This is all part of their strategy, and I’m not falling for it.
Cam reaches across the table, grabbing Sawyer’s cell, smirking at me as he punches a button.
A chorus of alerts chime around the room and everyone reaches for their cells. Blood rushes to my head, and heat swamps my body, making me uncomfortable, but I maintain a defiant expression. Shocked gasps surround me, but I refuse to look at my phone. I don’t want to know what method they’ve used to humiliate me, because I’m sure that’s what they’ve done.
“Oh my God. Abby.” Jane clutches my arm, a look of abject horror washing over her face. Every head at our table snaps to mine.
“What the fuck?” Chad turns to me with a perplexed expression. “What the hell is this, Abigail? Trent will go apeshit.”
Drawing a deep breath, I open my cell and check the message they’ve sent to the entire school. Color leaches from my face as I stare at my image on the screen. It’s from last night. I’m topless. Standing in front of my bed in only my red lace thong as I brush my teeth while watching TV.
Son of a bitch.
They installed a freaking camera somewhere in my room!
My stomach dips at the thought everyone has seen me semi-naked, and an anxious fluttery feeling descends on my chest. My heart pounds rapidly, and my hands turn clammy as I fight the nauseous sensation churning sourly in my gut. Rage combines with embarrassment as I struggle to hold onto my composure. But I won’t let anyone see how upset I am. And I’m not giving them any tears. I’m a master at disguising my true feelings, so I bottle my emotions up to deal with at a later stage.
Fuck the new elite.
They will not break me.
Working hard to maintain an unruffled expression, I rise, pushing my shoulders back and walking in slow motion toward their table. Jackson locks his hands behind his head, slouching in his chair with a smirk on his face as he watches me approach. Sawyer is masking his reaction, and Camden is glowering at me, as normal. When I reach them, I place my palms down on the table, blanketing the rage building inside me. “You know this means war.”
“We accept your defeat,” Cam coolly replies.
I’ll never surrender to them, but maybe it’s best to let them think I have. “I loathe you,” I say, piercing him with a hateful look. “And when I’m done, you’ll wish you’d never been born.”
“Your threats are pitiful, and we both know you’re weak. That you’ll wait until your asshole of a brother and your asshole of a fiancé return to avenge your honor.” He runs the tip of one finger casually around the edge of his coffee cup, while arching a brow, daring me to disagree.
My hands are in a proverbial tie, and I’ve no choice anymore. As much as I hate my father, he’s a master manipulator, and he adheres to that old adage: keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
I need to take a leaf out of his book.
I straighten up, planting a wide smile on my face as I prepare to eat crow. “You’re invited to sit at our table.”
Cam stands, rubbing his thumb across my mouth, smearing my lip gloss across my face. “Now that wasn’t hard, was it?”
I swat his hand away, grinding my teeth as I spin around and stalk back to our table. The only three vacant seats are the ones belonging to Trent, Drew, and Charlie, and the inner circle gawks as Sawyer, Jackson, and Camden drop into their chairs with smug grins on their faces.
“What’s going on?” Chad asks, his face turning puce with indignation.
“We’re welcoming the newbies, and if you’ve any issue with that, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“What are they blackmailing you with?” he asks in a low voice, and I clamp my hand down on his thigh to shut him up.
“I’m being hospitable. That’s all.” I drill him with a knowing look, and he visibly backs down with a terse nod. Perhaps Chad can be of some use until the guys come home.
“You’re dead when the elite gets back,” Wentworth says to the three guys who are grinning like their shit doesn’t smell.
“For what?” Sawyer replies. “Accepting an invitation from one of their own to sit here? I hardly think so.”
“We all know you sent that video,” Chad says, folding his arms and daring them to challenge him.
“And I’d like to know how you got it.” Wentworth’s suspicious gaze bounces between me and them, his implication crystal clear and he’s getting on my last nerve.
“What exactly are you insinuating?” I ask, counting to ten in my head.
“Trent’s only gone a couple days, and you’re already screwing around on him.”
I slap him across the face. “Pack your things and leave. You’re out.”
“You can’t do that.”
“I think you’ll find I can, and I am. Go before I slap you again. Only this time, I won’t go easy.”
“Fucking whore.” His chair crashes to the ground as he stalks off with an imprint of my palm on his cheek.
I glance at the remaining crew at our table. “If anyone else has anything to say, speak up now.”
Everyone looks away, finding the floor oddly fascinating.
“I know you’ve done nothing wrong,” Chad says, nodding sincerely. “And I know they’re behind this.” He sends daggers at them, his fingers painfully gripping the edge of his chair.
Jackson laughs, swiping at his cell. “This is priceless. I can’t believe you’re pointing the finger at us when you’re clearly the culprit.”
A frown creases Chad’s brow. “What?” he splutters, looking and sounding perplexed.
“See for yourself. You weren’t even smart enough to cover your tracks.” Jackson thrusts the cell in Chad’s face.
Chad’s Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, and his face pales as he stares at the screen. “Let me guess?” I say, drumming my nails off the table. “It shows it came from your private email addy?”
“I swear I didn’t send it.”
“I know you didn’t, so relax. I’ll ensure the elite are informed.”
“Can’t you do anything for yourself?” a whiny, annoying voice I’m all too familiar with says, as Rochelle slides up to the table, draping one arm around Camden from behind. Her other arm is strapped up, supporting her wrist, which is now in a cast.
“Hey, baby,” he says, pulling her down onto his lap.
Bile floods my mouth, but I maintain my composure, disguising my distaste.
Rochelle’s eyes glint maliciously as her gaze lowers to my chest. “You’d think with all your money you could at least get your tits done. No wonder Trent went looking elsewhere. No guy wants a girl with small boobs.” She thrusts her ample cleavage forward. “They want something they can grab hold of.”
Cam chuckles as anger batters me from all sides. His hand glides up her body to cup her left breast. “I couldn’t agree more, sweetheart, and you have the best tits in town.”
I smile sweetly at them as I gather up the remnants of my lunch. “I think you’ll find most of the guys in school agree with you.” I stand with my tray on the table in front of me, as I focus on the girl I can’t seem to get rid of. “For someone who’s such an advocate of cosmetic surgery, I’m surprised you haven’t availed of a vaginoplasty yet.”
I shoot her a fake sympathetic look. “From what I hear, you’re in desperate need of it.” I narrow my eyes as I mentally add Rochelle to my permanent shit list. “Especially if you plan on holding onto your Queen Slut crown. No guy wants to fuck a girl with a saggy cunt.”
I send the contact to her cell, and it pings in her pocket. “I hear Doctor Gunning is excellent.” Or so my father insists every time he tries to force me to schedule breast augmentation surgery. A genuine smile spreads across my mouth as her cheeks stain red and she splutters. “You’re welcome.” I patronizingly pat her on the head, and anger practically oozes out of her pores.
Without waiting for her to reply, I grab my tray and stalk off with Jackson’s loud laughter ringing in my ears.
CHAPTER TEN
I’m still fuming by the time I return to the house later that evening. I messaged Robert on my way, asking him to meet me for a session in an hour. I’m full of pent-up rage I need to expel. But first things first: I need to find and remove the camera Sawyer installed.
I enter my bedroom, retrieve the burner cell from under my mattress—because they’ve already seen it—and sequester myself in my bathroom with the shower running, praying Sawyer didn’t plant a camera in here too. When Xavier doesn’t pick up on the first ring, I keep calling until he answers. “About damn time,” I snap. “I’ve been texting and calling you since yesterday. We need to meet.”
“I’m not at your personal beck and call,” he answers, yawning. “And some of us have outside lives.”
“With the retainer I’ve paid you, I beg to disagree.”
“What is it?” His resigned sigh echoes down the line.
“If someone installed a secret camera in my bedroom, how would I discover it?”
Silence greets me for a few beats. “Fuck.” Now I’ve got his attention. “Okay. A detection sensor is the quickest, but I’m guessing you don’t have one of those.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” I’m sure if I asked Oscar or the head of the security team they’d have one, but I don’t want this on my father’s radar, so I’ve no choice but to do this alone. “Give me something I can use.”
“The best places to hide a camera are in wall sockets, electrical outlets, or behind the TV. Check there first, and if you find nothing, you can darken your room and search for any red or green flashing lights.” The phone pings, and I open up Xavier’s message. “Install that hidden camera detector app on your iPhone, and scan your room if all else fails. It will display a red glow when you find it.”
“You really freak me out sometimes,” I admit even if I’m grateful for his criminal mastermind brain.
“You hired me for my freak,” he teases, and I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me.
“Thanks, Xavier.”
“Keep the camera. I can trace the source.” I already know the source, but proving it could come in useful.
It’s illegal in Massachusetts to record someone without their permission, and this just might give me the leverage I need.
“Okay. And meet me at ten tonight. I expect an update, and don’t be late.” I hang up before he can argue, slipping the cell into my jacket pocket as I turn off the shower and head back into my bedroom.
I don’t bother checking the room or closing the curtains and turning off the lights, downloading the app on my normal iPhone instead, figuring it could come in handy.
I scan the room with my cell, mentally fist pumping the air when a red glow emits from the wall socket just inside the door.
I head to the garage, finding a small screwdriver in the toolbox Drew keeps there and return to my room, unscrewing the front of the socket. “Gotcha.” I poke my tongue out, hoping the new elite are seeing this before I pry the small circular silver chip off, placing it in a sealed envelope and storing it in the drawer of my bedside table.
I scan my bedroom and bathroom thoroughly, in case there are any more cameras, but it appears to be the only one.
I’m feeling pretty good as I get changed for my self-defense lesson until Trent calls, and my buoyant mood instantly sours. Typically, he doesn’t call when he’s at Parkhurst, so there’s only one reason he’s calling now.
I bet that asshole Wentworth squealed.
Although, it’s conceivable the guys got the message too, or they checked the school online boards.
Ignoring him won’t work as he’ll just call relentlessly, so I reluctantly pick up.
I’m greeted with shouting and a barrage of insults, and every time I attempt to intervene, he shuts me down, so I hang up after two minutes, tossing my cell on my bed as I pull on my yoga pants and a bra top. I’m in the bathroom removing my makeup and fixing my hair into a ponytail while my cell continues to chime and beep on my bed. I glance at it briefly as I’m on my way out the door, stopping when I see my brother’s handsome face staring back at me. I pick up Drew’s call, walking out of my bedroom and locking it.
It’s not like me to lock my room from the outside, but I’m taking zero chances anymore.
“What’s going on there, Abby?” Drew asks as I walk with my cell pressed to my ear.
“The new elite is up to something, but I’m dealing with it.”
“That’s not what it looks like,” he says, while Trent continues to rage and shout in the background. “Trent is itching for blood.”
When isn’t he? “Which is probably one reason they did it.”
“How did they get that footage?”
I sigh, knowing he’s going to rip me a new one for not telling him about them showing up here unannounced yesterday. I quickly fill him in, keeping it as brief as possible.
“And you’re sure there was only one camera?” he asks when I’ve finished updating him.
“I’m positive.” I skip down the main stairs, waving at Robert as he walks through the front door.
“I don’t like you hanging out with them even if it partly makes sense. Knowing your enemy is crucial to staying ahead of the game, but I’m worried about the perception. If the rest of the school sees you acting all chummy with them, it’ll alter the power dynamics.”
“It’s only temporary, and I think we need to see how this plays out. It’ll be a good test of loyalty.”
“One I hear Wentworth already failed.”
“That rat bastard.” I purse my lips, stopping at the door to the library, motioning Robert ahead with a flick of my hand. “Give me five,” I mouth at him before slipping into the dark room.
I don’t bother flipping on the lights, walking quietly around the large room, my fingers skimming over the spines of the thousands of books lining the floor-to-ceiling shelves that rim the room on both sides. The only illumination is from the skylight overhead, but it’s so high up only trickles of light reach the room below.
“Give me that!” I hear Trent bellow, and then his disgusted voice barks down the line at me. “I can’t fucking believe this!” he hollers.
“Keep your panties on,” I drawl. “And stop shouting, or I’ll hang up again.”
“The whole school has seen you practically naked!” he roars. “How the hell did you think I’d react.”
“Well, you asked for some nude pics.” I shouldn’t deliberately taunt him, especially since he’s been texting dick pics daily asking me to reciprocate.
“Don’t fucking push me, Abigail.”
He’s so damn predictable. “It’s my body, and if I can deal, then so can you.”
“Your body is for my eyes only,” he growls.
For once, I agree. I wish I’d never let Camden Marshall anywhere near me.
“It’s not like I asked for this. Save your wrath for when you return and pinpoint it in the right direction.”
“Oh, don’t worry, baby. Those assholes will pay.”
“And that’s why I must be seen playing their game.” Drew put me on speaker while I was explaining what’s going down, so I know all three of them are listening in.
“Be careful,” Trent says, no longer shouting. “We still don’t know their agenda, and it’s clear they intend on getting to us through you, so watch your back.”
“Always. Now I’ve got to go. Robert’s waiting for me.”
“Okay. Stay safe. Love you, babe.”
I almost drop my cell in complete shock. Trent only professes love when we’re in public and it’s part of the charade. He’s said it now twice in less than a week, but it’s complete horseshit. He hates me as much as I hate him. So, this is his possessiveness coming to the fore, he’s genuinely worried I’ll stray, or he’s also playing some game.
“Bye,” I blurt, unwilling to return his fake sentiment, ending the call and walking to our indoor gymnasium as my mind works overtime trying to figure out his latest angle.
> I creep out of the tunnel, looking left and right, as I always do, to ensure no one is around, but the woods are spookily quiet, the only sound the gentle rustling of leaves and the faint swoosh of the light nighttime breeze.
I glance back at the house in the far distance, looming over the land like some ghastly giant. The red brick façade is barely visible from the rear of the property, hidden behind sprawling vines of ivy. Darkness cloaks the back windows, the only brightness originating from the exterior lights illuminating the path that runs around the main house, guiding the guards who patrol the grounds at night.
I get a perverse pleasure from the fact I regularly sneak out and no one is the wiser.
I walk with purpose toward the old abandoned shed, retrieving my Kawasaki Ninja 300 and my helmet and pushing my bike silently the last mile through the woods.
Whoever built the tunnel before me—and I like to imagine it was my mother—planned it to perfection. There’s no reason for anyone to come to this side of our vast property anymore, and someone blocked the old rear entrance up many moons ago. Dirt and debris are strewn across what’s left of the gray stone driveway, and the old, rusted iron gates have long since been boarded up. But someone has upgraded the lock on the wooden side door in recent times, and I reach into the small wall-mounted box, retrieving the key and unlocking the door.
I carefully wheel my motorcycle out, propping it against the wall while I close the door, ensuring it’s properly secure. Then I pull my helmet on, straddle the pillion, and kick start the engine, my veins bursting with adrenaline as I shoot out onto the empty road that runs around the far side of our estate.
I always look forward to this ride, enjoying the opportunity to forget reality and absorb the illusion of freedom, reveling in the wind whipping around my body as I coast past expansive fields and open roads. I stick to the less-traveled back roads and adhere to the speed limits, careful to avoid doing anything that would draw attention to me. Father would blow a gasket if he saw me in my black leathers on this bike, and that thought never fails to bring a smile to my face.
Cruel Intentions Page 9
