Page 58 of Reign of the Queen
"Okay, what do we do now? There's no way to take back what she's seen. Is there a chance she won't use that against us?" I ask, already knowing deep in my gut that the answer will probably be a no.
"Naw, Mia is too smart and ruthless to waste an opportunity like that. If we push her, she will come out swinging, even if that info destroys Theo," Carter responds, taking a seat next to Mateo.
"So, it's over then?" Mateo looks at each of us.
"Fuck no. I am not giving up my crown without a fight," Carter declares.
"How do you propose we fight when right now she's holding an atomic bomb in her hands?" Theo demands.
"We act like it wouldn't devastate us if the information came out, plausible deniability. We keep doing what we're doing, without pushing her any harder but trying to wear her down." I rub my face, feeling like I just aged a whole year in the last twenty minutes.
"Keep doing what we're doing? What the fuck are we doing?" Mateo questions.
"We're seducing her, making her want us. If we can make her want us, then she becomes one of us. We just have to make sure we wrap her up tight with us, so she never thinks of turning on or hurting one of us," I say.
Mateo and Carter both break out into a laughing fit. The two fuckers look like they’re about to roll on the parking lot concrete,giant asswipes.
"You’re kidding, right? You know you're talking about Mia Stratford, right?" Mateo asks as he tries to catch his breath.
"Listen, ass. If you have a better idea, spit it out, or better yet, get ready to give up your crown and power at Casbury to Mia," I spit out with venom. I look at Theo; even from where I'm standing, I can see his mind working overtime, processing every type of scenario.
"We keep doing what we're doing by seducing her. In fact, we try harder in that department, but we don't push on the control part. Let her do her thing. Let her come willingly to us," Theo says.
"Man, there's not a chance in hell Mia's going to let us seduce her enough not to try to gain control over us. But it might be fun trying to break down her defenses." Carter sighs.
"So, we agree, that's what we're working with?" I question, looking from one king to the other.
"Yeah," Mateo lets out.
"Agreed." Theo sighs, rubbing his cheek where the cut is still bleeding.
"Who's gonna go check on her to see if she's okay?" Carter asks with genuine concern.
We all look at each other, knowing none of us will probably be welcomed at Mia's or wherever she's high-tailed her ass, but one of us has to try.
"I'll go find Raegan. She hates me the least, so I’ll see if she knows where Mia is heading. Then I'll go find Mia and check if she's okay." I sigh and head toward the school, already feeling the weight of the day and the consequences hanging like a noose around my neck.
I'm pacing back and forth in my living room. I can't seem to wipe the images of those women or the scars on Theo's back out of my head. How ashamed he looked when he told me about his sick fuck of a father. I slam my hand hard against the wall in agitation, opening and closing my eyes to try to banish the images from my mind.
Damn it. I need to clear my head. I need to stop thinking about this, about him. I can already feel my heart and resolve softening toward him. I can't let what I learned about Theo and his miserable sadistic homelife weaken my resolve to decimate the kings. I didn't come all this way to give in to a broken boy, no matter how gorgeous and alluring he may be.
When I left him in that parking lot, he looked ready to break down, his vulnerability on display, and it almost made me stay. It almost had me slamming on the brakes and taking him with me instead of running from him. But I can't; I have worked too hard and planned for too long on how I will wreck each and every one of them.
This information is precisely what I needed to pulverize the kings. So why am I rethinking using it? Why does my skin crawl at just the thought of the whole student body knowing what Theo's dad does to him, what he does to those women?FUCKI slam my hand into the wall again.
Don't get me wrong, I like it on the edge, too; control and pain help get me off, but I don't get off on humiliation. As for the toys, straps, and other shit in that room, I have zero issues with those. I think it's perfectly normal to use toys for pleasure. Hell, I must own half a dozen different vibrators myself. What I don't understand is how do they think it's okay for him to hurt them and leave them tied up like that? I know my biggest hang-up with it isn't about the sexual sadism. I don't give a fuck about that, more that he's a monster. Look what he's done to Theo, abused his own son.
I know everyone's kink is different, but I just felt rage looking at the two women like that. They didn't seem like they were enjoying it, well, the blonde didn't, at least, and I can't imagine the redhead will be enjoying it after hours of being fucked on that machine. I could be wrong though, never having had that type of experience. Again my thoughts wander back to Theo's back, the scars, old and new, and bruises across the beautiful canvas of his skin. Just the memory makes my skin crawl and bile rise to the back of my throat.
I've been home for about an hour since I sped out of the school parking lot, leaving Theo devastated and confused behind. Thank fuck my mom wasn't home to question why I wasn't in school or what happened to me. I'm still wearing Theo's clothes, minus the heels. I can't bear to remove them; they're covered in his delicious scent, and their warmth envelopes me.
So many secrets here in Casbury. Each of us carries the weight of all the secrets like nooses around our necks, strangling the life out of us. I wonder if the other three are as messed up as Theo. He mentioned Carter's dad being part of the parties his dad throws, so maybe he's into the same shit. His brother is off at a boarding school, and his mom always seems to be traveling.
From my earlier research, Mateo's parents are still the same neglectful assholes they were when we were kids.
Finn, I couldn't find much shit on except his mom's short fling with her trainer, much to my relief and mixed disappointment. His mom was always good to him when she was a single mom. From what I could find, he seems to get along with his stepdad. He and his mom appear to have a better life than they did when we all lived on the poorer side of town.
My thoughts drift back to Theo, always Theo. The way he needs to control everything and everyone around him. I wonder if it stems from his loss of control at home. It explains so many things about him and opens doors I don't think I should have anything to do with.
