Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Lydia, Sergio’s daughter, who was a total riot, slow clapped. “Wow, the killer has a heart, or maybe just a dick? Not sure.”
“Crass, Lydia, even for your mouth,” Anya, Andrei’s daughter, said. She was wicked smart, liked driving everyone around her crazy, she was also one of the top ballerinas in the nation. Everything about her screamed innocence and perfection, ask me how many times Andrei had actually threatened to lock her in her room and throw away the key. She was the epitome of a black widow in a nice, cute white dress with small heels and nude lipstick. Today she was wearing a short white dress and a white cardigan.
I shook my head, he’d trained her well, too well. She was twenty-three and could outsmart almost every guy she met, much to Andrei’s amusement.
And then there were Raven and Tempest, Dante’s twins. Both graduated from high school after testing out at the age of fourteen, then decided to triple major, so at just eighteen we still consider this their freshman year at Eagle Elite. Both were absolute headaches.
Raven was always smiling like she knew something you didn’t; it was extremely unnerving and like she knew everyone’s secrets, also unnerving. Her jet-black hair was cut to her chin, and she was currently leaning against the student union building wearing nothing but a short black halter top, low slung ripped jeans and flip-flops.
Clearly, everyone had come out to play the roles they had been given.
Tempest was on her phone wearing a baggy black sweatshirt with no pants, and combat boots showing Ariel, Chase’s youngest, something most likely extremely inappropriate.
I pulled Bella closer to my side. “You know your job.”
“United front,” she repeated under her breath with a forced smile while she bit down on her bottom lip.
I gripped her by the chin with my free hand. “The Abandonatos are in bed with the De Langes, literally, figuratively, and all the rest of your cousins are so thrilled. There is no power struggle, only balance, now do your job and do it well, little mafia princess.”
I didn’t shove her forward; I didn’t need to.
She was meant to sit on the throne.
Years ago, our older cousins—and the rest of the heirs to their Family thrones held one party the first week of school. It used to be invite-only until we started going to school and changed the rules.
It only made sense to welcome everyone so they could see for themselves where we sat and where they watched.
Slowly, Lydia reached for the door.
I was the only guy going to school who people looked at like I was their leader most years. Because of that, they were the idiots. This year, however, I was walking in as a boss.
The metal door creaked open.
Everything was as it should be.
Five blood-red wingback chairs had been placed on a black stage toward the front of the room. Booze lined the walls along with glow-in-the-dark paint. Music pounded through the sound system and the crowd of hundreds of students parted as we walked straight through to the stage.
Bella led the way, and I followed behind her, to show that while boss of the De Lange Family, I was still owned by the Abandonatos; we were still on good terms, and I wasn’t leading her anywhere she didn’t want to fucking go.
The other girls walked behind me.
Slowly, we walked up the stairs, each of us taking our thrones.
I was in the middle, Bella to my right.
Tempest and Raven sat on the other side of her, while Lydia sat next to me. Ariel and Anya waited at the bottom of the platform, pouring drinks for the free show.
The music didn’t stop, but all of the people in attendance and the ones still waiting outside to get let in did.
Music filled the air, along with the smell of fear.
Rumors ran rampant that we always had a volunteer willing to sacrifice themselves in order to hang out with us, which was ridiculous, but what wasn’t ridiculous was what we did every year in order to prove to them why we would always be in power, why this school was so prestigious, and why they would owe all of us favors in the future.
The minute the De Lange Family was brought back into the fold of the Five Families a new tradition rose.
Everyone was of course invited to the party, but not everyone accepted, because to accept your invitation you had to give us a secret for the world to see.
A picture or a video, a confession even, and then you’d be invited to every party for the rest of the year, and you’d earn protection from the Five Families. Some kids were desperate enough to sell their souls, but what would we do with those?
Nah, we knew who these guys were.
They were trust fund babies, spoon-fed by their rich parents, and everyone had something they wanted to protect.