by J Bree
Harley eats just fine.
Blaise gags at the sight and I can’t help but laugh at him, his moral lines as fucking blurred as the rest of us despite his dramatics.
When I go to bed that night, tucked between Harley and Ash and listening to Blaise soft snore from the couch, I sleep like a fucking baby.
No one goes after my family and survives.
The end of year assembly is subdued this year compared to the last few years.
I’m not worried about anything and even the whispers have completely stopped around me. Every student at Hannaford has noticed the disappearance of anyone who crosses me and my little family.
They’re all terrified.
I get the top of the class in every subject except choir, which Blaise wins by the smallest of margins. No hard feelings and the smug look on his face makes my chest hurt in the best way. Harley and Ash come second, Harley in more subject than Ash which I’m sure he’ll crow about until classes start up again next year. I’m honestly a little terrified about it.
We spend two days packing our rooms and when it’s time to leave Blaise is grumbling and pissy over how bad the smell in the Maserati will be thanks to the tubs being left in them for days. He’s shocked to find them missing and I laugh at him.
“Did you really think I’d leave them laying around? Illi picked them up for us.”
Blaise frowns and pops the trunk to sling our bags in. “How the fuck did he get into the car? The alarms on this thing are insane.”
Harley chuckles at him. “The key. I gave him my set when he called. Why are you being so fucking precious over this thing? At least it’s still in one piece.”
Blaise cringes and nods. No one likes to bring up the ‘stang.
I give Avery the front seat even though Blaise pouts about it and we head back to the Bay together. Avery starts telling us all about the renovations to her ranch and I make another mental note to call the Coyote for a security system upgrade. There’s no way I’m calling the Crow, if Ash lays eyes on him he’ll fucking skin him and the only help in that situation will be Harley holding the fuck down.
We stay at the same hotel, stupidly I should know better than to stick to a routine.
I walk with Avery, our arms tucked together as the boys trail behind us, bickering and arguing like idiots. Avery freezes at the door and I glance up to find a well-dressed thug in the hotel room.
I dart around her, shielding her even as Ash does the same, but his eyes don’t look shocked. They look wary, knowing. Fuck, that’s not a good sign.
“Your father has invited you to dinner. You will not be late. You will not decline. You will not invite any further guests. The Wolf and the Crow will both attend. If you know what is good for you, you’ll track your brother down and bring him as well. Nine pm.”
Then his lists off the name of a place I’ve never even driven past, it’s so far uptown and walks out. Avery groans and slumps down, resting her forehead on my shoulder.
“I need a week off.” She mumbles and I sigh. Don’t we all.
Ash stalks to the bar, foregoing the glass entirely and taking deep swigs straight from the bottle. Blaise waves a blunt at him and they disappear out to the balcony. I narrow my eyes at them but Avery stomps over, cussing them out.
“There’s hours left. He won’t go down there without a clear head.” Harley murmurs behind me and I nod. I don’t like it but it’s not my choice.
Hours of stewing on the couch in silence later, I climb into the shower and pray the hot water will give me the fucking answers on how to get through tonight without losing one of our family.
Avery sinks on the bathroom sink, wearing only a silk robe, and pouts. “I don’t want to see Atticus. I’m so angry at him, I’m not sure I ever want to see him again.”
I scrub at my hair and shrug. “Why? I mean, I know he didn’t tell you who he was but… you know the real him.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Are you defending him? Ash will spit it at you.”
I snort at her, such a lady. “No, I’m asking my best friend what the exact problem is so when this entire night goes to hell in a handbasket I know enough to pick the right battles.”
Her eyes soften and she sighs, leaning back to bump her head against the mirror gently like she trying to knock some sense back into her brain. “He still sees me as some precious little girl that needs to be protected. I’m not angry he didn’t tell me he’s a member of the Twelve, I’m angry he came up to buy me from you like I’m… an object. That’s exactly what Rory thought of me too, but Rory was a distraction not… Atticus.”
There are tears rimming her eyes but the look on her face is fucking fierce. Oh boy, he’s fucked up. He’s fucked up so bad he may never dig himself out of this bullshit he’s buried himself in.
“Well, maybe it’s time we reminded him that you’re Avery fucking Beaumont and you might have shown him your soft side because he meant something to you but that doesn’t make you any less of a ruthless, cutthroat dictator. Beat him in his own game because Aves, he has no fucking clue who he’s really dealing with.”
She smiles at me and hands me a towel. “None of these stupid boys do.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I hate the dress Avery has put me in but I have to admit, she knows her shit. I fit right in. The restaurant is flashy, overdone, and intimidating to stand in. If I didn’t already know half the waiters I’d be uncomfortable as fuck, but Joseph Beaumont has underestimated my reach.
I nod at the maître d' and he tips his head at me respectfully. Ash scoffs at me. “Is there anyone you don’t know in the Bay?”
I shrug and wait for him to take us to our seats. The Crow is already waiting for us in the lounge, sipping a malt whiskey, with Luca flanking him in a sharp suit. I sigh as Harley’s fists clench at his sides.
“Wolf.”
I shake my head at him and say, “Are we the Twelve today, or are friends? I don’t make my friends call me the Wolf.”
Harley glares at Atticus like he wants to beat him bloody for everything that has ever happened to Ash and Avery while this man stood by and let it, and I grab his wrist gently to try to remind him of our conversation.
We win nothing here by being obvious in our dislike of this man.
“Forgive me, I’m not accustomed to seeing you as anything but the Wolf.” Atticus’s eyes flick over to Avery and the slow perusal of her outfit is the last straw for Harley.
“I’m going to bathe in your blood, you manipulative, spineless cunt.” He hisses and Blaise barely manages to grab him before he chokes the fucker out.
“HA! There it is! There’s the impulsive Irishman in the kid. Can’t say I blame him, I’d slit your throat any day of the week for the shit you’ve pulled on our family.” says Illi, sauntering in behind us, looking as dangerous as ever in his suit.
I gape a little and then snap a photo on my phone, giggling at him like a little schoolgirl. I don’t even care about the danger we’re all facing in that second. Because Illi. In. A. Suit.
He smirks at me and shrugs. “You can’t get in here without one and I didn’t want to make a scene.”
Ash quirks an eyebrow at me and I laugh, “He didn’t even wear a suit to his wedding! It’s ridiculous to see him in one now. What the fuck did Odie say when she saw it?”
Illi cackles and when he steps up alongside Ash, I’m shocked to see them exchange a knowing, and respectful, nod. They stand like a wall between Avery and Atticus like they’ve become best friends without me noticing. When the fuck did that happen?
Atticus looks straight through them, unconcerned with their clear threat. “Avery-”
Her voice is glacial. “No, thank you. I’m quite fine where I am. Lips, I’m happy to wait for our table here with Illi.”
That’s my girl. I smirk and Illi catches on quickly, slinging himself in the chair next to her and slinging an arm over the back of her chair.
Neither Ash or Harley tense up in any way but Att
icus stares down at the Butcher of the Bay like he’s planning on ripping that arm right the fuck off of him.
Illi winks at Atticus. “Odie has decided to embrace the polygamous lifestyle of our little club and she loves the little Ice Queen.”
Blaise snickers under his breath. Harley elbows him in the ribs but the smirk on his face gives him away.
I wait, fully prepared to dive into the fray to get Avery out safely if Atticus loses his damn head. Illi’s arms are loose and casual but I know he could tear Atticus in half in a split second without breaking a sweat.
The silence stretches on until finally, a waiter comes to direct us to our private table in the back. Illi jumps up and helps Avery to her feet like the perfect gentleman, guiding her over to walk with Ash behind me. Then he takes up the rear, watching everyone and ready to start swinging his cleaver the second things go south.
As we weave our way through the tables to the private area I glance back to Ash and raise an eyebrow at him. He knows what I’m asking and rolls his eyes at me.
“The night he called me to go find you, even after you told him not to, I decided he’s not so bad.”
I shake my head. “Not so bad?”
Blaise laughs, his fingers dancing along my arm. “Star, he’s a part of our family now too. Maybe not our immediate family, but he’s like a distant cousin we hang out with at family reunions because everyone else sucks ass.”
Illi cackles at me, listen to our every word. “See kid? I’m the cool cousin you can’t wait to drink with.”
Harley snorts. “The cousin we call when we need a body to disappear. How useful.”
Avery giggles and says, “I’m just glad Ash approves. It’s nice that he’s no longer snarling at my choice in men.”
Atticus’s shoulders tense so badly even his expensive suit can’t hide it. To think I’ve been so wary of this man from the moment I met him and all along his weakness has been my dictator best friend with an icy gaze and a heart too fucking big for those she loves.
No matter what happens between them, I’ll back her.
Even if we have to add him to the list of people hunting us.
The waiter ushers us into the back room where Joseph Beaumont Senior is already seated at the table waiting for us.
“Who would have thought a slum slut from Mounts Bay could look so good in a dress? From Joey’s descriptions, I thought you must be hideous but I can see the appeal.”
His voice makes my skin crawl.
How the fuck did he convince a young Alice Arbour that he was human? He sounds like a fucking monster.
Atticus steps up next to me and pulls out a chair, gesturing for me to sit. Harley cuts him a look, then takes a seat to my right and Avery sits to my left. One by one, everyone sits on my side of the table, except Illi who takes up watch by the door, a knife dancing back and forth between his hands.
I’m tempted to get him to throw the fucking thing right into Senior’s throat.
“I don’t appreciate being summoned.” Says Atticus, taking a napkin and laying it across his lap like he’s actually preparing to eat. There is no way I can stomach food right now. No fucking way.
“And why would I give a fuck what the useless third son of Crawford should want? Ah. But you’ve gone out and made a new name for yourself, haven’t you? The peasants of Mounts Bay don’t impress me and neither do their Kings.”
I keep my mouth shut while I watch him.
Ash is right, he and Avery get their looks from this vile man. I suppose this is what Ash will look like in thirty years, but only if all of the humanity has been squeezed out of him. The difference between Ash and Senior is his soul, the same one he shares with Avery. I look at Senior and see nothing of his children in him. Not the twins anyway.
I see far too much of Joey.
I glance around, but the psycho fuck isn’t anywhere to be seen. I glance at Avery and she gives me the slightest shake of her head. Fuck.
“I’m not here to speak to the Crow. I want to talk to the little girl who thinks she can take my children from me.”
I glance back to Senior and stare him down, my gaze and my breathing as steady as always. He’s a monster, but he’s not the worst I’ve ever faced.
“I don’t think I can take them, I have taken them. I’m only here so you know for sure that they’re mine now. We can discuss terms, but nothing changes that fact.”
Senior’s eyes flick across my face and neck, the same way Joey’s do like he’s looking for my weak point. I don’t rise to the bait.
He leans back in his chair, flicking a wrist to summon himself a drink. “And what are you going to do if I don’t agree to your terms? I have plans for them both.”
I make a big show of staring down each of his bodyguards, all eight of them. “I’d put money on my men over yours. Honestly? I’d put money on the Butcher taking care of the whole lot of them without any help.”
Senior raises his glass to his lips and smiles at me, chilling my blood with the cruel twist to his lips. “I own everyone. I own the police who will arrest you and the judge at your trial. I own the prison officers who will tuck you into bed every night and fondle you in the showers. I own your teachers and taxi drivers, and I own your friends. I think you’re underestimating me, little girl.”
I don’t let the trickle of fear running down my spine show. He may have reach, it might be widespread and tangled up in our lives, but I know he isn’t as powerful as he’s making out. Why else would he try to deal with the Devil?
My voice doesn’t waiver as I reply, “And I know you’re underestimating me.”
He lifts a shoulder at me and then fixes his gaze on Ash. The sadistic glean to his eyes lights something in my blood and I damn near climb over the table and slit his throat myself.
“Where is your brother? I told you to bring him with you.”
I mentally call dibs on killing him.
Ash stares at him, unflinching, and my heart nearly bursts with pride. “How should I know? He’s not my responsibility.”
Senior’s eyes narrow a fraction. “Your time fucking slum pussy has made you forget yourself, boy.”
Avery’s leg tenses against mine and I tuck my hand in hers under the table.
“I will never set foot in your house again. I will never live by your rules again. I will never babysit Joey and cover for his deranged games again.” Ash hisses, leaning forward slightly. Illi rumbles happily under his breath by the door, reminding us all that he’s watching and prepared to spill blood.
Hmm, more than prepared. Itching to bleed them all out.
The anger leaks out of Senior’s face as he replies, “You could be so much more than your brother. I look at you and see every inch of myself, all the bloodlust and rage. If only you weren’t corrupted by the little cunt in the womb, maybe then you’d be a man.”
I roll my eyes and clasp my hands in front of myself on the table, drawing his gaze back to me. I’m done with this little show of power. I want to go home and plan how I’m going to climb the walls of Beaumont Manor and gut this fuck in his sleep, nice and quietly, where none of his bought police force can save him.
“I’m leaving now. I was hoping for a more productive dinner meeting but if all we’re going to do is boast about whose dick does more damage than I’m leaving.”
Senior flicks his wrist again and the waiters start to bring out the first course of dinner. “You can leave if you want, little girl, but Avery isn’t going anywhere. I’ve secured a buyer for her and the exchange is being made on her birthday.”
Buyer?
Exchange?!
Over my dead fucking body.
I open my mouth to tell the sadistic fuck that when the waiter moves to place my plate in front of me. Only it’s not a plate.
It’s a cardboard box.
With my full name on it.
No one at the table speaks. Harley hasn’t noticed the box, he’s too busy trying to contain the rage pumping through his bloodstream a
nd clouding his brain. Avery’s skin is beyond white, a thin sheen of sweat covering her forehead, but she’s now looking at the box.
Why would Senior be giving me this?
Has he been sending the heads all along? Why? I look up at him but he’s staring at the box with the smallest of lines between his brow. So not from him. Fuck.
The Crow doesn’t look away from Senior either.
I pick up the steak knife and slit the box open. The smell is less putrid, the head clearly a far more recent kill than the last two.
I lift the flaps and find that for the first time there’s a note sitting on top of the head. I grab it first, stupidly because I should grab gloves from Illi first in case we can lift some prints, but my brain isn’t working properly at all. The words are written in large cursive letters and a chill races down my spine.
No one touches my blood.
Fuck. Who the hell else have I pissed off?! I think back over the people I’ve taken out but there’s been too many to narrow it down at all. Fuck.
Avery stops breathing next to me, her lungs just ceasing to work.
I look down and my heart jumps into my throat as I stare down into the vacant, lifeless eyes of Joseph Beaumont Jr.
Joey is dead.
Fuck.
Lips, Avery, Harley, Ash, and Blaise will return for senior year.
Preorder your copy here:
Hannaford Prep Year Four
Acknowledgments
This book was made possible by Laura Frazier.
She is my number one cheerleader, beta-reader, and dear friend. She holds my hand through all the tough shit and also tells me to suck it up when I’m being a sook. And to say thanks to her I strand her on chapters that end with heads in boxes and Harley being comatose in hospital. I can’t actually thank you enough. Seriously, you’re the best.