Page 14 of Queen of Vice

He waved her off and leaned in again, but this time there was a noticeable change in his demeanor. “I’m an idiot. Your family does have something he’d want.”

“Fuck,” Melody cursed, catching on before I did. “Now I feel dumb.”

“What is it?” I glanced between them. When neither gave an immediate response, I got the hint. “No. No way.”

“Yes, way,” Melody rebutted. “Your family has one last trump card, Elena. You.”

“No,” I continued to deny. “I’m nothing.”

Peyton jerked his head back as if I'd struck him and scowled. “What the fuck? Never say that again.”

I sighed, having deja vu of the conversation we’d had the day of Aunt Molly’s funeral.

“I don't mean it like that, but we have to be realistic. I know next to nothing about this world anymore. I have no power, no connections, save for you two. All I've got is my father's name. No matter what you or anyone else says, if he wanted a Castello daughter it should have been—is Eva. This world was better suited for her,” I reasoned, hating that some of my old insecurities crept into my tone.

Peyton’s angry scowl morphed into a sympathetic one, which was even worse. “Your sister…” he shook his head.

“Your sister was--isoff the rails,” Melody finished bluntly. “You’ve always been more like your parents, Lena. I know it may hurt to hear, but like you just said, it's better to tell the truth.”

I took a breath, and then another, struggling against the urge to cry. I wasn’t ready to have this kind of discussion, yet I knew everything they were saying held more than a bit of validity. I stood and began to squeeze out of the circular booth. “I need to use the restroom.”

“I’m coming with you,” Melody declared, leaving no room for argument.

I nodded and headed for the staircase, making sure I didn’t lose her in the crowd once we got down to the lower level. It was a major design flaw that restrooms weren’t available on the upper floor unless you booked one of the actual VIP rooms versus a booth. You shouldn't have to be drunk and close to pissing yourself while looking for a damn toilet.

“Stay close,” I shouted over the music as I grabbed her hand. The bass was so strong it vibrated through my heels.

When we finally reached the lady's room, there was a small line. We stood together, huddled shoulder to shoulder.

Melody leaned in and spoke in my ear, the scent of vodka on her breath. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

I turned my head so that I could respond. “Don’t be sorry. I need to hear these things; I just don’t want to.”

She gave me an affectionate squeeze and we moved up in line. A few guys emerged from the men’s room on the opposite end of the hall. My eyes met with a dark pair staring right at me. He looked pissed, and the way he was glaring made it seem as ifIwas the reason why. He looked familiar, but I couldn't place his name. He stumbled a bit, and I realized he was drunk off his ass. Melody caught sight of him and muttered a curse. I glanced at her surprised.

“Do you know who that is?” Before she could answer the man was suddenly right in front of me.

"Where is Evie?" he slurred, loud enough to attract unwanted attention. I backed away, trying to get out of his personal space. His breath was so foul that it made me want to gag.

"Get away from me," I demanded, bumping into the wall behind me. It suddenly clicked why this stranger looked familiar; he was one of the profiles who had talked to my sister online.

"Eva's dead, you asshole. How thoughtful of you to show up for her funeral," Melody stepped in, playing her role as a supportive friend perfectly.

"Leave her alone, Jay," one of his friends tried to intervene, but he shrugged them off and advanced towards me, trying to trap me against the wall.

Melody tried to block him from reaching me, but I pushed her aside when I saw his hand coming towards me. He grabbed my arm and yanked me closer, ignoring the growing crowd around us who were yelling at him to let go.The pain of his grip made me bite back a whimper as I struggled against him. "Let go," I snapped, feeling a surge of anger and fear rise within me. Without thinking, I punched him in the stomach with all my strength.

He let out a pained gasp and doubled over, glaring up at me with pure hatred in his eyes.

If looks could kill, I would have dropped dead.

"Just tell me where she is!" he snarled as he straightened himself up again.

"Get away from her!" Melody seethed, shoving him from the side. She started shouting something in Italian that I couldn't understand and shoved him again.

He stumbled and fell onto the marble floor before quickly getting back up. For a moment, I was afraid that things were about to get physical, and I might need to take off my heels and defend myself. The last time I had to do that was when three girls at my intermediate school tried jumping me and my sister. I hearda commotion from behind me, and suddenly two men were charging towards us, pushing anyone who got in their way. Jay's aggressive stance immediately turned submissive as he saw the approaching figures. His friends also tried to make a run for it but were stopped by a third man. Not wanting to stick around and find out what was happening, Melody grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the chaos, nearly colliding with Peyton who had been trying to come to our aid.

“We’re leaving,” he declared.

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