Caught In The Crossfires - Spinoff

64

Chapter 64

Lola

After shooting twenty very strong lemon drops between the four of us, concocting a string of revenge plans that might have been a touch overboard, and enduring the longest Uber ride of my damn life. Catalina, Elise, Sophie, and I were all adjusting our outfits now standing in the bathroom of my brother's packed as fuck nightclub. The music was thumping through the walls, and I had to admit, we were looking pretty damn fine.

Catalina's luscious brown curls cascaded down her back, wildly framing her face as she confidently sported a daring black lace number that left very little to the imagination. It was a dress I had gifted her for her birthday a few years ago, but because of Liam, and all his judgment, she never had the nerve to wear it.

Until tonight, that is.

After fixing my high ponytail, I adjusted the striking silver metallic mini-dress that artfully highlighted my petite curves. The fabric gleamed under the club's lights, giving it an almost ethereal quality. Its daring plunging neckline not only accentuated my figure but also injected a definite dose of allure, making it impossible to be ignored.

Glancing to my left, my eyes were drawn to Sophie's fiery red hair that beautifully harmonized with the vivid hues of her playful multicolored sequin dress, which inexplicably made her already long legs appear even longer. The sequins caught the light as she moved, scattering shimmering reflections around her like a trail of stardust.

Meanwhile, Elise exuded an unapologetic fierceness in a baby pink studded dress that hugged the thick contours of her curves like a second skin. Her bone-straight ebony hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of darkness, intensifying the commanding aura that surrounded her. She was undoubtedly a Luna.

"Anyone have some lip gloss?" Sophie's voice broke through the base of the song, her eyes meeting ours in the mirror.

"Gotcha covered!" Elise yelled over the music, fishing out lip gloss from her clutch.

"Fuck, I gotta pee!" I shouted and beelined it for the only empty stall.

"Hey, Lo, I'm going to go try to find Matteo. Meet you guys in VIP!" Catalina called to me from the other side of the bathroom door. Knowingly snickering under my breath, I replied with a playful tone, telling her to have fun before I heard her drunk ass strutting out of the bathroom.

No doubt to show off how fucking hot she looked tonight. I honestly hoped that my brothers would see the error of their ways.

But if not, we'd show them.

I smiled to myself as I focused on aiming my unsteady stream of pee, making sure not to hit the toilet seat—I was definitely feeling a bit more tipsy than I had anticipated. Tonight, Catalina was stepping out of her comfort zone and embracing her newfound freedom, and even though my heart ached terribly, I couldn't have been prouder of my little baby caterpillar turned butterfly.

After we finished in the bathroom, the three of us headed to the VIP section where our classmate Sebastian and his equally attractive twin brother were already waiting for us. I sat and pulled out my phone to check the time, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over me when I saw there were no new messages from Cristiano.

Tucking it into my bag, I looked up just in time to see Catalina making her way towards us. "About time bitch, did you break little ol' Matty's heart?" I teased, pouting playfully and tilting my head. Catalina shook her head in response.

"No. Our minds were in the same place, so it worked out."

"Wasn't meant to be I guess," I shrugged and playfully rolled my eyes before I sent my brothers a death glare and her gaze followed my actions as I flipped them both off. She snorted at my antics, while they each sent me a death glare of their own.

Turning my gaze back to my best friend, I shook my head. "Uh, well, you guys are boring. I know they are my brothers, but you're my sister too, and they hurt you. Which I'm not here for. If it were me, I would have fucked Matteo on that ugly-ass two-thousand-dollar chair they had you shopping around for." I laughed, but she didn't find my idea amusing in the slightest. "But anyway, enough about them. I want you to meet Sebastian, and he brought his twin brother Tristan."

"It's so nice to meet you, Catalina," Tristan greeted her as he and Sebastian both stood up from the couch. They wasted no time, taking her hand into their larger ones and pulling her into warm hugs. Biting back a smile, I couldn't help but notice how Catalina's cheeks turned a shade redder as they embraced her with their big muscular arms. With a satisfied smirk, I kinked an eyebrow and glanced back at my brothers, who were now visibly fuming.

Good. It was exactly what they deserved after blindsiding Catalina with Olivia the way she had told me they did.

They should be worried too. Tristan and Sebastian were both good guys—equally attractive. With their deep tawny skin and bright white smiles, they were almost identical, down to their matching heterochromia—each with one brown eye, one green. The only difference was that Tristan wore glasses, while Sebastian didn't. They were slightly bigger than both Nic and Alessandro, towering at six-foot-three. The twins played football for the college, so they could have any girl on campus that they wanted, but, oddly enough, we never saw them with anyone.

Tristan and Sebastian were genuinely cool guys, which is why Sophie, Elise, and I allowed them to hang out with us at school. I also had a sneaking suspicion that Sophie might have a little crush on Tristan, though she would never admit it, not after all the pain and bullshit her ex, Travis, had put her through. It was no secret that she preferred to play the field rather than risk getting hurt by anyone like that again.

They took their seats, Sebastian sitting next to Catalina, while Tristan sat beside Sophie; both on either side of me.

"So, your girl here told me that you're planning to make some guy jealous tonight?" Sebastian laughed, glancing at me with a smirk before looking back at a stunned Catalina, and I chuckled. I might have let him in on one or two of our drunken schemes during the Uber ride over.

Catalina, slightly embarrassed, closed her eyes, and she shook her head. "Well, guys, as in plural. And I don't know if it's so much about making them jealous as it is about making them realize what they lost." I nodded in agreement as she spoke. "I'm a great catch, dammit," she continued, looking up at Sebastian and nudging him in jest. Her words carried a hint of insecurity, a contrast to the confidence she was trying to project as she glanced over at my insensitive brothers, and that made me sad for her.

"Hell yeah, you are!" I shouted over the music, hoping she believed me because I genuinely meant it. Catalina smiled back at me, but it didn't quite reach her eyes as I handed everyone at the table a shot of vodka.

"Hmmm, I don't see it, " Sebastian shrugged, leaving back into the seat and I snorted.

His comment was cute, but it was hard to ignore that every woman in the club seemed to have their eyes fixed on my brothers. That only fueled my anger towards them. They could have toyed with anyone, but they chose to play with my best friend's emotions, and that was truly fucked. But I guess it was no more screwed up than what I had done to Cristiano. I was no better than them.

Snatching a bottle from the ice bucket in the middle of the table, I decided to drown my sorrows in shot after shot... after shot, attempting to forget the mess I had created for myself. I wanted to numb the pain that was throbbing deep within my aching heart.

"YAY! Tequila!" Elise shouted as a waitress with warm brown skin and a medium-length blonde curly Afro placed a bottle of tequila, along with salt, lime slices, and a few more shot glasses into the bucket on the table.

"You ladies enjoy, it's on the house," she said, her head slightly gesturing towards Nic and Enzo, who remained seated directly across from us. I couldn't help but snort with an eye roll as I turned back to my best friend, who now looked visibly irritated.

Defiantly sending a cutting glare in Nic and Enzo's direction, Catalina clenched her jaw before forcing a smile as she looked back up at the pretty waitress. "You know what, Bella? Can you please let them know that Sebastian here..." She placed her hand on his enormous forearm and gently caressed it, stroking her fingers over his tan skin and earning a knowing smirk from him. "...has taken care of it, and I don't need anything from them?"

"Sure thing, doll," Bella winked at Catalina and laughed nervously. Then she walked over to their table, and everyone in our section's eyes followed her. We couldn't hear exactly what was being said. All we knew was Bella shook her head before she waved a hand our way. Their matching irritated gazes immediately landed on my best friend, who was sitting next to me. Nic remained stoic as usual while Enzo looked downright pissed.

When I felt her starting to shrink beside me, I carefully nudged her side with my elbow, giving her the confidence she needed to stand her ground, and she squared her shoulders.

"Wow, someone's got their crown on straight," Sebastian was the first to speak up, his eyes fixed on Catalina with a wide smile, and we all turned our attention to him. "Independent woman, huh?" He leaned in a little closer, his voice dipping lower. "So, do you leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go, or am I just lucky?" The playful yet flirtatious tone in his voice made Catalina's cheeks turn a shade redder, and our small section filled with her anxious laughter.

Picking up the bottle of tequila, Catalina looked around at everyone and held it up in front of her, putting on a show. "So, are we gonna take shots or?"

"Hell, yes!" We shouted in unison. This was going to be a good night.

After a handful of shots, I turned to Sophie who was giggling at something Tristan said, and I lightly tapped her shoulder. "Hey, I gotta pee again." She placed her cup down and nodded in agreement.

"I'll come with," she said, rising from the couch. I couldn't help but notice the way the twins both quickly checked her out.

After we each used the bathroom, we found ourselves standing at the sinks. Sophie leaned over, her glossy green eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Did you see how hot the twins looked tonight?" She asked with her bottom lip caught between her teeth as a blush crept across her cheeks. "I mean, I wouldn't mind being caught right in the middle of those two."

I chuckled as I dried my hands. I knew she had a thing for them. "They're always hot, Soph."

"Oh, I know. Could you even imagine being with two brothers? Nothing serious... obviously," Sophie clarified with a grin though her thoughts were clearly wandering. "But at the same damn time... they're just so big. Think of all the possibilities."

As she spoke, my mind drifted, and I found myself nodding thoughtfully. Truth be told, I could very well imagine it because it's all I've been able to think about over the last few months.

Glancing down at my phone, I pulled up a tabloid news article from Miami Daily featuring Alessandro and Cristiano out and about in South Beach's vibrant scene. The photos showcased them in the midst of the city's glamour, surrounded by the glittering lights and the allure of the nightlife. They both looked as handsome as ever, even more so since the last time I saw them, their presence commanding attention.

My heart raced a bit faster as I scanned through all the candid images. Pressing my lips together, it made my stomach immediately churn as I stumbled over a couple of pictures taken of them out at clubs, with gorgeous women crowding them and clearly vying for their attention. The sight was like a punch to the gut, a painful reminder of the consequences of my actions.

Closing out that article, I decided to do a quick Googley Search on them, and so many things popped up including a few reports mentioning their elusive sex club, Envy, a place that had become quite the talk of the town due to its exclusivity.

Everyone wanted to be invited to the club, and I personally knew why. The allure of a world shrouded in secrecy and pleasure was hard to resist. My heart ached with the desire to just call Cristiano and tell him how much I've missed him, to beg for his forgiveness and express to him the emptiness that his absence had left inside of me. But he's made it clear through his radio silence that he wanted nothing else to do with me, and the pain of his rejection lingered like a constant ache in my chest.

"Earth to Lola," Sophie laughed, her fingers snapping in front of my face, and pulling me away from the grip of my phone.

"Huh?" I looked up at her with widened eyes as though she could hear what I was thinking.

"I said that's our damn song! Let's go!"

"Yeah... right, let's go," I nodded, tucking my phone away, though my mind remained fixated on the damn Luna brothers.

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