Sweet Retribution (Rydeville High Elite #3)(39)

“What has he done to you?” I ask.

Her lower lip trembles, and I know I’ve hit the nail on the head. “He’s a psycho,” she whispers. “Certifiably insane. And I know there’s only so long I can hold him off.” Panic dances in her eyes as she stares pleadingly at me.

It could be an act, but something tells me it isn’t.

“You and I need to have a talk, Shandra. But not here.” I pull out my cell. “Put your number in there.” She adds her digits, and I call her. “Now you have my number too. Call anytime. I know how to handle Trent, and if I can help, I will.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?” I’m instantly on guard.

“Don’t do that.” She frowns. “Don’t be wary of me.”

“Shandra, if you’d lived my life, you’d be cautious too.”

She nods. “That’s a fair point. And I only now realize how much I’ve been sheltered.”

“What does Christian Montgomery have on your father? How is he forcing this engagement?”

“My father bribed a court official to acquire lands to expand his business. When the city came under scrutiny for awarding the land without it going to tender, he bribed a few more people, and it became a mess. He’s not a founding father or a high-ranking elite, so he can’t talk his way or buy his way out of it. Christian found out about it, approached him, and made this deal.”

“Let me guess. Your father wasn’t given any choice.”

“He was told he had to agree to this engagement, or they’d hand over the proof and let him rot in jail.”

And her father, being a typical man within this world, threw his daughter to the wolves rather than doing the right thing.

I add him to my list of bastards to take down.

“I’m scared, Abby.” The truth radiates from her eyes. “Trent has been educating me on how the elite treat their wives, and how we are expected to act, and I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

I grip onto her forearms. “I’ll help, but for now, you’ve got to continue doing what you’re doing. Act like the dutiful fiancée in public. Continue to say all the right things to Trent in private but keep him at bay. The whole virginity thing is a big deal for the elite so play that card.”

“I have been, but he’s a horny fucking bastard who doesn’t like the word no.”

“You don’t need to tell me. I’ve been in your shoes, and I hated every second of it. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” Giselle pops into my head. “Screw that, I so would.”

“She’s pathetic,” Shandra says, somehow guessing where my mind just went.

I arch a brow.

“Giselle.” She pins me with a “don’t even attempt to bullshit me” look. “And he has zero interest in her.”

My hackles are raised again, and I pull back, folding my arms across my chest as I regard her.

I want to trust her. I really do. But I’ve been burned too many times to take anyone at their word.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m with Charlie now. Kaiden is in my past.”

“What have they done to you, Abby, that you trust no one?” she softly asks.

A sudden rush of emotion charges through me, and I gulp over the messy ball of emotion in my throat. “What haven’t they done to me is an easier question to answer.”

She grips my arm again. “I’m so sorry, and I know you think you can’t trust me. But you can.” Her eyes plead with me. “I need a friend, and I think you need one too.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let’s hang out. Get to know one another. I know I need someone I can count on to have my back, and I trust you. We have never been close. I’m not really sure why, but I have no beef with you. It seems like most women in this world are either submissive or numb.” Fire dances in her eyes. “That will never be me. And that will never be you.” I see nothing but the truth on her face. “You’re a fighter, and I’m a fighter. Alone, we don’t stand a fucking chance, but together, we just might find a way out of this nightmare.”





CHAPTER FIFTEEN


I’m still fucking pissed when I arrive at the warehouse later that night. Charlie was in a funny mood when we got home. I think he’s realizing he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Or he’s trying to figure out what’s going on with me and Kaiden. I don’t know, and I’m giving myself a headache trying to work it out.

He didn’t put up any protest when I said I wanted to hang out with Xavier. When I left him at the house, he was watching a movie with Lillian, and he seemed lost in his thoughts.

“The others aren’t here yet,” Xavier says when I step into the warehouse after parking the red SUV. “But they are en route. Minus Rick. He had to return to Harvard to work on his thesis, apparently.” He pulls me into his arms. “You look pissed.” He gives me the once-over. “Hot but pissed.”

I’m wearing a black skater-style dress over black leggings with black and gold stilettos and my red leather jacket. I left the house with my jacket stuffed in my bag and my sneakers on so Charlie wouldn’t be suspicious, but I changed outside in the car.