Page 6 of Tormented Kings
Preston turns around in his seat, and I slowly turn my head to look at him. “Wanna tell us what the fuck is going on, Kitten?”
“No,” I say simply, blinking at him.
He lets out an annoyed growl. “We just found you walking on the side of the highway—no shoes, no jacket—in the pouring rain, and you won’t tell us how you got there or why?”
“No,” I repeat, looking back out the window.
“Preston, leave her alone. Clearly, something’s going on,” Declan warns in a soft voice. I love him for that, for not pressing me to talk.
“Hey!” I shout as Preston snatches the bag off my lap. “Give it back.”
He ignores me and opens the bag. “What the–”
Grayson leans over and looks inside the bag. I watch as his eyes widen. “Pretty Girl, wanna tell me why you have a bag full of money?”
“There’s gotta be, like, what? Twenty grand in there?” Preston hisses. “Did you rob a fucking bank?”
“Sure, let’s go with that,” I mutter, letting go of Declan’s hand and reaching between the front seats. “There’s five hundred actually,” I correct and grab a wad of cash. I pull a twenty out of the pile and toss the rest back in the bag before opening the car door.
“Where the hell are you going?” Preston growls after me as I walk barefoot towards the store.
“I’m hungry.”
“Sadie, get back in the fucking car. We’ll go and get something to eat.”
“No,” I shout.
“You’re so fucking stubborn,” he snaps.
I let out a laugh. “You're one to talk.” I push open the door. A little bell chimes, alerting the worker to our arrival.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks as he follows me past the worker whose brows shoot up at the look of me. I know I must look like a mess.
As I catch a glimpse of myself in the glass of one of the drink fridges, I’m proven right. My hair is dripping wet, makeup is smeared all over my face like a clown that cried too much.
Yanking open the fridge, I grab a Coke, ignoring Preston as he follows me around the store.
“It means you hide your feelings and deny them when they surface. When confronted, you deny. Ergo, stubborn.”
“Feelings?” he scoffs. “What feelings?”
That earns him a sharp look. “You really wanna fucking lie to me, Preston? Or were your drunk confessions back at the ball only more lies?” I raise a brow before turning to eye up the bags of chips.“It’s always you, always will be you. I want to hate you so bad; it kills me that I can’t.”I quote what he said to me while he held me tightly, floating across the dance floor. I think about how it felt to be so close, to have his hands on me, his warmth cradling me.
“It wasn’t a lie,” he mutters as I grab a bag of Doritos. “But we’re not talking about me.”
“We’re never talking about you.” I laugh. “You want me, and you treat me like shit because of it. You're so pissed off at yourself for feeling something other than hate and pain. Why? Because you're going to marry some woman who is nothing but a joke? A fucking raging cunt who makes it her life’s mission to ruin others because she hates herself so damn much!” I seeth, eyes wild as Tina’s words come tumbling back.
His eyes flick between mine. “Did she do something?” he growls. I hate that flash of protectiveness that crosses his features. “Did she hurt you? Is she the reason why we found you out there tonight?”
“No.” I rip my eyes away from him and continue to browse the shelves. “She’s not the reason I was out there tonight.” It’s kind of a lie, right? I wouldn’t have been out front for Preston’s dad to snatch me up if it wasn’t for the need to get away from her nasty self.
“But she did do something?” he presses.
“It’s Tina. She always does something, says something. She’s a bully, Preston. She gets off, making everyone's lives miserable any chance she gets. I’m no exception to that.”
“She’s bullying you?”
“Please.” I spin around to face him. “As if you didn’t know.”