Trade In Vengeance

Trade In Vengeance The Rogues Ruby Vincent Published by Ruby Vincent, 2023. Copyright © 2022 by Ruby Vincent Cover Design: Cover By Combs All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Keep In Touch ABOUT THE AUTHOR Prologue Saylor slowed down, fixing on Rafael. The man was standing there like a tall hot cocoa cooled with mocha sex ice cubes. She was looking where everyone else was, but Rafael was looking at her. Crooking a finger, he tossed her a smirk that melted every panty in a ten-mile radius. Saylor promptly ditched her friends and slinked up to him. I turned away, leaving them behind. That was my cue. Outside, the pillow fights were in full swing, and I was surrounded by enough naked people to prove it. Katie’s backyard was a sprawling aquatic paradise. Between the Olympic-sized pool fed by six fountains, the water slide, two hot tubs, the pool house, cabanas, and the separate indoor pool, this was all the water park you needed. Pillows claimed the lounger and partiers claimed everything else. They whooped, roared, and catcalled as two topless Royal girls battled it out for the victory of keeping their bottoms. The best thing about my ideas for the party: everyone was too distracted by boobs, wangs, and sex to give a crap about me. No one glanced in my direction as I weaved through the crowd, coming out where concrete gave way to lawn, and clambered down the small dip to the path. My feet were soundless on the tickling grass. My breaths hot pants drying my lips. Anticipation swelled as I ducked into the indoor pool. The space was as spectacular as the rest of the mansion. Molded after a Roman bathhouse, columns held up the second floor, and the pool’s fountains were topped with resting lions. I scurried past the fellas to the back door. Cracking it open, I waited. And waited. And waited. Goodness. How long does it take to—? Giggles interrupted my train of thought. “Shh. Over here.” Rafael and Saylor stumbled into my line of sight—her hands all over him like she grew two other pairs. He stopped her within feet of the entrance, turning her back to me. I slipped my phone out of my pocket. At least, it looked like a phone. The stun gun fit so easily in the palm of my hand. Why didn’t everyone have one of these? “Finally.” Saylor draped her arms around my boyfriend’s shoulders. “You played hard to get too long, Dumont. You almost missed your chance.” “I was waiting for the right time, darling. It’s all about”—he flicked over her shoulder—“timing.” Straightening, my finger poised over the button. You’re about to wake up in your worst nightmare, Burkhardt. A hand clapped over my mouth. Yanked back, the stun phone clattered on the welcome mat—replacing my shoes as they slid across the tile. “Shh. Don’t scream. I need to—” I jabbed my elbow into hard flesh, ripping a grunt into my ear. His hold loosened and I broke free, racing for the stun gun. “Sinclair, wait! You have to listen to me.” That voice stopped me dead in my tracks. Spinning around, I faced Giovanni Natale. He hunched over clutching his stomach. Glassy eyes peered at me through wincing lids. “What are you doing here? You weren’t invited.” Even as the words left my mouth, one look at him said he wasn’t here for a party. His pajamas were a ratty, oversized, paint-splattered t-shirt and pair of sweatpants. His hair, his most proud feature, pulled back in a greasy, haphazard ponytail. A shadow’s dusting covered his normally clean-shaven jaw. The guy was a mess. “Why did you grab me like that?” I snapped, widening the distance. “If you followed me in here for a fight, I promise you, Natale, you won’t win this one.” “I’m not here to fight you. Will you just listen!” he burst out. “There are things you need to know.” I stopped backing toward the stun gun. “What are you talking about?” “I didn’t sign up for this.” Giovanni clutched his head, pacing back and forth. “It was an easy dare. A simple one. Date some girl and dump her.” I froze. Winter. “But I didn’t sign up for this,” he cried, thumping his chest. “No, not bombs. Not murder! Ashton fucking died for this shit and I will not be next. All I did was dump her. I didn’t do any of the shit the others did.” I frowned following his rushed, agitated speech. “Giovanni... are you high?” He laughed out loud, reeling me back. “Of course I’m high. My lawyers called this afternoon. I’m on tape starting the fight with Ashton, days after leaving my girlfriend at the bottom of the Bluffs and walking away from an explosion. The police want to talk to me first thing in the morning,” he said, laughing louder. “I’m their number one suspect. Can you believe that? Me.” “Yes.” I plumbed those glassy, darting depths. “I can believe it.” His smile wiped away. “That’s because you don’t know the truth. But I do now. Ashton’s death?” Giovanni shook his head roughly. “That was what they wanted. “All because of T.O.D. Club.” “T.O.D.?” I repeated. “What is that?” Giovanni threw up his hands. “It’s the reason all of this started. T.O.D. Truth or dare.” “What about it?” “It was