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I puffed out a breath before responding. "You fucked up big, Tiff."

"I know. I'll do anything it takes to make up for it. I just kind of lost it when Noah said something happened at the center. It's not an excuse for what I did, I'm just scared for you, Tor."

"Honestly, I'm scared for me, too. Things are worse than just what happened at the center." I confessed.

"What did those pieces of shit do?" Tiffany demanded. "You know what? I don't even need to know. Whatever it is, I'll cut their balls off for it."

I barked out a laugh. "I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not them."

"What's going on, Tory. Talk to me." Tiffany's voice grew serious.

"I've been getting some creepy ass texts the last few weeks. They're from the same person who destroyed my office at the center."

"Fuck, Tory." She breathed heavily into the receiver. "Tell me everything."

I spent the next twenty or so minutes telling Tiffany about every single message I'd received from my stalker. I told her how I'd thought it was one of the guys screwing with me at first, but the more I got, the less I could see them being from them. Until the macabre gift of a heart with Tiff's image attached by a letter opener was left in my office, sealing my certainty that it was not one of the five men living in the manor with me.

"Christ, Tory. That's really fucked up. You have to tell the guys what's going on."

"No!" I shouted into my phone. "They just decided to back off and stop treating me like a child. If I tell them, it will be worse than before. They'll never let me leave the manor."

"But do you even want to leave with some sicko stalking you?" Tiffany asked. "And before you answer that, just know, I've talked to Noah. He's been to the center looking for you and I already know you haven't been going."

My shoulders slumped forward in defeat. "I want to, at some point. But even if I choose not to leave, I need to know it's my choice and not something that's been forced on me."

"If you let this creep sending you fucked up messaged scare you into it, you're still being forced, babe." She shot back. "I won't say a word about it to anyone if you don't want me to, but you can't let some fuckwad steal your power like this. What if I come over tonight and we have a sleepover like we used to do? We can figure out a plan to take back your power from that fucking creep without having to bring the guys into it?"

"That actually sounds really nice, Tiff." I smiled into the phone.

"Great. It's settled then. I have some stuff to take care of today, but I'll be over, say, around seven? I'll bring all our favorite snacks. We'll order pizza, and we can raid the liquor cabinet because you know the guys stocked that up the minute they moved into the manor. We'll drink, we'll eat, and we will plan how to turn you back into the badass bitch I know you are!"

Shortly after seven, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Rolling off my bed and laying the book I'd been reading on my nightstand, I strolled over and opened it to find Rich. He had several bags filled with junk food hanging from his arm and a case of soda in his hand. Tiffany stood just behind him, smirking. I stepped back, holding the door open for them to enter, my mouth hanging open as Rich set everything down.

"You girls have fun, yeah?" He said before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Whatever you did to that man, I'm loving it." Tiffany laughed the moment he was gone. "I really thought the Warden was going to put up a fight, but he hopped to when I told him to get our goodies out of the car."

"Things have been… different since I blew up at everyone during the dinner party." I shrugged.

"You bitch! Tell me everything!" Tiffany squealed before plopping down onto my bed.

"I sort of ran off and ended up at this little hole in the wall in Southside." I shrugged, sitting down next to her. "I don't remember much because I was knocking back vodka crans like my life depended on it, but Mags took good care of me."

Tiffany arched an eyebrow at me, and I could have sworn there was a flash of recognition when I mentioned Mags. It was gone too fast for me to be certain, though.

"Well, continue."

"I guess the guys found me there and brought me home. All I know is I woke up with the worst hangover of my life and when I went to the kitchen for coffee, we had a chat."

"We?"

"Yeah, all six of us." I replied. "But the gist is that now they don't make rules about where I can and can't go so long as I agree to listen if they tell me it's too dangerous and take one of them with me when it's not."

"Girl." Tiff said, a hint of amusement in her tone. "You must have a golden pussy the way you have those boys wrapped around your finger."

"Shut up," I laughed, playfully slapping her shoulder. "I've only slept with two of them, so this new arrangement has nothing to do with sex."

My best friend's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Bitch, I can't believe you've been holding out on me. How did I not know you've boned not one, buttwoof those deliciously bad boys? I need to knoweverythingand don't you dare skimp on the details!"