Page 69 of The Pact

“You fucked with the wrong girl.” He cocks his fist back and drives it into his face.

Blood spurts out of his nose, spraying Damian and Thea. He finally lets go of her and she runs towards us.

Gavin staggers backwards as Damian steps toward him, grabbing him by the back of his neck. Pulling him close, he stares him dead in the eyes and tells him, “If you ever touch a hair on her beautiful head again, if you so much as think about hurting her, I promise it’ll be the last thing you do.”

My brother then leans in close, whispering something in his ear just as the fireworks start. Her ex’s eyes go wide. When Damian pulls back, Gavin stumbles as he jogs away from the carnival. I let out a small laugh as I imagine all the threats my brother could’ve possibly said to him—it doesn’t really matter, they all have the same gruesome outcome.

He wipes his bloody fist on his jeans. “Let’s get you home, princess. We can eat all of this food there. Maybe even watch a movie. Sound good?”

She’s in shock and absently nods. Thea doesn’t realize how far we’ll go to keep her safe. I’m sure she’s questioning if that protection is something she should appreciate or fear. The answer is both.

24

THEA

The car ride to the property on Olive Way is silent and awkward—it’s unusual for Cassie and I. I can sense there’s something on her mind and although I want to ask, I’m afraid I’m the source of it. We’re nearly there when she turns down the music. I know it’s coming.

“We had two bad reviews come in over the last couple of days. A one star and two stars. From your clients.” Cassie stares at the road ahead. I can tell by the tight lines around her mouth this isn’t a conversation she wants to be having either. “Why didn’t you tell me you were late for another appointment?” The hurt straining her voice puts an ache in my chest, like I’ve betrayed her.

“Cass… I’m sorry. It’s not my fault, I think there’s something wrong with the booking software. I called the company on Tuesday and they’re looking into it, but couldn’t find anything when I was on the phone with them.”

She puts a hand up. “Thea, the excuses aren’t going to cut it. My bookings have been fine. If there was an issue with the software, it would be affecting me too. This is going to hurt our business. What’s going on with you?”

I try to steady my breathing, not wanting to become defensive. However, I can feel those familiar walls of safety coming up around me. “I don’t know,” I mumble. Anything I say is going to be an excuse in her eyes.

“Word of mouth is vital for us booking new clients. It’s almost solely how we get all of our business. Without that, we’re screwed. You need to get your head in the game.” Cassie sighs and her white knuckled grip on the steering wheel eases. “I know I can be hard on you. I’m only trying to make sure that we’re successful. This can’t fail. I don’t want you to have to go back to your parents. The bank needs to see that we are bringing in a steady income if we want to get through this process.”

I wish her acknowledgement of being tough on me made me feel better. It doesn’t.

“I know. I’m going to get all of this figured out. It won’t happen again,” I promise, hoping I can keep it.

Somewhat satisfied that she’s gotten through to me, she offers me a tight smile. “At least we won’t have to worry about the studio rent for the next couple of months. That helps a little, even if it was a little off putting.” Cassie turns up the music. I turn the dial back down.

“What do you mean? Why don’t we have to worry about it?”

Her face twists in confusion. “I got a check in the mail yesterday to cover rent for the next two months. I thought you knew.”

“Who paid our rent, Cassie?” My heart beats wildly as I try to run through names. Gavin. Cole. My parents. Her parents. With the batshit crazy things that have been happening, I can’t rule anyone out.

“The check was from Damian. You really didn’t know?”

I run my hands over my face. Fucking princess treatment. “No, I didn’t know. Tell me you didn’t cash it.”

She laughs. “Of course I did, Thea. I assumed you knew. Although, I found it strange that you didn’t give me a heads up and that it came from what looked like Damian’s personal account. I figured if Cole had him write it, it would have come from a business account or Cole’s personal one.” I watch as her face scrunches, like she’s trying to piece something together. “Thea, why would Damian write a six thousand dollar check from his personal account? And how does he know how much our rent is if you didn’t know he was doing this?”

I groan. I’m not sure if Damian assumed I’d told Cassie about our relationship, but I hadn’t. It’s looking like I have to fess up. I’m not ready to have this talk yet. He even went as far as finding out how much our rent is. Who does that? He’s a fucking psycho. I’m going to give him an earful later.

“He knows I’ve been stressed, that’s why. This is his way of helping.”

Cass shakes her head. “Why would he care—” She stops herself. “Thea, why would he care enough to pay two months of rent?”

I sigh and tell her as bluntly as possible. “Because I’m dating him.”

Her foot hits the brake. Thankfully, we’re on the long dirt road that leads to the property and no one’s behind us. “I’m sorry, what? Are you and Cole done? What the hell have I missed?”

“Cole and I are still together.”

She eases the car forward, but slowly, dragging out our approach—knowing that neither of us can concentrate if we’re left on this cliffhanger.

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