Chapter 8

A prickle ran across my skin as I fell into a seat closest to the dining room door–and the furthest from the two assholes currently occupying the table.

I didn’t want to be here any more than I wanted to be in juvie, but I had hell to plot against them, and if Dad had taught me one thing–it was to dine with your enemies.

Or, as the saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Which made another thought occur to me. What if Dad hired Darius for that exact reason? To keep a close eye on him and make him do some spying at the same time?

I glanced suspiciously at Darius, wondering if he had that same mindset. Because I had no doubt that he was not here for charity or the goodness of his heart.

“What do you get out of this?” I directed the question over at Darius. I was about to reach for a glass to pour myself some orange juice when I remembered Harris’ warning and allowed my hand to fall back into my lap.

Hunter shot me an unreadable look, picking up his hand and sipping noisily on his orange juice as if to prove a point. “What? Scared I poisoned you?”

My mouth dropped open in disbelief, and I had to shake my head quickly. “No. I don’t like orange juice.” My heart was beating loud all of a sudden. How did he know? I wanted to out him for it, but there was no way I could do it without admitting I suspected it after what Harris told me.

He smirked, leaning closer as he said, “Figured your trusty butler already informed you. Or one of the maids that you seem to be so close to.”

I crossed my arms. “Oh. So this is you admitting your intentions?”

“No. This is me declaring that the whole fucking staff is paranoid because a–” He cleared his throat, speaking childishly, “Oh my goodness. It’s rogue. We’re all going to die.” He rolled his eyes, picking up a fork and stabbing a piece of toast on his plate with so much force the table rattled.

I swallowed, turning my attention back to Darius. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Darius opened his mouth, about to say something when a maid–a new one I didn’t recognize–walked in with a large vase stuffed with pink roses. She offered me a slight bow, and I smiled at her in return, watching her in silence as she removed the potted plant across Darius, and replaced it with the roses.

Hunter was having some sort of coughing fit, but as he wiped a dark strand of hair from his face for a brief second, I realized he was laughing. It seemed so foreign on his always pissed-off face that I could only stare.

When he noticed me looking, he shifted in his seat, so his shoulder and back faced me instead.

A crash sounded. My wide eyes flicked toward Darius, puffing on his breath like an angry bull. The roses had disappeared from the table, and the maid fled, whimpering under her breath.

I lowered my gaze, finding chunks of broken porcelain and roses scattered across the marble floor. “Why the hell did you do that for?” I glared at Darius.

He glared back, his face red, and it looked like he was about to pitch another fit.

“It’s pink,” Hunter chuckled.

“And that’s an excuse for throwing it on the floor?” I huffed, crossing my arms. “All because he doesn’t like the color?” And then Darius had the balls to call me a spoiled princess. Holy crap.

“It’s a sensitive topic,” Hunter snickered, sipping his orange juice. “Pink, that is.”

“Hunter, so help me…” Darius growled.

“I am helping you.” Hunter glanced at me. “He hates pink because of you.”

I snorted a laugh. “How am I and pink in any way related?”

“You made me lose.” Darius pinned me with a death stare. “And because of you, I got kicked from the finals. And because of that, I have to wait five fucking years to partake again.”

“I still don’t follow what pink has to do with it.” My brows shot up. “Or how it was my fault you were distracted. No one forced you to look at me. You did that out of your own accord.”

Hunter snorted a laugh, grabbing the fifty note on the table and pocketing it. “Oh, what do you know? She has a backbone, after all.”

Darius’ fists, which were resting on top of the table, tightened to a point where his knuckles turned white. He was about to say something when his eyebrows arched with surprise. A second later, hands slammed onto my shoulders, and I was dragged off my seat.

“What the hell?” I shouted as I fell backward onto the floor, catching a glimpse of the maid–who returned carrying a broom and a paper bag–retreating back into the hallway again with a panic-stricken look.

“Shit, man. What happened to you?” I heard Hunter ask before a figure stepped over me.

It was Jace, looking all shades of pissed off. “You will fucking regret your entire existence for that little stunt once I’m through with you.”

“Wait–” Hunter laughed. “She’s responsible?”

Jace ignored him, leaning over me, his face so close I could smell the blood on him. “It’s time this little princess knows her place.”

“What are you–” A squeal of panic escaped me as Jace dragged me up from the floor and threw me over his shoulder. “Put me down!”

“Where is my car?” he asked, stalking out of the dining room with me beating his back with my fists.

“Jace, so help me–” I gave up on beating and did the only thing I could think of–I bit into a muscle on his back.

“Motherf–” he shouted, tearing me off him and dropping me onto the carpet inside the hallway. Hunter had followed us out, a smirk on his face.

“Having trouble?” he crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

“I’m going to ask you one more time,” Jace hissed. “Where. Is. My. Car?”

I spat in his face. “Fuck you.”

Jace growled, wiping the spit from his face. “Wrong answer.” He grabbed me by the arms, about to drag me up and likely carry me somewhere, so I kicked and bit wherever I could.

Jace cursed. “For f—Hunter, grab her feet!”

A mad laugh escaped me. Manic and frantic. “It takes two of you bastards to handle me. Pathetic.”

Despite the fit of madness, the panic was rearing its ugly head. What were they going to do to me? “You freaking framed me!”

Hunter arched his brow as he grabbed my feet, and they hauled me through the hallway in the direction of the study and ballroom. At first, I thought they were going to the study to phone my dad, but they turned toward the pool area instead.

“All in a day’s work. Nothing personal,” Hunter replied coolly.

“Nothing personal? Nothing personal?” I screamed so hard that my throat burned. “You ruined my reputation. My chances to get into a decent college. And took a year of my life!”

“Keep her here,” Jace instructed, letting go of me. Hunter took over, spinning me around, so my back was against his chest, and wrapped his arms around me to hold me still. Unlike Jace, he was too smart to my liking and hooked a leg around mine, so I couldn’t kick either. I was locked into one place and couldn’t do a damned thing about it.

I kept cussing out Hunter, my eyes trained on Jace as he rounded the pool and headed for the switch controlling the pool’s heat and the thick glass cover shielding the pool.

It had cost Dad a fortune to install a glass cover over the pool, mainly because it was bulletproof and imbued with the family crest in the center of it.

Panic swelled inside my chest as the cover began moving, and Jace continued fumbling around with the settings. “You know. I tried to play nice with you.”

“Nice?” I snapped. “Do you even comprehend what you did to me?”

“Well…” Hunter gruffed behind me. “If we got to get technical here, Jace didn’t do anything but try to help you.”

“Oh? The same shithead who ditched me at the police station?”

Jace came to a standstill before me, crossing his arms to his bare chest and looking like he was working hard not to lose his cool. “I left you there because I was told you were safe. I wouldn’t have left you if I knew otherwise. But, a bit too late for that now, is it?”

“You planted drugs on me!”

“Give credit where credit is due, little monster,” Hunter replied. “Like I said, all in a day’s work. Daddy offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse.”

My eyes shot wide as I peered at Jace. “Wait, you didn’t know?”

Jace gave me a grin that chilled my bones. His hands shot out, and he grabbed me by the shoulders. “A little too late, princess.”