He raises an eyebrow. “It’s like that, is it?” he teases, and I shake my head.
“Don’t be an ass. Tristan is fun, and he’s keeping my mind off my shit at the moment.”
“Are you ready to talk about it?” I shake my head and he sighs. “Well, maybe it’s a good thing that Xavier and Tristan’s siblings are going to your school. It’s time to expand your friend network.”
I avoid acknowledging what he’s saying by latching on to the interesting tidbit in that sentence. “Yeah, what’s with that? It was a little strange how they referred to them as their adopted siblings, not just siblings, and instead of using the word parent, they said guardian.”
He frowns. “I did catch that, but I didn’t want to question it. We’ve only just met them, and I have to live with them for the next year.”
“Well, as soon as you find out, I need to know. I don’t want to put my foot in it with their siblings.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find out the tea,” he teases, and I harrumph and stare out the window.
“Oh, and you left your handgun in the drawer with your drugs. You might want to lock that up before our guests get there.” I feel Gio’s gaze on me, but I don’t shift my eyes away from the window. “I’ll make up a couple of the guest rooms for them. I’m assuming Tristan and Xavier will share one, but make sure Casey doesn’t end up sharing one with you. She’s not one of your skanks,” I warn him, and he grunts.
“Of course not. I’m going to marry that girl. I wouldn’t be so disrespectful.”
Well, okay then.
“I need to find out their last name so I can do some research on them. It’s unusual that they moved to town and I haven’t heard about it. If they are in the same suburb as Stacey, they must be well off, and I’m surprised Dad hasn’t heard anything either.”
“Why would Dad know?” I ask, turning to look at him, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“Dad likes to keep a finger on all the comings and goings in town. It has to do with his businesses.” I try to think about why Dad would need to know because of his businesses, but to my shock, I realize I don’t actually know what Dad does. I mean, I know he’s a businessman, but I don’t know what businesses he owns.
“Gio, what does Dad do? It’s only just occurred to me that I don’t have a clue what businesses he runs. I’m such a bad fucking daughter. I’m so self-absorbed.” Gio chuckles as the guilt sinks deeper into my soul. “Don’t laugh, you asshole,” I snap at him, and he reaches over and pats my leg.
“Don’t stress, Tori. I’m pretty sure that was deliberate on Dad’s part. He could have talked about it more, but when we were babies, he decided he wanted to keep us separated from it for as long as possible.”
“But why?” I ask, and he shrugs.
“He runs clubs, hotels, and casinos, so it wasn’t really anything we could be involved in when we were younger anyway.” He makes it sound like it’s past tense.
“Have you been to any of Dad’s clubs or casinos?” I ask, the feeling of guilt giving way to curiosity and a small hint of jealousy.
“He owns them all over the state. There’s a club here in town, but there are two clubs in Ashton as well as the casino. Everything else is farther away. That’s why he is always gone.”
“So why would he like to keep an eye on the comings and goings in town if his businesses are statewide?” I’m more confused now than ever.
“Because he likes to know who the high rollers are. People living in that suburb have a little more cash to throw around than in others. He likes to send personal invites to come play at his tables or drink at his clubs.” He looks over at me and smiles. “I’m pretty sure Dad wants to tell you more when he gets back. You’re the same age I was when he introduced me to the family business. Just be patient, but you better prepare yourself. You may never look at life the same way again,” he warns me, and I turn forward to look out the window.
“Don’t worry about me. My view of life recently lost its rose-colored lenses. I’m seeing everything in black and white now.”
* * *
We make it to the house before the others. I wonder if they stopped at their home on the way through. Maybe we should have told them to bring their other siblings as well, the ones who are going to my school. I wonder if they’ll be seniors like me or if they are younger.
I change into my swimsuit—it’s nothing fancy, since I don’t feel overly confident with my body at the moment—and head downstairs to Dad’s bar. I’ve been sober long enough today. Now that I’m no longer busy, all my worries come flooding back in and start scraping away at the raw nerves inside my brain. Where did Stacey go? Is she telling Nikki and her clique what she did to me? Or is she hiding it?
My teeth grind together at the thought of her telling them. I’m sure she will avoid sharing the truth and make it look like I’m the bad person in all of it. It’s probably time I told Gio what she did, but I don’t want to ruin his first week at college. Maybe I’ll tell him at the end of next week. Then, he can help me plan my revenge.
With my mind focused on plotting revenge, I grab a glass and fill it with ice from the little machine Dad has on the bar. Turning around, I scan the shelves of liquor, trying to decide what I feel like drinking. The bottle of Patrón catches my eye, and I pull that one down, followed by a bottle of Gray Goose. Putting both on the counter, I pick up a shot glass and slosh some of the tequila in it before pouring the vodka into my glass with ice. I’m sure we’ll have some kind of mixer in the kitchen. Throwing back the shot of tequila, I screw up my face at the very distinctive taste before swallowing it down. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand before picking up my glass with the vodka and heading into the kitchen. I know relying on drugs and alcohol to get by is not a permanent solution, but it works for now.
Placing the shot glass in the sink, I open the fridge and peruse the contents. An unopened carton of pineapple juice catches my eye, and I grab it to pour into my glass. I hear muffled voices in the backyard, I guess the others must have arrived while I was getting changed. I’m sure Gio took them to the pool and lavished Casey with his attention. I cross my fingers, hoping he doesn’t get his assed kicked by her cousins.
The sliding glass door opens as I take a sip of my pineapple and vodka, and in walks a half naked Tristan. I’m lucky I already swallowed, otherwise I just may have choked on it. He changed out of his jeans and shirt, and is now only in a pair of swim trunks. His sleekly muscular chest is on full display, but what draws my eye is the tattoo of a rose over his left pec. It looks like it’s sitting in a bed of thorns, and underneath it is a quote. I step closer to him so I can read it.“Only pick flowers that have survived the same storms. They will never judge your broken thorns.”I run a finger across the rose, which looks like it’s glistening with dew. His chest hitches slightly, and I recoil backward.
“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Shit, I was so entranced by the words etched into his skin I practically felt him up and hadn’t even noticed. I whirl around, head back to get my drink, and gulp down a large amount. I’m too embarrassed to face him, but I’m not rude. “Ah, did Gio get you all drinks?” I ask, but the heat at my back has me stiffening on the spot. Tristan spins me to face him and lifts my chin so that I’m looking him in the eye. His icy blue gaze is sparkling with amusement.
