I toss my phone onto my bed on the way to my closet, putting on sweatpants and a black long-sleeve shirt to film this video. I’m not trying to look cute this time, going to show up as my authentic, raw self, no cuts or edits.
I head to my bathroom and rake my brush through my hair, twisting it up into a clip. My eyes have dark circles around them, from the lack of sleep I’ve been getting lately, but I’m not complaining; nothing a little concealer can’t fix. I dab a few dots under my eyes, blending them out with my finger, and add a little mascara to wake them up.
I head back to my room, turn on my ring light, and set up my filming spot. I pick up my phone from my bed and see a new message on VidTok:
With that out of the way, I can film my video now. I slide my phone into the mount, open the camera, and hit record, “Hey Vixxens, and welcome new followers from MaskTok! What an interesting week it’s been. Firstly, I‘ll address the elephant in the room, which is Wolfy. How amazing is his cosplay? It’s so spot on, and exactly how I picture Detective Liam Moore while writing the book. And while that's exciting, there have been some rumors going around recently, and it’s made people less kind in my inbox. I would like to remind everyone that I am human. I did not force your favorite content creator to do a book-character cosplay; he did it of his own accord because he is a fan of my books. I did not reach out to him; I’m not paying him either, even though I offered after he posted thefirst video, but he declined. This was such a weird drama to see unfold over the last week on my hiatus, but I’ve come back on here today to say that no one on BookTok knows who I really am, except for Olivia, or as most of you know her, LivLovesCliterature. She’s the only one who will be giving statements on my behalf, not tea-pages or drama channels. So let this video be a reminder to be kind and not attack someone you don’t know. Secondly, I would like to announce that Wolfy and I have been in touch, and we will be working on content together, cosplaying as Vera and Liam. This is all professional, strictly business for both of us, and we would appreciate it if you all kept it that way. I’m unsure of when the videos will be done, or if we will even get good shots, because I’m a terrible actress, but I’m doing it for you guys, my Vixxens. But anyway, thank you to everyone who has come to my defense this week. I see you, and I love you. And I hope you’ll all love the Vera and Liam content coming your way in the near future!” I hit stop, and post the video with no caption or hashtags, the algorithm will send it off where it needs to go. I watch the video finish uploading, and then I close out of the app, determined not to look at my phone until later today.
I sent Olivia a text letting her know I'd posted a video, but I would be off my phone for the rest of the day to work on book three. “Now that that’s over with, back to a more pressing matter, my book."
It’s late at night; my laptop clock says it’s almost eleven. I stretch, rubbing the dryness out of my eyes from staring at my screen too long.
Binx is curled up contentedly in my lap, and I hate to move him when he’s being so sweet, but my legs are asleep. “Come on, on the bed you go,” I say, shifting him to his pillow. He grumbles softly, letting me know he's unhappy but too tired to care.
I close my laptop and head to my closet to find my overnight bag. I find it in the back, unzip it, take it out of my closet, and place it on my bed. It’s only a weekend trip, so Ishouldn’t go overboard with the clothes, and Dante said I should dress comfortably. I think four outfits should be enough.
I return to my closet when I hear my phone ding. I pull my phone from my pocket and see that Olivia messaged me:
I don’t even bother asking her where he’s taking me; Dante already told me she wouldn’t tell me. Before I put my phone away, I open VidTok and send a message to Wolfy:
I send him another message saying how he can’t control his fans, but I'm glad he didn’t hate me for bringing it up, and regarding the meetup that I’ll be bringingDante. I call him my boyfriend in the message to set a clear boundary.
The message says "read," it’s been a few minutes, and he hasn’t responded yet. I hope he’s not put off by me bringing Dante. A few more minutes go by, and he still hasn’t responded. I bite on my nail, watching the message, until I see the bubbles appear that indicate he’s typing:
Oh, thank fuck, I thought he was about to turn into a horny creep. My anxiety wave finally crashes, and I feel like a weight has been lifted.
I exit the app, slip my phone back into my pocket, and get to work on packing my clothes.
Dante
“She called me her boyfriend,” I say, staring at the message Luna sent Wolfy.
I’m sitting in my burner car, waiting a few blocks from my next hit's house, doing some reconnaissance. I feel like I can’t breathe. Luna called me her boyfriend. She introduced me to Olivia as her friend, but when talking to another man, she calls me her boyfriend. My dick hardens so fast I think it’s going to rip through the front of my jeans.
I get lost in thought about the surprise I have planned for her that I forget to reply.
My phone lights up with Alex’s name across the screen after I hit send on my message to Luna. I hit accept so quickly that I fumble with my phone. “Yeah?”
“Nice to hear from you, too, Dante,” Alex says in an annoyed tone.
“Sorry. I’ve been busy, Alex. And I’m out on ajobright now.”
“Well, you’re going to want to hear this. I have an update on information regarding your girl.”
“Well, out with it, Alex.” My turn to sound annoyed.
“You’re not going to like this, but one of my guys I have working the casinos said Johnny Costanza is looking for a girl that fits her description. He overheard a conversation tonight at the blackjack table with Johnny, his brothers, and some guy named Greg Russo. He said they were talking about a failed kidnapping, and it sounded like they were planning another before Johnny slapped the guy and told him to keep quiet.”
“Where is the casino?” I ask through gritted teeth, my rage simmering under my skin, the darkness inside me ready to kill.
Alex is silent for a moment. “I can’t get into a fight with Johnny right now, Dante. He controls the northern territory of Boston with his casinos. I only have my guy working there to make sure Johnny isn’t planning something, just like I’m sure he has someone in bars. I won’t put him or my business at risk from some girl.”
“Some girl? I told you she wasn’t some girl. Luna is everything to me, and if you won’t help, fine, I’ll do it my fucking self. Send me the address, Alex.” I can’t believe him right now.
“If you get into trouble, I won’t be able to save you. You’ll be on your own, Dante.”
“I don’t need you! I haven't needed you in a long time,big brother. You left first, remember? Ineed, Luna. Send me the fucking address.” I hang up, gripping my phone so hard I hear the plastic case snap. “Fuck!” I roar, slamming my hands on my steering wheel.
My phone dings, it’s the message from Alex with the address. My next hit should be home within the next two hours. I’ll have enough time to get to the casino and still be able to get back here in time to finish the job and pick up Luna in the morning.
