by J Bree
Liam O’Cronin is not the brightest man.
One of the very first lessons you’re taught as a sponsored candidate for the Twelve is that loyalty can only be given freely. Yes, you can hire someone, but there’s always the risk someone will offer them more money. You can torture and break someone, bend them to only serve you, but there are limits to what a broken person can do. Blackmailing Harley into the family would only succeed in letting a bomb tick in your organization.
Fucking dumb.
“Harley can’t go to his grandfather's house anymore.”
Avery looks up from where she’s blowing on my nails to dry them. “Oh? Is this part of your little agreement? His grandfather will kill him if he doesn’t.”
I don’t want to talk about the mess I’ve made to protect Harley. I need some time and space to figure it out before I discuss it with her. Now that I know a little more about the situation, I can make a plan. So, instead I say, “He can’t kill him. I’ve tied the old fuck’s hands for the moment. Now that I have a little more information, I’ll see what I can do about getting Harley out of there permanently.”
Avery swallows, and her eyes grow glassy. “I started to come around to the idea of being friends when you started messing with Joey. No one, has even been brave enough to take him on. When Harley showed up with his mom's necklace and told me we were done messing with you, I knew you would fit in with us.”
“I think Ash would disagree with you strongly there,” I mumble. I’m still smarting over his dismissal of me, and how easily he believed I was sleeping with Joey.
“Ash will get over his issues. He’s angry with himself more than anything. He thinks he’s responsible for taking care of me, and he’s pissed that he failed.”
I cock my head at her. “Are you pissed?”
She shakes her head with a little frown. “I’m only upset that he doesn’t trust my judgment of you. He’s hell-bent on you being in league with Joey, and it’s clouding his decisions.”
I don’t think he’s upset. I think he’s decided I’m evil, and I’m going to spend the rest of my time at Hannaford fielding both of Avery’s brothers and their desires to get rid of me. At least Ash doesn’t want to kill me. I groan, and Avery smiles ruefully.
I shake my head to clear it. “Back to Harley, I’ll pay for a hotel for him for the entire summer break. He’s my responsibility.”
She raises her eyebrows at me with the shadow of a smile on her face. “The bill for the hotel he stays at comes in at seventy thousand dollars if he stays for the entire break. Then I give him a credit card with a fifty-thousand-dollar limit, and he uses that to cover food and boy stuff. He usually uses about ten grand of it. Do you have a spare eighty grand lying around to fund his summer holiday?”
“Fucking rich people. Who spends seventy thousand dollars on a hotel?!” I sputter.
Avery throws herself back on the bed and laughs so hard, tears stream down her face. I’m laughing too, but it’s more of an angry sound. “I’d pay ten times that if he’d let me pick where he stays. The hotel is on the coast, right on a cliff, so he can be moody and watch the waves and mope. That’s all these boys are good for, really.”
I groan and grab my phone. This is my mess; I need to be the one to clean it up. “Does he have a bank account? Give me the details, and I’ll transfer the cash across. I’ll do eighty-five so he has a buffer. Fucking boys.”
Avery’s head snaps around so she’s scowling at me. “You have money? You have enough money to pay for that?”
I let a smug little grin creep onto my face. “I do. I’m going to be working over summer break, so I’ll just take an extra job to cover his break.”
“Take an extra—what the hell is happening right now?”
Chapter Thirty
I call a taxi to pick me up from Hannaford by 8 a.m. the next morning.
I'm the only student who doesn't have a car of their own or parents who send a chauffeur to collect them, but it's not at all surprising to me. What is surprising is that Avery helps to carry my pathetically small amount of belongings down to the school entrance. I carry the bag with the safe tucked in it.
We had spent two hours in her room last night getting to know each other. The switch from bully to best friend had flipped so suddenly and completely that I felt like I had whiplash. She is actually really funny, and smart, too. Before I went to my own room for bed, she had put her number in my phone and made sure I could text her.
Now, standing together by the gate, we laugh about the shocked looks from the other students. “They should know by now that I do what I say I will. You should find next year much easier to tolerate.”
I laugh, and she grins at me.
“Avery.” Ash steps up beside us, and I flinch. I can't hear his voice without thinking of how he wanted to destroy my life. Avery stiffens, and then turns to him with sharp eyes.
“Please stop ignoring me. Whatever happened, I can help you fix it.”
She laughs, and it sounds like the one she had always used with me; cruel and lacking in humor. “Lips fixed it and wanted nothing in return, so don't concern yourself.”
“Floss—”
“Don't you dare.”
She had told me last night about how much she loved Ash and how she had spent years fixing his entire life. She wouldn't be angry at him forever, but it would be a while before she got over him ignoring her call.
“I beat him for you. I'll fucking kill him, if that's what it takes to get you to stop looking at me like that.”
My taxi rolls in. She shakes her head at Ash and walks up to drop my bags in the trunk. I move to follow her, and his hand shoots out to grab me.
“Whatever you've done to get her on your side, I will fucking end you for it. You think my brother is bad? You have no idea what I will do to you next year.”
“Why don't you want her to have friends?”
The glare he leveled at me was so dark, a shiver ran up my spine.
“She can have friends, just not Mounty trash,” he sneers at me, his eyes icy blue.
And in that moment, I don't care if I am signing up for another year of hell. I give him my own dark glare.
“Fuck you.” I pull my arm out of his grip, and I give Avery a quick hug before I drop into the taxi. Ash glares at me as Avery waves cheerfully, and then the taxi takes off down the driveway and out of the huge, ornate school gates. My grin is plastered to my face. I survived Hannaford, and I made a friend.
The ride back to Mounts Bay is over an hour, and I enjoy watching the scenery as it changes from the lush, sprawling, reticulated green to the urban coastal wasteland. It feels like coming home. I’m going back to where I belong, and where I’m running from, even if I do feel nostalgic looking at it all.
I’m lost in thought when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Club party next week. Be there.
I roll my eyes, as the taxi stops outside the dingy apartment I rented for summer break. It's an absolute hole, but it was cheap and wouldn’t be too much of a drain on my dwindling stash of cash. Originally, I’d planned to rent a tiny townhouse in a gated community that cost four times what this place does, but now that I have a pampered rich guy I have to fund, I am on a budget. I didn’t tell Avery, but part of why I have to pay for Harley is to make my protection legitimate. If Matteo starts to look into his life and his financials, and he sees Harley being supported by someone else, he will kill him and tell me he was a snitch. I am just going to have to go to the Club party next week, like Matteo wants me to, and pick up some extra jobs.
My phone pings again. I smile down at Avery’s text.
Ash is a nightmare, Harley is pouting, and Blaise is pleading with me to seek therapy. I’m going to enjoy taking these boys down a notch or two. I’ll text you tomorrow x
I went against my better judgment to trust this girl, but I do not regret it.
And I can't wait for school to start back.
Chapter Thirty-One
EXTRA SNIPPET FROM JUST DROP OUT
Ash
“I’ve signed you up for tutoring.”
I don’t look up from my plate. “And why would you do that?”
Avery fusses with her plate, just little things that no one else would notice but I know she’s feeling out of control, that something has happened.
“Tell me what it is and I’ll fix it.”
She sighs. “The Mounty’s background check came up with nothing so I don’t have anything to use against her. I went through the scholarship records and every last student has dropped out for either failing to keep up with the curriculum, being caught with drugs, or lewd behavior.”
I put my fork down and raise an eyebrow at her until she huffs. “She’s smarter than Harley. She’s not going to be left behind and she’s practically a monk. She barely leaves her room.”
I smirk at her. “You want me to fuck the Mounty to get her out? I distinctly remember you telling me to take up celibacy this year to lighten your workload.”
The smile she gives me is sweet and full of sharp teeth. “I’m not asking you to have sex with trash, I’m asking you to get more information from her, like who she is having sex with. No Mounty goes without for this long and I need some evidence. She’s caught Joey’s eye, Ash. If he gets involved… no, we need her out. Get some dirt on her without getting your dick out. Please.”
The please is through gritted teeth and I think about saying no, I have no interest in spending time with some slut from the slums, but the cleanup if Joey does take an interest and kills her… I don’t want that for Avery this year. My knuckles are still a mess from beating one of his pathetic little flunkies last night at fight club and I’m surprised Avery hasn’t bitched me out for it yet.
Maybe the gossiping bitches here have kept their mouths shut for once.
“Fine. I’ll go pretend I’m dense and get her out for you.”
My phone pings and I roll my eyes at Annabelle’s name. She’s getting fucking desperate and I have no interest in her brand of easy today.
“Stop being distracted by that slut. Your tutoring is during your study period. So… it starts in ten minutes. You can skip the first one if-”
“Why would I skip it? This is nothing, Floss. Give me a week, maybe two, and she’ll be out.”
I arrive at the library before the Mounty and sit at the table assigned. Pretending to need help is less than ideal but better me than Morrison.
He’d probably fall in love with her.
He has terrible taste, always wanting things he can’t have, and I’m not sure there’s much that would piss his father off more than him bringing home some gold-digging Mounty.
I know she’s arrived without looking up because the whispers precede her. The little stories and gossip that must be chipping away at her self-esteem and will to live, I’m oddly impressed she lasted the week.
“She’s fucking Trevelen, that’s how she got in.”
“He hand picked her. She must really know how to suck dick.”
“They teach a class on it at Mounts Bay High, I heard she was the top of the class.”
“Fuck maybe I should try her out then, just to say I know what an expert feels like.”
“The whore would love it and beg for more.”
Her steps don’t falter. She has more backbone than half the girls here, but that doesn’t mean she should stay. Getting her out is a kindness really.
I glance up and find her staring at me, the big blue eyes of hers striking. That pisses me off.
“Oh, goody, I get to spend three hours a week with trash.”
After ignoring far worse insults, she looks at me like she’s taken a hit. Interesting.
“If you want the help with your assignments, then yeah, you’re stuck with the trash.” She says through her gritted teeth.
I grin. This will be far more fun than I originally thought. She pulls out her books and pens, all of them brand new but already they look worn, like she’s spent months using them and obsessing over her lessons. Her workbook is entirely filled in, it’s not even due until after winter break. I know this because Harley has been a fucking nightmare over all of the classes he’s been taking.
I decide to see just how far I can push the Mounty, to see just how much my words hurt her.
She doesn’t disappoint.
“Can you just shut the fuck up and tell me what you need help with?” She hisses, and when I smirk back at her she gives me a look that promises she’d slit my throat if given the chance. It’s kind of cute on such a petite little thing like her. There’s no way she could ever get that close to me but choose not to say that to her, instead I slide my homework over to her and get to work.
She sees through me instantly. Too quickly for my liking.
“Can you at least do a better job of pretending to try? If you’re not going to take this seriously, I’ll use the time to study instead.”
I stare her down, relishing in her obvious discomfort as she takes me in. I almost think I’ve broken her, forced her into ducking her head and giving in like every other girl here, but then she snaps back at me.
Interesting.
By the time Avery comes to find me and bitch me out, I’m ready to put on a show for the gossiping little bitches all watching us fight like we’re the best damn thing they’ve ever seen. I ignore them, choosing not to put them in their place because it will only help the Mounty and I’m discovering I like her on edge.
I enjoy the fire in her, all the more fun to destroy.
It must show on my face, because when I escort Avery out of the library she gives me her sternest, most scathing look.
“If you fuck the Mounty I will murder you in your sleep, Ash.” She hisses, and I grin.
Maybe I will.
But I’ll see how far I can push her first.
Make Your Move
Prologue
Alexander
My arm is sore.
My fingers have pins and needles shooting down them and my shoulder aches where the sling digs into my skin. Mommy is packing a bag in my room and I don’t know where we’re going. She’s crying. She does that a lot but this time her face isn’t sad, she looks angry even with tears streaming down her face. My sister is holding a little bag under her arm and she’s already wearing a coat and polished shoes. Her eyes are wide but she isn’t crying.
We don’t cry anymore.
“Listen, Ash, we need to go. Leon is getting the car and bringing it around. Is there anything you need me to pack? I have your blanket,” Mommy says and she’s whispering like it’s a secret. It doesn’t make any sense to me but I shake my head anyway. She never calls me Ash while we’re in the manor. Father hates it, the last time he heard her call me Ash he slapped her. I’m scared he’s heard her say it now and he’s going to hit her again. My good hand shakes.
“We’ve got to leave now. Ash, Floss hold Mommy’s hands.”
Mommy tugs us both out of my room and down the hall. When we get to the stairs she looks around and then quietly opens the hidden door behind the big ugly painting. I bite my lip and look at Floss. She’s so white that she looks sick. Her eyes are round and frightened.
We are never allowed to use the servants’ stairs.
Once the door is firmly but quietly shut behind us Mommy pulls us both down the stairs, much faster than we were moving before. She’s sobbing, even her lips clamped shut can’t hold them in.
I'm scared. Mommy doesn't cry like that, even when Father hits her or calls her terrible things, she never ever makes noises like that.
We make it to the kitchen. I've never stepped foot in the kitchen before, our meals are all served to us at the table in the formal dining room. I don't even know where in the manor the kitchen is. Mommy pulls us through the room, the staff all avert their eyes and ignore us, and we get to the side door when I hear his voice.
“Where are you going, Mommy?”
I hear those words over and over again, long after my mot
her has been buried.
Chapter One
Joey is missing.
The air around me throbs as I’m jostled by the mass of bodies writhing to the shitty electronica music. I stare down at my phone for a second and then I look over to the bar where Joseph Beaumont Jr. is standing, doing lines of cocaine off of the dirty barrels that are a makeshift bar. He’s here alone. He paid a lower level Club member a whole wad of hundred dollar bills to get in and now he’s in my fucking town, getting high and groping unimpressed Mounty girls. Strobe lights dance along the warehouse walls and there must be five hundred people dancing and sweating and getting high in here right now.
It’s the last day of summer break. Well, it’s 3am so in four short hours I’m getting into an Uber and heading back to Hannaford. I’m just waiting on the Vulture to arrive to make the pickup of the package I’ve got for him and then I’m getting out of here. I picked up eight jobs over the summer break and now I’m flush with cash. Okay, not flush but I’ve got Harley’s tuition paid through to graduation and most of his housing costs covered. Better yet, I have a plan to get him out of my checkbook and paying for his own shit.
I’m so tired and ready for the break to be over. Too tired to be dealing with Joey’s bullshit. I text Avery the address of the warehouse the party is being held.
He’s here. I’ve got eyes on him. Are you close by?
I flag down two of the Jackal’s bigger henchmen and push through the crowd towards the bar. Joey doesn’t notice me. He’s too far gone to notice anything other than his high. I point him out and then watch as one of them knock him out with a sharp punch to the face. No one around him flinches. Club parties always have someone disappearing with no witnesses. So many eyes refusing to see a damn thing.
Ten minutes ETA. Blaise is driving and the other two are pissed about the location.