PRIZE: A Bad Boy Hitman Romance

by Sophia Gray

  “Now, now,” Trenton said condescendingly, “Corinne knows to do the opposite of whatever she says.”

  “Corinne probably wants to tell her just that. ‘I didn’t listen to your advice, and I’m so glad I didn’t!’” Sage giggled, but she wouldn’t look at me.

  I swallowed hard. I could take the abuse—that was fine—but that didn’t mean that the words didn’t sting, even if I knew—hoped—Sage didn’t mean them.

  And wasn’t that sad? That I wasn’t completely certain Sage had truly seen the light about Trenton. No. That was just my being paranoid. Sage had changed. She had learned. Maybe, if something good could come out of all of this huge mess, it was this—that Sage once and for all broke ties with Trenton. God willing, she would avoid all kinds of guys who were Trenton in disguise, and she’d hold out for a good guy, one who deserved her and who would make her happy and didn’t use and abuse her.

  A guy like Grant.

  My cheeks grew warm, and Trenton laughed cruelly. “I know you always said that your mom needed to get laid, but, hell, that doesn’t seem to have made her any less uptight.”

  “That guy must not be a good lay.” Sage shrugged. “Are you hungry, babe?”

  “Yeah. Want me to order a pizza?”

  “Sure!”

  Yes! Go order pizza and go pick it up!

  But damn it all. He didn’t leave. He didn’t even have to make a phone call. He ordered straight from his phone, and it only took twenty minutes for the food to arrive. And before the delivery guy showed up, Trenton fucking gagged me. He pushed me and the tied up chair away so it wouldn’t be visible from the door.

  As soon as the delivery guy knocked, Trenton grabbed the food and closed the door in the span of two seconds. Literally. Sage didn’t even have time to yell for help.

  Did my level of hate for Trenton have no bounds?

  As soon as he placed the pizza box on the bed, without having to be asked, Sage grabbed a large slice form the pie. Trenton sat on the bed, waiting expectantly, and Sage delivered. She walked right on over to him, sat on his lap, and proceeded to feed him a bite.

  I had to look away. My stomach was churning. I was hungry, but I wasn’t about to ask for food.

  Trenton ate eagerly, licking and kissing Sage’s fingers in between bites. She giggled and hugged him, and if he was anyone else, it might actually have been cute, but that was what Trenton was best at—being two-faced. Cute and sweet and endearing for a few minutes and then the next, cruel and demanding.

  I hope you land your ass in jail. I shot daggers at him with my eyes. I hope you get straightened out one day.

  And I really did.

  Did I think that would ever happen, though?

  Nope.

  Trenton finished the pizza, and Sage stood to throw his paper plate away. He walked over to the sink and washed his hands when my cell rang again. He really should just turn it off.

  I opened my mouth to ask him to do just that, but he removed it from his pocket. Maybe he was gonna do it with my having to mention it.

  But he just stared down at it, scowling. “I don’t want her thinking you ran off, too,” he said slowly. “Answer it, but I swear, if you try to give her a hint as to any of this…” He removed his gun from tucked behind his back and pointed it at my head.

  I nodded. “You gotta answer for me.”

  “You do it,” he snapped.

  I glanced at my bindings.

  He flushed. “Sage, you gotta keep quiet, okay? Just for a little.” He threw me a wicked glance that made my skin crawl. “I know it’s not easy for you to stay quiet and all, babe, especially when we’re fucking, but…”

  I grimaced. If I could kick him in the balls right now, I wouldn’t hesitate.

  “I’ll be good,” Sage promised, but she walked over to him and pinched his butt. Everything from the cocky tilt of her head to her lopsided grin oozed of sexual appeal.

  Actress is right. A damn good one, too. Maybe she should forget about going into psychology and just head for Hollywood.

  Chuckling, Trenton whispered something in her ear before swiping for me and then putting the call on speaker.

  “Victoria? Are you there?” Corinne’s loud voice filled the room.

  “I’m here.” I cleared my throat. “What’s up?”

  “So I did what you said.”

  Trenton snorted and covered his mouth.

  “What was that?” Corinne asked.

  “The TV,” I lied smoothly. “So you…” What had I told her to do? Oh, yeah. “You went out and had a day to yourself. How did it go?”

  “Terribly!” she wailed. “I had never been more bored in my life. I am so not meant to be single!”

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “I watched a few movies on Netflix, but then I remembered that you really wanted me to leave the house, so I went to the movies and watched a romantic comedy, and it was just so perfect and funny and sappy, and my life isn’t like that at all.”

  “No one’s is.”

  “But that’s what I want,” she said. “I need that. I need the happiness. I need a break.”

  “A break from…”

  “From everything!” she wailed.

  Trenton rolled his eyes. Sage bit her lower lip. She opened her mouth, closed it, and dropped her gaze to the ground.

  “Then take a break,” I suggested, staring at Sage. “How did Jack take you having a day to yourself?”

  “He didn’t care for it.”

  “Why not?” I asked. I was only half paying attention to the conversation. Should I be trying to warn Sage through my talk with Corinne? Or should I be trying to relay a hint to Corinne? But how? Trenton was stilling pointing the gun to me with one hand, the cell in his other. While I didn’t think he would actually shoot me, I also didn’t want to set him off. He had been disappearing into the bathroom a lot more often lately—never for long and he always kept the door open—but his personality would always change then. He’d laugh more, his eyes were glossy, and I had a feeling he had a stash of drugs hidden away. Whenever his high came down, he tended to be either sad or angry.

  “None of his friends were around, so he was forced to have a day to himself, too,” she said.

  “Maybe that was a good thing,” I said. “You could both see how you were alone and—”

  “I’m not sure he was alone,” she said quietly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think he cheated on me.”

  Sage made a low sound from her throat, and Trenton shot her a warning glare. She clapped her hands over her mouth and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

  “Do you have any proof?” I asked. Why had Sage reacted that way? Just because she was upset that her best friend might have been cheated? Or because it struck a nerve closer to home?

  I couldn’t help myself. I glowered at Trenton. Had he ever cheated on her? Sage hadn’t always told me the reason for their many break ups. I had assumed they would just get into fights, but maybe cheating had been involved.

  Asshole.

  Trenton leveled me a cool glare back.

  “I…I found…” Corinne sniffed.

  “What did you find?” I asked gently. Forget trying to send a message. Corinne was hurting. Even though I was tied up and kidnapped, I might still be able to help her.

  “A condom,” she wailed.

  I hesitated. While I didn’t want details, I kinda had to have them. “How do you know it wasn’t for you?”

  “Because it’s the kind with spermicide. I can’t use that kind. Allergic to it. Why would he have that kind of condom unless he was cheating on me?”

  “Might it have been from a previous relationship?”

  There was a slight pause. “I don’t think so.”

  “Come on, Corinne. You’ve…” I trailed off. Mentioning all the guys she’d been with over the years might not be the best way to go about making her feel better.

  “The condom was in
his top dresser drawer. It hadn’t been there before.”

  “Does he have a roommate?” I suggested. I couldn’t remember. One thing I did have to give Corinne credit for was that she didn’t move in with all the guys she dated. She kept her own apartment. She might not actually spend a lot of time there, but if she needed to, she did have a place she could go to.

  “No.” She sighed. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but shouldn’t you be telling me to dump his ass?”

  “I think you should talk to him. Ask him about the condom. Don’t confront him about it. See what he has to say about it. Then decide if you believe him or not and figure out what you wanna do after that.”

  There was another slight pause. Trenton was tapping his foot. He gestured with his hand holding the gun for me to wrap it up.

  “I can’t just ask him—”

  “Why not?” I demanded. “A relationship is about trust. You need to trust him—to tell you the truth, to not be cheating on you. A relationship is also about communication. You have to talk to him. Don’t you want to know the truth?”

  “Maybe it’s better not to know.” She sounded torn.

  “No,” I said firmly. “Being in the dark isn’t ever good enough. You can’t have a real relationship if one side is keeping secrets. I get that you’re scared, that you don’t want to learn that he’s cheating on you, but—”

  “So you think he is cheating on me.” She blew out air. “Damn it. Where the hell is Sage? I wanna talk to her. We need to go out and get drunk and—”

  “You wanna go out, go out.” I avoided looking at Trenton, but I could still feel his irritation and anxiety rolling off him in waves. He was getting worried. Afraid I’d slip up. I wasn’t gonna slip up, but I might try to plant some seeds into Corinne’s head. “I know you think I’m all dried up, that I don’t need sex like you do,” I started, “but that’s not true. I’ve been having some lately, and—”

  “You have?” Corinne perked up for the first time since we started talking.

  “Yes. And it’s actually with a friend of Trenton’s. The guy in charge of the—”

  Trenton shoved the gun’s barrel into the middle of my forehead.

  I gulped. “Anyhow, we’re not just fucking. We’re not just having sex. We’re making love. And there’s a difference.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know—”

  “Do you?” I pressed. “Because sometimes it can be confusing. Find someone who loves you and that you love back. Find someone to make love with. Find someone you can talk to without fear about any topic. Find someone you can do more than just spend time underneath the sheets with.”

  Corinne hmmed. “And you think I need to find myself first before I can find someone like that.”

  “I’m not saying you have to find someone new. For all we know, that condom means nothing. Or maybe it does. Maybe Jack isn’t the guy for you. You deserve a fairytale, Corinne. You deserve happiness. Don’t settle.”

  I sure hoped Sage was listening despite being in the bathroom. She needed to hear this, too.

  “Good advice. Sage’s been right.”

  “About?” I felt shocked, and Trenton looked shocked himself.

  “You needing to get laid. You’re actually giving really good advice. Huh. So you’re getting some. What’s his name again?”

  I can’t risk it, and Trenton’s lifting the gun so it’s level with my forehead. “I gotta go,” I said in a rush. “My guy’s gonna be coming along soon, and—”

  “Say no more! Thanks, Sage’s mom!”

  Trenton disconnected the call. “Why the fuck did you—”

  “I didn’t mention his name,” I said calmly, doing my best to ignore the cool metal pressed against my forehead. “And it’s not like his name would cause an issue anyhow. Corinne’s not gonna do any digging.”

  Actually, I was kinda hoping Corinne would be nosy. That she’d find out Grant. That she might try to find him and ask for details. Because if she can hunt him down, at least Grant would know I’m all right. It was a stretch, but my options were so limited right now that I would take what I could get.

  Trenton cocked back his arm. Was he gonna hit me with the gun again? Better that than him firing it.

  “Trenton,” Sage called from the bathroom. Her voice sounded a little shaky.

  Uh oh. My stomach twisted nervously. She wasn’t gonna start deviating from the plan, was she? For the most part, it was going well.

  “What is it, babe?” Trenton called, his arm upraised yet.

  “Can’t I go and see Corinne?” she pleaded. She walked out of the bathroom, and Trenton immediately lowered his arm, but he didn’t out the gun away. Her eyes were puffy, and her nose was red. She held a wad of toilet paper to her nose. “She needs me. Jack is—”

  “An ass. I hated that guy from the start. Tried to tell you both. If you would’ve listened to me, none of this would’ve happened.” Trenton scowled.

  Sage took a deep breath. She was trembling. Uh oh. I had a bad feeling about this. Really bad. Sage, you don’t wanna provoke him. Not when he has his gun out. I tried to catch her gaze, but she was staring at the worn carpet.

  “You’re right. She should’ve taken your thoughts into account,” Sage started.

  I winced. Yeah, because every girl cared about what her best friend’s guy thought. Somehow, I refrained from rolling my eyes. “Maybe,” I said, but before I could say more, Sage cut me off.

  “I know you never cheated on me,” she continued, and I felt marginally better, “and I never cheated on you, but Corinne…She’s been through so much. Let me go and—”

  “You aren’t leaving,” Trenton said coldly. A muscle in his jaw jumped, and he was tapping his gun against his thigh, like he wanted to remind us that he had it.

  “Corinne will be fine,” I said.

  I stared at Sage, trying to give her some of my strength. She just needed to hold out a little longer. Just a little longer. Grant had to be coming. He had to be. Traffic must’ve held him up, but he would make it through soon.

  I hoped. I prayed.

  “So will we,” I continued. “We’ll all be fine. We’ll walk away and—”

  “And what?” Trenton snapped. “Go back to our happy lives? Don’t you see?” he hissed. “Nothing will be like it was.”

  My gaze shifted to the gun. “No it won’t,” I said a little coolly. Damn. Even I was losing my composure. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t all survive this.” Fuck. My voice cracked a little. If I couldn’t remain strong, how could I expect Sage to be?

  “Baby,” Sage said, coming over to Trenton and holding onto his arm.

  Good. She needed to calm him down. His face was red, and if he were a cartoon, smoke would be coming out of his ears. She had worked magic on him earlier. She could do it again.

  He jerked away from her. “Don’t touch me,” he growled.

  “Two hours,” she begged. “That’s all I need.”

  Oh, Sage. Stop. He won’t let you go. Stop asking for it. He’s just gonna get more pissed off!

  “No.” He sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands on his head, the gun pointing toward the wall. As long as he had that out, I couldn’t breathe right.

  “Then the phone,” Sage pleaded. “Let me call her and—”

  “No!” Trenton jerked to his feet so suddenly, so swiftly, Sage stumbled backward.

  “Why not?” Sage caught herself, straightened, and narrowed her eyes. Her tears had dried up, and now she was pissed.

  Fuck. Fighting fire with fire wasn’t going to go over well at all.

  “You let her talk to Corinne.” She gestured violently toward me. “Why can’t I?”

  “Just do what I say, and it’ll all work out,” Trenton growled, his voice low and menacing.

  “Work out? You’ll pay off the drug lord and then what? You’d have to skip town, get a new place, find a job…What do you wanna bet that there won’t be any jobs? Then what? Gonna go back to selling drugs?” S
avanah was fuming mad.

  I had to try to stop this. “I’m sure he’ll be able to find a job doing…”