Page 156 of Pretty Poisoned

I turn to Declan. "Can I have drugs? Please?"

"Fine. But only because you asked for permission nicely," Declan says. He runs his fingers through my hair before pushing it away from my chest and over my shoulders. His eyes drop to the scars on my chest, lingering there before he circles one of my hard nipples through my thin tank top with his thumb. "You'll get what you want a lot more being sweet like that."

"But she's black licorice," Luca says. "She can't be too sweet, or she'll poison you."

"Mmm…too late for that," Declan tells him. "Go do your drugs—just bring her back to me in a timely manner. I'm about sick of this shit, too."

Luca takes my hand and pulls me behind him toward the bathroom. I catch the eyes of the girl with the blonde ponytail before she pulls her hood over her head.

Shedoeslook familiar, and it's not just because I saw her at the concert. I didn't see anyone at the concert. I was in the front row with my family, much drunker than I am now, and I only looked at them.

How could I notice anything else?

We step into the men's restroom, which, although significantly filthier than the women's, is probably a good choice. This one is empty, and almost everyone here is female.

"Where's that pretty little knife of yours?" Luca asks.

It's loud in here—so loud he still has to shout for me to hear him. The walls vibrate from the music blaring through the speakers outside.

I point to my right tit. "Right here."

"Ah, I see." He reaches inside my shirt, taking his time searching for it. "That's really pretty, Teagan," he says, pulling it out. "Pretty knife for a pretty girl."

He flips the blade open and runs the flat side just under my jawbone. I don't even feel the cut, but I feel the blood when it starts running down my throat.

"Whoops…damn. That's sharp as fuck."

He uses a fist full of my hair to tilt my head back before licking and sucking the area clean. "You taste so good," he says. "The only thing sweeter than your blood is your pussy. I could drink you all day."

Both his mouth against my throat and his words pull a desperate whimper from me. "Luca…"

"All right, fuck," he groans, handing me the blade. "Hold this out flat—like this." He takes my wrist in his hand and turns it so that the blade is horizontal, with the flat part facing upward. Then, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small plastic bag with white powder inside.

"Hold it still," he says. He opens the bag and carefully taps the side until a small amount spills out onto the blade. "You know what to do?"

"Yeah," I tell him. "I've seen it before."

He wraps his hand around my own to help steady the blade. "Go for it then."

I plug my left nostril and lean down, snorting the white substance. By the time I'm finished, my tongue is numb and my right eye is watering.

"You good?" he asks. "It should kick in pretty fast, especially since you've never done it before."

"Yeah," I tell him, smiling. "I'm good."

He smiles, laughing just a little. "Okay. Hold it for me now."

He spills a much larger amount onto the blade in a line for himself and then does the same thing.

"Shit," he says. He tilts his head back and runs his hands over his face a couple of times. "I think you're going to like this, Teagan. I'd better put you back now. Come on."

He takes my hand in his, but before we can leave, someone else steps into the bathroom.

The girl with the ponytail. The one who's been following him.

My heart thuds in my chest, and it's not just the drugs. I know who she is now; I know why I recognize her. I saw her picture online months ago, before I—or before Declan—started all of this.

Unfazed and completely unaware, Luca nods in her direction as he attempts to step around her. "Sup?"

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