Havoc at Prescott High (The Havoc Boys #1) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,95
a seat on a small bench next to the closet and wait patiently, my mind racing with all the ways this could go horribly wrong and bite us in the ass.
“Don't worry,” Aaron says, leaning against the wall next to me and lighting up a cigarette. “We've been at this long enough to know how to cover our bases, Bernie.” He doesn't look at me, his attention focused on Vaughn.
After a good fifteen minutes, Callum makes a frustrated sound and yanks the notebook from the principal's hands.
“He's not getting shit done,” he says, handing the note over to Oscar.
Oscar reads it and then glances at Vic before picking up his gun and putting the barrel to Vaughn's head.
“Here's what I want you to write: My name is Scott Anesso Vaughn, and I'm the Principal of Prescott High. For over ten years, I've been coercing young girls into the porn and prostitution industries for pay. I've also slept with many of these girls, the majority of whom were under eighteen. I can no longer handle the burden of this truth.”
“Please don't,” Vaughn whimpers, hand shaking as he sits there in his underwear and struggles to follow Oscar's instructions. “I have kids. They go to the U of O, you know. Both amazing athletes, and—”
Oscar hits him in the face with the gun, hard enough to send blood splattering across the log walls of the cabin, and then pulls the hammer back for emphasis. Vaughn quickly shuts up, finishing his note and signing it with a flourish. He passes it back to Oscar who re-reads it, the flames from the fireplace reflecting off the surface of his glasses. With a curt nod, he withdraws the weapon and Vaughn lets out a sharp exhale of breath.
“Now get up,” Vic commands, nodding over to the bed. “We're going to make a little video.”
“Please no,” Vaughn whimpers, his body limp when Cal hauls him to his feet. “Please, I'm begging you!”
Aaron moves back over to the camera as Vaughn crawls onto the bed, a grossly pathetic sight in his underwear and nothing else.
“I want you to think of all the girls you've brought to this cabin,” Vic says as Vaughn begins to weep softly. But I have little sympathy for a pedophile and a pervert, so I stay numb as I watch him cry. Is he really weeping or is it just an act? Probably an act. There's not even a sense of satisfaction in me, watching these evil men like Don and Scott burn, just that same, easy numbness. “Think about all of them, desperate for money to pay rent or buy food for younger siblings or earn a ticket out of poverty.” Vic pauses and turns to point at me. “And then I want you to look Bernadette in the eye and say you're sorry for what you've done.”
“I'm sorry,” Vaughn sobs, shaking. “I'm so sorry.”
“We're going live in thirty seconds,” Oscar says, and Vic nods, turning back to Vaughn.
“You're going to perform the same way you make the girls do. Whatever the psychos watching this video ask for, you're going to do. Do you understand?”
Vaughn is openly bawling now, but nobody in that cabin cares.
“We're going to live stream him?” I ask, and Cal nods.
“During live cam feeds, those watching can ask the girl to do certain things and pay in tips for the privilege to see her do it. So Vaughn's going to spend an hour learning what it's like.” Cal's mouth curves into a smile. “It's nice, isn't it? Hand-delivering karma.”
I don't know how to respond to that, so I turn back to watch the drama unfold in front of me.
As promised, for an entire hour, Vaughn does what the crazy fucks online demand of him. I can't watch most of it, so I let myself outside into the cool, night air. Cal joins me, and we sit on the rocking chairs on the porch in silence.
“Aaron said the taste of vengeance wasn't so sweet as I thought it'd be, that it'd leave the taste of ash in my mouth,” I say finally, and Cal glances my way, his hood firmly fixed in place, legs folded on the chair in front of him. “But I don't taste ash. I don't taste anything at all, to be honest with you.”
“Mm.” Callum glances my way, studying me in the dark. “I felt that way, too, at first. Once you surrender to the dark, it gets easier.” He stands up suddenly, his body