Page 40 of Vicious Titan

26

Victoria

The blaring music filling the house isn’t loud enough. I want it to drown out my thoughts, not just the sounds of the drunken party guests. Thankfully, Quinn arrives with the means for that task. Passing me the whiskey, we forgo the shot glasses and take turns drinking directly from the bottle as we sit in comfortable silence, both lost in the thoughts we have yet to straighten out. Her week hadn’t been any easier than mine.

My coping strategy for the week consisted of ignoring reality. I pretended my dad wasn’t locked in a jail cell. I didn’t acknowledge the fact that my mom and brother left me in the dark while they collected evidence on him. I glossed over all the times he’d been angry, all the times I’d tried to intervene, never knowing what was really happening right in front of me. I skipped admitting it’s apparently been that way my entire life.

“Oh, isn’t this a fun crowd!” Allison says, motioning to Quinn and me as she stops in front of us.

“I’m not drunk enough for this yet,” Quinn says, grabbing the bottle from me so she can take another swig.

“Agreed,” I reply, doing my best to ignore the bitch in front of me. But she can’t leave anything alone, and I am not in the mood to deal with her of all people.

Allison gives me a pouty face, patting me on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I understand it’s a difficult time for you.” She leans forward, her mocking pout upturning into a devilish smirk. “How’s Daddy holding up, Victoria?”

That’s it. Lunging forward, my hands snatch the first thing I can grab on her as we fall to the floor. All the anger I’ve held in all week bubbles up to the surface, releasing on the stupid bitch who has the nerve to taunt me again. My fist balls up, slamming into her face. Her mocking expression is gone but the image is burned in my mind as my fingers grip a handful of hair, yanking it back while my other fist continuously pounds into her face. I’m so sick of being the ass of the joke, the last person to know what is going on.

Suddenly, a tight grip loops around my torso, hauling me off of Allison though my hand remains clutching her hair. She’d asked for it, sought me out to remind me of everything I’m trying to forget.

She screams, her fake nails clawing at my hand. I jerk her forward and she stumbles, falling to the floor when my fingers are pried away. I struggle against the hold, attempting to get back at her as she gets up, cursing at me.

Quinn steps between us, ordering Allison to leave.

“Damn it, Victoria. Calm down,” Asher yells, finally breaking through my angry haze.

“She asked for it.”

Asher releases me finally as Elliot steps in front of me, cutting off my view of the stupid bimbo.

The crowd is silent though the booming music remains as I look around. “Anyone else have anything they want to say to me?”

A few cheers erupt, commending me for kicking Allison’s ass. It’s a well-known fact that no one likes her, I’m not sure she even likes herself. The remaining stares divert from me as the festivities resume, back in full swing.

“Let’s go take a breather, Rocky,” Elliot says, lightly grasping my hand in his before leading me out to the patio. He sits on an open lounge chair, pulling me onto his lap. “Relax.”

“I can’t.” My body remains tense, adrenaline still rushing through my veins. All I was doing was trying to relax in the first place.

Elliot shifts, gripping my thigh so he can turn me towards him. He’s satisfied when my legs straddle him. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“Too late.”

“Nah. You know that’s not true.”

“Debatable.”

He chuckles, slipping his hands under my T-shirt to caress his palm up my back. His playful demeaner becomes serious as he looks to me. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” It’s not the full truth, but it’s not a complete lie either. My body is beginning to relax as I soak in his comforting touch. “I shouldn’t have let her get to me, but she did.”

“It’s been a trying week. Besides, she had it coming.”

“Yep.”

His smile returns. Shifting forward, he threads his fingers in my hair, pulling me in for a slow, passionate kiss. Elliot has been my saving grace, remaining patient and by my side all week even though I attempted to push him away. He wasn’t having it. Instead, he’d pried his way deeper into my soul, latching on tight. How can the same person who’d twisted me into so many knots unravel them ever so gently?

My forehead rests against his as I take in a deep breath and whisper, “It still feels weird to not hide.”

“It feels fantastic,” he flicks his tongue over my lips, causing desire to rise in my core. “Everyone knows you’re all mine.”

“Oh my gosh,” Quinn says from behind me with a laugh. “Okay. Well, I wanted to check on you, but it looks like you’re good.”

“She’s really good,” Elliot teases.

I lightly jab my finger in his side as I shift off of him, standing to look at Quinn. “Yes. Let’s go back to the party.”

“Seriously?” Elliot says, holding his hands up in the air, before standing and adjusting his jeans. He tucks his hand in the back pocket of my jeans, leaning over to whisper, “We will finish this later.”

“Debatable,” I tease, earning a snicker from him because we both know damn well that we will.