If Dante thought I was going to roll over and die, he was sorely mistaken. I wouldn’t rest until I figured out what he was up to, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t stop until I knew the truth about that night three years ago.
Chapter 28
Dani
Dayshadgonebysince that stupid meeting in Gio’s office. I don’t even know why they included me. The only thing I was good for was spreading my legs. That was all they ever wanted from me. At one point I thought I was part of thefamily…that I had a place in the ranks. That I could do something other than seduce men and fuck their secrets out of them.
I was quickly realizing that would never happen, at least as long as Dad was calling the shots.
I hadn’t seen him since the meeting. Avoiding him was one of my favorite hobbies, and I was quite good at it. I’d been avoiding Kane too. I was getting too close to him. Anxiety had taken permanent residence inside my body and I didn’t like it.
“We’re sneaking into the party, right? How pathetic is it that I have tosneakinto a party that’s at my own damn house?” Gemma scoffed as she finished her lunch.
Kane’s Halloween party that had to be delayed because of our gun deal in Fremont. He didn’t like ninety percent of the students at Castle Grove Prep, yet they all clawed for an invitation to his party every year. He and his friends would leave the partygoers to their own devices on the main floor and sneak off to his level to drink and smoke weed. None of it made much sense to me–not that I was ever included.
“I was explicitlynotinvited,” Finn laughed. “Kane came up to me the other day and said if I showed my face at his house, he’d rearrange it and send me off on my skateboard.”
“Ignore him,” I instructed. “He has issues.”
“Exactly, he has issues, so is it sound advice to ignore him?” He asked with a chuckle.
“I do,” I shrugged.
“I think I’m gonna pass on this one,” Finn smiled before excusing himself to go hang with his friends, leaving me and Gemma alone at our table.
“I’m going to that party,” Gemma said proudly.
“Gem…youlivethere. Why the fuck wouldn’t you go?”
“You know I’ve never been allowed,” she said quietly. “I’m not letting him bully me this time. I’m going. And so are you.”
“I’d rather not. I see enough of Kane and Lauren at school to last me the rest of my life. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like at his party,” I shuddered.
The thought truly sickened me. It created this pit in my stomach that I couldn’t ignore–even though I tried my damnedest to do so. I even thought about finding a hookup to squash the green giant lurking inside of me, but I couldn’t bear the thought of that either.
An alert went off in my head at the realization that I only wanted one man inside of me. To put it bluntly–I was fucked.
“So…Kane’s been feeding into thisLaurenthing a lot more than usual lately. Any ideas why?” Gemma asked.
I glanced in Kane’s direction for a second, long enough to see his scowl and Lauren plastered against his side wearing a smile. “No idea.”
Gemma continued to discuss costume ideas for the party–because even though Halloween was long gone, everyone would still be dressing up. I tuned her out as I sent Bash a text.
Me: Send me the GPS coords of the barn. I want to know EXACTLY where I might be going on Thursday.
Bash: Well good afternoon to you too, Killer.
Me: Don’t.
Me: Coordinates. Now.
Bash: Are you always this bossy? I can get down with that ;)
Me: I’m rolling my eyes.
Bash: Be careful, they’re gonna get stuck like that.
I rolled my eyes again as Bash sent the location pin of the barn. I was still on the fence about going, but I was leaning towards doing it. Especially after the meeting with the guys. I couldn’t survive this life forever. What was I going to do, continue following Dad’s orders and demands for the next five, ten years? I shuddered at the thought.