Corrupt

by Penelope Douglas

  “She’s already coming,” he said, sounding a little surprised.

  What? I stepped to the side, following his gaze out the door.

  Fuck.

  Her lone figure treaded slowly through the grass, her chin up and her shoulders squared.

  “You were right,” Kai said next to me, pleased.

  I turned away, heading back into the kitchen while the three of them kept their eyes on her.

  Gripping the edge of the counter, I heard the door open, and I watched them stay rooted in their spots as she calmly stepped inside, walking past them. She veered right, stopping at the entrance to the kitchen, and stared at me, her hard eyes doing a good job of masking the hint of hurt I noticed.

  Her clothes were damp, and I could make out her white bra beneath her tank top.

  “Where is my mother?” she asked.

  Damon, Will, and Kai walked in around her, spreading out around the kitchen, and turning to face her.

  “Is she why you came back?” I asked.

  Of course, she would brave us for her mother. We’d counted on that.

  “I’m not scared of you,” she stated.

  I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest. “I think you believe that.”

  Looking at her now, her hair dotted with crystals of water, Damon’s blood on her hands and the bottom of her tank top, and the resolute look in her eyes, I’d never been surer of anything.

  No, she wasn’t scared. She’d given into it. She was owning it.

  Run or play. Fuck it.

  “Where is she?” she pressed again.

  “You get answers when you confess.”

  “And submit,” Will added.

  “To what?” she gritted out, turning her fierce eyes on him.

  “To us.” He came around her, looking her in the eye. “All of us.”

  “Your tantrum cost us three years, Rika,” Kai charged, baring his teeth. “And it wasn’t easy time. We were hungry and threatened and miserable.”

  “And now you’re going to know what that feels like,” Damon added, leaning on the wall and holding his stomach as he glared at her.

  Kai hovered down over her. “You’re going to learn how to shut up and look down when I enter a room.”

  “And you’re going to learn how to fight and resist, because that’s what I like,” Damon countered.

  “But with me,” Will came in close, making her jerk, “you’ll want it.”

  She shook her head. “Tantrum? What tantrum? I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

  “You come when we say.” Damon leaned on a hand on the island, tensing in pain. “You leave when we say. And as long as you do as you’re told, your debt to us will be paid. Your mother will be safe, and you’ll have money to live. You got that?”

  “You’re ours,” Kai told her. “You owe us, and this has been a long time coming.”

  “Owe you for what?” she shouted.

  “We took you with us that night,” Will charged. “We trusted you!”

  “Never trust a fucking women,” Damon grumbled, reciting his father’s words no doubt.

  “And I was supposed to trust you, too!” she shot back. “And what did you guys do to me?”

  She glared between Damon, Will, and Kai, and I stilled, wondering what the hell was going on.

  “What is she talking about?” I demanded.

  But Rika ignored me, pushing forward.

  “You served three years? Well, I’m not sorry for you,” she growled. “You guys screwed up, but surprise, surprise, you actually had to pay a consequence for once. You’ve never had to own up to anything. There’s no one to blame but yourselves.”

  “You don’t know anything!” Kai bellowed, shouting in her face.

  She shook her head, a spiteful smile in her eyes. “Really?” And then she shot her glare to Damon. “You were sent to jail for raping an underage girl. Winter Ashby, the mayor’s daughter. The video was proof. What’s there to explain?”

  I blinked long and hard, the morning that the videos surfaced flooding back.

  I’d woken up on Halloween, the day after Devil’s Night, and discovered that some of our videos had been posted online for the whole fucking world to see.

  Which, quite simply, led to my friends’ arrest.

  It had been stupid to record the videos in the first place, but we were always careful with it. We kept one phone especially for those nights when we wreaked havoc and wanted to keep a little souvenir. And back then, we thought we were untouchable.

  Winter Ashby had been one of Damon’s conquests. She’d willingly taken him to bed the night before, but she’d been underage, and her father was just as powerful as ours.

  And he hated Damon’s family.

  Which was probably why Damon preyed on her to begin with.

  There was no way her father would drop the charges. He saw an opportunity to take down a Torrance, and he did it.

  I looked over at Damon, seeing his flat expression as he stared at her.

  “There’s nothing to explain,” he replied calmly. “You have me figured out. I preyed on a young girl, and I don’t even remember her face.”

  Rika thinned her eyes on him, probably expecting more of an argument, but that wasn’t Damon’s style. He didn’t talk. He acted.

  She then turned to Will and Kai, carrying on, “And you guys beat up a cop. Nearly to death. They found him on the side of the road.”

  Another video that had surfaced.

  “That cop,” Will shot out, moving into her space, “is Emery Scott’s brother. Her abusive…older…brother, and you’re damn right I beat the shit out of him!”

  She pinched her eyebrows together. “Emery Scott?”

  “Yeah,” Kai joined in. “We caught wind of it earlier that summer, so we jumped him, and I don’t care what you think. We’d do it again.”

  Rika knew Emery Scott—went to school with her—and she must’ve remembered Will burning down her gazebo on Devil’s Night. He’d wanted her for a long time, so he fucked with her to get her attention, but when he’d found out she was being abused by her brother, Will, Damon, and Kai beat the crap out of him.

  And Damon had recorded it on the phone.

  Unfortunately, there were pieces where Will and Kai had flashed their faces to the camera. I hadn’t been there, because I’d been at a basketball camp for most of the summer.

  The morning after Devil’s Night, I woke up to a nightmare. My social media was flooded with messages, posts, and even a few news articles that had already been uploaded. Somehow, the videos from our phone had wound up online overnight, and everyone within a thousand mile radius knew about us. Or my friends, anyway.

  It wasn’t long before the police were at their houses, putting them in handcuffs, and while we could get out of a lot of things, the realization soon set in that they weren’t coming back. Damon had fucked with a connected girl, and Kai and Will were screwed, as well. You don’t hurt cops, no matter what.

  Damon was sentenced to thirty-three months for statutory rape, and Will and Kai pleaded down to twenty-eight months for assault.

  And then…after all that…after everything I’d been a part of as well, I’d escaped without a scratch.

  No videos with me were posted, and even if they had been, my face wouldn’t have been visible in any of them. I’d always kept my mask on.

  It didn’t take us long to figure out who’d uploaded the videos.

  “You threw us under the bus, because Michael had hurt you that night,” Kai accused, “but did you really think we weren’t going to come after you?”

  Her eyebrows pinched together, looking confused.

  “Being a rat is one thing,” Will interjected, “but betraying people who trusted you is unforgiveable.”

  “Betraying?” she breathed out, and then looked to me, a question in her eyes. “What…?”

  But Will just kept going. “You’re going to make amends,” he commanded. “And if you don’t, then maybe we’ll
go dig your mother out of whatever hole we stuck her in to take your place. I’m sure she’s a good fuck. She landed your dad, after all.”

  Rika’s eyes flared, and she lost it.

  Letting out a growl, she drove forward, launching her body into Will’s and shoving him backward, her hands pushing against his chest, the power of her whole body sending him stumbling back onto his ass.

  Shit.

  He landed, and I dived around the island, seeing her immediately jump on him and straddle him, her fists flying down on his face as he shot out his hands, trying to shield her.

  “Fuck!” he yelled, swinging his arm and knocking her to the floor.

  Before either of them had a chance to launch into another attack, I came in front of her, blocking both of them and pulling her off the ground.

  She bared her teeth, seething, and tried to dart around me, but I cut her off, shaking my head.

  I stared into her eyes, noticing the way she took a step backward, away from me.

  Dropping my eyes, I curled my fists. I can’t hurt her. I couldn’t do this.

  I no longer cared what she did to us all those years ago or why she did it. I didn’t trust her, but I…

  I couldn’t hurt her.

  I turned and faced my friends, keeping her behind me.

  “Goddammit!” Will barked as Kai gave him a hand, pulling him off the ground.

  He wiped his finger under his nose, pulling it away and going back in a couple more times, looking at his fingers.

  He was bleeding, and his eyes were watering.

  Damon still stood over by the island, pinching a lit cigarette between his fingers and blowing out a cloud of smoke.

  Will sniffled, a bit of blood smeared under his nose as he approached me. “Move.”

  But I just kept my shoulders squared and held his eyes, staying put.

  He watched me, shaking his head in warning. “Michael, don’t do this.”

  When I didn’t move, he reached around me, trying to get at her, but I shoved my hands into his chest, pushing him back.

  They might try to kill me, but they wouldn’t get to her otherwise.

  “You’re choosing her?” Kai charged. “After everything? She’ll screw you over just like us. We trusted her, too.”

  “You trusted me?” she burst out, coming around and holding their eyes. “I was your friend? Do you normally kidnap your friends against their will and drive them out into the middle of a nowhere for a little fun?”

  I narrowed my eyes, my heart picking up speed.

  And then I turned to look at my friends. “What the fuck is she talking about?”

  Three Years Ago

  I BOLTED FROM THE WAREHOUSE.

  My stomach was in knots and tears streamed down my face, probably making the black stripe run, but I didn’t care.

  How could everything have felt so good one minute and so fucking horrible the next?

  I ran down the stairs, holding my arms over my chest to keep warm. I glanced over to the booth where the guys had been sitting, but I saw that it was empty. Were they gone?

  They just left me here?

  I tried not to feel hurt that Kai, Will, and even Damon had abandoned me, too. Just like Michael.

  I walked over, seeing that my sweatshirt was still there. I gritted my teeth and grabbed it, whipping it out of the booth and charging for the front entrance.

  “Assholes,” I growled in a whisper.

  Slipping it over my head, I pulled up the hood and stuffed my hands into the middle pocket.

  And I stopped, my hand immediately closing around a hard, rectangular object. I pulled it out, seeing that it was the phone Will had been carrying with him all night. The one he recorded all their pranks on.

  I glanced back inside, trying to figure out how I’d gotten the phone. But then I noticed how long the sleeves were and that the hem fell all the way to the tops of my thighs.

  I had the wrong sweatshirt.

  I cocked an eyebrow, stuffing the phone back into the pocket and making my way through the parking lot. Will must’ve taken mine accidentally.

  He’d be lucky if I didn’t toss his damn phone—and all their memories—in the trash.

  The rain had calmed, only a light sprinkle now, but the chill crept into my bones, and I considered calling my mom to pick me up.

  But I immediately tossed the idea. I didn’t want her to worry about what I’d been doing out so late, since she believed I was sleeping at the Crists. And plus…I couldn’t face anyone. I needed to walk and be alone.

  He’d almost been mine.

  When he’d followed me upstairs in that warehouse, just like I’d hoped he would, I anticipated his touch the whole time. I begged for it in my head.

  Just one touch, and I would know he wanted me like I wanted him, and I could be happy.

  And then his hand came around my neck, and he pulled me into his chest, and I was his. It was done. Now I knew, and there was no turning back. No stopping.

  Why did he ruin it?

  He’d told me today in the catacombs that he wanted what he wasn’t supposed to have. He wanted to live without rules and defy everyone else’s expectations, and what did he do? He gave into them instead. He tied my hands and his.

  He let the fear of his father and the threat of his brother hold us back, and what was worse, he wanted to put the same restraints on me that he was trying to shed.

  I didn’t want anything planned. That wasn’t Michael, and it wasn’t me. I wanted the thrill and the playing, the drama and the fights, the passion and the craving.

  I wanted to fucking frustrate him and drive him wild, but I couldn’t do that when he tried to micro-manage everything.

  I wanted it all to be out of our control, because we had no choice but to dive in.

  But that was short-lived. He pulled back, held back, laid down rules…

  Fucking rules? How could he do that? That wasn’t us. We weren’t going to care what others thought, and we wouldn’t ask permission.

  And in the span of sixty seconds I went from being the heartbeat in his chest to feeling like nothing more than his little plaything, pliable and unimportant. I damn-well knew someone like Michael Crist wasn’t going to stay celibate for a year, waiting for me to turn eighteen, either. I knew he wanted me. I felt as much when he ground between my legs.

  But just because he denied himself from having me didn’t mean he’d deny himself altogether. I wasn’t that naïve.

  Tomorrow he’d ignore me, and it would be as if this night had never happened. I’d want to be invisible in his presence, and even though I shouldn’t be, I’d feel embarrassed around him.

  I dropped my head, strands of my hair spilling out of the hood as I walked down the dark road, the glistening blacktop reflecting the moon’s light.

  I missed him already. And hated him.

  A horn blared from behind me, and I whipped around, my heart jumping as I backed away, making sure I was off the road.

  I stilled, seeing Michael’s Mercedes G-Class, and waited as it pulled up next to me.

  Damon drove.

  “Come on,” he told me. “Get in. We’ll take you home.”

  I backed away, spying Kai in the passenger seat with his mask on. Will sat in the back, slouched down and looking two seconds from passing out. I didn’t see Michael.

  I shook my head. “It’s not that far. I’m fine.”

  I turned to keep walking, but Damon called after me, “Michael told us to make sure you got home. I don’t care what happened between you two, but we’re not letting you walk. Get in.”

  Stopping, I looked ahead at the pitch black night on what I knew was a six-mile walk. So they hadn’t left me then?

  My anger softened. My pride may be hurt, but that was no excuse to be stupid.

  I averted my eyes, not wanting him to see how grateful I was, and opened the back door, sliding into my same seat.

  Damon immediately laid on the gas, speeding down the road as Combichrist�
�s Feed the Fire played on the stereo.

  I narrowed my eyes on Kai, noticing his mask and drawn hood and wondering why he was so quiet. Giving Will a sideways glance, I noticed his hooded eyes as he leaned back on the headrest. Turning my eyes back up front, I looked up, seeing Damon watch me from the rearview mirror.

  “Why are you wearing your mask?” I asked Kai.

  But it was Damon who answered. “The night’s not over yet,” he replied in a teasing tone.

  But I suddenly felt unease creep into my chest.

  We raced down the lonely highway, getting closer and closer to my house, so I pushed my concern away. They might be heading out elsewhere for more fun, but they were taking me home. Damon was always creepy. It was just my nerves.

  “You want him, don’t you?” Damon stared out at the road. “Michael, I mean.”

  I stayed silent, hardening my jaw and turning my eyes out the window. Damon wasn’t interested in anything but fucking with my head, and even if he did want to just talk, I had no intention of confessing to Michael’s friends how big of a fool I’d just made of myself.

  “Shit,” Will groaned, his tired body swaying with the car. “She’s ready to ride a fence post with how horny she is for him.”

  Both of them chuckled, and I narrowed my eyes, trying to stay hard. They were laughing at me.

  “Don’t be an asshole, man,” Damon joked. “Maybe she’s just horny, period. Bitches have needs, too, after all.”

  Will breathed out a laugh, and I sat frozen, waiting for my house to appear. What the hell was going on? They didn’t act like this with Michael around, and why wasn’t Kai stepping in like he had every time Damon got out of line today?

  I glanced at him in the passenger seat. He remained motionless and silent.

  “We’re just messing with you,” Will drawled. “We do it to each other, too.”

  I turned, seeing him give me a lazy smile before he closed his eyes.

  “You know, the thing about Michael…” Damon went on, cocking his head as he relaxed it against the seat, “he wants you, too. He watches you. Did you know that?” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Man, the look on his face when he saw you dancing tonight.”

  But I was no longer paying attention. I did a double-take, straightening as I stared wide-eyed out the window.