by Ana Huang
They immediately crowded around her phone. There was a picture of Rico two years ago, walking out of the courthouse after he’d been acquitted of rape charges. It wasn’t the picture that was chilling, though, it was the headline that accompanied it: Tevasco Heir Found Not Guilty in Toni Holtzman Case.
* * *
“Well, that looked painful.” James’ face was half-amused, half-disgusted as he eyed the vomit on the floor. “It’s a good thing I brought some water.” He turned to Tattoo Guy. “How long has she been up, Carson?”
“Not too long.” Carson’s own face displayed one hundred percent disgust. “She’s quite a chatty one.”
I barely heard the rest of their conversation through the loud buzzing in my ears. It was like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room.
James. James. James. James was the one responsible for this? Was this some kind of sick joke? Why would he do this? He was supposed to be my friend!
My breath was shallow and labored as a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
“Why?” My voice was weak, but it did cause the other two to stop talking.
“Why what?” James asked, unscrewing the bottle cap and holding it to my mouth like I wasn’t tied up and kidnapped. I ignored it, my eyes burning into his face.
“Why did you do this?” I asked through gritted teeth.
He sighed, lowering his arm and capping the bottle again before tossing it carelessly into the plastic bag dangling from his arm. He nodded at Carson, who shot me one last disgusted glance before exiting through the side door James came through in.
James pulled up a chair and sat right across from me, too close for my liking. If I’d been able to move, I would have flinched away.
“Maya, Maya, Maya.” His eyes searched mine. “It’s really your own fault, you know.” He sounded almost sad.
My own fault? Was he kidding me? He was insane! My thoughts must’ve reflected on my face, because James just shook his head and clucked his tongue.
“I honestly thought we were going to be good friends. When I saw you at Stan’s party, you were like a breath of fresh air. I especially admired the way you stood up to Roman—“ His voice soured a bit. “If you’d kept that up, we really could’ve been great friends. But then you had to go and date Parker.” James’ face darkened. “As if that wasn’t bad enough, you started being friends with the Scions. You lived in Carlo’s house. You dumped Parker for Roman.” He laughed humorlessly. “Turns out you’re more of a social climber than I thought.”
I could literally feel my blood boiling. “I am not a social climber,” I hissed. “Not that I need to explain anything to you, but Parker and I weren’t really dating, and I’m dating Roman because I actually like him.”
“Right. Because there’s so much to like,” James said sarcastically. “Please, Maya, spare me. Although I suppose it’s all for the best, because it seems as though that arrogant little scumbag has really fallen for you, which certainly makes my plan that much easier.”
His words left a horrible taste in my mouth. Although that could also be because I’d just puked my guts out earlier.
“What plan?”
He sighed. “You really aren’t as smart as I’d imagined. It was all part of the plan. All of it.”
All part of the plan? What was he—
Suddenly, I froze, and it took all I had not to throw up again. “You. You’re the one who hired Lexi.” My voice was flat.
James didn’t even blink. “Yes.”
“Why?” That seemed to be the question of the day.
He sighed again. “Well, I think I’ll just answer your questions in the order they were asked, if you don’t mind,” he said almost merrily. “I was the one who placed Lexi at your father’s company. I got her that internship. Not hard, considering my uncle works in the human resources department—that just so happens to be a stroke of luck on my part. She’s very good at her job, as you must have noticed. Although she never did get him to sleep with her.”
James smirked. “That would’ve been so much more entertaining. “Then, lo and behold, I found out you were going to New York that day. Did you really think I bumped into you by accident there? Out of all the stores in all the world—“ His mouth twisted. “You should’ve figured it out. Barneys isn’t my type of store at all. But I was there, keeping an eye on you. I heard you were all planning to go to Masa, so I called Lexi and let her know. She convinced your father to take her there for dinner and, well, the rest is history.” He chuckled.
I was seeing red. He should be glad I’m tied up, because if I wasn’t, I would’ve made damn sure he’d never be able to have children ever again. We didn’t need any more sick, twisted people like him again. And to think I’d considered him my friend.
My face burned at the humiliation of having been so easily duped. “Is this a family vendetta thing?” I demanded, wishing I could move my leg so I could kick him right in the groin. Since I still had stilettos on, that would’ve hurt. A lot. And there was nothing I wanted more than to see James in pain right now. “Why did you hire Lexi?
James ran a hand through his sandy hair. He had the nerve to look chagrined. “It was collateral damage, really. If you hadn’t started dating Parker—“
“We weren’t dating!”
He ignored me. “If you hadn’t started dating him, none of this would’ve happened.” He stared at me. “You see, I wanted revenge. Unfortunately, the Scions—“ He spit out the name. “—are a tough group to crack. I knew I couldn’t attack one of them directly. It wouldn’t work, not with the devastation I needed, and I would lose the element of surprise. I needed to find some sort of alternate way to get to them, and what better way than to destroy one of their girlfriends? Although you have to believe me when I say I wish it wasn’t you. I wish Roman wasn’t in love with you. But—“ He shrugged. “C’est la vie.”
Inanely, I actually felt my heart skip when James said Roman was in love with me, but now is so not the time to focus on that. How would he even know?
Then again, he knows a lot of stuff about you that you didn’t think he knew. The thought brought me back to the present. “Revenge for what?”
Maybe if I kept him talking, I could stall whatever else he had planned. I’m not sure what he did have planned, but it definitely couldn’t be good.
James’ eyes narrowed, and I suddenly felt more afraid than I ever had. “For what they did to my cousin.”
Now I was confused. “Wait. Wh-what? Who’s your cousin?”
He gripped his chair. “Toni. My cousin. My best friend in the whole world. She was the sweetest girl, but that was before he raped her and left her for dead.”
The breath whooshed out of my lungs. “Who?” I whispered, afraid to know the answer.
“Rico Tevasco.” James’ lips curled up in disgust. “That fucking bastard. It was him, no matter what his fancy lawyers said. I know it was him. But he got off scot-free, didn’t he? Flew off to another country, leaving the people he ruined to pick up the pieces.”
I was too shocked to say anything for a minute. I remembered him warning me about Rico that night at Carlo’s house. The girl—she was his cousin? My head spun. This was all too much.
“But he doesn’t have anything to do with Roman and the others,” I blurted. “I mean, he’s Carlo’s brother, but they don’t even get along!”
“Please.” James laughed bitterly. “They all helped him. The Remingtons, the Tevascos, the Fioris, the Perrys. They’ve all been friends for generations. You really think they’re going to let one of their own go to jail, even if he was guilty?” There was fire in his eyes. “Yes, Maya, your precious little boyfriend helped Rico get away with rape and attempted murder. How does that make you feel?”
“That’s not true,” I whispered, feeling sick. Roman wouldn’t do anything like that. He had his faults, but he wouldn’t do that. Carlo wouldn’t do that either. “You don’t know for sure Rico did it.”
“Who else could’ve? Do you kn
ow, after he was proclaimed innocent, Toni killed herself? Did you?” James shouted, anger erupting out of him like a surprise volcano. A vein bulged in his neck. “And I couldn’t do anything about it! Rico was gone! Gone! The Scions were the only ones left, and when I stood over her grave, I promised her I would get revenge if it was the last thing I did!”
I couldn’t help but whimper a bit. Angry James was, honestly, terrifying.
He stopped, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he seemed to have regained some control. “Luckily, my uncle was more than happy to help. That was his daughter. And Lexi—“ He took another breath. “I probably could’ve gotten her to help even if I didn’t offer to pay her.”
Suddenly I flashed back to the picture I’d found in the Fioris’ bathroom. “But—but she and Rico knew each other,” I stuttered.
Surprise flitted across James’ face. “So you found out.” He smirked, doing a complete one-eighty. I was beginning to think he was bipolar, on top of being utterly and completely psychotic. Fantastic. “I’m guessing you don’t know they had an affair?”
My jaw dropped. What?
“That’s right,” he continued. “Lexi was dating the gang leader, but she was carrying on with Rico behind his back. Of course, once she found out what Rico did, she was sickened. Broken-hearted. She wanted revenge almost as much as I did.”
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
This was too much information. Too much. Spots danced across my vision, and I felt like I was going to faint. But I couldn’t. God knew what he was going to do to me if I ever passed out.
“So you weren’t ever really my friend.” My voice trembled. “You were just using me. plotting against me.”
James stared at me pityingly, a slightly sad look in his eyes. “Like I said, I’m really sorry it had to be you.”
Then he reached into his bag again, only this time, instead of pulling out a bottle of water, he pulled out a large, gleaming butcher’s knife.
My heart stopped.
“It’s nothing personal. But you have to understand. I have to keep my promise.”
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. All I could focus on was that knife. I pictured him bringing it down, the sharp blade cutting through my flesh, the life slowly draining from me as I bled to death, morbid thoughts that were overtaken by flashes of my life so far.
My first time riding a bike. My twelfth birthday party. My parents’ faces. Venice. Carlo. Adriana. Parker. Zack. Roman. My throat closed up and tears stung my eyes as I pictured his face. I couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to ever see him again.
James raised the knife, and I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the pain.
But it never came.
The sound of the door slamming open burst through the air, followed by a startled shout, and more than a few angry ones.
My eyes flew open, and I gaped at the scene in front of him. Tattoo Guy was back, only this time he was being pinned and beaten down by Carlo and…holy shit, was that Rico?
I guess martial arts greatness ran in the family.
To the side, Parker was speaking frantically into his phone, while Zack held a wriggling brown-and-white ball of fluff in his arms. I realized with relief it was Mickey.
However, most of my attention was focused on James and Roman, both of them intent of killing the other.
I watched in horror as James managed to throw Roman onto the ground and raised his knife once again.
“No!” I cried, attempting to stand but failing. Then, a mass of dark hair flew past as both Carlo and Rico tackled James to the ground, but not before the knife lodged itself into Roman’s chest.
Forgetting once again that I was tied down, I lunged out of my chair, only this time, I actually managed to get out of my seat. Dimly, I realized Zack and Parker must’ve untied me without me even realizing it.
I ran over to Roman’s side, clapping a hand over my mouth at the blood pouring out of his wound. His face was drawn and pale, and he looked more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him.
I could hear the others shouting around me. I could hear Mickey’s barking. I could hear sirens in the background. But all I could focus on was Roman.
Roman, who was currently unconscious. His lip was split, and there was a giant bruise on one side of his face, not to mention more than a few smaller cuts. I couldn’t even see them all clearly thanks to the thick tears blurring my vision.
I could hear someone calling my name in the background, but I ignored them. I didn’t move. When the police and ambulances finally arrived, that was how they found me, kneeling by Roman’s side, clutching him desperately, and unable to let go.
CHAPTER 29
I’ve always hated hospitals.
I know it’s a pretty cliché thing to say—after all, who actually likes hospitals?—but there’s something about the smell, the sterile halls, and the jaded attitudes of nurses and doctors that creeped me out.
Plus, hospital food sucks. Although, it can’t really suck if someone isn’t awake to eat it.
My heart squeezed at the thought, and I drummed my fingers nervously against my thigh as Carlo pulled into the hospital’s parking lot. The car barely had a chance to come to a stop before I flung open the door and raced across the parking lot, through the lobby, and up to the fifth floor, where Roman’s room was.
Carlo didn’t bother to tell me to slow down. After a week, everyone knew it was useless.
When I reached the familiar, blindingly white hallway, I was startled to see everyone was already there. We all visited, of course, but rarely at the same time.
Venice was curled up in an armchair in the waiting area, her red hair tousled. She was half-asleep, her head resting on Zack’s shoulder, while the blond chugged from a bottle of Frappuccino. Half a dozen identical bottles littered the table next to him.
Parker was sprawled out on the couch, and for once, the playboy looked scruffy and unkempt, a five o’clock shadow darkening his sculpted chin. He was staring at the floor with a depressed look on his face. Beside him, even Adriana was as dressed down as I’d ever seen in her. She wore a T-shirt, jeans, and almost no makeup, and was staring off into space.
The person I couldn’t help but focus on, though, was Giselle. Roman’s mother, usually so elegant (even when she was drunk), was pacing the floor outside his room, her face pale and drawn, etched with lines of worry. I’ve never seen anyone so frazzled, and my heart went out to her.
Despite what Roman said, I knew she really loved him. He was, after all, her son.
Although the same couldn’t be said for his father. A sour taste crept into my mouth as I thought about Mr. Fiori. He’d made a brief appearance the night Roman was stabbed, then promptly flew to China for a business merger that was, apparently, more important than a comatose son.
“Any change?” I asked, making sure to keep my voice low. This was the type of environment where everyone spoke in whispers.
“No.” Parker sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I swear, if that fuckin’ James wasn’t in police custody, I would—“
“Parker.” Adriana’s tone was a warning, and I saw her flick her gaze towards Giselle, who looked even more distraught at the mention of the person who’d stabbed her son.
“Well, it’s true. I would’ve loved to give him a taste of his own medicine,” Parker muttered darkly. “If it wasn’t for him, Roman would be awake right now, and probably yelling at us for something.”
I cracked a small smile at that, as I felt Carlo come up behind me. He placed his hands on my shoulders comfortingly. “Do you want to go in?” He tilted his head towards the closed door.
I swallowed. I did and I didn’t, but I couldn’t very well give him that answer. Instead, I just walked over, gave Giselle a comforting squeeze, and quietly opened the door to his private room.
Even though I’ve been here every day for the past week, the air still whooshed out of my lungs at the sight in front of me
.
I walked over to the bed, my knees so shaky I probably would’ve collapsed were it not for Carlo’s firm grip on my arm. Tears blurred my vision as I stared down at the bed where Roman lay. His eyes were closed, his usually bronzed skin pale and waxy, and his chest rose and fell shallowly.
I’ve always thought of Roman as a larger-than-life person. Even when I hated him, his presence filled a room, and you couldn’t help but be drawn to him. I guess in my mind I always thought someone that arrogant and powerful was invincible. There had definitely been times when I wanted to cut him down to size, but now, I hated how frail and weak he looked in that hospital bed, hooked up to IVs and beeping monitors when he should’ve been out there in the real world, hanging out with his friends and laughing—or, in his case, scowling.
A sob escaped my throat as I grasped his hand in mine, squeezing it tight. Of course, he didn’t squeeze back. I hadn’t expected him to, but I crushing disappointment still filled my stomach at his lack of response.
