“Hmm.” I give her a dubious expression, and in a stern voice, I say, “Where is she, Tavi?”
She shivers and blows out a long breath as she tilts her head. “I really can’t say.” Her fingers flutter to her throat and rub the muscles they find there. “But if I were looking for her, I would start with me and Eden, since we’re her closest friends.”
So she’s hiding at Eden’s.
Circling around the coffee table, I walk through the apartment, checking the rooms, including the closets and the shower. When I’m sure I haven’t missed anything, I join Octavia in the kitchen.
“Before I go, there’s something else we need to discuss.”
Opening a mocha Frappuccino bottle, she says, “You’re wondering what she said? Or what she didn’t say but implied?”
That wasn’t what I meant, but of course I’ll take any Arya intel I can get. “Tell me.”
Tavi smiles nervously and nods. “She likes you more than she thought she would. And you’re a way better lover than anyone she’s ever been with.”
“She told you this?”
“Not expressly. Arya can dish the dirt about anyone except herself. You’ve gotta know how to pull things out of her. I do.” Tavi takes a drink of her coffee.
“How’s that?”
“Mmm, gently and slowly. There was one time she couldn’t straighten her arm. She played it off like she hurt it at practice.” Octavia shakes her head, sending her long dark hair swaying. “I could tell by the way she acted it wasn’t a sports injury. It took me weeks to get her to admit Luis Sosa viciously twisted her arm when he was pissed. So hard she couldn’t use it for days.” Tavi frowns, shaking her head. “That wasn’t the worst of what he did to her. He was mean.Reallymean. She kept it inside for a long time.” She looks up at me through her lashes. “I guess he met someone meaner. Which… best come-true wish ever.”
Octavia wasn’t there the night I kicked Luis Sosa’s ass in the pit, but she must have heard about it. Learning about Arya’s injured arm brings on a wave of fury that makes me wish I could go back to that night and break his fucking neck.
“You said twisting her arm wasn’t the worst thing, Octavia. What was?”
“Something brutal. She wouldn’t want me to say.” Octavia shifts nervously and leans against the counter. “Just know it’s why she won’t hook up with bad boys anymore, even though that’s what she likes.” She sucks coffee from her lower lip. “Arya is all fire. She needs ice to balance her out.”
“Agreed.” Curling my fingers toward myself, I beckon her to give me the full story. “Tell me what happened with her and Luis.”
“If I give you details, she’ll get mad at me. It makes her furious that she was ever anyone’s victim. It also makes her mad that she’s not over it. As a dancer, Arya is a badass. As a friend, total badass. ‘No girl left behind’ is her motto. I could tell you something—no, just understand that she’s loyal and she’s brave. But deep down, she’s sensitive, too. A lot of people have hurt her. Too many.” Dark brown eyes look me up and down. “If she makes you so angry it’ll set you off, let her go. Because she can’t be tamed, and she’s already been hurt too much.”
“I can handle her.”
“So what did you do to make her run? She was with a Sosa Cartel guy. Arya doesn’t scare easily.”
“Did she seem afraid of me?”
“Yes. It’s not what she said; she’d never admit to being scared. She only said she learned details about you that made her leave. After Luis and Brayden, Arya swore she’d be more careful about the guys she gets involved with.”
I cock my brow. She didn’t act terrified during or after the spanking. Angry and turned on, yes, but not scared. “Hmm.”
“I could tell she wasn’t physically hurt. It’s in the way a girl moves, right? You didn’t hurt her like that. Did you threaten her? Or lose control and smash something?”
“No. And I never would.” I stretch my fingers as I shake my head. I’m not interested in guessing. I need to talk with Arya directly. “Let’s change the subject. I need names, Octavia, of the men who sponsor your scholarship and expect favors in return.”
Her face shutters. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Arya isn’t the one who told me, by the way. I got my information from another source. And this isn’t for a story. Whatever you tell me is off-the-record.”
She finishes her coffee drink and shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Let me lay it out for you. Two of the three girls Casanova took are scholarship girls like you. If Casanova isn’t one of the men who funds the scholarships, he’s close to a man who does. Declan’s uncle, Brock Stowe, is one of the five sugar daddies, right? He and his wife are both dead after she told someone she knew who Casanova was.”
Tavi’s eyes widen.
“Jeff Tremblay is one of the five, and he’s in love with you, right? So if Casanova decides he wants you, he might kill Tremblay for getting in the way.”
