Page 72 of Vicious

“And you aren’t?” I demand. “No, I’m sorry; you’re worse than a fucking parasite. He fucked up, and that Pavone psycho decided to do— to do—that. It’s not like Baba said, ‘hey, I have a debt; take May and call it clear.’ All right? So back off, Chase, I swear to fucking God, before I… before I…”

“Before you what, May?” Chase lets out another harsh laugh. “Run back to Pavone and beg for your ‘job’ back? Or maybe you’ll head home to your darling Baba and watch as he gambles away the rest of his cash. Like the five grand I gave him. Let’s see just how deep of a hole he can gamble himself into!”

I have a sinking feeling he’s right, that Baba would use it to gamble?—

No. Chase is just trying to make me doubt my father so that even if I get out of this mess, I won’t have anywhere to go or anyone to go home to.

“You just want me to doubt him,” I snap. “You don’t want me to have anyone but you.”

“You already don’t have anyone but me,” Chase argues. “I’m the one who got you out of that fucking bind. I’m the one taking care of you right now! Why the fuck would I lie?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” I ask, unballing my hands and glancing down at the blood trickling sluggishly from the small wounds my fingernails have made. “Why the fuck wouldn’t you try to break me?”

“I’ve been nothing but nice to you!” Chase reaches out for me, but I back away quickly. “I’ve barely made demands; I’ve barely even touched half of the toys I would love dearly to use on you. You thought the whipping was bad, Ah-May? I could be worse.”

“You fucking raped me!” I scream, bringing my hands up to cover my face and ending up smearing blood everywhere without even meaning to. “You bought me, you locked me away, you took everything from me! And what, you want me to be grateful to you? You want me to fall on my knees and kiss your feet and thank you for rescuing me from my big bad father?”

There’s a split second where his eyes widen, and I wonder if I’ve affected him. But he lets out a frustrated noise and grabs my wrist. “Come on, then. Since you’re so convinced I’m a monster.” He starts dragging me toward the torture room.

I claw at his arm, leaving deep scratches on his skin and drawing blood, but it’s not enough to make him let go.

“What, you think this is going to make me think differently of you?” I laugh hysterically. “Was that what you were trying to do, with that ‘get to know you’ bullshit? Make me feel sorry for you? Poor unloved little rich boy, who had to cry himself to sleep with all his billions because his asshole grandfather didn’t want him around. Boo-fucking-hoo.”

This isn’t like me.

I’m not the type of person to spew such vitriol, to be so cruel, but the look on his face had only wanted to make me claw more deeply at him, to make him feel a fraction of my pain.

It should be satisfying.

It only makes me feel more desperate, more afraid, and I struggle even harder with my bloody fingernails to try to claw at him. If I could reach his face, maybe I could cut it up the way he’d cut up my back.

“No,” Chase snaps back. “But at least I’ll be getting my money’s worth out of you. Your father owes me five grand now, even, and you’re always happy to pay his debts, right?”

I recoil like he’s just slapped me, and he takes advantage of my lack of fight to yank me more deeply into my room.

My cell.

“Fuck you,” is all I can think to say as he shoves me in the direction of the padded bench in the corner of the room.

Because the truth fucking hurts, doesn’t it?

CHAPTER 19

Chase

I don’t know why I thought there was a chance of me and May being friends, of May maybe realizing I’m not her enemy.

I’ve been too lenient. I let her get away with everything because it amused me, and this is the thanks I get for it.

“Since you want me to be vicious,” I growl at her, “I guess I can accommodate that.”

I pull her over the bench, although she’s kicking and fighting me at every turn. I have to swallow a grunt of pain as she elbows me in the gut, but I’m still bigger and stronger than her. I manage to get one wrist cuffed to the leg of the bench, and it’s easier after that, until all her limbs are restrained.

It doesn’t stop her from bucking and struggling. She’s hysterical and furious, but that’s nothing compared to my own rage.

“Is this how you show someone you love them?” May snarls back at me.

I freeze, my own heart pounding hard. “What?”