Malum part 2

Tillie

We’re at the front of the gates of the mansion, and I have The Kings behind me, standing firm. I turn to the left, my eyes finding Be

Hello, no panties.

I matched it with thigh-high boots and spent hours on my hair and makeup. I wanted to look unstoppable and strong. I figure if I look strong, it will hide the fact that I’m falling apart inside.

I swallow past my nerves, my eyes glassing over as I gaze back out in front of me. I don’t look at the swarm of people. I keep my eyes locked on the end of the road, so far back that I can actually see. When Gabe begins talking, I start counting shops.

One.

Two.

Twenty-four.

By shop fifty, Valentina is walking up to us with a long robe on, a hoodie covering her face.

I don’t look at her, because fuck her, and carry on my count.

Valentina removes the robe, and that’s when I finally look at her. She’s wearing a red dress that flows to the floor in lace patterns, a trail behind her.

Nothing slutty or over the top. Nothing like my mother. Maybe it will be a good thing, maybe I can trust Nate when he says that I can trust her.

Or maybe I’ll continue being bitter.

I choose the latter and turn to Gabe when he takes my hand. He presses the sharp side of a silver blade into the palm of my hand. I wince as the sting resonates through all my nerves, before he does the same to Valentina. I don’t flinch when he presses her hand to mine. I remain vacant, and unfazed. I never look at her once, and I ignore the heat that’s radiating from the back of me. I know it’s Nate glaring laser beams into the back of my skull.

I want off this fucking island.

The crowd cheers.

Gabriel turns to me, his hands coming to my face. “You’re free, sweet one.”

“Thank fucking god.” I slice Brantley with a stare. “Home?”

He nods. “Yeah. Alright.”

Nate stayed behind. Because of course he fucking did. The flight was long because of this, and it was torture because all I could fucking think about is all the dirty things he was doing to Valentina.

“I will never buy Valentino,” I mutter, scrolling on my laptop as I search for houses.

Bailey chuckles. “That bad, huh?”

I nod. “That fucking bad.”

“Have you heard from him since you left yesterday?” she asks, throwing fruit and all sorts of shit into the blender.

I shake my head. “Nope. All I know is that he and Bishop both stayed behind, and since Bishop is now single, and so is Nate, I’d hate to know what they were up to all night.” I pause, tilting my head as I look over a house that stands away from the rest.

It’s nothing too over the top. It reminds me of what I wanted when I was a little girl, cold and hungry in the middle of our trailer, with my daddy’s fists flying into my face.

“You found something?” Bailey asks, rounding the table and looking over my shoulder. “Oh, I love that!”

“Me too,” I whisper, picking up my phone and calling my realtor. “I want it.” I smirk at Bailey.

After letting my realtor know to put an offer in on the house, I make my way to my bedroom, flicking through the contacts on my phone. I hit dial on Madison, even though I know it will go to her voicemail.

Only it doesn’t. “Tills…”

I launch off my bed. “Madison!”

“Shhhh!” she scolds me. “Don’t say that too loud.”

“First of all are you okay?”

“Yes,” she answers somberly.

“Okay good, because what the fuck do you think you’re doing ru

“I—I felt so guilty, Tillie.”

“Madison,” I sigh, my shoulders sagging. “I would have never been mad at you. I understand this stupid world more than you know. I would have understood,” I repeat, my voice softer. “But what I don’t understand is why you ran! Where are you?”

“In New Zealand with Jesse. You can’t tell Bishop!”

“He already knows,” I answer truthfully.

“He does?” Her voice cracks on the end.

“Yeah, and he’s letting you go.”

“Oh,” she answers sadly. “I guess that’s a good thing.”

“No, it’s not. The minute you realize you want to come home, you better come home. Because I want my friend back. I forgive you, it’s all in the past. I never was mad at you in the first place.”

“Oh no,” Madison says. “That was just the begi

I lick my lips. “Can you give me something more on what happened with asshole?”

Silence. “He threatened to kill me, you, Bishop, Nate, everyone if I didn’t go along with the video to make it look believable. So I took it.” Her voice jolts and I know she’s crying. “My heart, Tillie. Knowing that I was betraying Bishop and I couldn’t do anything about it ripped me apart. I knew that any minute after it was done, Bishop was going to think I cheated.” She sighs. “I don’t know who he was working for or why he raped me. But when he finished, he called someone and told them that the deed was done and now they’d have to wait.”

“God,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry, Madison. I wish I could be there with you right now. I promise I’ll get answers. These assholes will give me answers.”

She chuckles. “You handle them all so much better than I ever did.”

“Mads…” I whisper. “You’re the fucking queen of the pack. You’re Bishop fucking Vincent Hayes’ lady. You underestimate your power.”

“No,” she says softly. “I overestimated it for too long. But I will come back one day.”

“Good. Because I bought a house.”

“You did?” She perks up. “Where?”

“Some fancy neighborhood in the suburbs. White picket fence and all. You’d be proud.”

“I am proud.”

“I need you back in my life,” I sigh. “There’s so much I’ve got to tell you.”

“Well, I’ve got some time now?”

I snuggle into my bed. “Okay, so this bitch Valentina…”