“Of course we do,” I sigh, shaking my head slowly.
Elias steps back, raising his chin. “Just… think about it,” he says to me.
Staring at him for a couple of seconds, I nod in Giselle’s general direction. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to get to?” I know it’s a silly, but I simply can’t bring myself to be nice to him. Not right now, and not with everything that is happening at once.
Deep down, I know he’s just told me an agonizing truth. In his eyes, I also saw that he wanted to help. I’m just not ready to admit that I need help. Let alone his help… out of all the people in this fucking world, it’s Elias Dressler that keeps pulling me back.
He scoffs, wanting to say something, but he mutters instead, walking away. “Never mind.”
I watch him leave, while the security guard starts asking questions. I’m not even listening, and it takes me a few seconds to move my focus back on the current issue: providing Trinity High with the right statement. Expulsion must not be an option. At best, I can suggest or get some of the school’s higher ups to suggest anger management therapy. Dad will go ballistic if I’m kicked out—the odds are slim, considering his frequent and sizeable donations, but I’ll rather try and be smart about this, going forward. Giselle has already taken too much from me.
A smile splits my lips as I think of her bloody face. That felt so damn good…
18
Elias
Sheldon brings me some interesting news in the evening. I welcome him in the salon, this time over a glass of whiskey. My insides are still broiling after what happened with Kira this morning, but I’ve got to focus. If Sheldon and I get this right, William Malone will soon meet his end—from a business perspective. Perhaps even a legal one.
“How’s Tallulah?” I ask, watching Sheldon from my spot near the window. Outside, the night is settling, a starry sky twinkling above the vast greenery that surrounds my mansion. I can almost smell the acacia blossoms.
“Worried,” Sheldon says, sinking into one of the sofas with a single malt in his hand. “She’s afraid William Malone will find out about her.”
“How can he?” I reply. “Joe was incredibly careful.”
“If I could find her, so can he,” Sheldon reminds me. He’s right. I should never underestimate that man. He pitted his own daughter against me just so he can fuel his own hatred of our family.
“So, she didn’t give you anything?”
Sheldon shakes his head. “I didn’t say that.”
“Well, then, enlighten me,” I say, my tone clipped. It’s enough for Sheldon to notice.
“What’s wrong?”
Sighing deeply, I take a seat in the armchair across from him.
“Where do I begin?” I mutter, scratching my stubble. I haven’t shaved in a couple of days, though I’m starting to prefer this rugged feel. “Malone wants to do a joint charity event with me. For ALS. He invited me over to his house. He laid out the whole plan. As far as I can tell, it seems pretty simple and straightforward, with no hidden clauses or strings attached. But, for the life of me, I cannot trust this man.”
“You shouldn’t,” Sheldon replies, pursing his lips. “He’s up to something. I’ll need every detail about this proposal, so I can check it all out.”
Nodding, I pour myself another glass. “Kira and I… We almost had sex right after you left.”
“Shit. Okay, so… that’s the second item on your list?” Sheldon chuckles. “You’re finally acting on your feelings?”
For a moment, I’m not sure how to respond. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, come on, Elias. I’m an old hound. I’ve lived aplenty. You’ve always had the hots for Kira Malone. You’ve always loved her, even when you were punching each other’s lights out back in junior high.”
I’m completely blocked, and it makes him laugh.
“It’s okay, Elias,” Sheldon says, catching his breath. “She’s one hell of a girl, I’ll give credit where it’s due. But I doubt you two will ever have the slightest shot at a relationship. Malone’S friendly approach on the charity side is just an act. He will blow a fuse if he hears you’re doing his daughter.”
“I’m not… doing his daughter,” I blurt out, my temperature rising.
He shoots me a grin. “Alright, alright. Let’s leave that aside for now. Priorities, Elias.”
“Right. Tallulah. What did she tell you?”
“Joe said he was going up to Baltimore, three days before he died. He mentioned this to Tallulah, adding that Malone had set a meeting there,” Sheldon replies.
“I checked every single statement in that case file,” I say. “Malone’s alibi was confirmed by Kira and the maid. They both heard him in the house the same day that Joe died. Sometime around the morning, I think.”
“Right, but we both know it takes about five hours to drive to Baltimore from Hampton Heights. And the PI I hired checked Malone’s internet activity. He’s got a total of ten hours that afternoon and early the next day when he didn’t send a single message or even check his social media.”
I can’t help but smile. “You paid someone to hack into his computer?”
“Your words, not mine,” Sheldon smirks. “Anyway, point is… Malone has two sets of five idle hours that afternoon and the morning after. He could’ve driven up to Baltimore. He could’ve killed Joe and made it look like suicide. He could’ve come back just as easily. The maid doesn’t spend the nights at the mansion, and Kira was at a sleepover that evening, if I remember correctly.”
“And since the cops suspected a suicide from the very beginning, they didn’t bother to really dig into the alibies they were provided with,” I mutter, genuinely frustrated by what a sly bastard William Malone really is.
“Exactly. Our issue now is that the PI couldn’t find any CCTV footage of William or his car. From the looks of it, he never left the house,” Sheldon says. “We’re still digging into the Baltimore motel, trying to get into their CCTV circuit… maybe they can give us something useful.”
“What, like Malone strutting out of Fowler’s room?” I scoff. Knowing Kira’s father, I doubt they’ll find such compelling evidence. Even so, I’m not ready to give up. Hell, we’re just getting started. This is why each of my interactions with Kira put so much pressure on me. I want us to move on, to maybe even get closer to one another…
But William Malone is on the loose. And he’s plotting something against me.
“You’ll be talking to Tallulah again, right?” I ask, and Sheldon gives me a brief nod. “Good. Hopefully, she remembers something useful. I look forward to your next briefing on the topic.”
“That aside, we need to talk about this ALS charity thing,” Sheldon says. “I’m not sure you should get involved…”
I shrug. “I bought us some time, to begin with. Told Malone I needed to do my due diligence, from a legal standpoint. I’m guessing that’s about two weeks, during which time you can turn every stone and maybe even figure out what his real angle is.”
A knock on the main door brings our conversation to a sudden halt. I stare at him for a moment, well aware that I’m not expecting anybody. He’s about to get up, so I motion for him to sit down. “Hold on,” I say. “Let me just see who it is.”
As soon as I open the door, however, nausea tightens a grip on my throat.
“Hey, Elias,” Giselle says. Her right eye is purple and swollen beneath the oversized sunglasses. Half her face is bruised. Her lower lip is split, and she still has cotton rolls up her nose, though I know there’s nowhere there’s still blood gushing through her nostrils. Despite her grotesquely battered upper body, Giselle is wearing a cream overcoat, tied around the waist. My guess is there’s some piece of lace lingerie underneath and nothing else. Her expression tells me everything I need to know.
She’s cock-hungry and hoping she’ll get me back—which is ridiculous, to begin with, considering how we ended our last conversation. I have to admit, I’m equal parts amused and intrigued. I would li
ke to see what she’s hoping to gain out of this.
“Giselle,” I mutter. “What are you doing here?”
“I… Well…” She pauses and peeks into the house, spotting Sheldon in the grand salon. “Ah, you’ve got company…”
“Not at all!” Sheldon replies, shooting out of his seat. “I’m actually on my way out.”
I glare at him, hoping he’d get the hint. He does, but he probably finds this whole situation rather amusing, so he just grabs his phone and briefcase, then walks over to the door and shakes my hand.
“Sheldon,” I warn him.
“I’ll see you bright and early in the morning,” Sheldon says, then gives Giselle a polite nod and leaves me behind.
“Not too early, I hope,” Giselle giggles, watching him go. She turns her head and puts on a pained smile. “I’ve missed you, Elias.”
“Are you high, Giselle?”
She blinks rapidly, as if I’m the one who’s not making sense. “What? Why? Why would you ask that, honey?”
“Honey? Did Kira punch you so hard that you forgot our last conversation?” I ask, finding it increasingly harder not to laugh in her face. Normally, any man with a healthy sexual appetite would find Giselle extremely appealing—what the poor girl doesn’t seem to realize is that her face is not her strong point right now.
“Elias, you pulled her off me. You saved me, honey. It’s only fair that I reward you for your heroism,” she purrs, inching closer.
My skin crawls. She’s no longer a trigger. The irony does not escape me, since the first time I saw Giselle I wound up walking around with a five-hour boner. I guess it’s true what they say about beauty on the inside. Sadly, I know Giselle well enough. Her soul is black and shriveled and ugly—which is a terrible thing to say about a young woman like her… yet it’s the truth. A truth a lot of people would say about me too.
“I pulled Kira off you because she doesn’t deserve to get expelled over your garbage,” I say, pointing a finger at her overcoat. “Let me guess, you’re wearing some Victoria’s Secret thingy underneath, assuming I’ll fuck you tonight. Is that what you were thinking when you came here?”
As if squirted with holy water, Giselle begins to transform. Whatever she’d planned is already falling apart, right in front of her, in real time. And she’s not mentally equipped to deal with such failure and rejection.
“Elias… I came here because I missed you…”
“I don’t doubt that. But I thought I made myself clear, Giselle. You and me? It’s never happening again. My intervention today was in Kira’s favor, not yours. Personally, I would’ve let her break you into little bits and pieces, because that’s what you deserve. But legally speaking, Kira deserves a better future. You’ve fucked her over one too many times, already. I just couldn’t let it happen again.”
“Pot calling the kettle black? Or what the hell is this? As far as I know, you’ve never exactly shied away from teaching her a lesson.”
“What Kira and I have is different.
She scowls and it’s impossible to miss the anger flaming bright red in her eyes. “So, you do like that psycho skank, huh?”
“I don’t know if she’s the psycho skank in this scenario, since you’re the one who lit her hair on fire, then showed up on my doorstep all cock-hungry.”
Giselle tries to slap me, but I catch her wrist. “If you strike, Giselle… I will break you. And I think you’ve had enough poundings for one day,” I say, gritting my teeth.
She stares at me, her eyes popping with sheer disbelief. She actually thought this act would work, somehow. It turns out she is not as smart as she likes to think she is—then again, a smart woman would’ve never tripped another just to get ahead. That alone should’ve been enough of a warning sign, but I was too hyped up about pissing Kira off to fully understand what I was getting myself into.
No more, though. This is the end of the road for Giselle.
“You’re going to regret this,” she hisses, baring her teeth at me. Only then do I notice the chipped canine. Until she gets a veneer on it, she’ll always see it as a mark of Kira’s victory over her.
“I have nothing to regret, Giselle. You, on the other hand… There will come a day when you will look back, and you’ll realize you would’ve caught a lot more flies with honey,” I reply. “Now, get the fuck off my property, and get the fuck out of my life.”
She gasps, and the sound of it is like music to my ears.
19
Kira
Fortunately, the principal liked my offer to take some anger management classes, courtesy of Trinity High’s in-house psychologist. Given that I’m eighteen and that my dad can be an absolute asshole, I was able to resolve my side of the Giselle debacle without having to bring in a parent.
Plus, the fact that she set my hair on fire means Giselle risks expulsion from school. I doubt she’s fully aware of the repercussion, but after what she did to me… I don’t feel guilty at all. In fact, I look forward to watching her leave.
I’m outside Elias’s property now, walking past the gates. I should know better than to show up here again. Yet, here I am – restless and making stupid decisions. At least I’ve managed to stay off the Oxy, so there’s that. The sad part, however, is that I crave the pills way too much and despite the fact that I might be able to push them to the side for a while, I’m not certain I’ll be strong enough to push them away forever. I’ve never understood addiction until now. Point of the matter is, it sounds so damn easy.
You’re hurting yourself.
You’re hurting your family.
They’re JUST pills.
With the flick of a wrist, you should be able to stop.
I know now that that’s far from the truth.
I’m here now, so maybe this will pull me back to the surface—admitting to one person that I have a problem. Walking up the pebbled alleyway, I see a familiar pair of figures standing in the doorway of Elias’s mansion. My heart struggles, as anxiousness begins to viciously claw at my stomach. “Giselle,” I mumble, breaking into a cold sweat.
What the hell is she doing here? Right, they’re supposed to be an item. I’m already considering the option of turning back and leaving before anyone sees me, but Giselle’s scream pins me down.
“You’ll pay for this! You son of a bitch!”
He says something, but calmly, and I’m too far away to understand. I can see he’s holding her wrist, and that she’s struggling. Suddenly, a hot wave of mindless hope comes over me, and I’m not sure what to make of this entire scene.
Giselle’s car is at the bottom of the mansion’s front steps. A cherry red sports ride, the driver’s door wide open. She pulls herself away from him, while I slide over to the left, finding shaded refuge under one of the magnolia trees. The darkness hugs me, and I feel safe. Out of sight.
She glides down the steps and gets into her car. The engine roars to life, and she jets out like her life depends on it. I catch a fleeting glimpse of her screaming behind the wheel, the tires screeching hysterically as she flies past the gates.
Silence settles over the world, and I find myself unable to move.
Looking ahead, I see Elias, still in the doorway. I have a feeling he can see me, and my heart goes on a mad race. All my fears come back, my blood curdling as I wonder about the many ways in which this could go wrong.
What was I thinking, coming here? This is obviously the worst possible time. He’s just had an argument with his girlfriend, whom just so happens to be the one creature I possibly hate more than I hate my father.
I head back to the gates, light on my rushing feet. This was a bad idea.
“Kira.”
His voice stuns me. I freeze. Out here, the lights from the house have very little reach. I’m surprised he even saw me. I can’t bring myself to turn around, though and as it turns out, I don’t have to. The second time Elias speaks, he’s right behind me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
Closin
g my eyes for a moment, I try to find an answer that doesn’t make me sound like an idiot. Clearing my throat, I finally find the strength to face him. “I was going to say thanks for earlier this morning, but… it’s obviously a bad time,” I manage, offering a faint smile.
The worst part of all this is that Elias looks better than ever. The jeans hug his muscular thigs, and his simple, white shirt is just the perfect size, offering hints of taut abs and rippling pectorals. I’ve felt those muscles beneath my fingertips and just the thought of touching them again makes my mouth run dry. My mind wanders back to our moment in the grand salon. I’m fucking hopeless, and I need to find my way out of here before I make a fool of myself.
“It’s never a bad time to say thank you,” Elias replies, hands politely set behind his back.
He’s so close and so much taller than me. I have to tilt my head back in order to look him in the eyes. Big mistake. I am quickly folded within the deep green layers of his gaze, my breath cut short as I remember the taste of him. The hunger with which we nearly devoured one another. The hate with which we always ruin each other.
“I was way too angry this morning to fully process everything you said,” I sigh. “About breaking the habit…”
He nods slowly. “Would you like a drink? I think there’s a lot we have to talk about.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” I say, not knowing where that came from. I was on my way out, not in! Damn this heart of mine… I’m digging myself into a deeper hole, and I’m about to smile while I’m doing it.
I follow him inside. The house seems quiet. There’s only a soft jazz melody playing in the background. Most of the open spaces around the grand salon are dark, and I can see the back garden lights twinkling through some of the kitchen windows, at the end of the sprawling hallway.
“Any staff here at night?” I ask, as he motions for me to sit. I shake my head. “I’ll stand for now, thanks.”
“Suit yourself,” he replies, pouring me a stiff double. “Ice?”
Trinity High: High School Bully Romance Page 42
