by J Bree
Ms. Vivienne just smiles at me. “Becoming a teacher didn’t make me immune to the charms of the younger males. He’s only a few months away from turning eighteen and then we’ll be free to… explore the attraction we share.”
I snort at her, shaking my head at the crazy that’s spewing out of her mouth. Harley glances up at me and frowns when he sees the cougar bitch. I give him a sarcastic little wave and palm my knife. He notices and smirks at me, blowing me a kiss.
“Boys that look like him, they turn into men that won’t settle for little girls like you. He needs someone with more experience, someone who is more worldly. He’s not going to share you with his friends forever.”
Huh.
She’s just voiced my biggest fear about my guys, and yet the moment the words leave her mouth I know exactly how wrong she is. We’re damaged, we’re broken, we’re desperate, but we’re together and we’re a family.
There was no jealousy or hesitation in Harley when he found Ash in my bed, only concern for what drove him there. Blaise only gets pissy about being left out of the group… activities, never about sharing. And Ash… Ash wants me safe and happy.
This bitch wouldn’t know a fucking thing about what Harley needs, but I do.
“Keep pushing him, Ms. Turner. You’ll learn that he’s nothing like the pretty little boys you’re used to playing with and I am nothing like the girls you’ve threatened away before.”
Ms. Vivienne’s spine snaps ramrod straight and the smile on her face now has a viciously sharp edge. “I was told you’re a brilliant student, that your IQ is at genius levels, and yet you can’t identify when you’re outplayed.”
“If I’m such a genius why am I not a part of your study group? Why isn’t Ash? He’s just as smart as Harley. You’re a sexual predator and you belong behind bars. If you had any sort of intellect you’d leave Harley alone, because the path you’re on leads to a six-foot deep hole.”
She blinks at me, then turns on me with vicious intent only to falter as Blaise’s says, “There you are, Star. I’ve been summoned to rescue you from the cougar. Harley’s afraid you’ll catch the clap from sitting too close to her.”
His shadow hits me as I look up at his smirking face, every inch the spoiled rock god of my dreams in his leather jacket and ripped jeans. He winks at me playfully when he catches me giving him a lusty once-over. I might be horny, sue me.
The look on Ms. Vivienne’s face… fucking priceless.
“How dare you speak to me like that!”
I scoff at her. If I were a nice person I’d warn her of Morrison’s poison tongue but, y’know, fuck her.
“You’re a desperate, panting whore who can’t accept that you’re over the hill so you fuck teenage boys to get validation.”
She turns beet-red with outrage and I chuckle under my breath, stashing my books away. I don’t need rescuing, but it’s nice to sit back and watch Blaise destroy someone who’s not me for once.
“Yes, I know, you’re going to call my parents and go to the principal. Problem is, my parents don’t give a fuck and Trevelen is under Beaumont’s thumb so… maybe you should chase after someone else’s cock and leave Arbour’s alone. Also, if I ever see you so much as side-eye Star again I’ll personally destroy you. Are you aware that my aunt is on the school board? Shriveled old hag, but she has a soft spot for me. How badly do you need this job? I think I’ll start by taking it from you and working my way up from there.”
Blaise’s face only gets more vicious as the stunned silence drags out from the cougar and he holds a hand out to help me up. “Avery’s waiting to have dinner with us in the dining hall before her ballet class. We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
I tuck myself under his arm and don’t spare the whore a backwards glance.
My phone wakes me the next morning and I don’t recognize the number. Avery frowns over at me, unhappy at the early wake up call, and I force my tone to be even and cold.
When I hear the Coyote’s voice I straighten.
“I’m not a fan of early mornings either, Wolf, but this is an emergency. I have some information for you and a job. I’m willing to hand over a favor if you’re reluctant.”
I bite my lip. “What is the information first?”
He huffs down the phone but I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly joyful sound. “You’ve royally pissed off the Jackal and now he’s gone fucking insane. He’s hitting back at the members who took your side in the vote. He’s just popped by for a visit here but he seems to have forgotten that I live in a bunker and it could survive an atomic bomb blast.”
I groan and rub my eyes. “I apologize that my… issues are now affecting you.”
The Coyote laughs at me, still no joy to be found. “I don’t regret voting for you. He’ll have to try a bit fucking harder than this to push me into taking his side on anything. I’m just calling to let you know he’s on the fucking rampage and no one is safe.”
Avery gets up to make us both coffees and I switch the phone onto speaker so she can hear the conversation. “Right. Well, I appreciate the courtesy call. What’s the job?”
There’s a pause and then he murmurs, “You’re in love with the mobster’s kid, right? He’s worth all of this?”
Avery hands me a cup of coffee and climbs into my bed, the side Harley crawled out of hours ago to head into swim practice. “I am. If I have to go to war for him then I will.”
“The Jackal threatened my girl. I need you to get her to me and away from him before he gets his hands on her.”
I shrug. “Easy. Name and location.”
He hesitates and I cuss him out under my breath. “She knows she’s your girl, right? I’m not kidnapping some girl you’re cyberstalking, am I?”
“We’ve met.”
Fuuuuuuck. Seriously?!
I sigh loudly at him, something I wouldn’t do to any other member of the Twelve. “You want me to kidnap a girl you’ve met but aren’t in a relationship with because the Jackal somehow knows you’re into her and is threatening her. Does that about cover it?”
The Coyote laughs and says, “Yep. You in or not, kid?”
Avery cuts me a look, cold and calculating, with her phone in her palm ready to start work if I deem this a job we’re taking. There’s no way around it though, we need as many members of the Twelve on our side as we can manage.
“Sure, I’ll do it for a favor. Send her details through to me and I’ll have her to you by midnight tonight.”
The Coyote chuckles at me. “Oh, I think you can have her here a little faster than that, kid. She sleeps down the hall from you.”
Avery’s eyebrows nearly hit her hairline and I’m sure mine are close too. The Coyote is stalking a Hannaford girl? For fuck’s sake. “Who the fuck is she?”
The chuckles turn into a full fucking belly laugh. “Well, her dad’s a senator and her mom’s a news anchor so it may make some waves when she disappears.”
Avery drops her phone. I have no idea of who this girl is but by the look on Avery’s face I’ve just made a critical error. “Viola Ayres? You’re cyberstalking Senator Peter Ayres’ daughter?”
“Is that the hot girl you brought to the Lingerie Party? I never caught your name, hottie.”
Avery sneers at the phone and I cut in, “Just answer the question, is Viola the girl you’re stalking?”
“Yes and I’m not stalking her, I’m just casually keeping an eye on her from afar. I mean, I could hack her webcams and watch her sleep at night, but I don’t because I’m not a pervert. Honestly, Wolf, it’s like you don’t trust me or something.”
I don’t trust him, or any other hacker on the planet. Which reminds me; my eyes narrow down at the phone as if he can see me. “I thought you wiped my middle name from existence? I keep getting packages with the name listed.”
He scoffs. “I did. There’s no way anyone has looked you up and found out your dirty little secret. Must be someone you know.”
Fuck.
I
can’t think of anyone other than the Jackal who knows it.
Fuck.
I share a look with Avery. “I’ll have her to you by midnight. Even if I have to gag ‘er and drag ‘er, she’ll be in the bunker by midnight.”
To say that I don’t have time for Mr. Trevelen’s bullshit is putting it fucking mildly.
Avery gave me the rundown on Viola Ayres while I forced myself to eat breakfast, my stomach roiling with nerves over the potential issues, and I try to scrape together a plan for how the hell I’m going to make this work. I sent word to Illi to do the drop off for me, he was far too cheery about it for my liking, and then all I have left to do is… kidnap the girl.
Fuck.
I’m busy trying to look calm around the guys so they don’t get involved and complicate things when Trevelen pulls me out of math class. It’s our first class for the day, and the second he calls out my name my stomach drops and I share a look with Avery.
Nothing good ever comes from being pulled out of classes.
I pack my bag, my face the picture of calm and stable, while Harley glares at Trevelen like he’s seconds away from shanking him. I squeeze his arm gently, discreetly, then follow the principal down to his office.
A shiver runs down my spine as he directs me to sit. The last time I was in this room I was facing suspension and the Jackal got me out of it. I watch Trevelen attempt to pull himself into a power pose but he lacks the spine required to pull it off. I raise an eyebrow at him like a spoiled rich kid and he clears his throat.
“Miss Anderson, I’m going to get straight to the point. There have been… further accusations of unbecoming behavior against you put forward by an anonymous party. This time video evidence has been provided and the school board has made the decision to—”
The door slams open and an enraged Avery Beaumont stalks through, graceful even at her most furious. Not that you’d be able to tell from looking at her that she’s pissed, it’s more the air around her that gives it away; even the dust particles are running away from her.
My hands have a fine tremble in them, but I clench my fists and my jaw to ward them away.
“Mr. Trevelen—“
“Miss Beaumont,” he interrupts and I tense. “There is no reason for you to be here. This issue is about Miss Anderson and her status as a scholarship student. It is none of your concern, no matter how much you wish it were so.”
Fuck. Avery is going to destroy him.
Her eyes narrow and she leans forward in her chair, menacing and calm. I speak for her, just to make sure she has all the facts she needs to dig me out of this.
“Who was the anonymous source? I think I have the right to know who is trying to have me kicked out and defend myself.”
Trevelen’s eyes flash to mine and the regret that flashes there has nothing to do with me and everything to do with his own ass that is now firmly on the line.
He clears his throat again before saying, “She—the source has been granted anonymity by the school board to ensure there are no unjust repercussions. Your roommate has a… reputation for such things.”
Avery smirks at him and I settle back in the chair, content to watch her work. I bleed people out for her and she does this stupid political crap for me.
It works.
“I have far more important and pressing issues to deal with than some desperate slut because we both know this reeks of jealous little whores. I’ll have your job for this, Richard, we both know I own you. If you’re lucky, we won’t take your head with it.”
“You can’t just go around threatening people’s lives, Miss Beaumont,” He says but his forehead is covered with a thin sheen of sweat that belies the truth in his words.
Avery laughs at him, and I shiver at the sound.
Fuck, I love her.
“Oh, you’re mistaking me! It’s not a threat, it’s a fact. If you fuck with my family, you bleed. Have you not met my father, Richard? The apple doesn't fall far from that tree, I assure you.”
Trevelen is now moping his sweat up with a handkerchief, his fingers shaking. “Miss Beaumont, there is nothing I can do about it! The video has now been watched by the entire school board and the ethics committee will have my ass if I don’t act upon in. Maybe Miss Anderson should have acted with—”
“Was Miss Anderson the only student in the video? Was she acting indecently by herself? No. This is all an attempt by Ms. Turner to separate Harley and Lips because she’s a sexual predator. Are you aware she’s fucking a fifteen-year-old student, Richard? How does your ethics board feel about that? Oh, I’m sure they’re fine with it because she’s fucking them too. I don’t care what it takes, you will make this disappear. If you don’t, I’ll send my own anonymous letter out to the police and tell them exactly where you buried your first wife. Does Lucinda know the back porch she so dearly loves to sit on and enjoy is built on the unmarked grave you dug?”
Holy.
Fuck.
I did not see that coming.
Chapter Nineteen
Viola Ayres is nothing like I was expecting the daughter of a Senator to be.
She’s a senior and has a private room so when we knock at her door, she frowns and ushers us in. She’s taller than me, but that’s not hard. Her hair is streaked with purple highlights and there’s a stud in her nose so tiny you can barely see it flashing in the light. The teachers here would struggle to spot the dress code violation and I instantly like her more than any other girl I’ve come across. Well, other than Avery obviously.
The room only confirms she’s a different breed. Everything is painted black, and there’s whiteboards everywhere with physics equations and coding on them. She’s a genius.
She’s also fucking perfect for the Coyote.
“What exactly have I done to deserve a visit from the reigning Queen Bees of Hannaford?” She drawls, flicking a wrist between us.
I scoff at her. “I’m not a queen bee, that’s more Avery’s kind of thing.”
Avery giggles at me, stroking my arm lovingly. “Lips doesn’t like admitting she’s alluring and powerful. She would rather enjoy lurking in the shadows and silently slitting throats.”
Viola squints a little, glancing between us to try and spot the lie. “Right. Sure. What have I done?”
I rub the back of my neck a little sheepishly, not having thought this out much. I wasn’t planning on liking the girl. I thought she’d be some rich bitch I’d just threaten and kidnap, but Viola is… kind of cool.
“Look, there’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to lay it out there,” I start and Avery gives me a look.
“Let me, you’re not very… diplomatic. Viola, are you currently dating? Or hoping to date someone?”
She scoffs at Avery and makes her way over to the kitchen. “I’m not chasing after your boys if that’s what this is about. I don’t need to be getting involved with taken guys.”
That’s it. I love her, too. Fuck the Coyote for making me kidnap her.
Avery smirks at the look I’m giving her. “No, someone else. Someone older, perhaps?”
Viola frowns as she pulls cups out of drawers and starts to make us all coffee. Another mark in her favor. Fuck, I should induct her and keep her safe myself.
“Maybe you should just let the Mounty be blunt about it, I’m not following you at all.”
I take the coffee from her and sip. Not bad. “Do you know a guy, around twenty, who’s tall as fuck, blond hair, brown eyes, good with a computer? Like, able to hack into the US Defense Force levels of good?”
Viola’s eyebrows twitch, an easy tell to spot. “Jackson? Why do you need to know about him?”
Jackson.
I guess he kind of looks like a Jackson. I mean, it must be him. I can’t imagine there would be that many guys who look like him and can do what he does in the state. Fuck, at least I hope not.
“Are you interested in him? Crush or something?”
Viola sets her cup down on her table, wrapping he
r arms around herself defensively. “Why are you asking this? If you’re going to try and use me against him, you’re out of luck. He’s already told me he’s not interested.”
I groan without meaning too. I hate relationship drama and this reeks of it. “Look, I need to take you to go see him tonight. Something has come up, something life threatening, and you need to go see him. He’s… a friend of mine.”
Her eyes narrow at me when I pause. She hisses at me, voice scathing, “Are you fucking him too? Are the three guys crawling into your bed at all hours of the damn night not enough?”
Oh look, I found a nerve.
I raise a single hand up to stop Avery from pouncing on her, because I don’t even have to look at her to know she’s about to tear strips off of the girl. “I’m guessing you really like him and I assure you, whatever he said to you about not wanting you, he was fucking lying. I’ll let him talk his way off of your shit list. For now, can you just come with me? I just want to get you to him safely so I can crawl into my bed with whichever guy deems it’s his turn.”
I even wink at her to try to soften her up a little. Avery looks pissed but stays quiet, letting my words sink into the girl’s brain.
“Fine. He fucking owes me an explanation for this shit.”
Yes, he does.
I convince Viola to pack a bag, then we walk her down to the staff parking lot where Illi is waiting for us standing beside the most beautiful muscle car I’ve ever seen. I sneakily take a photo for Harley to drool over later.
Viola takes one look at the Butcher of the Bay and freezes, planting her feet into the gravel. “I’m not getting in that car. He looks like a thug! Are you trying to extort my father for cash or something? I could have saved you the effort, you’ve picked the wrong kid. He prefers my younger sister.”
I share a look with Avery, the quirk of her lip telling me she’s just made note of that little gem. I’m not sure what we’ll be extorting Senator Ayers for in the future but we have him if we need.
“His name is Illi and he’s just driving you over there so stop looking worried. He’s my… foster brother.” I say, winking at Illi.