Page 139 of Kingmakers, Year Two

“Do you want to see the rest of the aquarium?” Miles asks me.

Nero and Camille Gallo rented out the whole place for their daughter’s party. The long glass galleys are almost entirely empty, as most of the guests seem to prefer eating, drinking, and dancing to viewing the fish.

“I’d love to walk with you,” I say.

Miles takes my arm. We stroll through the long underwater tunnel that allows eels and sharks to swim directly over our heads.

The light turns our skin faintly blue, and brings out hints of topaz in Miles’ eyes. He looks extraordinarily handsome in his stylish tuxedo, with the crisp white collar and black bow-tie highlighting the masculine lines of his jaw.

He pulls me tight against him under the watery, shifting light, kissing me until my head spins. His mouth is warm and soft, and tastes pleasantly of champagne.

“I want to talk to you about something,” he says.

“What is it?”

“I want to preface this by saying that you don’t have to agree. I won’t be angry if you don’t like this idea.”

“You’re not going to try to convince me?” I laugh. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“Well, I didn’t say that,” Miles grins. He takes a breath, one dark eyebrow cocked. “I sent your script to a friend of a friend in Los Angeles. He was interested.”

“What?” I gasp.

“He’s an agent of sorts—and he works as a script doctor himself. He liked your story. He thinks you should try writing a version that could be shot as a TV pilot.”

“Miles, you didn’t tell me you were going to do that!”

“I was just putting out feelers.”

I look at him closely, at his set shoulders and his focused expression. I know Miles well enough that I can guess where this is headed.

“I know what you’re up to.”

Miles tries to hide his smile. “Oh yeah? What?”

“You want me to come to L.A. with you.”

Miles laughs. “Youarefiguring me out, you tricky minx.”

He takes both my hands and brings them to his lips, keeping those keen gray eyes fixed on me.

“I don’t care about graduating,” he says. “I already got what I wanted out of Kingmakers. And I don’t think you’re that attached to the place, now that you’re not buying time on your engagement. I could stay another year, but after I graduated, you’d still have a whole year left. I don’t want to be apart from you.”

I consider what he’s saying, my brain spinning.

It’s true—I don’t want to be separated from Miles when he finishes school before me. That’s another year out, but I understand the point he’s making: if we already know we want to start building a life together, then what are we waiting for?

Still, I hesitate.

Miles already knows the reason, I don’t have to explain it.

“You don’t want to abandon Cat,” he says.

I nod. My sister’s safety and comfort mean the world to me. I hate the idea of leaving her anywhere alone. Especially somewhere as dangerous and unpredictable as Kingmakers.

“Rocco’s not there anymore,” Miles says. “She’ll still have Anna, Leo, and Chay to keep an eye on her. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed . . . but Cat has changed a lot. She’s not a kid anymore—she can take care of herself.”

It pains me to hear that, even though I know it’s true and I want my sister to be confident and independent. Miles is right—Cat has grown by leaps and bounds. I don’t think she even dislikes Kingmakers anymore, or at least, it’s become a challenge instead of torture.

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