The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,34
will happen if it’s not there.
I crumpled the note and flung it behind my textbooks.
No, I didn’t know what would happen because they sure as hell weren’t touching Eli again. Mr. Johnston was ten times more vigilant and Eli was rarely alone between me, his classmates, and his roommate.
Maybe they mean they’ll attack me next. If that’s the case, I’m tempted not to pay. I want those fuckers to come to me. I’ll snap every finger that touched Eli.
I marched off to homeroom. Royal sat in his usual seat, taking up the back row alone. The triplets weren’t here and I didn’t expect them anytime soon. I hoped they were in Hart’s office finding out what she planned to do about Leo.
Royal’s head was in a sketch. I sat down and leaned back in my seat. Arms surrounded me, pressing me into the chest on my back. Royal rested his chin on my shoulder and placed the notebook on my desk.
“What do you think of my latest?”
He lazily flipped through drawings of me, me, and me in various positions and in all of them naked. Me with my ass in the air and my face stuck to a leather seat. Me riding him like a mechanical bull. Me wet and laughing in the shower while he cupped my breasts from the back. And a particularly detailed sketch of me on my back in his bed, legs spread and finger crooked begging for more.
I shifted in my seat, panties damp and the day just started.
“Nice,” I said casually. “Glad you were able to fit drawing these beauties in between flirting with Destiny.”
Royal’s laugh was the real drug. I’d cut myself open if it’d make him do it again.
“Jealousy looks good on you.” He licked my neck. “Tastes good too.”
“Is that what you were trying to do?” I asked. “Make me jealous? Because when you’ve got me where you want me...” I traced the outline of my drawn curves. “Doesn’t seem like a smart move to get on my nerves.”
“Very true. So, take this as a peace offering.” Royal flipped the page. “I drew it for you.”
I stilled. It was me, but I wasn’t naked or begging for Royal through the page. I knelt before Rory’s headstone, holding a bouquet of brilliant reds, golds, purples, and pinks.
Royal drew in color.
From the crystal-clear sky to the vibrant green grass, his sketch was alive with beauty, expression, and meaning only I would understand.
“Too far?” he asked, voice soft. “I know this topic is off-limits, but I thought you’d want to have this. You’re always with her, Em, even when you can’t be there.”
Tears prickled behind my eyes. It wasn’t fair that he kept doing this. Drive me insane one minute and then the next do something above and beyond. My heart expanded taking in the drawing of Royal’s that would forever be my favorite.
“No,” I whispered. “Not too far. I love it.”
“Good.” He pressed a kiss under my ear. “Want to know what I found out from Destiny?”
Nodding, I took the notebook and held it to my chest. “I’m listening.”
“She doesn’t buy the stuff direct. Destiny gives the money to her friend Vera who texts a number asking for what they want and how much. The person on the other end texts back a different unassigned locker each time and they stick the money in one day and drugs appear in the locker the next. This guy is smarter than we thought, Em. Destiny swears they never met the guy. They can’t even say if they are a guy.”
“Unassigned locker number,” I repeated. “Eli’s attackers pulled the same trick. Do you think they...?”
“Could be,” he said, picking up where I trailed off. “We don’t have anything to go on for either of them, so there’s no reason to think they’re not the same person.”
“They sent me another note.”
“When?” His anger was unmistakable. “What did it say?”
“They want one thousand dollars by next week. He’s not buying that I don’t have money after the last drop, so he’s testing his limits. The note came with the standard ‘or else.’”
He swore. “We can’t talk about this here. My room after class.”
I agreed. Fishing out my homework, I busied myself with English to take my mind off the impending disasters.
Leo. Camila. Eli. The dealer. The attackers. The key. All of it spun in my head demanding my attention.
By some miracle, I made it through the day. I stopped in my room on the way to Royal’s. Camila