were billionaires. Little known fact: there’s a company that makes scents for pranks like this. Kingston got ‘rotten corpse’ and Maverik got ‘stinky cheese.’ I almost choked filling up their bottles, but I smiled when the bottle said the scent could last two to three days.
I was quite satisfied with myself when I went back to my room, but I was careful to lock the brand-new, reinforced deadbolt lock on my door. From now on, I should expect retaliation. I was kind of hoping the guys wouldn’t find everything I did all at the same time and that the discoveries would be paced out over time. That would make it even better.
That night, I went to bed with a smile on my face, and I had no trouble sleeping at all.
Chapter 16
Katya
Last night I heard the guys come in around two or three in the morning. They sounded drunk as they stumbled down the hall, and I might have heard a female voice or two along with them. I hadn’t heard any shouts of outrage yet, so I was assuming they were still passed out and hadn’t found my surprises yet.
I don’t know why Richard looked the other way, considering that they were sixteen and seventeen years old, but that was none of my business. He and my mother shared the floor above us, but there was no way he was oblivious to what was going on. Not with all the cameras and security around the house.
I didn’t bother lingering in my room in the morning, because I doubted that they’d be up before noon. Instead, I followed my usual routine and went to my studio.
I was warming up when my phone vibrated with an incoming call. I grinned when I saw it was Ryan.
“Hey, Grumpy Bear. What got you up so early?”
Ryan chuckled. “I instinctively wake up around this time now, expecting to be smothered by a pillow held by a crazy Russian ballerina.”
I giggled. “I’m glad to see I could teach you some good habits.”
Ryan sighed, and I heard rustling.
“You’re still in bed, aren’t you?” I accused.
“I wake up around this time, but I’m not going to actually leave my bed at this hour.”
“Hang on for a second,” I told him so I could put my earbuds in.
I wanted to keep moving as we talked so my muscles didn’t get cold.
Ryan yawned. “You’re in that fancy ballet studio, aren’t you?”
My body tensed at the sound of jealousy in his voice. “Yeah, but I’d rather be there with you.”
Ryan was quiet for a second. “KitKat, I’m starting to think this might be a good opportunity for you.”
“What?” I asked in disbelief. “My mother hates me, and I was ripped out of one of the best ballet schools in the country. A school that we worked hard to get into.”
“You don’t need to work hard anymore,” Ryan said tensely.
I was blown away by his words.
“I don’t know what you imagine my new life is like, but I promise you, it’s not what you think.”
Ryan scoffed. “I think you just like complaining. I saw your closet.”
“You know I don’t care about stuff like that,” I said angrily.
Ryan took a deep breath and then let it out. “I know, KitKat,” he said quietly. “It’s just hard for me to be left behind when you were handed luxury beyond the Kardashian level.”
“I’d give it all up in a second if things could go back to the way they were,” I whispered.
“I…I think that almost makes it worse, KitKat. You don’t appreciate it like you should.”
“You’re being stupid right now, Ryan,” I said in exasperation. “You don’t know what it’s like to be trapped here with the two brothers from hell. They actually kidnapped me and carried me out to the woods to scare the shit out of me the other night.”
Ryan chuckled. “And you thought you were going to be murdered by the mafia?”
“That’s not funny,” I insisted, but a little smile started to surface when I thought about the pending revenge pranks I’d set up for the guys.
My stuff wasn’t scary as much as annoying, but I was betting it would get under their vain skin. My only disappointment was that I wouldn’t get to see their reactions in real-time. I gulped when picturing those guys in the shower – naked – abruptly took a turn in the wrong direction.
“What are you thinking about?” Ryan asked curiously. “It’s not like you to be so quiet.”
I explained the pranks in a delighted whisper,