Kissing Killian: Face-Off Legacy #5

by Quinn, Jillian

  “Jamie’s in love,” Drake chimes.

  “Fuck off,” Jamie says to Drake, his nostrils flared. “You guys don’t get what I’m saying anyway, so there’s no point in explaining myself.” He glances at me for a split second because he knows I understand, even though I don’t want to get into it with the guys.

  Saved by the bell, my cell phone buzzes in my pocket. I sigh when I read the text from my younger brother, Finn. He missed his bus, and he can’t get a hold of my mom to pick him up from school. No surprise there. She’s probably passed out on the couch in a pill-induced coma.

  Sliding off the bench, I tell my teammates I’ll see them later at the house and walk toward the exit of the cafeteria, typing a quick reply to let Finn know I’m on my way. I have to walk across campus first to get my car, so it will be a while before I can navigate the city at this hour to get to him.

  On my way out of the cafeteria, I run into Jade. She’s with her sorority sisters, Shannon and Jordan, leaning against the wall by the game room. I raise my hand in the air, and her eyes illuminate when she sees me. She whispers something to her friends and then comes running over to my side.

  “Hey,” she coos. “I didn’t think we were meeting until later.”

  “We’re not, but if you want to come with me, you can.”

  She presses her lips together, smudging her pink gloss. “Another race? You know last weekend was so much fun. I’ve been dying to do it again.”

  I hold the door open for her and wink. “We’ll do everything we did last weekend again. But right now, I have to pick up my brother from school if you want to come with me.”

  Her hand covers her heart. “You want me to meet your brother?”

  “Yeah. You’re my girl. At some point, the two of you will meet. Why not today?” I hook my arm around her back and steer her past a group of students blowing around us on the crowded street. “Finn is a lot easier to win over than Chase and Rome. He’ll love you. So don’t worry about making a good impression.”

  I can tell by the worried look on her face that she’s afraid to meet another person who might not like her. It’s not that my friends don’t like her because they do, it’s that she scares them. She knows too much about our operation, and that loose end is what produces fear in all of them.

  Only time will show them she can be trusted. So far, none of us have had any reason to doubt her. But Chase, most of all, is concerned that one wrong move on my part will land all of us in prison, especially given her father’s connections.

  “I’m meeting everyone who’s important to you,” she says, threading her fingers between mine. “I guess you should meet my friends and family, too.”

  “I know your friends.”

  She snorts. “No, you don’t.”

  “I talk to Shannon in class, and I’ve talked to Jordan a few times.”

  “Not as my boyfriend,” she says.

  “Why don’t you bring them with you to my game on Saturday?”

  She smiles up at me. “Okay. Yeah. I can ask them. I’m not sure if Shannon will want to come, though. She’s pretty pissed at Jamie for what The Queen found out about him.”

  “He didn’t kiss Cece. She did it to get him in trouble. She’s a bitch from his past who only wants to break him and Shannon up, and it looks like she’s succeeded.”

  “Oh,” she whispers. “I had no idea. I thought he was a player like the rest of his friends when I saw the pics on Dethroned.”

  “Nope. Jamie is the least douchey of all of my teammates. He’s a one-woman type of guy.”

  “And what are you?”

  I roll my shoulders. “I don’t know. Never gave it much thought. I never really dated anyone seriously because I was afraid of letting someone into my life.”

  “So, you’d just have sex with girls and then push them away?”

  My silence as I open the car door for her gives her the answer she didn’t want to hear. I help her into the seat and pull the seatbelt over her big tits, grabbing one of them in the process as I slide the buckle into place.

  “Have you been with a lot of girls?”

  “Enough,” I say. “Can we not talk about other girls? None of them were even memorable. You’re the only one I want.”

  And that makes her smile.

  I give her a quick kiss on the lips and then run around to my side of the car. Seconds later, we’re driving down Broad Street headed in the direction of Finn’s high school.

  “How old is Finn?” Jade asks when I pull into the parking lot at the school.

  Typing out a text to Finn to tell him I’m here, I say, “Fourteen. He’s a typical horny teenager. I’m sure he’ll hit on you. So, be prepared.”

  She tilts her head back and laughs. “Oh, great. Now I’ll have two Kades hitting on me.”

  “He’s harmless,” I promise. “But he’s going through that stage where he thinks every woman on earth is hot. All boys go through that.”

  “Even you?” She smirks.

  “Even me. My dick was hard all the time when I was his age. It was horrible. Everything turned me on.”

  She chuckles. “It’s not like that for girls. At least, it wasn’t for me. I thought boys were cute, but I was too afraid to date anyone.”

  “Why am I not surprised? You were afraid of your shadow when we met. I’m still surprised how much you’ve adapted to my lifestyle.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You were so uptight when we met.”

  “Because you stole my car,” she snaps.

  “Hey,” I say, pressing my finger to her lips. “Enough of that. Finn’s behind you. He doesn’t know.”

  She glances over her shoulder, surprise scrolling across her face as she looks at my brother through the window. “Oh my God. He looks like your younger twin.”

  “Don’t tell him that. Then, he’ll think he has a shot with you.”

  “He might,” she says, laughing. “If you don’t stop being a pain in my ass.”

  Finn tugs open the door, staring down at Jade. His eyes flicker over her mouth for a second and then travel down to her breasts and thighs. “Who are you?”

  “Jade,” she replies, getting out of the car to allow Finn to hop into the back seat.

  Finn moves the front seat forward, his lanky body barely fitting in the back.

  “You can sit up front,” Jade says, seeing how uncomfortable Finn looks. His long legs are curled up to his chest, his backpack on the seat next to him.

  “How about you sit next to me?” he offers with the same smirk I give Jade. We really do look a lot alike. The similarities are obvious. Finn pats the seat next to him. “There’s plenty of room, Jade.”

  “Keep it in your pants,” I tell him.

  He laughs, and so does Jade. She doesn’t seem the least bit phased by Finn hitting on her. Pretty girls like her are used to it. But Jade isn’t like every other pretty rich girl on campus. That’s why I like her so much. We’re opposites, and in this case, we attract on levels I never have with another woman.

  “I’m hungry,” Finn growls. “Can we stop at McDonalds?”

  “Isn’t there food at home?”

  He shakes his head.

  Annoyed he didn’t tell me sooner, I clutch the wheel and let out a deep breath. “No, to stopping at McDonald’s,” I say, and he whines. “But we can stop at the grocery store.”

  “I want nachos,” he says.

  “Fine. Whatever you want just stop bothering Jade and be quiet back there.”

  He folds his arms across his chest and smirks. “Why? You afraid she might prefer me over you?”

  “Oh my God,” Jade says under her breath, sliding her seatbelt back on. She turns to look over her shoulder at Finn. “You don’t have a shot. Sorry, kid.”

  My laughter fills the car as I drive out of the parking lot of Finn’s high school.

  After we stop at the grocery store, I park in front of my mother’s house in South Philly. With our hands full of ba
gs, the three of us walk up the front steps of the rowhouse. Anxious about what I might find on the other side of the door, I turn the key in the lock and push the door open. Who knows what condition my mother’s in. She could be dancing in the kitchen baking cookies or passed out on the couch high on pills. It all depends on her mood that day.

  “How was Mom this morning?” I ask Finn before we enter the house.

  He shrugs, his backpack sliding off his shoulder. “Okay, I guess. You know, the usual.”

  Even though he’s in high school now, I know this situation with our mom can’t be easy for him. I went through it at his age, and my mother has only gotten worse over the years. I’ve been both of their parents for as long as I can remember.

  I open the door, holding it for Finn to pass, and stop Jade. “I told you about my mom before, so you know what to expect. She’s sick, okay? Please keep that in mind. She can’t help it.”

  Jade swallows, shifting the weight of the bag in her hand and nods.

  We enter the house and step into the living room where my mom is asleep on the couch curled up with a pillow on her side, her back facing us. At least she’s sleeping. It could have been worse.

  I lead Jade through the small living and dining room and into the kitchen. Finn is already tearing open a bag of Cheetos and popping the top on a can of soda. Why am I surprised? The kid eats everything in sight. That’s why food never lasts them more than four days at a time. How he managed to survive without asking me for help is a surprise to me. He usually calls when he needs something.

  I set the bags on the counter and then take the one Jade was carrying from her hand.

  Finn leans against the counter, his hand shoved inside a bag of tortilla chips. “Can you stay for a little bit?”

  His eyes tell me he doesn’t want to be left alone with my mom. He spends so much time here with her, and all of her issues, that I constantly feel bad. I wish I could bring him to the on-campus house I share with my teammates. Though, he’d get into so much trouble if I could. My brother is like me in many ways and not just in looks.

  He’s managed to get himself into plenty of trouble with the kids in the neighborhood and at school. We have the same DNA, so there’s no surprise there. But I don’t want him to be like me or to end up doing the same shit I do to survive. Everything I do is to keep Finn from making the same mistakes. My hope is to get a fresh start for all of us.

  I look over at Jade, who’s biting the inside of her cheek, looking as though she feels out of place. She always looks like she’s ready to jump out of her skin, apart from the times when it’s just us.

  “Do you mind if we stay for a little bit? I know I promised we would hang out later, but…”

  “Yeah,” she says. “It’s okay. We can stay.”

  “Sweet,” Finn says, glancing across the kitchen at me. “Wanna play Mage Wars?”

  We’re both pretty obsessed with the video game Universe Jamie’s dad created. I’ve been playing in that world since I was a kid, and Finn has picked up my love for video games.

  “Sure. But no cheating this time.”

  He laughs, shoving a bunch of chips into his mouth. “You gave me the cheat codes. I don’t see why I can’t use them.”

  “Not while you’re playing with me, you little brat.”

  He laughs. “Fine, I promise not to cheat.”

  After Finn makes a plate of nachos, we follow him upstairs and into his bedroom. I sink to the mattress next to my brother. He sets the plate of nachos next to him and hands me a controller.

  Jade sits next to me, crossing her legs at the ankles. She looks super uncomfortable hanging out in a teenage boy’s bedroom, as she should be. This room smells like a mixture of dirty clothes, cum, and old food. Now I feel bad for asking her to stay. If it’s bothering her, she doesn’t let on and doesn’t say a word.

  She’s used to country clubs and mansions not rowhouses on tiny streets in South Philly. Our lives couldn’t be more different, and yet somehow, we click in a way I don’t understand. I never thought I could make a connection with someone like Jade, but then there’s Jamie. He had the same kind of childhood as Jade, and he’s one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met.

  It only goes to show how wrong stereotypes can be. Just like I’m sure they had me pegged a certain way. When people find out I’m into gaming and programming, they’re usually confused. I race cars for money and break the laws more than I follow them. In that regard, I live up to what people would think of me given my upbringing. But I plan to eradicate all of that bad behavior and replace it, hopefully, with a whole new life.

  Finn flicks on the flat screen hung on the wall across from his bed. Game Over flashes across the screen in red letters, and when he looks at it, he mutters something under his breath while rolling his eyes.

  He lifts a nacho from the plate and then glances over at me. “Wanna play on the same team?”

  “Yeah. But just one game. We can’t stay all night.”

  One game could last hours, even days, but I can’t make Jade stay here that long. She’ll be bored with this shit within the first five minutes, let alone an hour.

  “I got the Sword of Balthazar last night.” Finn’s face glows for a second, before his expression darkens. “But I lost it. I was up all night trying to get it back.”

  “Did you get any sleep?”

  He shakes his head, clicking buttons on the controller. “Nope. I was up until my alarm clock went off.”

  I blow out a puff of air, annoyed. “You gotta stop doing that.”

  It’s not his fault. How can I yell at him? He has no real parental supervision, no one to make him accountable. I should stay in the house with him. But I decided years ago that I have to live my life on my own terms and rolling out of bed late and then having to rush over to school wasn’t working for me.

  I almost failed out of two classes my first semester because I was late all of the time. I realized back then that spending the money to live on campus was worth it to me. It gives me more of a buffer when I’m out all night with my crew or traveling late with my team.

  “Do I have to move back into the house?” I’m joking, and Finn knows it.

  “No,” he growls. “I don’t need you here all the time to babysit me. I’m fine on my own, thank you very much.” A few minutes pass in silence, nothing but the sounds of our fingers hitting the buttons, before Finn yells, “Fucking mages. Stop stealing my artifacts, you stupid bastards.”

  “To the left,” I tell Finn as our characters navigate a hidden passageway in the dark castle. “The Sword of Balthazar is this way. Go upstairs.”

  Ten minutes pass where we have to kill mages and demons who are guarding the Sword of Balthazar. As we reach the bell tower where the sword is suspended in the air, a glimmer of elven magic surrounding it, my cell phone dings. I know without looking that it’s Chase. I’ve been expecting a message from him all day. The buyer in Italy was happy with our last score and wants us to work for him again. My tuition balance for my final semester is already past due, so whether Jade likes it or not, I have to do this one last time.

  “Reach into my pocket,” I say to Jade, moving my arm so she can retrieve my cell phone. “See what he wants.”

  It’s weird how much I trust her in such a short time. I’m not used to allowing anyone into my world. Only a handful of my teammates even know about my mom and all of her problems. Because I needed help years ago and didn’t know where to look, I brought Jamie into the fold, and he’s never said a word. None of the members of my crew know how sometimes I go to Jamie for help. He knows too much. Chase, Rome, and Nate would consider him a liability. I often feel like I live multiple lives and find myself wishing I could merge those two worlds together.

  “He says it’s a go and to come by later.” She shoves the phone back into my pocket. “We can skip hanging out tonight if you want.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I can’t bring her with me to Knox Motors when we di
scuss a job. She already knows enough about the last one. Chase would throw her out and so would Nate and Roman. While my friends are now okay with Jade, they will never consider her one of us, and I get that. Women are not allowed into the fold, which is why they were so angry with me for such a long time. It took weeks of fighting with Roman and Chase, and Jade proving she’s trustworthy, to convince them that she’s not going to rat on them.

  “Yeah, we’re hanging out right now,” Jade says.

  “It’s not a big deal. We can do something tomorrow after your hockey practice is over.”

  “You’re the best.” I look over long enough to flash a wicked grin at her, and she smiles in return.

  Focusing on the screen, I help my brother beat the last mage in our way, and within seconds, the Sword of Balthazar falls from the sky. It flashes at the center of the screen, spinning in a circle as its magic grants us an additional power. Then it lands into Finn’s character’s hand. Only one of us can hold the sword even though we’re on the same team.

  “Boom!” Finn slams the controller on the bed. “And that’s how it’s done, ladies and gentleman. The Grand Mage is next.”

  “One more level, and then I have to take Jade back to campus.”

  Finn nods. “Okay. But until then, we have mages to beat.”

  It’s nice to finally have the best of both worlds. Bringing Jade into every aspect of my life gives me a sense of comfort I haven’t felt in a long time, which only makes me want to work as hard as possible to keep everything from falling apart. Because in my experience, happiness only lasts so long before it’s taken away from you.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jade

  Before the winter break, I went with Shannon to Killian’s hockey game. It was my first time showing my face in the rink as his girlfriend, and I was surprised to find that the girlfriends of his teammates were welcoming. They all made me feel as if I was one of them.

  But this time, Shannon and Jamie are on a break, and I’m not so sure how long it will last. She refused to come to the game with me, and I honestly don’t blame her. Seeing Jamie after finding out about his ex-girlfriend, or whatever she is to him, sliced a hole in her chest that he has yet to repair. So, I recruited Jordan and her younger sister, Jemma, who’s also in our sorority and now dating Trent Kane.