been doing, you mean.” Her pout disappeared for a moment, replaced with an evil grin.
“Don’t. Whoever it is, I’m going to kill them. No one touches my sister.”
“Fuck off, Cass. I’m old enough to take care of myself.”
“But you still need someone to take you home,” he said dryly.
“Ugh. Can you stop playing the annoying big brother and just take me home?” She stamped her foot, and both Cassius and I snorted.
“Really mature. How did you get here, anyway?”
“James kindly brought me.” She smiled, a dreamy look coming into her eyes.
What the fuck was everyone’s obsession with Granville at the moment? The guy was an asshole. And a Granville.
She continued speaking. “He can’t take me home since he’s had a drink. Mum and Dad left ages ago, and I just tried to get an Uber, but they can’t come for another forty-five minutes.”
“I’ll take you,” my brother called, walking over to her.
“No, I’ll take her.” Zayde came to stand next to him.
Weston turned to him. “I already offered.”
“I’m taking her,” Zayde stated flatly.
I watched their exchange with interest as I swiped the vodka and took another large swig. They both stared at each other, neither willing to back down. I actually admired my brother for even having this stare-off with Zayde—he was a scary fucker.
“Sorry, West, but Z has a bike. And I need to feel the power between my legs, if you know what I’m saying.”
Cassius groaned while the side of Zayde’s mouth tipped up slightly. “Come on.”
“Look after my sister, and don’t touch her!” Cassius shouted after him as he followed Lena out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him.
“What was all that about, West?”
“Nothing,” he muttered. He walked back over to the dartboard and picked up a handful of darts, throwing them at the board with no care or finesse, clearly angry, but it was obvious I wasn’t going to get anything out of him.
“You never answered my question.” Cassius leaned back against the sofa, the girl now perched on the arm, scrolling through her phone.
“What. Question.”
“Do you think Winter looked hot tonight?”
“Fuck off, mate. I’m not in the mood.” I grabbed the vodka and took another quick swig before he could swipe it.
“I knew you did,” he said smugly, eyeing me.
“Fuck off.”
“Give me my vodka back.” I pushed it across the coffee table towards his sofa, and he picked it up. “Get your own drink. I need this.”
“I’m out of here.” Weston, still frowning angrily, threw the last dart as he was turning away from the board, sending it rebounding off the wooden cabinet surround and clattering to the floor.
I scrubbed my hand across my face and took another drag of my joint. What a great fucking evening this was turning out to be.
TWELVE
My hands were shaking with rage.
Deep breaths.
Okay, maybe I was overreacting, but it was my mother’s house. I wasn’t expecting to see anything out of the ordinary, as far as the party went. I assumed it would be a bunch of rich people, standing around drinking or whatever.
Peering through the small opening, I could make out a huge darkened room, heavy curtains covering the windows. A few dim lamps were scattered around, providing the only sources of light. In the near corner to my right stood a large roulette table, people surrounding it, laughing, watching as the wheel decided their fortune. Well, probably not their fortune, going by the wealth that practically oozed from their pores, but it decided whether they were lucky or not.
Straight ahead, off to my left, there was a giant TV screen, with another smaller screen next to it that looked like some kind of betting scoreboard with lists of names and odds next to each name. A large group of people—mostly men—gathered around the screens, shouting and cheering.
It was what was on the larger screen that made my blood boil, my heart pounding, fury and nausea filling me. I could see two dogs fighting in some kind of pit, snarling and snapping at each other, foaming at the mouths. I watched as one of the dogs grabbed the throat of the other and began to shake it in its jaws, red blossoming on the fur. The other dog desperately tried to get away, scrabbling on the dirt floor, but it was no use. It let out a horrible high-pitched whimpering screech that was abruptly cut off. Its struggles died away, until… I couldn’t watch anymore. Bile rose in my throat, and I stood for a moment,