Page 80 of The Villain

“You didn’t know her from school.”

“No. We met in juvie. My school was -”

“Girls only, religious,” I finish with her.

There are only two other high schools in that town.

“Was she popular?”

“I don’t know. I never asked about before.”

She says it like there’s a dividing line between her life before and after juvie. It makes my jaw clench.

“No problem,” I shrug, shaking off my unease.

“Is this you being good cop?” She asks with a laugh.

“Nah, I’m just thinking out loud.”

“Keep going. Maybe I can help,” Max insists.

“He’s good at it,” Asher grumbles.

Max rubs his hands together. “Social media. Did she have anything?”

She gives him a surprised look.

“What? All the normal kids do it,” he tells her with a scowl. “If she was blending in she would too.”

“I never asked,” she mutters with a frown. “I can’t imagine it. She doesn’t care about, well, anything.”

“High school portraits,” I offer him with a smile. “If she was popular she’d be named in several photos, not just one.”

“Yeah and if she’s mysteriously not in the yearbook you can search old posts for mentions or pictures too.”

“You need a job?” I laugh at him.

“No way,” Tera shuts it down quickly.

“I’m not big leagues material,” Max shakes his head in agreement with her.

“Big leagues?” I raise a brow.

“We’re as attached to the mafia as we want to be,” Trevor says with a scowl.

I give Tera a flat look.

“People assume things,” she insists with a grimace. “I keep telling them you’re not mafia but they don’t believe me.”

“That figures,” I shake my head. Honestly they’re better off with that image than the reality.

“Come on, man,” Max complains. “Scary big boss that no one talks about. Princess daughter with a bunch of bodyguards. Rich as sin? What else could it be?”

“A soulless accountant,” I smirk.

He scowls at me, “Stop being a dick.”

“Stop accusing me of being in some type of mafia romance novel,” I laugh.

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