by K. G. Reuss
Sighing, I closed my book and watched him. This chick had both Dom and Vincent fucked up. Sure, she was gorgeous, but she was a D’Angelou. That nullified anything good about the bitch. I’d pay money to watch her set on fire. Hell, I’d probably do it myself for free.
“Why do you care so much?” I leaned forward to study him.
He stopped moving and locked eyes with me. “If he fucks this up and makes her run, then we have nothing. She’s the piece we need to get to him. We have to move fast.”
“So move.” I leaned back. “But it’s not like she’s leaving Bolten.”
“She could if she decides to run. She strikes me as a runner. We need to get more information on her. Where did she come from? Why did D’Angelou get hitched so fast and adopt a daughter? What’s in it for him?” Dom shook his head as if to clear it. “Get Vincent on the phone. Tell him to get over here.”
I hauled my phone out and shot off a text to Vincent.
Levin: Dom wants you at my place.
Vincent: A booty call so early? I thought he’d wait until after midnight.
Levin: Bring lube.
Vincent answered with an eggplant and a squirt emoji before I darkened my screen.
I knew we were in for a long night if Dom was pissed. But it was more than just being angry. Something was going on with my Italian friend, and I was sure it started with a certain blonde beauty.
“That’s it?” Vincent lifted his dark brows and stared at Dom. “You just want to fuck Ivanov’s girl to piss him off?”
We’d been in my dorm for hours, trying to figure out a way to incite a war with the lords. There was no way Ivanov would attack without being provoked. We’d been trying for years to tick him off, and while a few fists had been thrown, nothing had stuck.
“He’s fucking weak. We know he is. He backs off the moment it looks like a fight. But he was ready when we got on his shit about Bianca. He’ll fight for her. He’s obsessed with having her.” Dom licked his lips before scrubbing his hand against his face. “I don’t know if it’s because she’s a virgin or what, but he’ll come out swinging if we get her.”
“What if it’s bullshit?” I asked, glancing at my friends. “What if she’s not, and he’s just acting like she is?”
Vincent nodded thoughtfully. “Right. Like a power move. She’s hot as fuck, so everyone wants her. Her being the only virgin pussy on this campus makes her even more desirable. People think Ivanov’s someone special because he has the hottest chick on campus on his arm and she’s never been plowed. It’s a good look for him. The only problem is, how would we know if she is or not?”
Vincent was right. It was easy to make up shit and call it true. A girl who looked like Bianca D’Angelou had men falling to their knees for a chance with her. I’d be surprised if she hadn’t spread her legs before. Hell, judging by what Dom said earlier when he’d barged into my room, it’d be a real shocker if Ivanov hadn’t already planted himself between her legs. Knowing Ivanov’s character and his desire for her, it wasn’t a far-fetched idea. If I were a lesser man, I would’ve done it just to say I had. I was pretty certain Ivanov’s heart didn’t have an ounce of compassion in it. If she’d screamed no, he’d only hear what his narcissistic ass wanted to hear. A resounding yes. Poor Bianca. I didn’t want to feel bad for a D’Angelou, but I did. Knowing Hail the way I did, she had to be going through hell. I’d seen her face in the cafeteria that day when she’d silently pleaded for me to help. I was a prick in my own right, but I wasn’t so much of one that I’d let her suffer at his hands.
If she was going to suffer, it would be at mine. Who said romance was dead?
“Fuck her. That’s how we’d know.” Dom’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “We’ll get between her legs and find out. Make her bleed for us.”
“Make her scream,” I said softly. “She deserves it.”
“Why does she deserve it?” Vincent cocked his head at me. “She didn’t kill Stefan.”
“Fuck you, Valentino,” I snarled, sitting forward on my bed. “She’s guilty by association.”
“Easy, big guy. Just trying to make you think logically. She had nothing to do with Stefan’s death. You can’t blame her for the sins of her father. Or stepfather.”
“She’s a fucking D’Angelou,” I grumbled back. “It’s all I need to know. I just want to snap her neck and watch the light fade from her eyes before I deliver her corpse to her piece of shit stepfather and his cronies.”
Vincent gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head at me. We’d never see eye-to-eye on this. She was a hot piece of ass, but that was all she was. I shoved all reason out of my head and focused on her last name. Fuck a D’Angelou. All of them.
“Enough,” Dominic boomed out. “We’ll stick with the plan. Judging by how Ivanov treats her, she’ll be on her knees for us in no time.”
“So, we’re just going to wait, hoping she comes to us?” Vincent snorted and shook his head. “She could be dead before then.”
“Good. One less thing to deal with,” I said.
Vincent shot me the finger.
“Why do you care so much about her anyway?” I asked.
Vincent shook his head and blew out a breath as he shuffled forward in his chair and looked down at his hands folded in front of him. “I see something in her. She’s not like them. The Ivanovs and D’Angelous.”
“She’s probably worse,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Vincent shrugged. “Maybe, but I want to find out. Call it morbid curiosity.”
“She might be different, but Levin’s right. She’s still a D’Angelou. They all have ways of fucking you over. We’ll wait her out. If she dies, then she dies. But if she comes to us, we do this.” Dom looked at us in turn. “Got it?”
“Sure. I’m not going to fuck her though. You two shitheads can.” My throat tightened, and my cock felt like it was drooping lower in my pants at my words like I’d just canceled pussy Christmas.
“She could be our unicorn—"
I’d heard Vincent’s argument before about a girl for all of us, and now he thought it was her. Even if she was, I wasn’t going to touch her. I’d watch them fuck her, but that was it. I meant it when I’d said I didn’t want a fucking D’Angelou around me.
“She could be. Only one way to find out. But it’s only temporary. We won’t be keeping a D’Angelou in our ranks.” Dom blew out a breath, looking calmer than he had when he’d come in earlier. That was good. Dom could be a fucking hurricane when he was pissed off.
I thought he was going to go to Ivanov’s room and cut his dick off and beat him with it there in the beginning. These two fuckers I called brothers could cover their truths with bogus bullshit all they wanted, but I could see it on both of them. They wanted her. Enough that they’d go to war for her. Enough that they’d kill for her.
They just didn’t realize it yet.
And me?
I’d kill her just to rid the world of another D’Angelou. For Stefan. I’d clear all the fucking Ivanovs and D’Angelous from the planet.
Thirteen
Bianca
I spent the weekend alone in my room. Thankfully, Hail didn’t bother me. When Aubrey knocked, I told her I felt sick and needed to rest. She didn’t sound like she bought my bullshit, but I didn’t care.
It didn’t matter how hard I tried to keep the ugly memories from Hail’s room out of my head, they still seemed to find a way to replay. He was right. I would remember the night. The pain he’d inflicted with the burn made me realize he was sicker and more wicked than I’d thought. There might not be any escape for me unless he ended up killing me.
I’d cried so much over the weekend, my eyes were nearly swollen shut. Or maybe that was from the hit Hail had given me.
When Monday rolled around, I didn’t bother getting out of bed. Fortunately, Hail hadn’t seemed to care too much about my missing classes.
On Wednesday, I finally decided to make the effort. I got out of bed and dressed, ma
king sure to wear my full coverage foundation and really going to town on setting it so it wouldn’t move throughout the day.
Aubrey had left before me, so I walked to the dining hall with my head down. I’d never felt so low in my life. I couldn’t shake the shame and humiliation.
But I had a plan to take Hail and his goons down. I needed to find my dad. And I knew De Santis had an idea about him, considering word was his family had been involved in my dad’s disappearance. If things worked out the way I wanted, I’d crush both sides and put an end to every asshole creating problems for me. I didn’t care what it meant for me with David. I’d fix whatever I had to with that. So when I saw Levin in econ, I dropped a note on his desk as I passed by, having hurriedly penned it out right before class.
I need help. Please tell Dominic to meet me. No one can see him talking to me.
When I sat down, Levin’s gaze locked on mine after he read the note. He stuffed it into his pocket and looked away. My heart plummeted. He seemed like a hard ass. I should’ve tried Vincent.
When lunch rolled around, I stood in line, not bothering to glance around. I was in my hundredth wave of humiliation for the morning when Dominic’s voice pulled me out.
“You wanted to talk to me?”
I peeked at him and shook my head. “You can’t speak to me. Didn’t you get the note?”
“I do whatever I want,” he shot back, wrapping his tattooed hand around my wrist.
I shook him off quickly, my heart in my throat. “Not all of us have such privilege,” I said softly, staring down at the lunch bar.
Dominic was quiet for a moment before he spoke in his low rumble again, “Meet me beneath the bleachers after classes.”
“What part of I can’t speak to you don’t you understand?” I hissed at him, saying a silent prayer that Hail and his guys weren’t watching us.
“The part where you keep speaking to me,” he murmured. “Bleachers. Don’t make me come find you because I will. And I won’t be nearly as quiet about it when I do.”
He didn’t elaborate, but then again, he didn’t need to. Dominic De Santis had a dark, wild streak itching to get out. I’d met enough wicked men since David to know.
He walked away without another word to join the kings at their table. It was what I wanted. For him to help me.
I left my tray on the bar and looked up just as Hail and his guys walked in. His eyes locked on mine, and a smile quirked his lips up. Hatred flooded my veins as he sauntered over to me with Fallon, Drake and Tate in tow. It reinforced my dangerous decision to get the kings involved. Hail hadn’t been in our morning class earlier. I didn’t give two shits about why either.
“There’s my rat,” Hail cooed, reaching for me and pulling me against his body. He ran his fingers along my cheek.
I flinched away from him, making him tsk.
“Don’t be like that.”
I clenched my jaw but said nothing.
“You’re mad.”
I peered up at him with incredulity.
He lifted his brows and gave me a Cheshire smile. “If it helps, you suck cock like a pro. I wasn’t disappointed.” He grinned at Tate, accepting a high five from him.
My face grew hot at his words, the anger and hatred bubbling closer to the surface.
“Easy, rat,” Hail commanded softly. “It doesn’t matter if there are a hundred people in this room. I will put you to the ground and show them what they’re missing.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Imagine my cock buried in your tight, wet pussy while everyone watches me take it from you.”
“I hate you,” I choked out.
He chuckled, running his nose along my cheek and breathing in deeply. “Good. I fucking hate you too. That’s what makes us perfect for one another.”
I pressed my lips together again, hating his hands on me. He laughed once more and lifted my hand to his lips so he could press a kiss to the diamond on my finger.
“Go sit with your friends. But tonight, I want you back in my room. Plan on staying all night.”
“We’ll get into trouble,” I said dryly, desperate to avoid his room at all costs.
“Ah, my clueless rat, you forget who I am. The faculty here fears me, not the other way around. I can do what I want, and no one will say a damn thing about it. My room. Tonight.”
“Just us, right?” I whispered, not wanting to fight four of them off.
“Of course.”
“Promise?” I knew his promises didn’t mean jack shit, but I needed something to cling to.
“Ooh, baby. I love it when you’re needy.” His lips brushed the shell of my ear. “Did I manage to break you?”
I remained quiet as he let out a soft chuckle.
“Finally. Some peace around you. You’re learning your place. To look pretty and keep that mouth closed unless I’m shoving my cock into it.” He released me, giving me a slight shove.
I stumbled away from him in my heels.
“Tonight. Don’t fuck this up.”
And with that sweet goodbye, he turned his back and walked away, gesturing for his friends to join him.
But not before Tate leaned in and whispered in my ear, “How many cocks do you think you can fit inside you?”
I tensed at his words.
He snickered softly. “I think we’ll find out soon enough.”
He left me standing there, the sickness strengthening like a storm inside me. I glanced around the room, wondering who could save me since I wasn’t so sure I could save myself.
My gaze locked on Dominic’s. He gave me a slight nod.
My idea to get him involved could get me killed.
Darkness greeted me beneath the bleachers. I shivered as I stepped through a crack in the metal fence that was meant to keep people out.
Figured they’d want to meet somewhere we weren’t supposed to be.
The bleachers ran the length of the massive gym and ended against the opposite wall. It was so dark I could barely see my hand in front of me.
I stopped, wondering if maybe this was a cruel joke. I turned to retreat, not wanting to get stuck in the dark.
“Oof,” I squeaked out, running into a hard body.
“Easy there,” a deep voice greeted me. Vincent Valentino. His hands were on my waist as I stumbled back.
“If you move ahead, we’ll add some light,” he murmured, his voice sending shivers of anticipation through me. “Unless you’re leaving.”
“I-I’m staying,” I said, trying to compose myself so I didn’t look or sound like a complete wuss.
“Good.” He gave my waist a gentle squeeze. “Turn around and keep walking.”
I did as he said, his hands not leaving me. A rattle of metal behind me made me pause. Someone had closed the gate.
“It’s just Levin.” Vincent’s breath tickled my ear. “No worries. This isn’t our first time.”
“It’s mine though.”
Vincent chuckled. “Don’t worry, baby girl. You’ll be taken care of.”
His words sent more than shivers through my body. I continued to walk with Vincent behind me until he stopped me.
“You came.” Dominic lit a battery-powered lantern. Apparently, he’d been waiting in the dark.
“You said to.”
He approached me and cocked his head, his eyes narrowed. “You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who does what she’s told.”
“Usually I’m not, but in this instance, everything depends on it.”
Dominic nodded tightly. “I have no doubts.”
I watched as Levin moved in front of me and leaned against the wall, his gaze raking over me. Vincent eased away from me and pulled something from his pocket and lit it.
He drew in a deep breath as he took a hit from the joint in his hand then he passed it to Levin who did the same before Dominic took it.
“Want some?” Dominic offered, holding the joint in my direction.
“No thanks.”
Levin snorted. “Figured she w
as a princess. Fucking D’Angelou.”
Vincent gave him a fist bump.
I shot the two of them a glare and folded my arms over my chest. “I’m not a D’Angelou.”
“According to this you are.” Dominic flashed a folder in my face. “Your records indicate you are Bianca Elizabeth D’Angelou, daughter of David and Dana D’Angelou. You’re eighteen, have a 4.0 GPA, and no record of any wrongdoing at your former school. Ever.”
“Daddy’s little princess. Bet he’s proud of you,” Levin cut in.
I shot him another glare. “David is not my father.”
“Just took pity on you?” Dominic popped an eyebrow at me. “Charity case?”
“You’re an asshole. I knew this was a bad idea.” I turned to leave, but Vincent moved, blocking me.
“You’re not leaving yet. We’re not done.”
“I say when I’m done, and I’m fucking done.” I shoved him.
He stumbled back, his eyes flashing. In a whirlwind of movement, he had me shoved against the wall.
“I’m not your fucking boy toy. If you lay hands on me. . .” He brushed his knuckles against my bruised cheek in a tender manner. “Then be prepared for me to lay my hands all over you.”
I stared up at him, my heart banging against my chest. “No one is allowed to touch me.”
Vincent smirked at me. “Who’s going to stop me? Ivanov? That little prick doesn’t scare me.”
“It could get me killed. That’s what you don’t understand. If Hail finds out I was here. . .” I swallowed hard, pleading at Vincent with my eyes.
“One less D’Angelou in the world is fine with me,” Levin grunted.
“I’m not a fucking D’Angelou! My name was Bianca Walker. My father left us two years ago. He divorced my mom and then turned up missing. I need your help. If you’re not going to help me, then just tell me so I can find someone who knows their head from their ass.”
“I like your fire, D’Angelou. I, however, fucking hate your new dad. And I don’t fucking trust anything connected to him or an Ivanov, and guess what, baby? You’re a fucking mess because they both have their claws deep inside you,” Dom explained.
