by B. B. Hamel
She had a point. I shrugged and went back to reading. “What about you? Studying again?”
“We’re not all freakish geniuses. Seriously, Alice, what are you doing at Blackwoods? Couldn’t you have gone anywhere?”
Absolutely, I wanted to say, but couldn’t. I only smiled sweetly and shook my head. “I only got in here and they gave me a sweet scholarship, so here I am.”
“Always the mystery. When are you going to tell me about your family and all that stuff? Whenever I ask, you always pretend like they were murdered in some gruesome way.”
“One of these days, I’ll take you to their burial plots. The headstones are in the shape of an axe, since each of them was dismembered out in the woods by our crazy neighbor.”
“And yet you survived to tell the tale.”
“I wasn’t home at the time.”
“Right, of course.”
We laughed together and Penny went back to studying, and I went back to pretending to read.
But really, I was watching her.
My Penny. My first victim.
I wasn’t a serial killer or whatever. Probably a psychopath, though Maeve said it wasn’t such a bad thing, really. It just meant I didn’t feel things the way normal people did.
It meant I wasn’t totally boring.
Maeve said Penny was important. I couldn’t see why. She was just another normal girl caring about normal stupid things. She was a sheep, bleating away, stumbling around, blind and lost and dumb.
I was a wolf. That’s what Maeve said, anyway.
Penny’s phone rang. She glanced down at the screen and made a face.
“Is it him again?” I asked, trying not to sound too eager.
She glanced over and shrugged. “I don’t know. Number’s blocked.”
“Definitely him. You should answer.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“Come on. Kaspar Baskin is obsessed with you and you don’t seem to care at all.” I pursed my lips and looked at the ceiling. “What I’d give to ride that boy’s big, thick—”
“Okay, okay, enough, I don’t need the details.”
“Cock. Big thick cock. Seriously Penny, you’re such a prude.”
She rolled her eyes. Her phone began to buzz again. She silenced it and turned it off.
That was the tenth time he’d called that night.
I rolled over to the side, smiling to myself. Kaspar was a strange wrinkle in my plan, but an interesting one.
Blackwoods was an elite secondary school for the rich and powerful. I only got in because of my patron, and she only pulled the strings because I had a mission.
Kill Penny Servant and make it as bloody as possible.
Something tapped at the window.
Penny let out a strangled gasp. I sat up, surprised but curious. I stood and went to look.
“Don’t,” Penny hissed. “It’s like eleven at night.”
“Could be a killer trying to break in.”
“Isn’t that exactly why you shouldn’t look?”
I laughed and pulled back the blinds. There was no killer staring in, salivating at the chance to slice our throats.
Unfortunately.
I looked down at the grass below and grinned. “You’d better come take a look.”
Penny groaned, but stood. She wore light blue sweatpants and a tight black top. She looked like a little girl’s idea of what an elder teen would wear to a slumber party.
She stared outside and sucked in a breath.
Kaspar looked back at her, head tilted to the side.
“That boy likes you,” I crooned, poking her in the side.
She wriggled away. “Stop it. This is so, so weird, right? I’ve been ignoring him for days.”
“He’s persistent. You’ve got to give him that.”
“Persistent and creepy,” she muttered, and moved away from the window.
Another rock hit the glass.
I yanked it open and waved. “Come upstairs. She’s waiting for you.”
“Alice! You asshole!” Penny yanked me away and I laughed at her.
She replaced me at the window and frantically waved at Kaspar. “Sorry, she’s kidding, it’s just too late. I’m studying, okay?”
“Come down and talk to me.”
“Another night.”
“Stop ignoring my calls. I want to see you.”
“Maybe another time, okay?”
She slammed the window shut and put the curtains back in place.
I retreated to my bed, grinning like a fool. Penny was a pathetic little thing, but teasing her could be fun sometimes.
“I can’t understand why you don’t call him up here and let him do all the very filthy things he wants to do to you.”
“We’re not all sex-starved nymphos like you.” Penny sat on her bed cross-legged and stared intently at her covers. “And how do you know that’s what he wants?”
“Boys like Kaspar only want one thing, and it’s not platonic friendship. He wants to fuck you, Pen.”
She blushed and kept avoiding eye contact. “He’s creepy. It’s like I have a stalker.”
“He’s the most popular boy on campus. You know a thousand girls would throw themselves at his feet for the chance to suck his toes, right?”
“God, you’re gross.”
“I’m only saying, loosen up and have some fun. Fuck him and enjoy it.”
I didn’t add, while you can, bitch.
She only shook her head and collapsed back against her pillows. She burrowed into her covers and seemed to try to go to sleep.
I stayed up reading a bit longer, watching her.
Penny Servant. Pretty, naive, nice little Penny.
I didn’t understand what a wolf like Kaspar saw in a lamb like Penny. Maybe he had a soft spot for the weak.
I had no such feelings.
My life began in misery. Parents dead in some freak traffic accident. I survived in my little car seat, a mewling baby girl splashed with blood. After that, I bounced around from one pair of foster parents to the next, inevitably doing something bad without realizing before they gave me up, until I landed with Maeve.
She changed my life.
It wasn’t easy. She wasn’t kind or gentle. When I made a mistake around her, I got punished for it—severely enough that even I learned how to pass.
She helped me hide what I was. Helped me learn how to control my impulses enough to survive.
But that would only get me so far.
There was a big, wide world out there, and Maeve promised it to me—so long as I obeyed her wishes.
That worked for me. I didn’t give a damn what she wanted me to do, so long as it involved lots of screaming and pain.
I was her tool. I was her razor blade.
She directed my worse impulses into useful directions while keeping me safe from repercussions.
Now I had my hardest mission to date—and my most rewarding.
Kill Penny Servant. Make it bloody.
Make a statement.
I switched off the light. “Goodnight, Pen,” I whispered.
“Night,” she whispered back.
3
Penny
Present Day
Rome, Italy
The basement is dank with humidity. The tiles were crumbling and mold blossomed along the wall. Three men sat across a metal table from Kaspar, each of them covered in tattoos and muscles, and barely restrained by their overly tight suits.
I lingered toward the stairs, completely ignored. The discussion was in Italian, which I didn’t speak. Upstairs, more people moved around—cooks, waitresses, patrons, and others. The restaurant was cute, family owned, and smelled incredible.
Down here, it was like we were in another world.
“Enough,” Kaspar said suddenly, slamming a hand down. The men grimaced, but nobody moved as Kaspar stared them down. “I will not risk my plans for your vanity.”
The man in the middle, older than the other two w
ith graying hair at his temples and a long scar splitting his lower lip, said something in Italian. He didn’t sound happy.
“English, Santo.”
Santo glanced at me then spread his hands. “What you ask will be difficult. Blood will be spilled.”
“That’s the point.”
“You do not understand. We work to, ah, avoid certain things. Too much killing is bad, yes?”
“Right now, I need more killing.” Kaspar leaned toward Santo. “Are you beginning to regret our current arrangement?”
Santo stared back at him then slowly shook his head. “No, I am not.”
“Good. Kill them and be done with it. I’ll give you two days.” Kaspar stood up and stared at Santo. “If you do not follow my orders, you know what will happen.”
The threat was obvious, if a little heavy-handed. I wondered if Kaspar was so used to getting his way that he didn’t bother with subtlety.
Santo merely nodded and gestured his assent. “As you wish.”
Kaspar walked to me and offered his arm.
I ignored him and headed up the stairs.
He followed. We stepped out into the kitchen. He guided me toward the back door and out into the alley. It was a comfortable night, the breezing billowing down the narrow, chaotic alleys, and Kaspar strode off.
I had to hurry to keep up, but my eyes swept all around. Rome was a maze of small streets with no central planning. It grew up organically and spontaneously over thousands of years, and that meant there were a thousand different ways to get lost.
And even more to escape.
I nearly ran into Kaspar. He stopped walking and stared down at me with narrowed eyes.
“Don’t bother.”
I sucked in a breath to steady myself. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You think I don’t notice you staring around like you can’t wait to make your escape?” He grabbed my arm tightly and leaned his lips closer. “There’s a reason you’re in a dress and heels. Good luck running. I’ll catch you and you won’t like the punishment.”
I flushed. I thought I was dressed up because he enjoyed seeing me squirm. When I woke up this morning in the absurdly expensive hotel room, I found all my bags were gone, and only a single sleek, gold dress was left behind with a pair of strappy high heels. I had to squeeze into it or else I knew he’d drag me around in my underwear all day.
“What the hell was that back there?” I asked as he began walking again.
Three of his men fell into step with us. I barely noticed them—they moved like panthers. All of them trained killers. His personal bodyguards.
“Negotiations.”
“But what are you negotiating?”
He shook his head. “It’s none of your concern.”
“You dragged me into that dank basement—”
He sighed and grabbed my wrist, pulling me off balance. I had to lean on his arm to keep from toppling over into a fountain.
“Did your family tell you anything?” His voice dripped with condescension. “Sometimes I think you’re willfully ignorant.”
“I didn’t ask to be here,” I said, yanking away and composing myself. I knew he was just trying to rile me up. Kaspar had a sick sense of humor and seemed to revel in making me flustered. “I’m only trying to decide if I’m going to get murdered in a freaking basement on this trip.”
His smile was tight and distant as his eyes gazed down at my throat then up to my lips. “Don’t worry, baby girl. I own these men.”
“Didn’t sound like it.”
“Santo is true mafia. He’s Sicilian and doesn’t enjoy taking orders from a man like me, but he accepts his position in the world.”
“Then who are you having him kill?”
Kaspar was quiet for a moment. “Would you be upset if I said it was your brother?”
“Of course I would, but I don’t think you’re that stupid.”
“It would be more convenient for me if he were out of the way and your sister ran the house.”
“A couple of thugs wouldn’t be enough to take my brother down.”
“You’d be surprised. But no, baby girl, it’s not him I want. Things are complicated with the Oligarchs right now, and killing Darren would only plunge the world into chaos at this point.” He looked down at me fondly. “Though I do love a challenge.”
“Then why are we here? Why the hell did you drag me along with you?”
He stopped outside of a quiet cafe. The inside was lit with oranges and blues and finished with natural wood, and normal people milled about, talking quietly, laughing over wine and bread. Kaspar gazed at me lazily as he leaned against a small outdoor table, moonlight spilling over his shoulder.
“Your brother and Roman have plans,” he said, speaking slowly like he was explaining physics to a little child. I bristled at his tone but kept my mouth shut. I figured it was better to put up with him being an asshole if it meant getting some information. “They want to change the way the Oligarchs do their business, and I’ll be honest with you, my little pet. I don’t necessarily disagree with them. Only, I will not be left behind when the hierarchy shifts.”
“So you do plan on attacking my brother.”
He shook his head, still smiling. “I plan on attacking another Oligarch. Roman and Darren are going to start a war, and I intend on coming out on top in the end. But first, I have to get the killing started.”
I threw up my hands, exasperated. “What does all of this mean?”
He stepped closer and leaned down. His breath was warm on my lips and I tensed my jaw, ready to bite his tongue off if he tried to shove it in my mouth again.
“It means that the sides are not as clear-cut as you might think, and I have a way to strengthen my position. Darren and Roman have their alliance, and I plan on building my own.”
“By killing someone?”
“Exactly. You think Oligarchs are so hard to murder? I think you’d be surprised.” He touched my hip gently, almost lovingly. I shuddered, revolted. “Now, let’s go back to the hotel and eat. It’s been a long day.”
“I’d rather eat alone.” I glanced sideways toward where Kaspar’s men lingered nearby, keeping careful watch at the street.
“And I’d rather strip you naked and slide my tongue between your legs. We don’t always get what we want.” He began to walk and I had to force myself to follow, my head trying to digest what he’d told me.
He wanted to start a war, and planned on building an alliance in the process. That meant killing one of the Oligarchs—but I didn’t see how that could possibly work.
My brother was in danger. I knew Darren was strong, and if he could find a way to work with Roman, they might be unstoppable.
But if any of the Oligarchs could match them, it was Kaspar. He was a hungry snake, and he’d swallow me whole if I wasn’t careful.
We walked through Rome and though freedom was always an inch away, it felt like I was trapped in a cage and escape was as far away as that dock across the water.
4
Kaspar
Present Day
Rome, Italy
I put her in a gilded cage and she rebelled against me.
I gave her whatever she wanted. Luxury, comfort, entertainment. She had her own little island paradise, and that wasn’t enough.
Which I could understand.
Put me in a cage, and I’d rip my own head off trying to get out.
I’m the fox that chews off its foot to escape the trap.
Penny was the same. I could understand. She craved freedom more than she craved her continued existence. Eventually, she’d find a way to leave, or she’d die in the process.
Which meant she needed more from our arrangement if she was going to give me what I wanted.
Her absolute submission.
Since the first moment I saw her all those years ago, I knew I’d make her my wife.
Back then, she didn’t want anything to do with me, and an unfortunate turn o
f events convinced her that I was some sort of monster.
She wasn’t wrong about her conclusion, but she was wrong in her reasoning.
None of that mattered now. I was a patient man, and I always found a way to get what I wanted sooner or later.
That night, after visiting with my Sicilian associates, I parked Penny in her adjoining suite and gave her some privacy. The doors were locked and my men would guard her with their lives—because they wouldn’t breathe for long if she got away or some harm came to her.
I opened my laptop and initiated a call. The screen turned black, then Erin Servant appeared.
She wasn’t a pretty girl. Her face was too severe to be attractive. Sharp nose, intense eyebrows, green eyes that sparkled in the light and seemed to pierce through my skin with their intensity. Her thin lips parted in a sneer.
“How’s my sister doing, Kaspar?”
I leaned back in my chair and put my hands behind my head. Erin wanted me uncomfortable and off balance, and it drove her crazy when I didn’t give that to her. Instead, I cultivated an air of boredom like a suit of armor, and I watched her squirm with annoyance.
“She’s doing fine. Rebelling against the limits of our arrangement, but still fine.”
“I told you she wouldn’t enjoy being your little pet.”
“Does it matter what she likes?”
Erin made a dismissive gesture. I was surprised she asked about her sister at all, quite honestly. The girl was a genius, perhaps the smartest member of all the Oligarch families, but emotional connections weren’t her strongest attribute. She cared only for the advancement of the Servant name and for nothing else.
“How are our plans shaping up?”
I noticed that word. Our, as if she had a hand in anything I was doing.
She hid behind her tall walls and her brother’s strength and tried to direct the world around her like a conductor, but she could only do so much from behind screens.
Meanwhile, I liked to get my hands dirty.
“I made contact in Rome and I’m setting up the hit. I’ll inform you when the next phase begins.”
“That could take weeks, knowing you. I don’t have that much time.”