by J. L. Beck
Copyright © 2020 Bleeding Heart Press
www.bleedingheartpress.com
Cover design by Opulent Swag and Designs
Editing by Kelly Allenby
Proofreading by Jenny Sims
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
CONTENTS
Blurb
1. Quinton
2. Aspen
3. Quinton
4. Aspen
5. Quinton
6. Aspen
7. Quinton
8. Aspen
9. Quinton
10. Aspen
11. Quinton
12. Aspen
13. Quinton
14. Aspen
15. Quinton
16. Aspen
17. Quinton
18. Aspen
19. Quinton
20. Aspen
21. Quinton
22. Aspen
23. Quinton
24. Aspen
25. Quinton
26. Aspen
27. Quinton
28. Aspen
29. Quinton
30. Aspen
31. Quinton
32. Aspen
33. Quinton
34. Aspen
35. Quinton
36. Aspen
37. Quinton
About the Authors
BLURB
She came here for protection, but that was the last thing she was going to find.
Not at Corium University, where the most dangerous criminals in the world send their offspring. Assassins, mafia leaders, arms dealers, and art thieves.
You name it, this college houses them.
Within these walls, nothing can touch them.
Upon arriving, I knew Aspen would be here. She was the daughter of our enemy and a snake in the grass like her father. I had no intention of sparring with her. That is, until she opened her pretty little mouth. Three words and she became my next target. I would do anything to see her on her knees and at my feet.
If she thought the university was the only nightmare she would have to face, she was wrong.
I was the king, and this was my kingdom.
1
QUINTON
It’s funny how one day all can be normal in your life, and then the next, the rug is ripped away, and you’re left fumbling, trying to regain your footing. A year ago, I was a different person. Happy, normal, and content with my life. I couldn’t think of one thing I would’ve changed about my life, but now, if I could, I’d change it all.
Every-fucking-thing.
It wasn’t like my father had sheltered me from our namesake or the violent and dangerous things we did. The blood running in my veins was mafia blood; my father had bled for our name, and I know I will do the same someday.
Growing up, I didn’t think there would ever be a time when that would change or that I would want to escape the life I was born into and hide from the rest of the world, but that day came one year ago, and since then, everything’s been headed in a downward spiral.
The happiness inside me shattered and evaporated into thin air, making me the vile pit of anger and hate. I didn’t need this pathetic university, but it was this or sitting in that giant house, a reminder of everything I wanted to leave behind looming over my head. At least now, I might be able to escape my mother’s constant worrying and my father’s watchful eyes.
“Ready?” I ask, glancing over at Ren.
He shrugs, his hands still tucked perfectly into the pockets of his black jeans. Even with all the money his family has, he still chooses to wear the least expensive clothing. Ren is modest at best, never showing or bragging about what he has. It seems like he cares about nothing, but the truth is, he simply doesn’t give a shit about material things. The single most important thing in the world to him isn’t even a thing, but a person. His sister.
Sometimes, I think the only reason I’ve been so close to my sisters is because I see how Ren is with Luna. My father once told me it’s because of how they grew up, and that they only had each other for so long, which is why he’s so protective over her.
Ren has always been her protector, and I doubt that will ever change.
“If you want my honest opinion, I’d rather jump off a cliff, but…” His voice trails off.
You and me both, I want to say, but I keep the words to myself. The last thing I need is what I’ve said getting back to my father and him thinking I’m suicidal. Then I really won’t have a choice in coming or going.
“If you didn’t want to go, you didn’t have to. I’m sure your father would’ve allowed you to take some time off or do something else.”
Ren understands my life more than anyone else ever will, but that doesn’t mean he knows what it’s like to have a father who never takes no for an answer or to be dealt the blow that we were just dealt.
“Believe me, I made the best choice.” I speak through my teeth, staring off into the nothingness.
It wasn’t like I was going to a normal university, where I’d be bored out of my mind.
No, Corium University is where high-profile criminals around the world send their children. While normal parents send their kids off to state universities, expecting them to get a decent education and good job, our parents ship their children off to Corium, a school that will teach them how to become better criminals.
I don’t need training or guidance, but I want to go anyway. Which is why, for the unforeseen future, cold-ass Alaska will be my home. I want as many miles as I can get between my family and me. I can only hope that the more miles I put between us, the less the pulsing ache in my chest will bleed.
The sound of the helicopter propellers slicing through the air invades my ears, bringing me back to the present. I look up just in time to see my father’s plane—which brought us to this small Alaskan airport—taking off in the distance. The private plane dropped us here, and the school’s helicopter will take us to the university.
The wind whips through my hair, and I shield my eyes as rock and dust debris swirl around us. Ren is standing beside me as still as a statue. We’ve been best friends since his parents adopted him and his sister, Luna, when they were kids. Most people think we’re cousins, but I’ve always seen him as my brother.
It's a little ironic that most people don't even know my actual cousin because my uncle chose to keep his only daughter hidden from the world.
Shoving my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket, I exhale and start toward the helicopter. I don’t have to look back to know Ren is following me. We agreed to do this together. Well, more like I told him he had to come with me. Surprisingly, it didn’t take much convincing. I figured he would fight me since leaving meant being away from Luna, but unlike me, Ren will travel home to visit his parents and sister. He’ll call and talk to them.
Whereas I’ll do everything I can to pretend mine don’t exist while still doing my best to maintain a relationship with my sister, Scarlet.
I drop into my seat, and Ren takes the seat beside me as the roar of the engine fills the space.
It’s only a short flight to the secluded area that used to be an old military base before recently being turned into a high-tech university. The place is so classified there are no pictures of it anywhere online. My father, of course, helped with the
funding. Yet another reminder that going here is nothing more than a false sense of escapism. Still, to me, it is better than nothing.
I let my eyes fall closed with a sigh, the weight on my chest already lessening with each breath I take. The darkness inside me, however, swirls, building slowly. For months, nightmares have plagued me, making it hard for me to sleep at night. I let out a yawn and sink my head back into the headrest. I try not to think of how fucked up my life has become in the past year, how much of a lie it’s all been, or worse, how much I’ve lost, we’ve lost. Shoving it all to the back of my mind, I allow myself to shut down. I must doze off because a short while later, I blink my eyes open and find Ren leaning across my seat to look out the small window at something off in the distance.
“How long have I been out?” I yell over the loud roar of the engine, shifting forward in my seat.
“Long enough for me to realize just how in the middle of nowhere this place is. If you wanted to commit murder and get away with it, this would be the place to do it.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, brow furrowed.
Ren points out the window, and I lean forward to see what the hell he’s looking at. I scan the area below us. Hundreds of miles of trees stretch from where we are and in every direction. There are no roads, no houses, just nothingness until I notice what looks to be an old fortress, half-built into the side of a snow-covered mountain.
From the little bit of research I was able to do on this place, I know it used to be a castle, left behind from when the Russians owned this land before the United States took it over in the late 1800s. I never could’ve guessed it was this isolated, though. Then again, that’s probably for the better if you’re housing the offspring of thousands of criminals.
“Whose idea was it to build a fucking university out here?” I ask the question out loud without realizing it.
“I’m pretty sure someone who wants to torture us. It’s the only sign of life I’ve seen this whole flight.”
My father told me the place was secluded, but I would never have anticipated this. Ren is right; we’re in the middle of nowhere. Most colleges are huge structures, elaborate and expensive-looking, drawing the attention of every graduating student like a beacon, but this place looks like an abandoned castle. Of course, that’s by design. A single road seemingly appears out of nowhere and winds up the mountainside, and a large stone wall separates the outside from the inside.
“We’re preparing to land.” The pilot’s voice comes over the intercom system.
“You ready?” Ren asks.
I turn in my seat, the finality of it all finally sinking in. I’m finally free, or at least a little bit free. I grin, knowing that at this place, my darkest desires and needs can be brought to light. Here I won’t have to hide the pain. I won’t have to pretend to exist. Anyone who gets in my way will become a target.
I suck a ragged breath into my lungs, my chest suddenly feeling lighter.
“I’m ready, but I doubt this place is ready for us.”
“Probably not.” Ren gives me an equally dark smile.
The lower we get, the better the view of the university becomes. I realize how massive the place is when we finally land and exit the helicopter. The structures that seemed so small are larger than they appeared so high up. My heart starts to race in my chest, the sound thundering in my ears.
From the helipad, we walk down a small path that leads into a tunnel, and the fact that this place was rebuilt to be a military base becomes readily apparent. After a short walk, we end up at an enormous door that looks as if it could withstand a direct bomb blast. Several checkpoints and guardhouses lead up to the entrance, and everyone gives us a chin nod as we walk by.
Rumor has it, the government had big plans for this place. Using and expanding on the underground tunnels already built, they were ready to move their troops in. They were less than happy when the founding members bought it right out from under their noses.
Nobody moves an inch from their posts or asks us for identification. I suppose when your father is who he is, you get special treatment. Not only is my father one of the most powerful criminals, he also pours a lot of money into this school.
“So is this a university, or are we walking into some secret society shit?” Ren nudges me with his shoulder.
“Both.”
Either way, a lot of money was put into this place to make it secure. Which, of course, makes it perfect for the type of activities that occur deep underground here.
It would be difficult to even get a satellite to focus here. Not that the government would do that. This place probably doesn’t exist to them… anymore.
A guard escorts us to the entryway through the large bomb-proof doors. Just inside are an identical set of metal doors with the university’s crest edged into it.
The double doors ahead of us open automatically, and Ren and I glance at each other. It’s not an awestruck look that we give each other, but more of a what the hell have we got ourselves into. My father provided us with information for our room and class schedule before we left, so there’s no need for us to stop anywhere or ask where to go next. We move deeper into the building, walking down the long corridor. The floors are polished marble, and the dim lighting gives the place a unique feel—like we’re being marched off to integration instead of our dorms.
Ahead are three elevators. Ren pushes the button, and the doors open immediately. We step inside, and I press the glowing C button, which is the level our room is on.
As the elevator doors open with a bing, Ren nudges me with his shoulder, holding his phone out to me. I look down and see there’s a map on the screen.
“At the end of this hall, we turn right, and our room should be on the left-hand side.”
I shrug. “I studied the map before we left. I’ve got most of this place mapped out in my mind.”
Ren shakes his head. He knows I like to be prepared.
We were each given a key card to get into our room before we left, and it was space we decided to share. We were both given the opportunity to have our own small one-bedroom apartment but decided against it. Ren isn’t the boyfriend type, so all I had to worry about was a random hookup here or there.
Neither of us is interested in anything other than mindless sex.
As we walk down the hall, I notice a few other students in the corridor, but none I recognize by face. As we pass them, I can feel their eyes on us, and I hate it. Hate feeling like they can see right through me, like they know me simply because of who my father is. Everyone knows my name and who my father is, but they don’t know me. No one here knows me, the real me, and it’s going to stay that way.
There might be tons of high-profile criminal offspring in this place, but no one is more powerful than my father, and if that doesn’t scare them, then I certainly will.
2
ASPEN
My back aches, my ass is sore from sitting for so long, and my limbs are stiff. I’m dying to get out of this car and get a good stretch in. Shifting around in the seat, I try my best to get comfortable, but the worn-out seat doesn’t get any softer.
We’ve been on the road for almost five hours without a single stop, not that there is any place to stop or that we are even technically on a road. I haven’t seen any signs of life, at least not human-wise, since we left Takotna, and most of the time, I’m not sure how the driver knows where we are, let alone where we are going.
I wonder if he’s been out here before. According to their welcome packet, most people fly into Corium, but of course when I called to get a seat, there was no room on any of their helicopters, leaving me no choice but to make the grueling trip to the secluded university by car.
The Jeep bounces heavily, and the seat belt digs into my shoulder as we drive over a fallen tree unannounced. I glare at the back of the driver’s head, who didn’t even tell me his name. The middle-aged local with black, uncombed hair and a full bushy beard seems to be just as happy to make the tr
ip as I am. At least he’s getting paid.
“Sorry about that, Miss,” the driver grunts from the driver’s seat.
Wow, that’s the most he’s said to me since we got in the vehicle. Since he’s opened the lines of communication, I figure this is a good time to make sure we’re still on track.
“It’s okay. Are we almost there?”
“Twenty-five miles to go,” he answers, and I sink back in my seat. Twenty-five miles driving on a dirt road through the forest can take a good forty minutes, maybe even longer. That thought barely leaves my mind when the Jeep comes to an abrupt stop, and I sling forward in my seat at the press of the brakes.
Confused, I look around, scanning the area for any sign of civilization or another reason we would stop so carelessly. All I see are trees—trees, trees, and more trees. He certainly didn’t stop because of a tree in the road, not when he just drove over one less than a mile back.
“Out of gas, I need to refill the tank, or we’re not gonna make it to the base,” the driver explains before unbuckling and opening his door. He’s been calling Corium University the base, which doesn’t surprise me since most people have no idea what that place really is.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity to stretch my legs, I follow his lead and climb out of the Jeep. My legs protest at first, but as soon as I pull my arms above my head and lengthen my limbs, my muscles thank me.