Chapter 83
“No-” I tried to push the glass away. “I’ll get sick-”
“Then get sick. That’s what the bathroom’s for.” He tipped the second
glass to my lips. I tried to turn my head. His other hand caught my
face, held it still. “Drink it. All of it. Julian’s orders.”
I couldn’t see Julian anymore. There were too many people. The
music had gotten louder. Or maybe it was just that my head was
spinning now, that the room was tilting sideways, that everything had
gone slightly blurry at the edges.
The third glass. The fourth. Someone was holding my arms. Someone
else was laughing. A flash went off–a phone camera–and through
the haze I heard someone say “this is going on Instagram” and
someone else say “Julian’s going to kill you.”
But Julian didn’t kill anyone. Didn’t stop anyone. I could see him now,
still in that chair, still watching. Still perfectly, terribly calm.
The fifth glass made me retch. I bent double, one hand on the table,
trying not to throw up. The man–Marcus, someone had called him
Marcus–rubbed my back in mock sympathy. “Poor baby. Can’t hold
her liquor. Should we get her something else? Something to help her
feel better?”
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Chapter 83
“I have just the thing,” the woman in red said. She held up a small
plastic bag. White powder inside. “A little pick–me–up.”
“No.” I straightened. The room swayed. “No, I need to leave. I need to
“You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.” Marcus’s arm went around
my waist. “The night’s just getting started. Come on. We’re going to
play a game.”
He pulled me toward the couches. I stumbled. My legs weren’t
working right. Everything felt distant, muffled, like I was underwater.
“Game time!” someone shouted. People clustered around. Faces I
didn’t know. Eyes that looked through me, not at me. “What are we
playing?”
“Truth or dare,” Marcus said. “Strip version. Loser takes off a piece of
clothing. Simple, right?”
I tried to pull away. His grip tightened. “Julian,” I said. My voice came
out slurred. Weak. “Julian-”
But Julian was talking to someone else now. A blonde woman in a
silver dress. He didn’t even look my way.
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Chapter 83
“First round!” Marcus pushed me down onto the couch. Someone
handed out cards. “Lowest card loses. Everyone understand?”
I didn’t understand. Didn’t understand any of this. Didn’t understand
how I’d gotten here, why Julian had brought me here, what was
happening.
The cards blurred in front of me. I drew one. People laughed.
“Looks like our new friend loses!” Marcus grinned. “Come on,
sweetheart. Rules are rules. Off with the jacket.”
My hands shook so hard I could barely work the buttons. Someone
helped–grabbed the fabric, yanked it down my arms. More laughter.
More camera flashes.
“Again!”
Another round. I lost again. My sweater this time. Then my shoes.
Then my socks.
By the fifth round, I was down to my undershirt and skirt. The room
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