“Dumbass,” Bonham murmured under his breath. “Always has to show off.”
Out of all the Heirs, Bonham Brodie was the preppiest of the group. It was funny how innocent his dimpled chin and blonde hair made him look, considering I’d just watched him toss a body into a lake.
I watched his profile, noticing the hickey on the left side of his neck. Like the others, it seemed like he sampled a new flavor of girl every week. I listened to the stories whispered in the halls and giggled in the locker room. It was rumored that they had a propensity for trading. When they were tired of a girl, they passed her down the line, and she usually went along with it. There was an entire following of Heir Chasers at our school.
Luis was usually the easiest. He was always up for anything—he being his dick. The pickiest was Rogue by far. But if a girl got to bag all four, she crowned herself “Heir Shared.” There was even a hashtag for it on social media. There would usually be a skanky photo of the chick with one or more of the guys, beaming with pride at her, I’ve been #HeirShared tagline.
Lost in my thoughts, I was yanked back to the present situation when the door was flung open and Luis climbed in. He had changed out of his bloodied clothes into some jeans and a band tee. “Brought you some clothes. Can’t have y'all walking through the club covered in blood and mud.” He tossed clothes at the others and shut the door after himself.
The guys started pulling on shirts and jeans, and I kept my eyes on the ceiling, determined not to sneak a peek at their delicious bodies, even though the temptation was there. I was starting to remind myself of those women that write letters to the serial killers in prison. What the fuck was wrong with me? I fidgeted in the back, not wanting to ask for an outfit, but growing angrier by the second. Would they make me sit in this man’s blood?
Finally, I broke. “Hello? Can I get some clothes?”
Luis turned back and flashed me a grin. “Sorry, Babe. Fresh out.”
“Fuck you, Luis. Give me a new shirt at least. This one has blood on it.”
He held up his hand and I could see extra clothes clutched in his grip, and my eyes narrowed. “What’ll you give me for it?” he taunted.
I curled my hands into fists, and my knuckles gave a twinge of pain from when I’d punched Stephanie earlier. Luis always liked to taunt and tease. Everything was always a game to him. I used to think it was funny, but that was because I was never the butt of his jokes.
Refusing to let him see me sweat, I removed Rogue’s shirt in a teasingly slow motion then leaned forward, resting against the back of his seat with my elbows bent on either side of his head. “What do you want?” I asked, keeping my voice purposely low and husky. It was something I never would have done before. I’d always been the good girl. The innocent one. But they ruined me for that. They rained down cruelty, and I soaked it all up.
Luis turned all the way around, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. He liked that I was playing with him. The circumstances were odd, but I was like an addict. I’d take what I could.
“I dunno, Scar, why don’t you show me what you got and I’ll see if you’re worth enough to earn anything.”
Motherfucker.
Pissed, I tried to snatch the clothes from his hand, but he just laughed and held them out of my reach. “Oh! T.W. thinks she’s slick!” he laughed.
I lost my balance, falling onto my hands and knees, and Bonham, Godfrey, and Luis all laughed. “There she goes! Right where she belongs.”
I saw red.
Before I could open my mouth to say anything, Rogue’s voice broke through their laughter. “Cut the shit and give her the clothes. The sooner she’s dressed, the sooner we can dump her.”
I flipped him off, since I knew he was watching me through the rearview mirror, even if I couldn’t see. Luis relented and tossed me the clothes, then I quickly pulled them on, trying to ignore Rogue’s choice of words about “dumping” me, no doubt to remind me that they just dumped that body into the lake.
The oversized sweatpants and hoodie smelled like Luis. I breathed in his scent, hoping they couldn’t see how pathetic I was being. “So who was that guy?” I finally asked, earning a satisfied smirk from Godfrey. I watched him bite his lip, like he wanted to spill a million secrets just for the fun of watching my shocked expression. But of course, he didn’t.
“None of your concern,” Rogue answered. “Everyone out of the car.”
Luis finger waved at me in that mischievous way I used to love about him, before exiting. Bon, however, lingered long enough to whisper something in Rogue’s ear. Godfrey was the last to leave. He chanced a look at Rogue before leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. My skin burned where his lips touched me, but it still felt oddly comforting. I leaned into his lingering touch, and when he pulled away, I caught Rogue staring at us. It was all for show. For what, I really didn’t know. But I let Godfrey kiss me nevertheless.
Rogue got out of the SUV to open the trunk. “Get up front, Scarlett,” he ordered. Something about the way he said my full name made me go tense.
I looked around at the crowds of people. Where was Rogue going to take me? What was he going to do? At least here, in front of the club, someone would see me and hear me scream. If I got into the front seat of this SUV and let him drive off, I could easily find myself just as dead as that mystery man.
“No,” I replied warily.
“Get. In. The. Front. Seat.”
“Promise me you won’t kill me,” I blurted.
Maybe it was bold, bargaining with a killer. But the reality of my situation had started to sink in. I allowed myself to be distracted by the hope of being an Heir girl again, but the truth was like a slap to the face. Rogue slit a man’s throat. He chased me down and tackled me in the woods.
He kissed me. He kissed me. When he still had blood on his hands. And I liked it.
“It depends on how well you cooperate,” he finally said, deadpan. A group of women dressed in tight skirts walked by us, eyeing my outfit with a sneer.
“I’ll scream.” I was clinging to the hope that he wouldn’t hurt me if I stayed here. Rogue turned to look behind him and sighed. He then thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a phone.
“Call your mama.”
“What?”
Rogue snarled before dialing the number himself. I tried not to preen at knowing he still had my number memorized. But...it was close to two in the morning. What the fuck was he thinking?
“Hello, Mrs. Livingston, it’s Rogue Kelly.” I couldn’t hear my mama on the other end of the line, but I could just imagine her angry,but curious screeches flowing through the phone line. “Listen, I’m so sorry to call this late, but Scarlett broke her phone and fell asleep during the movie we were watching. I know it’s been a while since you let us have a sleepover, but I was wondering if you could make an exception?”
I should have screamed. I knew I should have. I should have opened my mouth and let out a yell, begging her to save me. But of course, there was the issue of me being fucked up.
Rogue nodded at whatever Mama was saying. “Yes, of course. She just seemed so stressed about Switzerland, and we wanted to spend some quality time with her before she left. You know Scar was always an honorary member of our little group.”