Page 161 of Healed

She was going to stay that way.

I picked the box up and stormed back into the garage, snatching up my phone.

“Another message,” I hissed as soon as Dante answered. “Make sure Rachel keeps Gabriella busy and get over to the garage. You’re not going to fucking believe this.”

Chapter 49

Vienna

“I can’t believe he was watching you have sex,” Rachel whispered to me as I stood outside Gabriella’s door a few hours later.

Dante had retrieved the heart and ordered Pivot to get rid of it. There wasn’t much we could do since the drone had already fled, but he was already in talks with Hacksaw about defence for future drone use, should it come to that.

I’d spent the rest of the day with Gabriella, putting a smile on my face, pretending nothing was wrong, until eventually she went to bed, her eyes too heavy to remain open a second longer.

That’s when Dante and I had told Rachel everything. And she was equally horrified on her friend’s behalf, knowing she had been violated once again.

“Pfft, I don’t give a shit about that,” I replied, my voice equally as quiet. “My ass is fire. I hope he got plenty of shots of it.”

Rachel rolled her eyes at me. “I think there are more important things than the state of your ass,” she said. And then: “Are you going to tell her?” she asked, nodding her head at Gabriella’s door.

I thought about it a moment. It was the same question I had been asking myself all day.

Should I tell her? Would it benefit her?

“What’s the point?” I sighed. “It’ll send her straight back into that place she’s just come out of.”

“I know what you’re saying, and I know you mean well, but…” she bit her lip, looking away.

“But…?” I prompted. “Come on, Rachel. It’s not like you to hold back.”

“This is a violation, Vienna. Nico was watching you both have sex. He was probably getting off on it. Doesn’t she deserve to know?”

“I seriously doubt he doesn’t have other footage of her. Gabby has mentioned that he used to record her all the time.”

“Right—she mentioned it. Meaning she was aware. She wasn’t aware this time. Doesn’t she deserve to know that it’s happened again? I would want to know.”

“What will it achieve? She already knows he’s around. She already knows he’s watching her. She’s already listened to him shagging her mother’s dead body. Does she really need more trauma adding to her life?”

“I don’t want to add more trauma. But I do want her to know what’s happening!”

“For what purpose, Rachel? Do you think that it will help her in the slightest?”

“I promised her this was her safe space!”

“And it still is!” I hissed back. “We have never had drones fly over here before, and Hacksaw is seeing what he can do to make sure it never happens again. Nico has shown his cards now. He has to know that the drone was a one-time thing. He has to know we’ll be on alert for them. A message has already been sent to the club to shoot any drones spotted, whether they’re over the compound or not.”

“I know but—”

“We can’t entertain buts, Rachel. We can’t. Because if Gabriella thinks this place isn’t safe, she’ll flee. She’s putting a smile on her face and making the best of things as bravely as she can, but deep down she’s terrified. Why ruin that for a one-time thing? Why shatter her illusions when you and I both know that she is safe here? Why put doubts in her mind?”

“Because it’s her body, Vienna! She has the right to know what footage of her is out there.”

“Yes, she does. And when all of this is said and done, I will scour the entire fucking country to make sure I retrieve every single recording I find and burn the lot of them. But what does it achieve right now? How does it aid her in the slightest?”

“I—”

“Rachel, listen to me. Gabriella is not well, not really. Think about what you went through with Alex. Remember everything he did to you. Would you want to know about each and every violation? Or would you rather trust that those who love you took care of it first?”