Officer Preston.
A familiar and unwanted sight.
“How can I help you, Officer?” I decided to play dumb. Maybe I could convince him that I didn’t even remember our last conversation.
“We’ve had a noise complaint.” He looked me over.
I had pulled on the first long-sleeved undershirt I could find, followed by a T-shirt Brody had tossed to me. It had turned out to be his Hellions hockey jersey. I had leggings on my bottom half, and my wet hair was up in a topknot.
Despite my body being more than covered, Officer Preston’s gaze raking over me made me feel naked and vulnerable.
“Yeah, we’re just having a few people over, and I guess the music got too loud. I’ll turn it down.”
“And I assume everyone here is over twenty-one?” Preston peered around skeptically.
“Sure, we’re all college students, and over twenty-one, I’m pretty sure.”
“Pretty sure,” Preston repeated, sounding amused. He glanced back at his partner, who was out of earshot. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you didn’t remember me.”
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, my pulse picking up.Where is he going with this?
“You and this ‘pretending not to remember me’ act.”
“Why would I remember you? We don’t know each other except for you coming here before.”
“You’re wrong. I know you. I know all kinds of things about you, like how you look naked, and how you sound when you cry.”
I stared at him, shocked and terrified. Ice spread through my veins, freezing me to the spot. Since I hadn’t seen nor heard from this man since our last encounter and his awkward way of telling me that he knew what had happened to me, I’d convinced myself that he didn’t mean any harm. Seemed like I was wrong.
“I watched it just last night, you know. I watch it all the time. I’ve practically got it memorized. Who needs porn sites when I’ve got the best shit at home?”
Preston chuckled when he took in my face.
“Oh, do I have your attention now? You can’t pretend to ignore me now, right?”
The alarm in the background cut off suddenly.
The hubbub of the party continued. No one was close enough to hear what he was saying.
“What do you want?” I managed to force out of my closing throat.
“What do I want? Some fucking respect, first of all. Understand the dynamic between us. I have the video, and unless you want it posted to HHU’s intranet and emailed to every last student and staff member, you’ll do what I say.”
He chuckled. “The best part about it is that without the sound, you can’t even tell you’re crying and screaming. It just looks like you’re happy to be there. Can you even imagine the headlines a muted sex tape like that would create for your new rich family? The great Sinclairs, uptight, aristocratic British snobs, with a wild whore of a stepdaughter and stepsister who likes to take it from multiple guys at once. Who’ll let them do anything to her, and I meananything.”
A wave of nausea passed over me, and I fought to stay upright.
Preston’s partner called to him. “Problems?”
“No, everything’s fine. Just giving them a warning,” he called back, jovial smile in place. Then he turned to me, and that smile turned darker.
“So, here’s the warning. Do what I fucking say, go where I tell you, when I tell you, and don’t tell a soul about this, and your video stays under wraps. Do anything other than that, and it’s going to be playing on every news site in the world, and a screengrab in every newspaper. The media loves a good downfall of a billionaire family, and they would eat you alive. Get it?”
I nodded quickly, hearing Brody’s voice in the hall behind me.
Preston stared over my shoulder. “Yeah, you’ve got it. Unless you want your new family to see what a whore you are, don’t fucking test me, Selena. I’ll be in touch.”
Then he was gone, walking toward his squad car, and Brody was beside me.
