Vicious Titan: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Golden Olympus Academy Book 4)

by A. J. Logan

  Vicious Titan

  Golden Olympus Academy Book 4

  A.J. Logan

  Copyright © 2021 A.J. LOGAN

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by KD Proofreading

  www.kdproofreading.com

  Contents

  1. Elliot

  2. Victoria

  3. Elliot

  4. Victoria

  5. Elliot

  6. Victoria

  7. Elliot

  8. Victoria

  9. Elliot

  10. Victoria

  11. Elliot

  12. Victoria

  13. Elliot

  14. Victoria

  15. Elliot

  16. Victoria

  17. Elliot

  18. Victoria

  19. Elliot

  20. Victoria

  21. Elliot

  22. Elliot

  23. Elliot

  24. Victoria

  25. Elliot

  26. Victoria

  27. Elliot

  28. Victoria

  29. Elliot

  30. Victoria

  31. Elliot

  32. Victoria

  33. Elliot

  34. Victoria

  35. Elliot

  36. Victoria

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  1

  Elliot

  Red. That’s all I see. Victoria’s red hair. My mom’s blood spilling around her. My anger. All things red consume my mind.

  It can’t be true, but it is. Victoria has been visiting my mom all along. My fingers grip the steering wheel, turning it sharply as I speed down the street leading to the Hastings’ house. She won’t be there, but Asher should be. I need to know if he’s known what his sister has been up to all this time. How she’s been visiting my mom—like she has any right to be there—and then lying to me about it. Victoria knew. She’d slept in bed next to me, watched me suffer through the nightmares, then went for a visit like we’re all one big happy fucking family.

  Skidding to a stop in front of the house, I bail out of my NSX, slamming the car door behind me as I rush up the front stairs to the oversize red door. Slinging it open, I step inside the house instead of ripping it off the hinges as I’d prefer.

  Trudging through the house, I head straight upstairs to Asher’s room, finding him perched on the edge of his bed, looking at his phone. He glances up to me as he says, “Hey, man,” before returning his attention to scrolling, oblivious to my current infuriated state.

  “Did you know? Did you know what she was doing?” I yell across the room. Asher looks at me, his eyes searching mine, but he remains silent. “It’s not that fuckin’ hard—either you did or didn’t.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Asher stands and walks toward me, then stops, folding his arms across his chest, before widening his stance as he looks at me with unease.

  “My mom. Did you know Victoria has been visiting her since day one?”

  “No,” Asher says sternly, and I know he’s telling the truth, but I have to ask again.

  “You really had no clue?”

  “Nope. How’d you find out?” Asher asks.

  How do I tell him the truth? Here I am questioning his loyalty while I’ve been screwing around with his sister behind his back. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m sure it is,” Asher says, letting out a frustrated breath as his hand rubs across his face. “You know Victoria tries to intervene whenever she can. Thinks she can fix everyone.”

  “Yeah, well … she can’t fix this one.” Any of it. Not my relationship with my mom or whatever the hell has been going on between us.

  Looking at the guy I’ve called my best friend for as long as I can remember, I’m thankful he’s a great friend even if I’ve been a terrible one lately. Luckily, Victoria showed her true colors before I did something stupid … like choose her over my friendship with Asher because I would’ve without a doubt. “I’m sorry, man.”

  “It’s cool. I would’ve told her to back off, or at least clued you in, had I known.”

  That’s not what I’m apologizing for, but I can’t bring myself to tell him the real reason because he might be pissed enough to walk away from me, and I need my best friend now more than ever. “I just want to forget all about it.” And her.

  “I get it. Trust me.” There’s a lot of anguish behind his words, and I’m guessing it has to do with Quinn but I’m too scared to ask details. I’ve barely been holding it together since Quinn found out the devastating news about her father’s remains being located. It definitely stirred up the memories of the night I found my mom. Even with Victoria beside me, I’d hardly gotten any sleep the last few nights. Dread fills me as I realize tonight will be the first night in almost two weeks that I’ll have to sleep without her. Damn it.

  “I’m gonna get out of here before she shows.” Because I still want to hold her near as much as I want to push her away.

  “So, I’m guessing the two of you will be at each other’s throats even more now.”

  “That you can count on.” Because even though my goal will be to avoid her, I know she’ll be around constantly, like she always has been and always will be. What the hell had I been thinking? That’s right. I hadn’t been, as usual.

  Hurrying out of the house, I drop into my car. Speeding down the driveway, I head to my house—my prison. It had been bearable the nights she’d been there. I enjoyed having her around without having to sneak around and hide from everyone. At least now I’m free from the lie, the secrets, and the shitstorm that would’ve been. The only thing left to do is forget all about her—the way she felt, the way she tasted, the way she made me feel. Fuck. None of that matters anymore. If she’d been visiting my mom secretly and keeping it from me, what else had she been lying about? Regardless, it had only been a matter of time before she would’ve walked away from me anyway. And more than likely after sabotaging my friendship with Asher. Had that been her intention all along?

  2

  Victoria

  Relief fills me as I pull into my usual parking spot in the garage. It’s short lived as I look over to see my brother’s car sitting in its usual spot, Elliot’s words echoing in my mind. Convenient. Easily replaced.

  Stupid. Every decision had been utterly stupid. Lying to Elliot about visiting Olivia. Lying to Asher about Elliot. Letting Elliot pry his way into my heart. All of it. I’m pissed at Elliot but even more so, I’m pissed at myself. I knew better. Even if I hadn’t lied about visiting his mom, Elliot Bass would’ve found some other reason to flip his switch back to jackass mode sooner or later. I just wish it’d been sooner. As hard as I’d tried to keep it in my mind that it was only temporary, I’d failed.

  Prying my eyes away from Asher’s car, I shove the door open, hoping to slip through the house unnoticed. My hope is obliterated when, as I’m making my way up the staircase, I find Asher on the landing, arms folded over his chest. Great.

  “What were you thinking, Victoria?”

  He knows. Exactly what he knows, I’m unsure, but I’m too emotionally drained to give a damn. “I wasn’t, obviously.”

  True
story. No matter what he’s pissy about, it was a foolish choice on my part.

  Asher falls into step behind me as I move past him. “It’s his mom. You had no business being there, much less lying to him about it.”

  I freeze in front of my bedroom door, my shoulders slump forward, an unamused laugh leaves my lips as my head falls forward. Honesty? Elliot is the last person who should call me out on my lack of honesty. He doesn’t deserve the truth because he’s nothing but a lying fucking hypocrite himself. Slowly turning, I face my brother, the very person Elliot has been deceiving is preaching to me about lying to Elliot. The irony. “Oh, yes. He’s such a virtuous, noble soul who deserves nothing but the truth since he’s so forthcoming with it, right?”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Asher asks, eyeing me with curiosity.

  “Ask your best friend.” The words are bitter leaving my mouth. Why, out of all people, did I have to fall for Elliot?

  “Victoria, he’s already dealing with a lot where his mom is concerned.”

  “Yes, I know.” Better than anyone since I’m the one who’s been waking him, night after night, from the nightmare he relives.

  “Then why add to it?”

  “Whether you or idiot Elliot want to believe it or not, not everything is about the two of you.”

  Just as my hand grips the doorknob, Asher says, “You can’t fix everyone, so stop trying to intervene where you don’t belong.”

  He’s not only talking about Elliot’s mom. Asher has made a point to lecture me several times, calling me Little Miss Fix-It, because I’m constantly intervening when Dad flies off the handle. Unlike Asher, I prefer to diffuse a situation instead of escalating it as he chooses to do. If that makes me Little Miss Fix-It, then so be it, but this had nothing to do with fixing Olivia Bass. Yes, she’s Elliot’s mom, but she has been more of a mother to me than my own. He’s not the only one who feels a void not having her around. I had to see her for me … not for Elliot, not to try and fix what’s going on. Besides, I’m not naïve enough to think I could. A shiver shoots down my spine when I think of what Olivia revealed. How could Richard be that evil? How am I going to carry this secret around, pretend everything is fine? I’m already struggling to not spew every detail to Asher, but Olivia trusted me with her secret, and even if I want to throat punch Elliot, I’m not going to put his life in jeopardy.

  Letting out a defeated breath, I look to Asher. “Don’t worry. I won’t be going back to see Olivia.” Only because she told me not to.

  “Victoria …”

  “I said I would stay away from her”—the words squeak out, my heart breaking because it’s the last thing I want to do—“and I sure as hell will stay as far away from Elliot as I can manage.”

  “That’s probably for the best because he was pretty pissed.”

  I shouldn’t, but I ask anyways. “What did he say?”

  “He wanted to know if I knew about your visits with Olivia.”

  “No one knew,” I mumble, looking away from my brother.

  “That should tell you something.”

  “Agreed.” It does tell me a lot about the crap going on with Elliot.

  Thankfully, Asher walks away as I finally step into what should be the serenity of my room. Only, there’s nothing serene about it because Elliot’s words are still on repeat in my head. Bastard. I couldn’t push him out of my mind before he kissed me. How the hell am I supposed to do it now? And more importantly, how can I sit by and do nothing, knowing what really happened to Olivia? Either way, I need to prepare myself because Elliot Bass won’t make it easy. At all.

  3

  Elliot

  Brutal. That’s the only way to describe the night. The hot water pelting my shoulders doesn’t help to ease any of the tension. The hours had passed by excruciatingly slow, but the only thing worse were the few minutes I’d drifted off, reliving my never-ending nightmare. Will it ever stop? I’d thought confronting my mother would relieve some of the torment gripping my mind, but I think it’s only made it worse.

  Reaching for the faucet, I shut off the hot water. Standing rigid under the cold stream, my fists ball up as I press them against the hard stone of the shower wall, memories of Victoria’s warm body filling my mind. Why can’t I just get her out of my head? The only good thing about dwelling on her is getting a few minutes of peace from hating my mother. As far as I’m concerned, they both can go to hell.

  Shutting off the water, I step out of the shower. Unhurriedly, I dry my icy skin, and dress in the assigned uniform for Golden Olympus Academy. It’s the fucking last place I want to be today, but the show must go on. I’ve pretended to be happy since everything happened with my mom. This should be a cakewalk.

  By the time I head downstairs, I feel like I have a good grip on myself. At least enough to make it through the day, anyway. I’ll worry about tomorrow later. All my hard work is shot to shit when I see my dad sitting at the kitchen table, reading a damn newspaper of all things.

  He notices me standing across the room, so he places the paper on the table, lifts his coffee to his mouth, then sets it down slowly.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, still unsure if maybe I’m dreaming, or more likely having another nightmare.

  “Good morning to you too, Elliot.”

  “Yeah. Great fucking morning.” Grabbing a mug, I pour myself a cup of coffee. Leaning against the counter, I look to the man I rarely see in my presence. He’s not here by chance. He’s here for a reason; he’d be out the door already otherwise.

  “You ready for school?”

  “Just tell me what you need to say.”

  He leans back in the chair, his hands rubbing down the neatly pressed material of his slacks. “I got a call from the treatment facility yesterday.”

  Yep. There’s the reason. He always has to have a reason to be here. He’s never here as a choice, only out of necessity. “Okay.”

  “Do you want to tell me your side of the story?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, then I have to believe what I’m told.”

  “I don’t give a flying fuck what you believe.” I gulp down the scalding liquid, drop the mug on the counter, and head out of the kitchen.

  “Elliot, she made it clear she didn’t want you there, so why did you go?” His blunt, uncaring words stop me in my tracks.

  I don’t need a reminder that my mother doesn’t want to see me. And I sure as hell don’t need a reminder that going there had been a terrible decision. He wants to see me suffer.

  Turning to face him, I plaster on a smile. “Just for shits and giggles. It’s not like I had anything else to do, so I figured why not.”

  “Is that why you brought along your girlfriend?”

  The morning’s cold shower pales in comparison to the icy daggers his words slice through my chest as I’m unable to keep my fake smile intact. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Really? I was told you were accompanied by a redhead who I can only assume is Richard Hastings’s daughter. You wouldn’t bring just anyone to witness our family’s humiliation, so I’m sure she has to mean something to you.”

  “The only humiliation in this family is how fucked up we truly are on the inside while keeping up outward appearances. It’s sickening how long we’ve pretended to be a happy family. And as far as Victoria is concerned, she’s already had a behind-the-scenes look at the shitshow and possesses firsthand knowledge of the humiliation. She’s nothing but my best friend’s pain-in-the-ass little sister, and she sure as hell doesn’t mean a fucking thing to me.” Anymore. She shouldn’t. She can’t.

  My fists clench as I glare at him, the person I hate most in the world, even more than Victoria, even more than my mother. He’s studying me as I try to calm myself, but it’s pointless as my chest rises and falls in short, sharp bursts. I’ve failed miserably at acting like I’m not bothered by any of this, especially by him. Of course, that was all shot to hell as soon as Victoria was mentioned, what a freaki
n’ shocker. Will I ever have control over myself when she is involved?

  “Victoria’s been visiting Olivia often—almost every week like clockwork. Were you aware? Or was that little spat in the parking lot when you found out?”

  “Have you known all along that Victoria was visiting Mom? When did you find out and how the hell do you know what’s going on when you’ve haven’t been around?”

  He shifts, folding his arms across his chest. “I’ve been in contact with your mother’s doctors. Despite what you might think, I do care about her well-being … and yours. That’s why I’m here. You can talk to me about all of it.”

  His words are nothing but BS. What a load of crap … like I’d ever believe he’d give a damn about anyone but himself. But what bothers me more than anything is he’s known Victoria has been visiting my mom the entire time while I’ve been fucking clueless.

  “What did your mother say?” he asks hesitantly, a look of concern on his face that makes me sick.

  “Go ask her yourself since you’re so concerned about her well-being.”

  Turning, I walk out of the kitchen and hurry into the garage. I yank my car door open, drop into the driver’s seat and speed out as soon as the bay door provides enough clearance for my escape. I need to get away. Away from my father. Away from the memories of my mother. Away from this place that houses nothing but misery and despair.