“Oh, hey, that new strain will be perfect for you to try. It will make you feel good and energize you, which you’ll probably need. If you want, I’ll show you how to roll them and then you won’t have to rely on us,” Sage offers, and Gio nods.
“That works well, because I need to go into the club to check on something, and I promised Xavier and Tristan I would grab a couple of drinks with them at the dorm when I was done.”
“Did you tell them about all this?” I wave my hand around, but he knows what I mean.
“No, of course not, but I had to give them a reason as to why I was postponing school. I told them we had family issues and that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on my classes.”
“Oh my God.” I sit up straight. “They didn’t see the video, did they? I think their siblings were there. What if they sent it to them?”
Gio doesn’t meet my eyes as he slowly shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so. They didn’t say anything about it.”
“What video?” Sage asks and nudges me in the side. “Are you into a little home porn, Tori? I would never have pegged you as kinky,” he jokes, and I stand up and leave the room.
There’s no way I want to tell him about it. He’ll never look at me the same again, and I feel sick that the other two might have seen it. Gio is lying to me, even if he wasn’t tugging on his ear.
I make my way up the staircase, praying that I won’t run into Penelope. I would probably shoot her if she even looked at me.
Going to my room, I close and lock the door, not caring about Sage or Gio or anyone. I drop my gun on my bedside table and leave a trail of clothes strewn across the floor as I strip and turn on the shower. I don’t even take the time to appreciate my new bathroom as I step under the scalding hot water, grab the sponge and soap, and start scrubbing my skin, trying to wash away the stain of what she did. I’d been holding it together all day, but Sage’s comment, which I’m pretty sure he hadn’t meant maliciously, just tipped me right over the edge. Like a crack in a dam, the walls I built so high come tumbling down, and my scream filled with pain and sadness and anger echoes through the large room. Tears that I just can’t stop overflow from my eyes, and my scream turns into sobs as I collapse onto the floor and curl into myself.
I was raped by my best friend, and she recorded it and showed it to the world. What the fuck kind of monster is she? What kind of person does that? She might as well have shoved a knife into my chest, it would have been more honest than doing what she did.
I’m not sure how long I sit under the stream of water, but by the time I stand up, I’m all cried out and lightheaded. I feel like I have purged all the emotions that might interfere with my training, but the one thing I held onto was the need for revenge. Right here and now, I make the decision that I will be the best motherfucking mafia princess the West Coast has ever seen, and heaven help those who cross the Russo family, because they just gained themselves a member who has a few anger issues with zero remorse. I can’t wait for someone to underestimate or disrespect me so I can prove them all wrong and show Dad I have what it takes to keep up with the men.
* * *
My phone beeps in my ear, waking me the next morning, and I groan, not wanting to get out of bed. This bed was made by angels, and I’m sure it’s filled with feathers from their wings. It is the most comfortable thing I have ever slept on, and the thought of getting up and actually moving makes me burrow my head under my covers.
“No, go away!” I shout as I hear my phone beep again. I stick my head out and throw the phone across the room just as the door opens and Sage bursts in, splintering the lock in his wake.
The only thing he’s wearing is a tight pair of leopard print boxer briefs that leave nothing to the imagination. He brandishes a gun as my phone bounces off his chest and onto the ground.
Well now, this is awkward. I sit up and push my unruly hair out of my face as he lowers his gun to the side.
“Are you okay? I heard you scream and thought someone was in here.”
I barely hear his words as I take in the sight before me. Sage’s boxers do nothing to impede the spectacular muscles his body is rocking. His abs, Adonis belt, and pecs all scream, “Look at me!” His golden skin is free of tattoos, but I can see the pale hint of cigarette burn scars scattered across his torso. He’s lean and sculpted, and my eyes drag a little lower to see if I can check out what I had in my hand yesterday. Call it professional curiosity. I mean, if he’s going to pretend to be my arm candy, I think I deserve to know if he could satisfy me—if I was that way inclined.
The sound of snapping fingers has me looking up and trying to hide the guilt and disappointment on my face. I hadn’t quite made it to where I wanted to look.
“No, no, no.” He waggles a finger at me. “No free pass to check out the goodies.” He holds his gun and hand in front of his package, and I see him think before a mischievous grin crosses his face. “Unless you’re offering me a look. I mean, it’s only fair, isn’t it? Tit for tat or tit for dick, as the case may be.”
I scoff and roll my eyes. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
He tuts. “Well, that’s a shame. It would have made my morning spectacular. Why were you shouting?”
“My phone woke me up, and I don’t want to leave the bed of angels.” I groan, flopping back and starfishing.
He chuckles and moves over to me after bending down and picking up my phone, still holding his gun in front of his dick. “Yeah, the beds are magic, aren’t they?”
He hands me my phone and leans against the bedpost, checking out the green velvet curtains that are tied back. I open my messages. There’s one from Gio telling me to get up, because Penelope will be leaving in half an hour, warning me not to miss her because Dad will be pissed.
“Fuck.” I scramble out of bed and run into my walk-in closet.
I hear Sage call out, “Aww, that was too fast. I couldn’t see anything.”
I mentally flip him the bird as I quickly pull off the tank I had been sleeping in and pull on a bra, shirt, and a pair of denim shorts. Running my fingers through my mane of curls, I decide to put them up in a bun and call it a day. I grab a pair of socks and my favorite purple Converse, and then hurry back to the little sitting area, sit on the small sofa, and pull them on my feet.
“Wow, now that was impressive.” He must have run back and grabbed some clothes from his room, because he’s wearing a pair of sweats, but he’s still naked from the waist up. “Here, I rolled these for you last night after you went to bed. Do you want to share one now before you leave?” He holds out his hand with ten joints in it, and I quickly grab them.
