Page 317 of Filthy Elites

And I can be, if she fucking tests me.

“I thought our last talk went well,” I tell her. “Imagine my disappointment when I went over to Aubrey’s tonight and discovered a little bird had been in her ear.”

I knew Aubrey was lying when she told me it was Janie she’d run into as soon as she told me what was said, but I don’t tell Hannah that because I don’t want Aubrey to curry any more favor with her. Let her think Aubrey sold her out to me.

“You told her I was in an open relationship with Anae.”

She swallows. “I told her the truth, nothing more. That Anae let you—”

I reach out and grab her by the throat. She gasps with horror, dropping the blanket as both of her hands go to my wrist.

And they’d better, because I’m squeezing hard.

“Stay the fuck out of my relationships,” I say slowly, clutching her delicate throat even tighter.

She struggles to breathe and her nails start digging into my hand as she frantically fights to free herself from my grasp. I don’t want scratches that I can’t explain to Aubrey, so I ease up a little, but don’t release her.

“I thought you were going to be a good friend,” I say. “Good friends support their friends’ romantic relationships.”

Even though I literally have her by the throat, she glares at me. “Not when those friends are in relationships with abusive assholes who jerk them around.”

“That’s a bit foolish when I have my hand around your throat, isn’t it?”

“You’re not going to kill me,” she says.

“You’re right. Tonight, I’m only here to scare you. See, tonight, I left Aubrey’s house with my balls empty, so I’m in a pretty good mood. But if you have your way, I have a feeling Aubrey will stop opening her door to me. I can’t have that.”

“If she stops wanting to see you, it will be your fault, not mine.”

“No. See, I have a pretty good hold on her when it’s just the two of us. She doesn’t have any other friends at this point, so there’s no one to make waves but you. As Anae’s stepsister, you’re in a unique position to make even bigger waves than the average person. I need you not to.”

She pulls on my arm, trying to get loose of my grip.

I let her go.

She rubs at her neck, shooting me a wounded look. I’m hoping she’ll roll over nice and easy, but she dashes those hopes. “That poor girl has been through enough, Dare. I won’t help you trap her.”

“Well, then I’m afraid you won’t be her friend any longer.”

“It’s up to Aubrey who she’s friends with,” she says, but I can see she knows better even as she says it. “She’s not like Anae,” she adds quickly. “If you lay a finger on me, she’ll blame you, not me.”

“That’s true. But you should think about what will happen if your mission to save her from me works. If I lose Aubrey, and I can’t get her back. If I think it’s your fault.”

Wisely, she swallows and eases away from me.

I smile. “If that happens, little orphan Hannah, I will be back. I won’t kill you, but I’ll make you wish I had. Can you imagine if I fucked you? The abuse you would have to endure at your sister’s hands.”

Her voice is small because she knows she’s entirely defenseless against such a threat. If I wanted to take her right now, I could, and even if her cries woke them up, no one in this house would lift a finger to help her. “I would never let you fuck me,” she states.

I lean in to look her in the eye. “And I wouldn’t care how much you screamed and begged for me to stop.”

She braces her hands beside her on the bed and draws in a shaky breath. “Get out of my bedroom.”

Her voice shakes. I debate scaring her a little more to really drive my point home, but I don’t want to risk her saying something to Aubrey.

That’d be a bit fucking stupid unless she has brutal rape fantasies, but I don’t know how bright Hannah Dupont is.

Better not risk it.

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