by Sophie Lark
“Watch it!” I shout.
“Sorry,” Anders grunts. He wrenches the gun out of Poe’s hand and uses it to crack him across the jaw. A tooth flies out of Poe’s mouth, landing next to Sabrina’s shoe.
“Ew,” she says.
I rip the gun out of Rat-Face’s jacket, giving him another kick in the gut to remind him to stay down. Then I examine Tall n’ Ugly.
“Sabrina,” I say, with an irritated sigh. “Did you have to go for the liver? I wasn’t planning on burying a body tonight.”
Tall n’ Ugly looks up at me, grimacing in pain.
“I’m not dead,” he pleads.
“You will be if I pull that knife out of you,” I say.
It’s buried hilt-deep in his side and it has Sabrina’s prints on it.
Sabrina looks down on him dispassionately.
“You could take him to one of the safe houses,” she says. “Or just pull it out and drop him on the side of the highway.”
“I’m not doing anything,” I tell her. “I’ve gotta wrap this party up. You and Anders take him. Go out that way,” I say to Anders, nodding my head toward the padlocked gate. “I don’t want any guests seeing him.”
“What about the other three?” Anders says, looking down at the semi-conscious groaning assholes.
“They can walk home or pay for their own damn cab.”
Tomorrow I’ll mail the Magnum to my favorite dirty cop at the Chicago PD. Not because I like snitching — I don’t.
I was willing to give Poe one last payday as long as he left Iggy alone after that. I’d always choose to make an ally over an enemy.
But Poe refused to make a deal. So he’s gotta pay the consequences.
Giving Sabrina one last glance to make sure she’s okay, I head back inside the factory. I send Beckett out to help Anders with clean up, and then I make it back up to the rooftop just in time to watch Iggy take his bow. As far as I can tell, the music was loud enough to drown out the gunfire. Or else people thought it was part of the backing track — it’s all the rage to use “found sounds” these days.
The rest of the night is blissfully peaceful. Clips of Iggy’s performance go viral on every possible platform. When his album drops at midnight, “Deathless Life” gets a hundred thousand downloads in the first hour.
Victor Kane texts me a photo of Iggy’s contract with his signature scrawled in ink across the bottom.
Iggy and I celebrate by taking a bath in the champagne fountain.
“Thank you, man,” Iggy says, toasting me with a glass he’s too drunk to notice is already empty.
“You’re the talent,” I tell him. “I just had to shine a spotlight on you.”
Iggy sets his glass down, trying to focus his bleary stare on me.
“Why don’t you come with me, man? Come to L.A.?”
“I will,” I say. “But not yet. I’ve got two more years of school.”
“What do you need a degree for?” Iggy says. “You’re already a fuckin’ genius.”
“It’s not the degree,” I say. “It’s the connections.”
As close as Iggy and I have always been, I haven’t told him what Kingmakers is really like. I can’t tell anyone who isn’t a mafioso themselves.
The island is isolated and restrictive. Each student can only bring in a single suitcase, and the list of forbidden items includes alcohol, drugs, and all electronics.
At Kingmakers I do exactly what I did in high school, but on a much grander scale: I’m a broker. I provide contraband, smuggled onto the island via a network of fisherman and locals.
I’ve been hustling since I was twelve years old, saving up every penny in pursuit of my ultimate goal.
I want to be an actual Kingmaker. The appointer of stars. Creator of music, fashion, and cinema.
I don’t want to be Justin Bieber — I want to be Scooter Braun.
I have no desire for celebrity. The real power is the man behind the curtain. The producer at the epicenter of global culture.
I want to find a hundred Iggys, and I want to drop a thousand albums. I want to produce the next Avengers franchise. And I want to control the billions of dollars of endorsements and ads attached to all of it.
There’s one crucial factor of this dream: I have to do it on my own.
I’m building my empire without a penny of my parents’ money.
I want to stand on top of the mountain without a single asterisk next to my name.
The American Dream is to be a self-made man.
And that’s why I started my bank account at zero, no trust fund, no cheats. Every dollar I earn goes into that account — every hustle, every deal. I’m at $9.8 million now, money earned by my own meticulous, ingenious, and even reckless labor.
The commission I earned off Iggy’s Virgin contract will put me almost at $10 million.
I think $12 million is the number I need to launch my empire in Los Angeles. I have it all planned out — the Malibu mansion I’ll rent, the office space I’ll lease on Wilshire Boulevard. The parties I’ll throw and the fish I’ll reel in one by one.
I can see it all perfectly in my mind.
Two more years at Kingmakers, and then I’ll join Iggy in LaLa Land.
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Who’s Your Next Book Boyfriend?
Callum – Brutal Prince
Miko – Stolen Heir
Nero – Savage Lover
Dante – Bloody Heart
Raylan – Broken Vow
Sebastian – Heavy Crown
Series Page – Brutal Birthright
★★★★★ “The heroes are Alpha males, the women are strong and fierce. Each story is set in a different location, with a unique plot and obstacles to overcome… Scorching hot! So intense and entertaining you won’t be able to put them down.”
“Underworld” is an action-packed, supremely sexy romance series, full of thieves, detectives, mafia princesses, and Bratva bad boys. Each book is a stand-alone and can be read independently. However, if you read in order, you’ll find hidden connections to make the story even more fun. There’s no cheating or cliff hangers, but there are plenty of spicy scenes, including rough sex and spanking.
Books 1–8 Boxset – Free Kindle Unlimited
Welcome to Kingmakers!
Where there is Only One Rule…
The Freshman – March 2021
Leo Gallo (son of Sebastian & Yelena)
The Rebel – May 2021
Miles Griffin (son of Callum & Aida)
The Bully – June 2021
Dean Yenin (son of Adrian Yenin)
The Spy – July 2021
*********** (son of *****)
Kingmakers Series Page
Some characters from my Underworld Series will be back as well . . .
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Amazon Bestselling Author
Sophie lives with her husband, two boys, and baby girl in the Rocky Mountain West. She writes intense, intelligent romance, with heroines who are strong and capable, and men who will do anything to capture their hearts.
She has a slight obsession with hiking, bodybuilding, and live comedy shows. Her perfect day would be taking the kids to Harry Potter World, going dancing with Mr. Lark, then relaxing with a good book and a monster bag of salt and vinegar chips.
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