Page 78 of Pretty Broken Things

Now is not the time for me to freeze up.Think, Tessa,I mentally yell at myself. “I can help you get to Raven. That’s what you want, isn’t it? I won’t do it if you hurt me.”

He growls, and not in a sexy way. “Fine,” he says through clenched teeth, “but you’re staying at my house so I can keep an eye on you.”

I start shaking my head. “If they follow me, and I guarantee you Sin will do that, they’ll cut me off completely the moment they suspect I’m working with you.”

The muscle in his jaw clenches. He’s angry, but something occurs to him that seems to please him. Jesse takes his phone out of his back pocket. “I got some great stuff off your phone while I had you. I particularly like this gem.”

He turns his phone around and shows me the picture of Ford and Raven. “This and some of the video you had should be very profitable for me. Considering the tabloids will pay big bucks for a scandal involving a popular politician’s son.”

My chest tightens. I think, until this moment, I held on to the delusion I could somehow regain at least my friends. After this, because there’s no way they’ll believe I didn’t give it to him, I’ll be completely cut off.

Jesse continues speaking through my revelation. “Here’s what I’m thinking, you’re going to seduce Sin, leaving Raven unprotected. While he’s busy with you, I’ll be able to get to her.”

I shake my head. “That’s not going to work. They’re completely devoted to each other. Besides, he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

He runs his fingers down the side of my face, making vomit rise up my throat, but I force it back down. “I find that hard to believe. You’ve got a tight pussy. All the guys enjoyed you.”

“Fine, I’ll try it your way,” I agree just to make him leave before I puke.

“When I call you, you better come. I can get to you any time I want. Ignore me, and I’ll make you pay. I’ve got a lot more resources now than I did when my cousin was calling the shots,” he boasts.

I nod, because I’m not going to be able to hold it down much longer.

Jesse strolls away casually, as if there aren’t three trained killers on this campus who’d love nothing more than to put a bullet between his eyes.

The moment he’s gone, I lose the fight not to throw up. When my stomach is empty, I continue to wretch because the images of every time I was violated keep playing through my head. I wonder if it’s better to know you’ve been assaulted, but have no memory, or to be able to remember each time in vivid detail.

ChapterThirty-Four

Tessa

The thingsI have to do over the next few days feels like a different kind of violation. Jesse forces me to come on to Sin, which I did a half assed job of. I keep hoping Sin will catch on and know that something else is up, but I guess my reputation as an untrustworthy bitch is too entrenched. He far too easily believes I’d sleep with him again, and that my only motivation is to get Ford back.

Neither of those things is at all appealing to me now. I think a part of me will always love Ford, but I think I might hate him just as much. As far as sleeping with either of them, the idea of a man’s touch revolts me, even Ford’s. The only person I’ve been able to even hug is Benji.

I know he wants me to think about what our future together could look like. I am almost ready to entertain the idea, but first I need to close this chapter.

Just as I told Jesse, Sin doesn’t take the bait, which makes him irate. “You must have done it wrong! No way a guy like him passes up easy pussy.” He paces back and forth.

I inhale slowly. “I don’t think you really understand what kind of man Sin is. Particularly, he doesn’t like anything that comes easy.”

Jesse has taken to having Poppy follow me around again. Not that it’s very effective. She’s not very subtle with her dyed fire engine red hair. Not only that, but her drug use has gotten worse in the last couple of weeks. It might even be humane to end her life.

Right now she’s useful to me, so those plans will have to stay on hold. The more she uses, the more she reveals. I’m still having a hard time trying to figure out how to bring him down on my own. I’d at least hoped to have Benji’s soldiers, but it’s only me. I could give up and leave, and I’m seriously considering it, until Poppy gets a bit more wasted than normal.

She’s covered in a light sheen of sweat, trembling slightly, and babbling incessantly. At first the things she’s saying are completely useless, but then she starts talking about the new boss Jesse is helping.

Poppy doesn’t know his name, and the details she shares aren’t enough to identify him, but that’s not what causes me to recommit myself to bringing him down.

“That bitch won’t be so snotty when she’s being auctioned off. I guess she’ll make them a lot of money. If they’re into skinny brunettes with small tits,” she babbles.

“Jesse plans to sell Raven?” I ask her.

She shakes her head, which leads to her tipping over. “No,” she hiccups. “He’s going to hand her off to the boss. He’s going to sell her.”

She passes out moments later. All thoughts of leaving her to kill herself, which she’s fast on her way of doing, because every moment she’s still alive is another moment she’s destroying another woman.

I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I figure it can’t be a good idea to mix some of the drugs that she takes, so I do just that. A few pills from one baggie to another. Injecting some liquid from one vial into another and karma should come for her sooner than later.

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