Page 105 of Ruining Vanessa

Slayer snorts, shaking his head. “He deserved every bit of it and more. If you’d seen the shit he’s been texting you—”

I stare at him. “You went through my phone?”

I feel even more violated, and Slayer grits his teeth. “Yes.” No apologies, no explanations, nothing.

Giulio cranes his neck to look over his shoulder at Slayer and Damien. “Damien, back me up here. If you’d seen those things, and you had Brad alone in a room with you, fuck the consequences—”

“I’d have shot him, yes,” Damien answers. “But there are potential consequences. You could have planned something better. Lured him here, had him die in a random mugging gone wrong. Going to his house was ill-advised.”

Slayer grimaces. “I didn’t think it would get so out of hand, all right?” he says, like he’s already said it a thousand times. “And I even said I was fucking sorry. So drop it, Damien.”

I don’t understand the three of them. After all they’ve done to me, they still want to kill Brad for a few words, a picture. Why don’t they want to kill each other, if they’re so damn protective?

I’m never going to get satisfactory answers to that question, though, and I know it.

“The problem was just the venue!” Giulio suddenly sits up and straddles my waist. “Okay, I’ve been really fucking good here, Vanessa, but all that violence did get me revved up. Let’s give Damien and Slayer a show.”

“The violence was three hours ago,” Slayer points out. “And I don’t want a show. I want to be part of the action.”

The idea of just taking Giulio while the other two watch is strange, somehow intimate but terrifying all at once. It means something more than just sex, and I don’t understand why. It’s always been the three of them if they’re in the same place at the same time. Giulio’s never refused to share before.

I’m not sure whether I feel hopeful or disappointed for the future if he gets more possessive of me.

“Nope!” Giulio declares, tugging on my arms. “Vanessa’s all mine tonight. You can stay to watch, or you can get out.”

Slayer grumbles, but he waves a hand in our direction. “You kids have fun, then. I’m tired.”

Damien takes the chair in the corner, though. “I don’t mind watching… And it is my bedroom.”

I blush a little, even though this is one of the tamest things they’ve ever done. One person having sex with me while one other watches? That’s nothing in comparison to all three of them taking me together.

“Later,” Slayer says, letting himself out of the bedroom. I’m surprised he’s leaving. I’d have thought out of anyone, he’d be the keenest on watching. But he’s gone before I can even think twice about it.

“All right, Mama. Let’s give Damien the best porn programming ever.”

Giulio kisses me on the lips, and Damien watches us both intensely.

I close my eyes and decide to stop thinking about it, to just go with the flow.

It’s the best way to deal with Giulio, after all.

25

SLAYER

“Can we call this Baca thing a cold case now?” Tiago says as he hangs up the phone. “I’ve got more important shit to look into than…”

He trails off, because he doesn’t want to say a dead cop is unimportant.

Neither do I. I glance around, but it’s getting close to that hour where the day shift is leaving, and the evening shift is only just starting to drift in.

“Eh. It’s not really our precinct, is it?” I say, jabbing the keyboard to finish up a report on a different case.

That seems to be the end of that line of questioning, until I look up and realize Tiago is staring at me.

“What?” I bark at him.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood lately?” Tiago asks. “You roughed up that perp real good earlier, and you know I think they deserve it, but it was a bit extreme even for you. You know you got to pay more attention these days, with all the social media bullshit and every perp crying about how they have rights or whatever.”

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