Corrupt

I felt Michael approach. “What’s the matter with you?”

His hard tone sounded impatient. Why wouldn’t it be? He never coddled me.

I looked up at him defiantly, shaking my head. “I just don’t want to go in. I’ll wait for you guys out here.”

Damon shook his head, looking at Michael. “I told you,” he complained. “Fucking complicated.”

I heaved an aggravated breath, staying frozen in my spot. I didn’t care what Damon had to say about me. I cared more about not having to look at Miles Fucking Anderson and him knowing he’d gotten away without a scratch.

He always had that power over me now.

But then I gasped, sucking in a breath as Michael grabbed my upper arm and force-walked me behind the SUV. He threw me off, letting me go, and I backed into the car as he advanced.

“What,” he growled, “is your problem?”

A lump stretched my throat, and I chewed on my lip, not really wanting the rest of the guys to know.

Fat chance.

They followed us over, around the car, and stood next to Michael, staring at me and waiting.

Great.

I let out a sigh, squaring my shoulders and just blurting it out. “Miles Anderson slipped me a spiked drink at a party last spring.”

I stared at the ground as they all just stood there, not saying anything.

Last March, I’d gone to a St. Patrick’s Day party at a senior’s house, and of course, I hadn’t gone alone. Noah and Claudia came with me.

We hung out, we danced, I had one drink, and the next thing I knew I was being slapped awake by Noah in a bathroom as he stuck his finger down my throat.

Maybe the guys didn’t think that was a big deal. Who cared about some idiot girl that got roofied?

Michael shifted, inching closer. “What the fuck did you just say?”

I shot my eyes up, my blood heating at the sight of his cinnamon eyes looking like he wanted to tear me limb from limb.

But I stayed strong. “Astrid Colby, his girlfriend, actually did it,” I explained. “She gave me the drink, but he was in on it.”

Yeah, any confidence Michael had in me was probably gone now. I was weak, stupid, and a waste of time.

“What happened?” he demanded.

I swallowed through the lump in my throat, my voice shaky. “I went down quick,” I told him. “I barely remember anything. All I know is what Noah told me. He’d broken down the door to a bedroom in the house where the party was. They had me on the bed, and my…” I paused, my stomach rolling with the thought as my eyes burned. “And my shirt was open.”

Michael hesitated a moment and then pressed. “And?”

“And they didn’t get that far,” I assured, knowing what he wanted to know.

No, I hadn’t been raped.

“Noah had noticed me being led upstairs with them,” I explained, “barely able to walk, and thankfully he got there before anything else happened.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” he threw back, accusing me.

My chest shook, and I blinked away the tears pooling.

But it was no use. They came anyway, and I couldn’t look at any of them as they started to fall.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” he yelled in my face, and I winced. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“I did!” I cried, glaring at him through blurry eyes. “I told everyone! My mother called the school, and…”

I trailed off, clenched my fists under my arms.

“So help me God…” he warned when I didn’t finish.

I filled my lungs and forced the rest out. “And your father is partnered in three real estate ventures with the Andersons, so—”

“Goddammit!” Michael tore himself away, turning from me as he swore.

Kai shook his head, heat turning his dark eyes fierce. “Unbelievable,” he gritted out.

I didn’t need to explain further.

Yeah, I’d tried to fight back, tell my mother, the Crists, the school, even Trevor…but in the end, even despite the protests of my mom and Michael’s, the business relationship between Michael’s father and Miles’ parents was more precious than my honor.

Miles was told to stay away from me, and I wasn’t permitted go to the hospital to take a drug test for evidence. The incident never went to the police or even left our respective homes. I had to look at him every day in school, knowing what he almost did to me and wondering, if he and his girlfriend had raped me, would I have seen any justice then?

I bowed my head, trying to hold back my silent sobs. God, I wanted to kill him.

“Stop crying,” Damon ordered, glaring down at me.

He then looked up at Michael, his eyes narrowing. “What are we going to do?”

What are we going to do? What could we do? Even if the Horsemen had power in this town, they didn’t hold any over their parents. Evans Crist had convinced my mother not to publicize the issue, and what was done was done. Astrid and Miles weren’t going to be investigated, and if they were, there was no evidence now anyway.

Unless….

Unless that’s not the kind of payback Damon was talking about.

Michael breathed hard, shifting back and forth, and then his eyes fell on me.

And I saw his chin lift and his eyes turn resolute. “Ask her.”

I stilled. What?

He cocked his head, daring me as the rest of them slowly turned to me and waited.

What the hell? What was I supposed to do?

And then I realized what Damon had just asked. What are we going to do? It was my decision.

They’d all had each other’s backs tonight, and now they had mine. But they weren’t going to do my shit for me.