“Is that why you made him and Kel disappear?” Shay asks. “Because they hadtheseon you?”
36
SOLANA
My stomach drops.
I forget about the play as my gaze zeros in on the phone in Yvette’s hand and the image stills of that horrible night.
All the confidence I built up seeing Silver in the audience evaporates in an instant.
This is it. This is the moment everything falls apart.
I should’ve known better than to hope things would go right for me.
“Places, everyone! Curtain in five minutes!” the stage manager calls.
Shay’s smile widens, cruel and triumphant. “What’s the matter, Lana? You look like you’re about to puke.”
Yvette snickers beside her.
I stare at the phone. At the photos on the screen—photos I never consented to. Photos taken on the worst night of my life, when I was drugged and violated and too out of it to even know what was happening.
For a few seconds, it’s as if it’s happening all over again. I’ve been transported back to that night. I’m stuck again, trapped under Kel as he used me.
The girl who let people walk all over her. The girl who didn’t fight back. She simply tried to pretend it hadn’t happened.
But then I remember how far I’ve come. How I’ve changed and learned I don’t have to be that girl ever again.
A spark ignites in my chest, small at first, then burning bright.
Ikilledthe man who tried to hurt me. I stood up to my family and went through the public scandal of what it meant to date Silver, a man twice my age. Most of all, I rebuilt myself from the ashes of who I used to be.
I’m not about to be intimidated by these two petty bitches.
My eyes narrow, and I step toward Shay, steeling myself like I really am the old lady to a dangerous biker. I get so close, we’re almost nose to nose.
She blinks, clearly not expecting me to move toward her instead of away.
“You really want to do this?” I ask calmly. “Go ahead. But let me tell you what happens next.”
Yvette’s smirk falters a fraction as she glances at Shay.
“I have proof that I was drugged with ketamine that night,” I explain. “It’s in my medical records. Which means I couldn’t legally consent to anything—includingthose date-stamped photos. You know what that makes them? Illegally obtained. And you know what it’s called when you threaten to distribute intimate images of someone without their consent?”
Shay huffs out a breath while Yvette’s throat bobs as she struggles to swallow.
“Revenge porn,” I answer for them, adding a smile without warmth. “That’s a felony, Shay. Forbothof you.”
Yvette shifts uncomfortably, lowering the phone slightly. “Shay, maybe we should?—”
“Shut up,” Shay hisses, though even she’s lost some edge. She’s rattled. I can tell by the way she offers no other rebuttal. For someone as mouthy as she is, it’s a rare occurrence. Instead, her eyes dart to the side like she’s looking for an escape route.
I press my advantage.
“Oh, and one more thing.” I gesture casually toward the curtain. “My boyfriend is sitting in the front row tonight. Along with his MC brothers. You remember the Steel Kings, right? I’m sure they’d love to meet the girls who’ve been harassing me for months.”
Yvette loses any color to her tan complexion then tugs at Shay’s sleeve. “We should go. Shay, let’s just go.”
