“Let’s play.” Scout throws back his drink, his eyes fixated on her.
I turn to face him just as Dax speaks. “No.”
“I wasn’t talking to you.” Scout snorts, knowing that Monroe hasn’t touched her.
“I know, but the answer is still no,” he says, taking another sip of his champagne. “I want tonight to go smoothly. And if our fathers catch you two fucking her in one of our rooms, the night will go anything but.” Monroe looks over at Scout. “Just keep it in your pants for one night.” He slaps him on the back and then walks off.
Scout looks over at me. “What do you say?”
My eyes go back to her, and she has a champagne flute in her hand. The best thing about these parties is that our parents don’t give a fuck if we drink. She tips the glass back and takes a sip. I can see her red lipstick on the rim, and I smile. “Yeah, let’s play.” I want that color stained on my dick.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
HENLEY
I’VE BEEN AT the Monroes’ fundraiser for over two hours, and it’s actually been pretty fun. People have come up and spoken to me like nothing ever happened. Like all has been pushed under the rug and forgotten. Westbrook is good at hiding shit that way.
I’m on my fourth glass of champagne and feeling pretty good when I lean over and tell Lacey that I need to use the restroom.
“Okay, I’ll be right here,” she says, pulling away from me.
I make my way through the long hall and down to one of the fifteen guest bathrooms. But three ladies are standing in line. One looks at me over her shoulder, pulls her injection-filled lips back, and rolls her eyes at me.
Okay, so maybe I spoke too soon about things going well.
I lift my dress enough to pull the small train up off the floor and decide to go upstairs to use the one in Dax’s room, knowing that no one will be up there.
“Much faster,” I say five minutes later and look up at myself in Dax’s bathroom mirror. My eyes catch sight of the new choker I’m wearing tonight.
I walk into my room after getting home from school. I see the Valentino box on my bed, but there’s also a long, skinny black velvet box on top of it that says Chanel. Walking over to it, I open it up and gasp. It’s a choker. A black silk choker with diamonds of various sizes all over it. And under it is a folded-up piece of paper.
I pick it up and read it.
Little doll, you will earn this later tonight.
Law
I wanted to be mad that they still wanted to claim me in such a way, yet I knew I wouldn’t be wearing the cheap black choker to such a formal event. But another part of me couldn’t wait to see just what he has in mind for me to earn it.
Exiting Dax’s bathroom, I make my way back to the stairs. When I pass Mr. Monroe’s study, I’m brought to a stop when I hear a man saying, “We had a deal.”
Taking a step back, I press my back to the wall in the hallway, listening in.
“Yes, we did, but I saw an opportunity and took it,” a man says. I can’t place his voice, but I want to say it’s Jake Rellik.
“That opportunity,” a man snaps, “could very well bury us!”
“Don’t worry.” Another man sighs. “I took care of it. No one will ever know any different than what we paid for.”
I stiffen. What the fuck are they talking about?
“Do you have any idea how stupid that was?” the original snaps. “If she had been in the river for that long, then she would have had to be identified by dental records.”
My heart starts to race along with my mind. River? Dental records? Brenda was found in the river. They said she’d been there since April …
“And the girl? What about her?” the first guy snaps.
“She made a public apology, admitting she was wrong.” One laughs. “Anything she says will not fucking matter from here on out.”
Me? They’re talking about me? My breathing becomes labored, and my knees start to shake.
“The body has evidence on it,” one of them snaps. “That’s why we agreed it could never be found.”
“You’re getting all worked up over nothing. It’s been too long …”
My breath gets caught in my lungs.
“I can’t keep up with this if you can’t keep your word!”
“We paid you a shit ton of money to keep my boy out of prison,” someone snaps, but the blood rushing in my ears is too loud to know who it is.
“He’s not behind bars, is he? Just keep going along with the plan. Nothing will come of it.”
I hear their shoes slapping on the floor, coming toward the door. I make a mad dash across the hall to a spare room and hide behind the open door. I watch through the crack in the door hinge and see them exit the study. Mr. Monroe exits, along with Mr. Rellik. Then Mr. Scout and Mr. Law. All of them were in there together. Every single bastard knew what Dax had done and had a part in covering it up. Last, a man I’ve only seen once in my life exits, and my shaking hands come up to my mouth. It’s Judge Mayes.