chapter 5 :the shadows take form

Veronika's POV:

If the devil has a face, it would be definitely my beautiful cousy ivi . So, I guess I need to tell you how the fuck I ended up in America, risking my life to join my cousin's fun.

Here's the thing: one night, I was doing naughty things with a goody boy, and apparently that boy was not just older than me by 12 years but also my dad's enemy. And my beautiful sexy daddy walked in on me having an orgasm in his club. So my dad grounded me, and since I was so furious—one, because I didn't get my orgasm from that goody boy—did you really think I was furious with Daddy? Hahahahahah ahhhhh, you're so silly. Of course, no, I'm mad at him.

And since I'm just a girl who didn't get her orgasm, I sent him into a coma. Apparently, that was bad enough to cause a lot of diplomatic problems. And since my fun is ruined, and my dad took my oxygen, which is marijuana, I said, "Why not call my Japanese fish, Kira,"

And Why not pay a visit to my cousin Ivi,which left me here, with Ivi smoking, staring at me with an unsettling calmness that sent chills down my spine. Pfff, and the worst part? I'll probably blame it all on the Japanese fish. Everyone knows I'm a bitch, and Akira knows it too. But Ivi? She knows I'll make him the scapegoat, and he'll wear the blame without a word.

(Veronika's outfit)

I got out of the car and grabbed the cigarette from her fingers, fully aware of the trouble it would cause. She needs it to keep from ripping my head off, but being me, I thrive on living dangerously. 'You're so mean, cousy. You couldn't even let me win this time?' I teased, and she raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed by my mockery. I knew I was playing with fire, but damn if I cared. It wasn't until then that I realized the silence around us—everyone was watching. Then I heard the announcer clear his throat. 'Ahem, didn't expect that, and probably no one did... but the winner is Ivi Miller.' Silence. Only silence. The announcer awkwardly added, 'Well, for tonight's bets, the only one who bet on the girl was Mr. Yakuza, and he'll take all the bets. As for you, young lady, you—' Before he could finish, Ivi cut him off. 'No need. Keep it as a tip,' she said, dead serious. I turned to look at Akira, then burst into laughter, knowing everyone was watching us like we had lost our minds. "Millions? He keeps them as a tip. Ah, my cousy, so funny."

She turned to face me, and I thought, Oh god, this better be quick. Quicker than that bullshit orgasm at the club with that asshole. I can't believe I'm remembering my last moments like this—what a mess. Focus, I tell myself. Think about good sex... good sex... good sex... Professor Yang from kung fu class—damn, he was good. My dad's guard in the car—wooow, damn. Okay, no way I can leave this world now. There's so much I want to try, and I'm only 17. I've done nothing yet.

Ivi was staring at me with sharp eyes, full of fire that could burn me to the ground. Before she said anything, I blurted out, "It was Akira's idea. I didn't even want to be here—he dragged me here because he missed you so much."

Akira shot me a look that said, Really? Again? Well, it wasn't the first time I'd pinned the blame on him for these suicide missions. Ivi took us both in with a dead-serious expression, but I could see the faintest trace of amusement in the way she glanced from the corner of her eyes at something or someone . I couldn't help it—curiosity killed the cat? Fuck that, I'm no cat.

Well, well, what do we have here? Achilles Garcia, the new tasty Don, . Then my gaze shifted to the loser I'd mocked earlier. I felt his glare burn through me from the moment I stepped out of the car. God, I can't take this. I turned to him and rolled my eyes, feeling like my head might explode from the intensity of his stare.

This time, Ivi focused all her attention on me. She moved closer, and I could smell her perfume. If she weren't my cousin, I'd definitely sleep with her—she was hot as hell, smoking hot. She played with the bang that covered part of my eyes before leaning in close enough to whisper in my ear, just for me to hear: "I'll take this to my place, but there's one condition for you to stay here, Veronika. If you ever try to ruin my game or my fun while you're here, by the way—I saw you eyeing the Garcia brothers. Don't even think about it. Let them believe whatever I want. Just act like normal cousins. You already know what'll happen if you ruin this for me. Don't you, cousy?"

She looked at me with a gaze that could scare even Akira, and all the amusement drained from my face. I returned her stare, then turned to Akira, speaking just for her to hear: "If we're going to play by your rules, the King's Guard is here. We need to make no scene. Akira brought us here because we're close to him and that's it , they won't accept a normal girl winning. Leave. We'll see you in your place."

I said it dead serious. It's rare for me to be serious, and even more so to sound dangerous. Honestly, it scared me because I knew I had just awoken the monster inside me—the one who listens to the devil's whispers far more readily than I ever do.

This time, she looked at me and smiled. To everyone else, it seemed innocent, but for me and Akira, we knew the smile was part of her plan—she had already laid everything out, and the only thing left was to make her move. That smile was her satisfaction with the game she had set up, and just like that, I was in it. She'd already made a spot for me. With one last smile, she flipped Akira the middle finger, and he responded with a playful flying kiss. Then she was gone.

As soon as she left, I moved to Akira's side, standing next to that delicious Don. His brother still glaring at me Great, now I have a new enemy. Lovely.

"Veronika, no. If you want to keep your head where it belongs, stay away from them. You heard what Ivanka said—no playing with the Garcias," my inner voice warned. Ah, shit.

I grabbed a beer from Akira and took a sip. He looked at me and then slapped me across the back of the head. What a dick. Probably because I used him against Ivi.

"Phh, come on, we both knew I was going to pin it all on you, so why the slap?" I said, slapping him back.

We locked eyes, then burst out laughing. I could feel a few eyes on us, but thank god everyone seemed focused on his business. I was about to spit on them all, except for the Garcia brothers and Alfaro—what the hell was he doing here? Ugh, who cares.

A few minutes later, I told Akira I was going to smoke some drugs before we headed out to play Ivi's game. I hoped she'd put me on attack—I hate defense. It makes me feel weak, and that doesn't sit well with me. As I smoked and checked my dad's messages, I tucked my phone back in my pocket, sensing someone behind me. By the hole I'd already burned, I knew exactly who was there.

"Well, well, if it isn't the loser Garcia. They said all the bets were on you—shame, because if they trust your skills, I see none," I mocked him.

He stepped closer, and by the heat of his breath, I could tell I was getting under his skin. Good.

"Last time I checked, no one asked for your opinion. Plus, you lost, which makes you a loser, too," he shot back, trying to provoke me.

Dear Garcia, you're fighting a battle you've already lost. I've already won.

I laughed, turning around to face him. He was tall, with brown or hazel eyes—honestly, I couldn't tell, but they were pretty. He was masculine for his age, and his hair was softer than anything I'd ever felt. Too bad he wasn't my type—or thank god, he wasn't.

"Oh, Lucas, right? You have some funny jokes. Here's the thing, I came here knowing I'd lose. I came to have fun, something you clearly don't know how to do."

His fists clenched as he tried to keep his cool. Oh, he's so easy to provoke. Yay, I found my new toy.Ivanka said no Garcia brothers, not a brother, so I'm free.

"You mocked me and manipulated me to lose... to HAVE FUN?" He shouted by the end. Hohoahaah, he's so funny. I can't.

"Relax, baby. Your veins are about to explode. I understand it's your first loss, but look on the bright side—everyone will know your name: Loser Garcia," I teased.

Before I could blink, he pinned me to a car, gripping my arm tightly. That spot would definitely be blue by tomorrow, but no complaints—I love pain. Remember when I said he wasn't my type? Scratch that.

He looked at me with fire in his eyes. "Listen, Miss Miller. I don't care if you really know who I am or not, but people like me—if you provoke them, they can do some really bad things. So stay out of my fucking way. Understand?"

God, I was about to explode with laughter about people like him. That was so funny, but instead, I looked at him with fake hesitation before getting closer until we were nose to nose.

"You need to lose to understand the value of winning, Garcia. You win all the time, but I bet you don't feel proud of it. You don't even enjoy it, and you don't realize that."

He froze, then looked at me for a moment before speaking slowly, "Stay out of my way."

And with that, he was gone. No shit, I'm staying away. I just found my little toy, and there's no way I'm letting him slip away.