Page 71 of Paper Doll

“And not a damn thing she can do about it,” I add, already savoring the taste of our inevitable victory.

CHAPTER 31

AVA

I knewit was only a matter of time before the Kings came for me. I’m still curled up in bed, cocooned in the warmth of Raf’s borrowed hoodie when I hear a key scrape in the lock, followed by the sound of my door swinging open. Three sets of footsteps echo in practiced rhythm as they cross the room, my pulse kicking up as they draw closer. I don’t move, keeping my back to them and squeezing my eyes closed as if it’ll somehow make me invisible.

No such luck.

A throat clears loudly, the bed rattling as one of them kicks the frame.

I jolt upright, my hair a mess and mascara tracking down my cheeks. “What do you want?” I snap, whipping my head around to glare daggers at my trio of tormentors.

They’re standing in a neat row beside my bed like they rehearsed their formation, the atmosphere in the room instantly shifting as I take them in. Ford’s eyes are gleaming with mischief, a menacing smirk curving his lips. Raf’s body is coiled tight with tension, like a viper prepared to strike. And Wes… his expression is eerily unreadable, but his gray eyes burn into minewith so much intensity that the little hairs on the back of my neck prickle in warning.

They don’t immediately answer my question as to what they’re doing here. The silence hangs heavy between us as I stare the Kings down, my fingers gripping the edge of the comforter so hard they start to ache.

“We’re here to make you an offer,” Raf finally states, his voice like gravel and gunmetal, all business.

My stomach swoops, his declaration hanging between us like an omen as another heavy silence descends.

“Don’t you wanna hear it?” Ford goads, his grin stretching wider.

I glare back at him defiantly, pressing my lips into a tight line. Whatever they’re here to offer, I definitely don’t want any part of it. All I want is to be left alone.

Wes tilts his head, stepping a little closer. “Little old for the silent treatment, aren’t we?” he asks mockingly. “We expected more gratitude after Raf saved your ass today.”

Just as he was aiming to do, his remark hits a nerve. I twist around to face them fully, my eyes narrowing in anger. “Savedme?” I scoff bitterly. “He’sthe reason Chelsea came after me in the first place! Him, and you two, and that stupid tattoo…”

“I know you’re not talking shit about my art,” Ford cuts in brusquely, reaching down to snatch the comforter from my grip and toss it aside. “Keep up this ungrateful tirade and we’ll take the offer off the table, Ava baby. And trust me, it’s one you’ll want to consider.”

I sink my teeth into my lower lip to bite back my retort, my suspicious gaze sliding between the three of them as I tuck my knees up inside the oversized hoodie. “What kind of offer?” I ask, against my better judgment.

Raf glances at Ford, something silently passing between them before he returns his gaze to me. “Protection,” he replies in a clipped tone that sounds a little too much like a threat.

“Protection,” I echo, not hiding my skepticism. “From who?”

“Everyone,” Ford answers, still smirking like a devil.

“Evenyou?” I challenge.

He chuckles darkly, shaking his head. “Never from us. But for the rest of the student body, you’ll be completely off-limits, put up on a pedestal like the pretty thing you are. You’ll have most of the same perks that we do as Kings.”

I furrow my brow in confusion, mind racing as I process his words. This feels like a trap; just another one of their tricks for me to fall prey to. “And what would I have to do?” I murmur, knowing I won’t like the answer.

Wes chuckles in twisted amusement, the sound of it making me feel impossibly small.

“Glad you asked,” Ford quips, running his tongue over his upper teeth as he gives me a predatory once-over. “All you have to do in exchange is commit yourself to serving your Kings.”

I flinch back with a scowl, shaking my head.

Raf’s eyes are like dark pits as he watches me, unblinking. “You’ll be our Doll,” he states.

My heart skips a beat and I whip my head in his direction. “Yourwhat?”

“Our Doll,” Ford repeats, as if I should know what significance that title carries. “It’s a big fucking honor, Ava baby. Every girl on this campus wants to be the Kings’ Doll, but you’re the lucky one we’re offering it to.”

I wrinkle my nose, shaking my head again. “What does that evenmean?”