. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.” She whimpers.
“What the fuck is going on—move your ass out of the way, Roberts.” In the strangely quiet room, Penny’s voice is loud enough to be heard clearly.
Before I release Lissa, I move my face level with hers, making her finally switch her focus from the fork to me. “I mean it, Lissa. I’m done taking shit from you, and everyone else here. Next time, I’ll have you lying in your own blood.”
“Holy mother of mother-fucking god. Tori, what the hell?”
Moving the fork away from Lissa’s face, I release her. Instantly, she scrambles upright, but instead of running away like I thought she would, she lets out an ear-splitting shriek then brings her hand back and slaps my face.
She’s lucky that it was my dominant hand holding her head down because that’s the one I use to strike back.
My fist connects with her nose with a satisfying crunch.
Clutching her face, howling in pain, she stumbles backwards. “Your days are numbered, bitch.”
Before I can respond, three huge figures come between me and Lissa.
“That’s enough.” Syn doesn’t shout, but his voice seems to carry across the room.
“Synclair,” Lissa says in a whiney voice as I realize Syn is facing her and not me. “She attacked me—I think she broke my nose.”
“Then she did you a favor,” Syn tells her, coldly.
“I can fight my own battles.” I snap.
Royal turns, brows furrowed. “Tori, it’s time to go.”
“I’m not go—”
My sentence is cut off by my own yelp as Royal just lowers his shoulder like he’s about to tackle me, but instead, hauls me over his shoulder.
“Put me down!”
Royal ignores me, walking out of the dining hall.
“Put me down, or this fork will be embedded in your ass,” I shriek at him, stabbing at the thick, wool coat he’s wearing.
Gemini swoops in, plucking the fork from my grip. “Sorry, little ixen. It’s for your own good. But I promise, you can fork my ass later.”
Unluckily for Royal, the anger that’s still flowing through me is enough to numb any pain I’m still feeling, and I’m not letting them take me without a fight. His arms clamp around my legs as I try to kick and wriggle free, but he continues walking, ignoring each punch I make to his protected body.
“If you don’t release her, I’m calling the police.” Penny’s threat comes from behind, and I pause long enough to twist my body so I can see her standing there with her phone in her hands.
With a sigh, like we’re the ones causing the inconvenience, Syn speaks. “Put her down, Royal.”
Moments later, I’m upright, feet on the ground, trying to hide the wave of dizziness that’s hitting me. “You three can go to hell,” I mutter.
Before I can walk to Penny, Syn steps in front of me.
“You are not safe here. You need to come with us.”
“And you think I’m going to be safer with you?” I ask in disbelief.
Syn’s golden eyes are locked on me. “Yes.”
The burst of laughter that explodes from my mouth quickly turns into a cough.
“We need to talk. If you think you’ll feel safer bringing Bergmann with you, bring her,” he tells me. “But trust me when I say, you’ll be putting her in danger, too.”
“Tori?” Penny calls.
I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath, trying not to cough again as the icy air irritates my throat. I should have taken Penny up on her offer and left first thing this morning.
Opening my eyes, I step to the side so I can see Penny. “I’ll be fine.”
“Tori, I don’t think—”
“You have an exam, remember? Go take it, and if I’m not back when you’ve finished, call the police. I’ll be fine.”
Penny’s gaze darts between the four of us before returning to me. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Probably not.
“They had the chance to let me die and didn’t.” I shrug.
“I’m not sure that’s the winning argument you think it is,” Penny says. When I give her another shrug, she glances at her phone with a frown. “Fine.” She quickly raises her phone. “But I have a photo, so the police know you were the last people seen with her.”
Muttering to herself, she walks off, frequently looking over her shoulder as she goes.
“Does she really think we’re going to kill you?” Royal asks, glancing at me. “Do you?”
An icy burst of wind rushes between the building, reminding me that I not only left my coat in the dining hall, but I’m half soaked in sticky blood. Whatever this is about, I want to get it over with as soon as possible. Instead of giving Royal an answer, I continue walking in the direction they’d been taking me.
Either the three of them left their golf cart at the house, or they left it at the dining hall. Either way, it’s clear they were taking me back to Denali House. I only take a few steps in that direction before something heavy is set down on my shoulders.
I glance down at the thick wool coat, then at Syn, who’s now wearing his usual tailored uniform. I have no idea what game he’s playing, but instead of throwing the coat to the floor like my still seething self wants to, I’m cold, and I just slip my arms into the sleeves.
At least I’m ruining it with whatever this blood is that’s covering me.
My anger hasn’t disappeared by the time we reach Denali House, and when I walk in, despite being covered in blood, Syn directs me towards to the living room.
I head straight for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Syn asks.
I take a few steps up the stairs, making sure I’m standing higher than he is, before I turn back to him and cock my head. “Is there anything that you’re about to tell me that can’t wait until I’ve had a shower? Or do you want to come watch again?”
“I wan—”
Syn’s arm shoots out at lightning speed to punch Gemini. As Gemini is rubbing his shoulder, Syn looks up at me and nods. “Fine. We’ll be in the living room.” Before I can be surprised, he adds, “But don’t take long.”
Biting my tongue, I stomp upstairs. It’s only when I close the door behind me that I realize I’m back in the room that Declan attacked me in. Doing so before had sent an almost paralyzing fear through me, but now, the anger is just burning strongly.
Without hesitation, I move to the bathroom and turn on the shower. As I wait for the water to run hot, I strip out of the ruined clothes and discard them into a heap on the tiled floor.
When I’d showered just a few hours earlier, I’d taken my time. Now, I move with purpose, like every inch of skin I’m covering in soap is really being covered with a shield. I’d flip-flopped back and forth, deciding on if I needed to stay or go, but this was the last straw. I’m back in this house now, and I’m not leaving without making sure I have my revenge now that I have nothing left to lose.
The blue in my hair has faded a little by the time I leave the shower, and I’m towel-drying it off. I’m not sure it will ever be the same blonde it was when I arrived here, but I wasn’t the same ictoria Reynolds, and I’m certainly never going to be able to go back to who she was.
From moving into this house, Syn has taken control of every aspect of my life, down to the underwear I’m required to wear. The majority of what I own is safely stored in Penny’s room, but I’d left here without reclaiming any of my things. The few belongings I do have in this room are still where I’d left them, so I pull on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater, taking pleasure in the knowledge that my outfit will irritate Syn.
Before I go back downstairs, I walk over to my laptop and open the lid. It’s still on, and the last window is still open—a suicide note I didn’t write.
My hand seems to freeze, hovering just over the mousepad.
First, Declan tried to kill me and then went to the trouble of writing a fake goodbye letter for me… only there was no goodbye. No mention of my family or how I’d miss them. Just that I was wrong and a fucking apology to… Syn?
Rage flares through me again, making my hands shake.
Instead of closing the document without saving it, I close the lid of the laptop. The police made it very clear that they were done with their investigations, but I want some time to think before I delete that bit of evidence.
Sucking in a deep breath, I prepare myself for war then head back downstairs. Although I’ve been gone a while, Syn, Royal, and Gemini are still waiting for me in the entrance hall.
Syn scans over my appearance, and I see his jaw harden, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he moves over to the living room door, pushing it open before he steps back to let me in.
The living room has a giant open fireplace. Fresh logs are stacked in the hearth, but there’s no fire burning. Despite this, the room is warm. Although my anger hasn’t disappeared, the numbing effect is wearing off, and all I want is to sink into the green leather couch and curl up into a ball.
Unfortunately, relaxing is the last thing my brain will let me do, so I move over to the large bay window and stare out at the garden. There’s nothing much to see other than a near perfect sea of white. The snow must be over a foot deep. Not only has it erased my footsteps from when I snuck into this place, but it’s almost impossible to tell there’s a pool out there. The only thing that’s really noticeable is the rose garden in the back corner, and the brown twigs poking through, like a snowman’s trying to escape.
“Whatever it is you want to say, get it over with. I want to pack my things up before I leave.”
“You can’t leave.”
Turning, I find Syn only a few paces behind me. Gemini is stretching out on the couch like he’s about to watch a movie, but Royal is standing beside the door, watching me cautiously.
“Can’t leave?” I arch an eyebrow at Syn. “You’ve spent the last few months doing everything in your power to get rid of me.”
I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting from these three, but it wasn’t this.
Syn’s eyes flicker in irritation, but he doesn’t look back at his friends. “I don’t think your brother killed mine.”
For a moment, I can’t respond. It’s like Syn’s hit a factory reset in my brain, and I’m waiting for it to power up and start working again. Then I roll my eyes. “I’m done playing games.”
“I’m not playing. I don’t think Cole killed JP.”
My hands clench into fists by my sides. “If this is some dumb attempt to get me to lower my defenses so you can orchestrate another attack like Declan and Lissa, you’ve got another thing coming. I’m not falling for anything you say.”
“Liss…?” Syn’s glance sweeps over me. “Neither Salaway nor Carmichael were following my orders.”
“Just like someone wasn’t following your orders when my hair was dyed blue. Or when someone broke into my bedroom and covered me in red paint? Because…” Even though all traces of the blood has been washed away, I gesture to my face. “Déjà vu. Or when you had every member of the Elite literally hunt me down? Or when you ordered Declan to try to kill me?”
“I never gave any specific orders—”
“Specific or not, those orders came from you.” I snap, my voice breaking at the end.
Pressing his lips together, Syn glares at me, and although I keep my back straight and my head upright, I brace myself. Only, instead of responding, Syn storms out of the room, leaving me, Royal, and Gemini staring after him in disbelief.
The man is so infuriating that I want to punch something. Unfortunately, the only thing close to me is the window, but the last thing I want to do is shred my hand on top of everything else.
“Marry me,” Gemini says.
“Give me an engagement ring made from the Heart of the Ocean. and it’s a deal,” I tell him.
Gemini cocks his head, frowning at the ceiling. “Didn’t the old lady drop it into the ocean in the end?”
“Mmmm. You should head down there and get it.”
Returning his attention back to me, Gemini leans forward. “I don’t think billionaires have the best track record with submarines and the Titanic at the moment.”
Folding my arms, I stare straight into his eyes and give him a smile. “Exactly.”
“What are you two talking about?” Royal asks.
Gemini shifts his weight to look over his shoulder at Royal. “If we have to explain the joke, it’s not funny.”
“Who said I was joking?” I ask, dryly.
The door opens, and Syn comes back in, only he’s carrying a large mug. He walks across the room and offers it to me. “It’s warm water and honey. For your throat,” he adds when I don’t take it from him.
I don’t unfold my arms. “Is the honey to hide the taste of Rohypnol?”
“Rohypnol is tasteless,” Gemini unhelpfully adds.
“The honey is to help your throat. I can tell all the shouting is irritating it.” Syn purses his lips before glancing at the cup he’s holding. “I’d drink some to prove it’s not been drugged or poisoned, but I don’t want to offend you by contaminating it with my germs.”
There’s a hint of sarcasm to the last part, but strangely, he seems almost sincere about what he says. Which adds a new level of confusion to my aching head. At this point, if he does want me unconscious, I’m sure he’s got a backup plan to make it happen.
“I’ve had more than a bit of your spit in me,” I mutter as I take the cup. Whatever the reason for this out of body experience he must be having to make me a drink, I’m grateful for it when the warmed water passes over my sore throat. “Thank you.”
A strange noise comes from the couch, and I look over to make sure Gemini isn’t choking to death. His eyes are wide and round as they flick between me and Syn, like he’s watching an invisible tennis match.
“I didn’t record it.” He splutters. “This historic moment, and without any evidence, no one will ever believe it happened.” He shakes his head so vigorously that a few strands of hair fall loose from his stumpy ponytail. “I’ll build my own submarine if I have to.”
Ignoring him, Syn raises his arm and points to the armchair closest to me. “Sit.”
The red mark around my throat seems to pulse when I lightly touch it. “I’m not wearing your collar anymore.”
Syn’s jaw twitches, but his gaze drops to my throat. He seems to look at it for longer than necessary before he returns his attention to my face. “Please.”
Gemini’s mouth drops open.
An alarm as loud as a tornado warning is blaring in my mind. The nicer Syn seems to be, the less I want to trust him—and I already don’t trust him—but if I’m leaving this house, I’m not coming back, and I can’t help but keep poking.
“Or what? Are you going to release my sex tape?” I cover my mouth with my hand. “Oops. You already did that.”
Like he’s about to blow up a hot air balloon, Syn sucks in a deep breath. “At the time that video was released, I was upstate visiting your brother in prison. I did not release the video, nor did I give any orders for that to happen,” he adds before I can suggest it.
“Then if you weren’t behind it, who was?” I ask instead. “I didn’t think anything happened on this campus unless the oh-so powerful Synclair Keyingham ordered it.”
“Salaway.”
“Declan wouldn’t have a clue where those videos are saved,” Royal quickly points out, his nose wrinkling as he looks at Syn. “He also isn’t even close to being at a level where he’d have access to the password.”
Syn nods. “He did it. Or we will find evidence that he did it on his laptop.”
“Are you telling me he did it following your orders, or are you admitting you’ve not got the control you say you have?”
I don’t think I care either way anymore.
“I’m saying someone wants you dead.”
No shit .
“Syn,” Royal says in a low, warning tone. “I hope you’re not about to tell Tori what I think you are? Because that knowledge will definitely get her killed.”
“She’s dead anyway,” Syn tells him, but his gaze is locked with mine. “What difference does it make now?”