Page 59 of Mayhem

Sure, selling drugs isn’t bad, but we hate pushing the hard shit. Weed, ecstasy, Molly, that shit is easy to push. Cocaine, heroin, and now Z are not what we want. I still have a gut feeling there is more going on with our dads and how they make money for the club. We have no proof, so we can’t do anything about it. The club voted to sell all these drugs, except for Z. Never heard of it before night. My guess, they want to test the drug before bringing it to a vote.

We stay still until we hear the truck start and drive away before we collectively take a sigh of relief. I turn back to the cases and pull out a small baggy of Z to look at the pills. It appears harmless, but I can feel the darkness that this drug will bring. I close my fist around the baggy, crushing the pills. I throw it on the ground and walk away from it all.

I need to get out of here. I need to see her. Serena. My serenity. I hear Odin and Midas follow me out. I hop on my bike and peel out on the dirt road. As soon as I hit the main road, I drive as fast as possible, not caring about anything but getting to Serena.

We finally turn onto our street, and I see the worst thing I could imagine, and that would cause me to go on a rampage. Serena is at her door, kissing another guy. When she pulls away from him, she gives him a smile before walking back into her house. I park my bike behind the guy's Porsche in her laneway. He turned around, and I didn’t think I could be any angrier. Dante fucking Lupo is strolling over to us.

“Good evening, gentleman.” He strolls over to us, looking smug.

“Midas! Wait!” Odin yells from behind us.

I don’t hear him coming up, but I see Midas cock his fist back and punch Dante in the face. A nasty right hook that sends Dante back a few steps. He wipes his lip, a little blood on his fingertips. Dante lets out a dangerous laugh but doesn’t retaliate. I grab Midas and pull back, stopping him from attacking Dante again. His body is shaking in my arms, his breathing so raged.

“Careful, boys. You wouldn’t want to start a war you couldn’t win. Then again, Serena is a girl worth going to war for.” Dante moves his jacket, revealing a gun strapped to his side.

“Serena is ours.” Odin seethes from beside me.

“Oh, is she now?” He mockingly says to Odin. “Don’t worry. I promise to take good care of her for you.” He starts laughing and turns around to walk to his car.

My bike is still behind him, but I wouldn’t put it past him to run it over. I look at Midas, checking he isn’t about to do anything stupid before moving my bike out of harm's way. Dante grins at me before pulling out of the laneway. Midas walks over to the driver-side window and waits for Dante to roll it down. He rolls his eyes and then lowers the window.

“I swear to God, if you hurt a hair on Serena’s head, war will be the least of your worries. No one will recognize you when I am through.” Midas’s voice was so low. It's so dark and terrifying even I get a shiver of dread from him.

Dante laughs at Midas’s words. “Tell Valerie I say hi.”

Those words ring in my ears. What does Dante mean by that? How the hell is Valerie involved in all this?

We watch while Dante drives away. I wait until he is out of eyesight before turning to Midas. My eyes turn dark. “Speak.”

Serena

I groan when I wake. I don’t want to get out of bed today, but it’s Halloween, and I told Evie she could come over to get ready. I unenthusiastically crawl out of bed and walk into the kitchen. The sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee fills my senses, and I sigh in relief. I pour a massive cup and head into the living room. Wrapping a blanket around me, I sit on the couch, enjoying the solace and quiet. I don’t know where Mom is, but she hasn’t been home much lately.

Not much later, Evie comes bursting through the front door with a tray of coffee in one hand and our costumes in the other. Her face is so bright and excited for tonight. She tosses the costumes on the back of a chair and sits beside me on the couch, handing me my favorite coffee from the café. I inhale the heavenly scent and lean into her, resting my head on her shoulder.

We stay like that for a while, the silence comforting. I have never been one for liking the silence- too many horrible thoughts would take over my thoughts- but lately, I don’t hear them. The little voice in my head that would tell me everything wrong with me wasn’t there. I feel free from the person I once was. I am slowly finding myself. The silence has become a companion that is desperately needed.

I can feel Evie vibrate with the need to ask about my date last night. I should put her out of her misery and tell her about it, but I wait. She can barely sit still, looking at me through the corner of her eyes. I keep my eyes focused on my coffee. I swear there is nothing better than a good cup of coffee. I can’t help but smirk and chuckle as I watch my friend battle herself.

“How was your date last night?” Her voice is squeaky with excitement. She turns to me and stares expectantly at me.

“It was great.” I sigh. Even just thinking about it makes me feel all the butterflies I had last night. “He is so sweet, funny, and beyond intelligent. Not to mention sexy as hell. He took me to this fancy restaurant last night. Dante had the back rented out for us. At one point, he even had a violinist come in and play while we danced. It was just the most romantic night of my life. Then he dropped me back home and kissed me.”

That kiss was one of the most amazing I had ever had. Dante's soft lips against mine made me feel like I was floating on a cloud. He was dominating but not too controlling. He never pushed me for more. A slight part of me wanted to invite him in last night, but another part wasn’t ready to take that step. I didn’t think about the Kings once during the date until after that kiss. I don’t want to let them go, but I don’t want to let Dante go. It’s already asinine wanting three guys to myself, but adding a fourth would be disastrous. A girl can dream, though.

Evie bit her knuckle and squealed next to me. She launches herself into my arms and hugs me closely. “I am so happy for you, S. You deserve a guy that will treat you like that.” She pulls away from me, her hands still on my shoulders. “Especially after everything with Evan.”

I am so lucky to have a friend like her.

We crash back down on the couch and turn a movie on to watch. We veg out all morning and a bit of the afternoon before finally getting ready for the party. I know the party doesn’t start until late tonight, but I am not a whiz at makeup and will need all the time I can get.

We take turns showering in my bathroom. I meticulously shaved every inch of my body. This costume leaves little to the imagination, and I didn’t want any rogue hairs poking through. I put on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top while I waited for Evie to get out of the shower. It doesn’t take long for Evie to join me on the floor. We sit next to each other with every type of makeup imaginable in front of us. I barely know how to use half of this stuff. I constantly mess up, making Evie laugh about it before helping me. Her tongue pokes out of the corner of her lips every time she concentrates on her makeup. I place the wig on after getting dressed.

I look at my best friend and smile at how stunning she looks dressed as Harley Quinn. Her blonde wig was in pigtails with dyed pink and blue tips. Her makeup matches the same colors. She looks as good as Margot Robbie did in the movie.

I look at myself in the mirror and hardly recognize myself. I'm dressed up as Poison Ivy: a bright green bodysuit with matching thigh-high boots, fingerless gloves, and a bright red wig. My makeup matches perfectly. It looks like a professional did it.

I have never worn something this revealing before, but I love it. I turn in the mirror, trying to get a good look at every inch. I look hot. I turn to Evie, and she is taking pictures of me. I smile before taking her phone and getting some pictures of her. We take a few together before she sends them to me.

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