“Mom…” He raised his eyebrows and took her arms too, under a much gentler hold than the one she had on him. His fingers circled her entire upper arm easily, leaving room for the beds of his fingers to press into his palms. “We’ve got a madman running all over town cutting people’s balls out. Literally, removing balls.” His lips remained stoic, but he felt his eyes smile at her.
“You’re not wiggling free from this hook, you slippery bastard.” Grace Hill loosened her hold on his arms ever so slightly. “You’re not getting out of this. No fucking way.”
“Next week.” Linc leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I promise.”
She crossed her arms tight, fighting a mischievous smile as he gently nudged her aside so he could get to the door.
He looked over his shoulder as he made his way out.
Grace came to her toes, never ready to see him leave a room without her. “Proud of you.”
Linc winked before turning away, disappearing around the corner and out of sight.
But not before he heard the remnants of a troubled sigh leaving her lips.
—
“I heard Scarlett caught him going down on Veda a month before the wedding…”
“I heard they were all in a threesome, and Gage decided to keep Veda instead…”
“I heard there was a cat fight and Scarlett lost a huge chunk of hair…”
Keenly aware of the hushed words of her coworkers in the hospital cafeteria the next morning, Veda tried to stop her hands from shaking. She picked at her nail polish, wondering when it had chipped.
The whispers surrounding her might as well have been screams. She heard them all like a bomb going off. Surely the gossipers wanted it that way. They wanted her to know what they thought of her.
Home wrecker.
Jezebel.
Gold digger.
Veda had half a mind to tell them they could add castrator to that list, just to give them some more interesting material, but she didn’t care enough to bother.
Her only goal was to get through that day with her wrists free of handcuffs and her sanity intact. She didn’t seem to be shouldering the greatest odds on either one, and many would argue that she’d lost her hold on the latter many moons ago, so she sucked on a cherry lollipop between her puckered lips with such ferocity she worried she might siphon it straight to the back of her throat and choke on it. Even the sweet flavor couldn’t bring her solace, and she frowned down at her cow-print nails to further distance herself from the voices. Her stomach turned at what a foolish mistake she’d made with Kong.
Her stomach had been in knots over it all morning. Even after waking up that spit-shined rich boy she shared a bed with, and exploiting his magical cock—twice—the knots had remained, tightening right back up the moment he pulled out of her. She’d barely resisted the urge to ask him to stay inside her after he’d cum. At least then she might’ve gotten a good night’s sleep.
Instead, her eyes were baggy, her scrubs wrinkled, not a stitch of make-up had touched her face and the bun she’d tangled her hair into was more like a hornet’s nest at the top of her head. Even worse, as CEO of a hospital, Gage would be tied up in meetings all morning. She couldn’t even visit him in his top floor office for a quickie to help restore her sanity.
At the sound of her name, followed by cackling, she risked a look over her shoulder and, sure enough, evil eyes hit her from every colorful table in the expansive cafeteria. Even the employees behind the breakfast bar pointed and stared.
“Don’t pay them any mind, sweetness,” Latika, Shadow Rock’s head nurse, slowed to a stop next to Veda’s table. The sun shining in through the cafeteria windows set a glare on Latika’s rectangular glasses and made her dark brown skin hum. Her plump middle jiggled as she came to a stop with a tray full of breakfast in her hand. “The next scandal will roll around—it always does—and these buzzards will be onto the next one before you know it.”
“Thanks, Latika.” Veda collapsed back in her chair. The uneven legs wobbled. “So, is it really a scandal?”
Latika lowered her head, looking at Veda over the rims of her glasses. “The son of the wealthiest family in Shadow Rock, leaving his virginal white fiancee for the sultry black anesthesiologist resident?”
Veda wagged her head back and forth with a frown. “Yeah, when you say it out loud…”
Latika leaned forward, her long nails tapping against the wobbly table. “But between you and I, sweetness? I’ve never seen that man more genuinely happy, and I’ve known him since he was in diapers.” She stood tall and winked. “You’re good for him.”
Veda blushed. “Thanks.”
“Just for the record, Jesus won’t be nearly as forgiving as me. So, if I were you, I’d get my story straight now.”
“Latika!” Veda cried.
But Latika was already sauntering away, her ample booty, wagging back and forth as she gave Veda a five-fingered wave over her shoulder and a heartfelt, “Mmmmhmmm.”
A bouncy black ponytail tied atop of a young smiling face, bopped into the seat across the table, stealing Veda’s attention.
Veda couldn’t help smiling at the sight of Coco Lockwood. Brown skin so smooth it could only belong to a teenager, big almond eyes that belonged on a Barbie doll, and a warm aura that encased anyone within ten feet of her, Veda couldn’t help sighing at Coco’s very presence.
“Good morning, my love.” Veda wondered when Coco had gone from the bubbly teenager she’d once avoided like the plague to ‘her love.’
“Morning.” Coco’s voice was perpetually hoarse, like a cheerleader who spent half the day screaming at the top of her lungs. Coco wasn’t a cheerleader, however, but a student nurse with much bigger dreams. She wanted to be a cardiologist, which had led her into making the colossal mistake of deeming Veda her mentor.
Veda had tried to give Coco several warnings that she was nobody’s role model, but that ray of sunshine was persistent as all hell, and Veda had been unable to stop herself from accepting Coco’s relentless attempts at friendship. More than friendship. The protectiveness she felt over Coco made their relationship almost… sisterly.
Veda wouldn’t dare utter that word out loud to Coco. Sister. The word “friend” had been mistake enough. Ensuring nothing short of a zombie apocalypse would cause Coco to retract the friendship claws she’d dug in deep.
“Have you gotten your costume for the Masquerade Ball yet?” Coco asked. “We could go shopping after work.”
“No need. The ball isn’t until the end of the month, and I’m planning on waiting until the last minute anyway.”
“But then all the cute costumes will be gone!”
“Which will give me the perfect excuse to show up wearing a Jason mask and a sweatshirt.”
“The lengths you’ll go to avoid putting on a dress.”
“My persistence knows no bounds.”
Grinning, Coco snatched her plastic utensils from her breakfast tray, the crinkle of the bag filling the air as she lifted her eyes to the television in the far corner of the room. She drank in the morning news, and the top story.
“Looks like another girl from the hill went missing…” The smile disappeared from Coco’s face, a rare phenomenon. “Zena Jones. I’d be jealous that she has such a cool name, you know, if she wasn’t missing and all…”
Veda crossed her arms. “I heard. Funny how it’s never the rich girls that vanish from this island, never to be seen or heard from again.”
Coco’s eyes widened. She froze in the midst of freeing her plastic utensils, pulling the sleeves of her long sleeved top down over her hands while shrugging softly.
Veda leaned forward to cover Coco’s hand on top of the table. “Not that I want you to go missing, my love. It’s not your fault you’re rich. And I know you have your own difficult struggles, too.” When Veda reminded herself just how deep Coco’s struggles went, her heart skipped a beat, and she squeezed her hand harder. “I’m an asshole for saying that. I’d ne
ver try to diminish your problems, okay? I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay, I totally get it.” Coco took a bite of her pancakes, talking around the food. “I really hope they find her. Seems like she was super loved in her community.”
Veda shot a look at the TV where the news had a photo of a smiling Zena Jones on the screen. She was a young brunette who looked kind and lively with a smile that would entice anyone to approach.
“They say the first 48 hours are critical. After that…” Veda shrugged, leaning back in her chair.
Coco nodded over Veda’s shoulder. “I don’t think Linc ever got that memo.”
Veda sat tall and threw her gaze over her shoulder just in time to see Detective Lincoln Hill pass by in the hallway outside the cafeteria. He wore his usual jeans and white t-shirt with a gold police badge swinging from the chain around his neck. He’d pulled his collarbone length brown hair into a sloppier bun than usual. Runaway pieces were already escaping at the nape of his neck. Every woman in his path stopped what she was doing to watch him pass. Some even reached out to touch his tanned bicep, which begged for freedom, bulging against the hem of his t-shirt.
“Five years and he’s still looking for his missing wife,” Coco said.
“I can’t imagine what he goes through every day, having no idea what happened. No answers. No closure.” Veda faced Coco again when Linc disappeared from sight. “I feel terrible for him.”
“Totally.” Coco took a few more bites of food, and then her eyebrows shot up, face lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Have you heard? Looks like the guy who sliced Todd to bits tried again last night. This time on Eugene Masterson.”
Veda’s stomach fell to her feet, and she breathed in deep, sucking in the scent of eggs and bacon that permeated the cafeteria.
“Who do you think is doing it?” Coco asked, squinting her big brown eyes, frowning up her baby face so strongly that lines appeared on her ebony skin.
“I don’t know. But whoever it is must agree with what you said to me last month. About Shadow Rock’s elite being dangerous?”
Coco’s eyes immediately fell. Her full lips pressed in a tight line.
Veda pushed. “About them hurting people?” Not her most subtle segue, but after her epic failure with Kong, she was feeling desperate for information.
“Totally…” Coco whispered, after a long silence.
“Maybe if you came forward with what you know about your Dad’s side of the family…” Veda’s heart constricted as she thought of Gage. “About the Blackwaters…”
Coco abandoned her breakfast, half eaten, and took hold of her tray, moving to stand while avoiding Veda’s eyes. “I should go. I’ve got to prep a room for an appendectomy.”
Veda leaned forward and took Coco’s arm before she could stand, waiting until Coco sat back down, looking at Veda with pleading eyes.
“Maybe you’ve forgotten, my love, but Gage is a Blackwater too.” Veda’s voice lowered. “Don’t you think I deserve to know if my boyfriend is involved in any unsavory activity?”
Coco’s eyes grew weary. “Gage is different.”
Veda hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath until she released a huge wallop of air.
Coco’s eyes lip up. “You guys are in love. You’re so lucky.” Her voice lowered and she shook her head rapidly. “Don’t worry. He’s not like the rest of them.”
Veda gripped her arm tighter. “The rest of them?”
“I shouldn’t have said what I said that day.” Coco’s voice went even more hoarse as she tried to backtrack. “It just slipped out, okay? If you’re really my friend, Veda, you’ll just forget all about it.”
Veda barely resisted the urge to scream that she couldn’t forget about it. Any information Coco had, however small, about the rich on Shadow Rock, could only bring Veda closer to her goal. Closer to revenge. Closer to discovering the identity of the elusive number ten.
“Besides.” Coco smiled. “Looks like the karmic gods are making the rounds anyway. Ever since Todd got attacked, he’s backed off me completely. He doesn’t even leave his house anymore—except to go to work. Even with his new testicle implants, he’s too ashamed to date anyone. He was too embarrassed to even help the police go after the guy who did it.” Coco tried to fight a laugh, but her voice and her eyes won over as they both hitched and brightened up. She leaned forward, lowering her voice even more. It trembled as she struggled to keep her glee at bay. “He has to take three medications just to keep hair on his chest. I googled it, and Wed MD says he might even grow boobs.” A giggle bubbled up her throat, causing Coco to clap a hand over her lips to stifle it.
Veda breathed out a laugh, trying to stop it from becoming a full on cackle. That proved to be a battle hard won when up against Coco’s infectious smile.
Coco’s hand fell from her smiling lips, and she nodded. “That’s enough for me, Veda. Just knowing he got his. I’m good with that. If I can let it go, you totally should too.”
Only slightly taken aback by Coco’s new vindictive streak, Veda couldn’t help it as her heart sang a tune. She’d never tire of hearing Coco tell her that Todd had fallen back. That he’d stopped hurting her. That he was so internally broken, he would probably never dare hurt anyone, again.
Just like that, Veda’s why came rushing back, and she wondered, for the millionth time, how it hadn’t occurred to her sooner. Revenge didn’t have to equal murder. In fact, killing the ten bastards who’d brutalized her at eighteen now seemed far too easy.
Veda wanted them to live with what they’d done. She wanted them to live with the agony of knowing a stranger had taken uninvited control of their bodies and done what they damn well pleased. She wanted them to live with it for the rest of their miserable lives, just like she’d have to live with it for the rest of hers. Just like Coco would have to live with it.
Veda studied Coco, finding a newfound clarity in those big brown eyes.
No.
Not death.
Not jail time.
Impotency.
Sterilization.
It was the only way.
And if the rest of the world hadn’t caught up yet, Veda was more than happy to show them how it was done.
She would never stop. She would never waver. Kong would get what he had coming, and so would the rest of them. They would all get a taste of their own bitter medicine.
Or she would die trying.
“Life’s way more peaceful now.” Coco’s voice lowered with emotion. “Like, way more…”
Veda swallowed thickly when she felt tears burning her eyes. “I’m really happy to hear that, my love.”
Coco nodded over her shoulder. “I’m super late for surgery prep. You know how Dr. Bitler gets if everything isn’t perfect …”
Veda released her arm with hesitance. “Lunch later?”
“Totally.” Coco waved before turning and hurrying away.
Veda watched her go, pushing her hand into the pocket of her scrubs and gripping the bronze coin inside for dear life. She stared off into nothingness and considered her work schedule that morning.
Her first patient of the day? Eugene Masterson.
Kong.
Even though she’d fucked up royally, she still found herself daydreaming about the disturbed look that would surely be plastered across his face after last night’s events.
She found herself daydreaming about the day she made it permanent.
5
“Hiiiii, Linc.” A blonde in bright pink scrubs stopped everything she was doing in the middle of the bright hallway at Shadow Rock Hospital, forcing her annoyed co-workers to trip over their feet and mill around her as she gave Linc her brightest smile.
“Ay…” Linc’s eyes fell. He breezed past her without looking back up, feeling her eyes burning into his back as he went.
He turned another corner and looked up just in time to catch sight of a brunette nurse leaning over a circular reception desk, jutting her ass out a little fa
rther than necessary.
She twirled her long ponytail around the pen in her hand, letting her eyes run his body while biting her bottom lip. “Well, good morning, Detective Hill.”
“Good Morning.” Linc looked away. He didn’t look back. He picked up his pace, turning another corner in his haste to get to the elevators.
The moment he cleared the corner, a redhead who’d previously been on the opposite side of the hallway did a ball change and zoomed into his path—none too gracefully. Slamming into him, she shrieked out a laugh and slapped his chest lazily. A hit so half-hearted he barely felt it.
“Oh my goodness, Linc, I’m so clumsy,” she purred, letting the hand she’d just assaulted him with live on his chest a few moments longer than appropriate. She watched her hand as it touched him, and had to clear her throat to find her voice. “You’d think I’d see a big… strong man like you coming a mile away, huh?” She breathed, batting her long lashes up at him, big blue eyes shining.
“Don’t worry about it.” Linc took her arms in a gentle hold and moved her to the side with ease.
She gasped as if he’d just lifted her over his shoulder and hurled her to the top of Mt. Everest, her eyes gleaming with delight as he walked away.
The scene in the rest of the hallway wasn’t much different, and by the time he’d made it to the elevator, Linc had been accosted by dozens of nurses, none of whose names he actually knew.
He breathed in relief when the elevator doors dinged open, pretending not to notice the lingering stares of the two female administrators that exited. He stepped inside, holding his badge to his chest while leaning over to push the button for the fifth floor.
He thought of the A.A. meeting his mother had guilted him into that morning and groaned, stomach sick at the thought of going back next week. But he’d made her a promise. Why the hell hadn’t he just stayed and finished that morning? At least he’d have gotten it over with, ensuring he’d never have to attend one of those miserable things again.
The elevator doors jolted, signaling they were about to close, but the sound of high heels clicking on the linoleum floors outside told Linc another story.
Tingle (Revenge Book 2) Page 4