Page 55 of Fatal Scheme

“I forgot, you’re obsessed with me,” she jokes, rolling her eyes as I help her over the edge, sitting first so she can settle her back against my front comfortably.

“Well, spit it out. You’ve got me anxiously holding my breath over here,” she sasses, and I can’t help but smile, her fierce attitude one of my very favorite things about her.

“We want to get out from under the family,” Tyson starts, and she shifts a bit, trying to sit up, but I wrap my arms around her chest, gently tweaking her nipples until she relaxes.

After what we just did, plus whatever games Tyson played with the vibrator, my girl needs to envelope herself in tranquility, even if only for a few minutes while her brain catches up to the heights her body was taken to.

“Wouldn’t you have to kill them?” She asks genuinely, the bubbles reaching her chin as she sinks lower into the water, but her hands stay intertwined with mine across her chest.

“That’d be the only way to make a clean break, yes,” I offer, the cold hard truth the only thing leaving my lips as we fully immerse her into our world.

“You’re important to us, Carter, which means when we run from the carnage, you’d be coming, too,” Tyson says, laying it all out on the table for her to either take, or leave.

Admittedly, I’m afraid of what she’ll say next.

If it’s a no, then she walks away from us at the end of this war, likely taking our hearts with her as she goes.

If she says yes, agreeing to fight this battle with us, her safety is at risk, and that’s a tough pill to swallow, knowing that having her completely is exactly what could be the thing that hurts her, or worse.

Neither scenario is ideal, but that’s the reason why we’re doing this, to better all of our lives and allow us the opportunity to plan for the future, together.

“I’m with you. For it all.” She rests her head against my shoulder, a deep sigh of content leaving her chest as she makes her decision in less than a second.

Just like that, she’s with us, and for some reason, that confirmation plants seeds of hope in my heart, believing that no matter what happens, or how bloody this will get, by the end of it all, we’ll all come out on the other side of it stronger than ever.

If there’s one thing I know, the blood and violence is her bread and butter.

She’s just like me, and when it comes to getting her hands dirty, I’d never find a better sidekick to stick with me through the thick of it.

I’m more confident with her than without, and as we prepare for a battle that they’ll never see coming, I can’t think of anything better than working with Carter, learning exactly how she operates in the heat of the battle, and offering her a few tricks I have up my sleeve, too.

I’m sure she’ll impress me more than she already does on a daily basis, likely finding ways to be better than me at nearly everything, but I welcome a challenge, especially when it comes to peeling back another layer of my most fascinating subject.

TWENTY-SIX

CARTER

I’m at a crossroad, unsure how to proceed, and every day that passes drops ten more pounds on my shoulders, slowly tearing my heart in two as I’m pushed closer to making a choice I never thought I’d need to debate.

It’s been a week since Tyson and Jasper told me they wanted to escape this life, the plotting becoming more intense as they put their heads together, and the added pressure of more Masseria men dropping like flies is only adding to that weight.

This coup is happening sooner rather than later, and if I go along with them, it means losing the Cassini throne.

If I resist the change that’s occurred within me since arriving in Emory, and tell my dad what’s happening behind closed doors, I’ll lose my boys, likely for good.

I’m torn, but if I’m being honest, my heart is slowly pulling ahead, beginning to lead the charge as I descend further into the planning stages, and unbeknownst to them, I’ve come up with a possible solution, one I hope can benefit us all.

Luckily, I made an appointment to see a doctor about birth control – certainly not interested in adding an unplanned pregnancy into the mix – and the talk of murder will cease, at least for a few hours.

Jasper is driving me and waiting outside until my small procedure is finished, his paranoia at an all time high, thinking that I may be a target of their rivals as a way to weaken them.

We almost never leave the frat house since the bodies began to turn up, and if we do, it’s all together, weapons at the ready, under very strict circumstances.

Still, I need a few moments alone, hoping that when I call and offer my proposal, my father will be willing to negotiate.

“Ready, Principessina?” Jasper calls out, and I sigh, knowing that whatever happens next is going to either make me into what I’ve been dreaming about, or break my spirit, forcing me to choose between the two things I want more than anything.

“Let’s get this over with,” I sigh, tying off my hair into a loose bun, matching the comfy clothes I’m wearing for this appointment, the comfort necessary for the procedure I’m having done.