“Any fucking chance I got.” He laughs. “You caught me once. I made sure you knew I was there another time. But I loved slipping into your room and jacking off with your panties in my hand. I memorized every fucking picture on your wall, your scent, your makeup.”
“That’s creepy,” Knox mutters.
Violet shudders. “Why go through the trouble?”
Jack jerks, but my grip on his hair is solid. He’s let it grow in his off-season. Shame on him.
“Why?” he yells. “Because you’re fucking mine, Violet. We’re soulmates.”
I laugh. In a flash, my knife is out of my pocket and at his throat.
I could do it.
He goes silent and still, his eyes flashing with fear for the first time. Maybe he didn’t think we were serious. That I wouldn’t kill for her.
“You’re not her soulmate, asshole.”
His eyes roll, finding my face. “I swear to God—”
“You better hope God is on your side.” I lean in, making sure he can see just how fucking dark I’ll go. “Because the Devil’s on mine.”
He flinches.
He sees it.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, Jackie boy.” I look up at Violet. “We’re going to take that video of your confession and turn it in to the police. Along with you. I don’t fucking care what you tell them, but you will make sure you go to prison.”
His nostrils flare. “Why the fuck would I do that?”
I tap his walking boot, and he cringes again. He’s used to pain from me. Expects it.
Good.
“This was just a little taste of what I can do. And if you don’t put bars between us to keep you safe, well… maybe we’ll take you out on my father’s boat. Maybe there will be an accident, and you’ll fall overboard. Or maybe you’ll slip on your way to a new club tonight, fall into the subway tracks. Electrocute yourself.” I hum. “There are so many possibilities.”
“You should take prison, Jack,” Violet says. “Sounds like the lesser of two evils.” She dusts off her pants. Just to give herself something to do maybe. She doesn’t wait to see what he decides. She leaves us, the door to the stairwell swishing shut behind her.
I drop his head and step away. There’s a great view of the city from up here. And when I inhale, there isn’t much of that city smell. I do detect the ocean, though. A faint saltiness.
“Well?” I ask without turning around.
“Take me to the police station,” he says.
“Take yourself,” I snap.
Knox and Steele cut him loose. He stands between them, wary, and then leaves.
“Follow him,” I tell them. “I’ve got a girl to comfort.”
They nod.
It’s just me, then. I take a deep breath, then leave the roof. Mia and Jack were loose ends. My father has issued a temporary truce. Her mother is gone… for now maybe. Hopefully.
I unlock the door to the room Violet and I are sharing, and I’ve barely made it inside when she throws herself at me.
“I love you. I don’t think I’ve ever said it out loud, but I do.” She cups my face. “I love you, I love you—”
I kiss her, swallowing the words. Something in my chest unlocks. Not fear, like I expected, but acceptance. I can love her, and I won’t lose her. I’m not a child, afraid of my parents disappearing if I cared too hard. Warmth follows a second later, and I wrap her in my arms.
We’re going to be together forever.
VIOLET
TWO YEARS LATER
“Ready?” the stage manager asks me.
I nod. The curtain falls to thunderous applause, and my heart soars. The corps de ballet flood past me. The curtain rises, sweeping upward, and the lights come on full force. The dancers separate by scenes, going down stage for their final bows.
They soak in the applause, the appreciation, then turn and take their positions farther back. Making room for others.
Across the way, in the opposite wing, is my partner.
“You deserve this,” the stage manager says. “Go ahead.”
I take a deep breath and raise my arms. I walk gracefully out onto the stage, meeting my partner in the center. His hand comes around my waist, and his other cradles my outstretched hand. He motions to me, stepping back, and I curtsey. Then he bows. We come together and repeat, then glide backward.
It’s only then that I can focus on the audience.
And how they’re all standing.
Tears burn the backs of my eyes. This is my first show as a principal dancer with the Boston Ballet. Months of hard work, summer intensives, training. Struggling to balance the last year of school with my role in Crown Point Ballet.
Due to Mia’s abrupt exit, CPB ended up withdrawing from doing a national tour and just produced a home season with Sleeping Beauty. It turned out, there was a lot more going on under the surface. She was abusing funds, adjusting the books. With her rotting in prison, there was a lot of things the board of directors had to fix.
I signed a contract as a soloist and danced through the season… and then I was done. I joined Boston Ballet the following season as a soloist and then was promoted to principal this year.
The curtain closes, and we all come forward. We’ll do one final bow, and then it’ll be time to celebrate.
Well. Even as I say that, I’m aware that I’m lying to myself. Grey had an away game with the Bruins, so I’ll be returning to our empty apartment after a drink at the local bar.
When the curtain reopens, the audience is still on their feet. We all take a final bow.
A murmur sweeps through the room. I crane my head to see where it’s coming from, and my heart skips a beat.
Grey walks up the stairs with a bouquet in his arms. He smiles, his gaze locked on me, as he comes down the stage and stops before me.
“Really?” I murmur, leaning in to kiss him.
He winks. “You think I was going to miss your first performance as lead? Absolutely not. Plus…” He hands the bouquet off and pulls something even better from his pocket.
In front of everyone, he goes down on one knee.
“Violet Reece, will you marry me?” He tilts his head. “This is the only time I’ll make it a question, love.”
Those tears that had been burning behind my eyes spill out. Of all the places, he chooses here. Cementing this memory even more impressively in my mind.
A night I’ll never forget.
“Vi?”
“Yes, yes.” I grin and give him my hand.
He slips the ring on my finger—a perfect fit, of course—and rises. I throw my arms around his neck and press my lips to his.
We got our dreams and each other.
Perfect, right?
THE END
Get ready for more Crown Point University hockey boys in 2023! Pre-order Devious Obsession:
https://mybook.to/deviousobsession
But if you’re not ready to let go of Greyson and his hockey boys just yet, check out their group chat here:
http://smassery.com/brutal-obsession-bonus
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The way this story came about is wild, and I don’t think a book ever coalesced so perfectly for me as an author.
Greyson and Violet were born from the lovely members of my Facebook group, SMassery Squad. That sounds a little weird, but bear with me.