by L. J. Woods
L.J. Woods
PAWN (Elite Royal Academy #3)
A Dark High School Bully Romance
Copyright © 2021 by L.J. Woods
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
First edition
Editing by J.R. Hunt
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Contents
Elite Royal Academy
Synopsis
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Epilogue
What’s Next?
Bonus Chapters
About the Author
Also by L.J. Woods
Elite Royal Academy
The international bestselling debut series.
King (Elite Royal Academy Book One)
Knight (Elite Royal Academy Book One)
Pawn (Elite Royal Academy Book One)
Synopsis
Bully to lovers? Yeah, that doesn’t end well. This doesn’t either. Falling in love with a rich prick will be the death of me. Literally.
Jo
Obsessive? Check.
Possessive? Most definitely.
That’s Damien King in a nutshell.
This small town isn’t the only thing he rules, he has my body and mind with that sinful smirk.
That deadly gaze.
And I let him ruin me. I let him break me.
I let my biggest enemy become my biggest addiction, and now?
I’m in for one hell of a crash.
Damien
Call me a bully, monster or psychopath - I couldn’t care less.
Jo Rowland is mine and mine only.
You know, the poor pretty girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
The girl with an attitude that makes my blood boil.
The girl that can save me.
My girl.
If one night is all we have, I’m owning this.
No more secrets. No more lies.
Ready or not, Medusa, it’s me and you.
’Til death.
* * *
“I love him not for the way he silenced my demons, but for the way his demons dance with mine.”
- Harleen Quinzel
One
Jo
“Damien!”
I’ve been yelling his name so long it comes out raspy and hoarse.
Needy.
My world closes in, the motel room feeling smaller by the second.
iPhone shaking in my hand, it’s hard to steady my finger to tap my sister’s name for the gazillionth time.“C’mon, c’mon …”
Nothing. Like every time before, it doesn’t even ring.
“Fuck!” My fist slams into the sticky wood of the motel dresser harder than I meant. Chewing on my lip, pain vibrates up my skinny arms and through my body as I pace across the floor. My Docs thud against the vomit green carpet with my heartbeat booming in my ears, the dingy motel room a dark blur.
I love you.
Tears blur my vision as my knees hit the floor, landing right beside the polaroid. That polaroid. Looking at it, my dad wears the same black leather jacket on my shoulders. My throat drier than any hangover, it damn near hurts to swallow.
What the fuck does this all mean?
My hands catch my face when my head falls, elbows on my tattered jeans, curls falling around me. Damien’s words replay in my head, the vocals to the instrumental of my sister’s gut-wrenching sniffles.
It’s Marion.
It’s hard to get the strain and desperation in his voice out of my mind enough to focus on what to do next. I’m feeling the same. Distraught and defeated.
Is this all King’s world will ever be? Tears, pain, and death?
It’s hard to breathe thinking about what Damien’s conniving aunt is capable of. If I’ve learned anything in Eden, the Kings mean business.
“Get it together, Jo.” My voice shakes when I say it but I have to.
I’m a mess but I need to figure this shit out before there’s more blood on my hands. On his hands. On our hands. Reaching for the phone again, it’s time to pull up my big girl panties and make a plan. Allie doesn’t answer the first few times I call, not that I expect her to, but I’m not giving up. Trying to steady my fingers, I text her instead.
Jo: SOS! Plz pick up!
She has every reason to be mad at me for outing her and Lea, but I need her. After taking another second, I tap her name again. Please pick up. This is beyond high school drama and antics. My sister’s life is at stake. Damien’s life is at stake.
“What the fuck?” Allie snips when she answers.
“A-Allie!” My voice quivers when I say her name, trying to push the words out. “I n-need help.” The glob in my throat rises and warm tears force from my ducts. It’s hard to get my shit together, already sounding a snotty mess, my chest tight as I press the phone to my ear.
“Woah, Jo?” Her tone softens, voice becoming clearer. It’s quiet in the background making me believe she’s alone. “Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I-I’m,” I stammer. Great, now that I have her on the phone I can hardly speak. “W-we were—”
“Okay, okay,” she says, her voice soft. “Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on. I’ll count while you breathe. Ready? My mom does this when she’s stressed.”
So did mine. My body starts to still with another few deep breaths, the sound of her voice making me feel less alone. Pushing the words out, I try again, “Marion has Damien and Willow.”
“Damien’s aunt?” She doesn’t sound as scared as I do. She didn’t hear the stress in his voice. The finality. The defeat. “Why?”
Doing my best to explain, it all comes out in one breath. “Willow went missing and Damien went to get her but he didn’t come back and now they’re in trouble and he called and said ‘it’s Marion’ and said he loves me and I don’t know what the fuck to do!” The silence is deafening when I catch my breath but I know Allie’s taking a moment to digest what I’m saying. “They’re in trouble, Allie.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“I don’t know! He says he’s fucked and I don’t what the fuck that’s supposed to mean!” Tears stream down my cheeks. “I can’t lose them! Nothing can happen to them! Nothing!”
Fuck, and now I’m sobbing, my words a blubbering mess.
“Okay, okay. Did you call the cops?”
“No!” My head hangs, frizzy curls sticking to my wet face as detectives Branson and Hansen come to mind. “I can’t. They’re already out for me. What if they think I have something to do with this? What if I end up back in jail? In juvie? I’m eighteen in a few months, I’ll get shipped off to the pen. You can’t tell them!”
“Okay! Shit. Where are you?” Allie’s voice muffles before the
sound of dangling keys. “I’m coming and we’ll figure this out, okay?” She mutters something in Spanish, shuffling in the background. “God, Jo. What did you get yourself into this time?”
I’m wondering the same thing. Allie knows it’s been nothing but trouble since my boots entered Eden but I didn’t expect this.
After I thank her and send her my location, it’s hard to relax, the disappointment of her voice still loud in my ear. Deathly trouble follows me, and it all started with Damien King.
He’s the first person I met when I set foot in that town and it’s been hellfire ever since.
Hellfire and heavenly bliss.
Would I be in this mess if it wasn’t for him?
Would his dad still be alive if it wasn’t for me?
Are we as I thought? A lighter near a broken valve? A disaster waiting to happen?
No matter, I can’t let Willow succumb to whatever fucked up plan Marion has. My stomach twists when the room shifts. Damien’s pain-filled voice sounds like it’s ringing through the room.
We’re fucked, Jo!
Not if I have something to do about it. As much as I want to shove my boot through Damien’s chest for getting me into whatever this is, this is what we do. We save each other. He saved me from a maniac of an ex-boyfriend, and the tight clutches of abusive foster parents. He saved me when I was on that ledge and now it’s my turn to return the favour. Again.
Once in the bathroom, flickering light above, making myself look less of a traumatized mess isn’t easy. My nose is redder than Rudolph’s, eyes matching. Even after living in Eden for months, I don’t look any better than when I left The Grove. My clothes fall off my frame, cheeks looking gaunt.
The phone vibrates from the dresser and I rush back over, Allie texting that she’s close. I’m quick to gather our shit from around the room. His wallet, that photo, Willow’s scarf. Where’s a minibar when I need one? Lights shine through the flimsy yellowed curtains, followed by two sharp horns. A text from Allie confirms she’s here.
With one last look around the room, my hand on the door, I’m remembering what I do when my back’s against the wall. When the people I love are in danger. When my life is at risk.
I fight.
The cold night air hits my face like a whip as I make my way to Allie’s car. Winter air cuts into my leather jacket, tattered jeans, and Docs, but the only warmth I crave is his.
“I guess we’re about to find out,” Allie says when I open the door, her finger on the touchscreen in the console. She isn’t the only one in the car and all wide eyes are on me. Two pairs of browns and a pair of striking emerald greens.
Christian and Isaac sit in the backseat of Allie’s Mercedes truck and they look like they’re waiting for answers. Climbing into the front with a deep breath, the smell of vanilla, wood and leather envelopes me
“Didn’t expect the whole crew,” I say, closing the door. “Guess I can use all the help I can get.”
“Hey, Jo.” Isaac sounds apprehensive like I’ve lost my mind. I haven’t, have I? If not, I’m pretty close. He pulls himself forward with his hands on the headrests. “First question, baby. Why are you in a place that looks like the set of a horror movie? On second thought …” His voice trails, peering out the window. “Everything on this side of the tracks looks like a horror movie.”
“That’s because I’m in one,” I respond, meeting his dark gaze, thick eyebrow to his glossy coils. He’s in a bright yellow sweater and a blue blazer that offsets this harrowing occasion.
“That’s what you ask her?” Christian sounds annoyed when he pipes up. Isaac’s wide body shifts to the side when Christian’s elbow lands in his ribs. Christian squeezes next to Isaac so they’re both sandwiched between our seats. His brown strands lay shaggy on his head, a rumpled ERA sweater and jeans telling me he didn’t expect to be here either. “What’s going on, Jo?”
“Yeah, Jo. What happened?” Allie looks around the empty lot before her eyes stop on a guy in a big puffy jacket. “And why do people here keep eyeing my car?”
“Because a car for them is like a Civic.” With my back against the window, my head falls on the seat. “Not a Benz.”
“Okay, sassy-pants,” Allie says, fingers curled around her steering wheel. “Do you want our help or not?”
“What do you mean ‘want our help’?” Christian nudges her head with two fingers on her purple beanie hiding most of her dark wavy hair. Her hat matches her cat-eye frames, a crisp black sweater and jeans going with it. She whips her brother with the yellow scarf around her neck and he pulls it from her. “We’re not gonna leave King and Willow out there.”
“Yeah, and what’s this about Marion?” Isaac asks, his suave drawl replaced with inquisition and panic.
“She has Willow and Damien,” I explain again.
“How do you know?” he asks, eyes narrowing. “I thought she got sent back to France after what you guys did.”
“Hey don’t peg me as the mastermind in that,” I protest. “I was not behind his actions.”
“Still you always seem to find yourself in the middle of the drama,” Allie mumbles. She leaves her vehicle running while she glances my way. Her shoulders fall when my head drops. “Sorry. Okay, tell us what happened.”
Holding back tears, I dive into the saga of the last few hours, Allie’s words stinging like a new tattoo. They’re all speechless as I tell them about Damien’s call, and what it might mean.
“You think Marion would kill for money?” Christian asks, his face scrunched. “I thought Jo was the one dating the psychopath.”
Isaac pushes him and Christian pushes back.
“Well, she did have a wild side to her,” Isaac says, thumb coming to his chin. “Almost sadistic. It was sexy as hell.” He bites his lower lip, eyes drifting like he’s reminiscing of being balls deep in Damien’s aunt.
“Runs in the family,” I mutter.
“I didn’t think she’d go this far.” Isaac falls back in his seat like it’s all hitting him. He mutters, “What the fuck is she doing?”
“You think she was looking for you when she picked up Willow?” Allie asks.
“I dunno.” I shrug, my mind already on its way. What would’ve happened if she got to me? The tension in my jaw returns, hands in fists when my mind drifts to what Willow could be going through. What Damien could be going through. Pushing words through gritted teeth, I sit up in my seat. “I gotta find them.”
“I’m ready to get out of here,” Allie looks around again. “But how do we find them?”
My head whips to Isaac, so do the twins.
“Really?” he asks, eyebrows raised as his brown eyes flick between us. “You want me to call her?” He pieces it together, a private school education paying off.
“Fine,” he sighs, reaching into his blazer pocket to pull out his phone.
“You think she’ll answer?” Christian asks, Isaac already tapping at his phone.
“Only one way to find out,” Allie says, Isaac bringing the phone to his ear.
There are only a couple of seconds of silence before …
“Marion?” Isaac sounds surprised, his voice high before he clears his throat. “Hey, baby. Listen, I know things have been rough but if you’re still here, in Eden, I really need to see you.” My jaw clenches, the sound of her French accent making me want to snatch the phone and tell her she can burn in hell for what she’s doing. “I know, I know. King’s a royal dick but that doesn’t mean we have to let him tell us what to do.”
Christian looks like he wants to laugh, hearing Isaac pull his moves but I can’t tell if it’s working.
“I can?” His eyebrows rise, so does his voice. “At King’s? Is he there?”
My breath stops in my throat, the truck in complete silence except for Isaac and Marion’s conversation. And the sound of my thundering heart.
“Nah I won’t tell anyone,” he says. “I swear” He closes his eyes, his leg shaking as he speaks. “Okay. See you soon, m
on amour.” Isaac takes a second after he hangs up, his Adam’s apple bobbing like he’s taking a big gulp. We all wait for him to take a breath before he speaks. “She’s at King’s.”
“Can’t believe that’s all it took,” Christian says with a blink.
“What can I say?” Isaac winks before he gives a nervous chuckle. “Ladies love me.”
“This is all so messed up, but I’m relieved to get the fuck out of here.” Allie puts the truck in reverse. She glances at me as she makes her way out of the lot. “You sure you don’t want to call the cops?”
“The cops?” Isaac asks, pulling up between us. “Wait, we don’t even know if it’s serious.”
I reassure him, “I can do this on my own.”
“What? No,” Christian speaks up. “Who knows what you’re up against?”
“Christian’s right,” Allie nods, eyes on the road. “As much as I wanna bail, you’re not going there alone. We’re doing this together.”
Looking around at them, they all look as determined as I am. Well, all except Isaac. He looks like he’s about to hurl but I’m with him on that one too. Still, the heaviness in my chest feels lighter. “Okay,” I nod with a weak smile. “I owe you guys.”
Allie gives me a small smile in return, one I thought I’d never see again. “You bet your ass you do.”
Two
Damien
I’m a prisoner in my own home.
A lock of dark hair hangs in front of my face, my vision blurred from a stinging eye.
“Fuck,” I mutter, head hanging over my knees.
Metal digs into my skin, hands cuffed behind me. There’s no whiskey in my system to fight the pain from the sucker punches to my body still making me groan. No pills in my system to soothe the torturous gut-wrench when I think about never seeing her again.
“D-Damien,” Willow whispers my name through her sniffles. She hasn’t stopped since I found her. “Damien?”