I nod. “Okay. I’ll try honesty. I thought Leon would’ve done it by now, but then I figured out why he didn’t. I mean, he did sexual stuff to me, but not that.”
“Fuck,” he whispers. “Does Carnage know that too?”
“Sort of, yeah.”
“He’s gonna fucking kill him, Rue. When Carnage finds him, Leon’s a dead man.”
“I know. Is it bad that I don’t care?”
“No.” He rubs my arm. “He hurt you. He’ll pay for that.”
“I’m sure I’m not the first or the last. At least he won’t be able to hurt people anymore.”
“No.” Colson smiles. “Alright, head up, diva. Let’s go show those boys who the fuck you are.”
I straighten my shoulders and walk behind Colson as confidently as I can, doing my best to channel his aura. When we enter the rec room, he moves to my side, and Carnage looks up from a table where he’s playing cards with Whisper, Nimble, and Specter.
His jaw drops, and I’m tempted to cower, but one peek at Colson boosts my confidence.
“Hi,” I say.
“Holy fuck.” Carnage stands. “You look… stunning.”
“Thank you. Colson gave me a little makeover.”
“Not really,” Colson says. “All that beauty was already there. I just dressed it up a little.”
I smile. I’m aware of everyone staring at me, but for once it feels really good to have so much attention.
“We should go out,” Specter says. “What do you say, Carn?”
He nods slowly. “Yeah, we should. Don’t want to waste all this effort.”
I feel a little giddy inside as I nod. “That sounds fun.” But then reality hits. “But what about Leon? If he finds me?—”
Whisper laughs. “Let him find you, kid. It’ll be our pleasure to handle it.”
“Don’t worry,” Carnage says. “You’re safe with us.”
His delivery sends a trickle of excitement through me. “Okay then. Let’s do it.”
Maybe later I can talk to Carnage about what I really want. If I could ditch Leonandthe virginity, I’d consider that success.
The way Carnage is looking at me right now, I might really have a chance.
CHAPTER 10
Carnage
I can’t stop lookingat him.
Rue is dancing with Colson just a few feet away from me so I can keep a close eye on him, but honestly, I couldn’t look at anyone else if I tried.
I’m flanked by Specter and Whisper. The other guys are working or chose to stay home.
“You should go dance with him,” Whisper says, nudging my arm.
“I don’t dance,” I grunt.
