Page 115 of Brutal Kingdom

“Whatever you were doing is your business. I don’t need to know about it.”

I watch her leave the house. Now that I’ve done what I came here for, I’m ready to leave too, but I have to keep up appearances. I find Dixon near the doors that lead to the garden. We spend the next hour talking to people whose names I’ve heard in passing or seen on streets signs, and buildings.

I approach today’s event like I’ve been doing all the others. I treat it like it’s just one more interview before I get hired.

FORTY-THREE

LOGAN

Simon holds a grudge better than anyone I know, and I’m glad he’s not holding my stupid jealousy against me. I’ve never gone after my best friend like I did the night I grabbed him outside his lab. Any doubt I had that he was telling the truth vanished the moment I had Jordanna in my arms. She’s not avoiding me because of him. She’s trying to deal with this fucked up situation we’re in.

Simon’s in town for a dinner party his parents are throwing and instead of getting ready for the event, he’s combing through newspaper articles and five lists of board of directors, searching for something we can use to get me out of this conundrum. I can feel it. I’m running out of time and the further I get down this road with Bella, the harder it will be to get out of it. They want to announce our union on her twenty-first birthday.

I smile to myself, remembering my twenty-first. As crazy as things were, I had a great time. I’m just sorry I didn’t get a chance to do something special for Jordy on hers. I heard through the grapevine she had a nice dinner with her mom and sister, and when she got back to campus, Kassidy threw her a surprise party. Noel was glued to her side the whole night, like he’s her man. Just one more reason for me to hate him.

Simon’s muttering to himself. I turn to watch him tuck his pencil behind his ear and shuffle through the papers in front of him. He picks up his highlighter with his right hand and runs it across a page while writing on a sticky note with his left hand. Ambidextrous mother fucker.

He’s in mad scientist mode. I know from experience the more he talks to himself, the closer he’s getting to solving whatever problem sits before him. I hate to interrupt, but we both need to make an appearance tonight.

“Hey man, we need to start getting ready. We’re already beyond the point where we’re fashionably late.”

“I know. But I’m close. I can feel it. The answer’s buried somewhere in the middle of all this shit.” He points to the papers and his computer screen. “I just need to find the right variable.”

“You will, but not tonight. We have to go be the sons of Kingsley Elite.”

“Fuck, I can’t wait until we’re in charge and can dispense with this pretentious bullshit.”

“So no dinner parties?” He usually enjoys dressing up.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I never pass up a chance for catered cuisine, but my parties will be for people I actually like.”

“Guess that means Tabby won’t make the guest list.”

His voice is pure venom. “Sure she will. We know she can’t be trusted on her own.”

I’m used to the bickering and arguing, but things between them have clearly escalated. “What the fuck is going on between the two of you?”

He sighs, shaking his head. “Nothing man. You know, we just have that type of relationship.”

“I do know, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard you say you don’t trust her.” She ran interference when Jordy was snooping around Johnathan’s office. I can’t believe Jordanna would take a risk like that. Simon told her to let me in on her plan, but she didn’t. If Johnathan hadn’t of been looking for Bella, I don’t know what would have happened. “She knows all about the inheritance, and I’ve been keeping her looped in, so if that’s a mistake…”

“It’s not. Okay. My shit with Tabitha is personal, but you can totally trust her to do right by Jordanna. I swear it.”

He cracks his neck and closes his laptop. I watch him take it to his wall safe, locking it in, even though the room’ll be as secure as a fortress when we leave. “You don’t wanna stash these financial records away?”

“Nope. If anyone gets in here and sees them, they won’t find any clues as to why I have them.”

“I don’t know about that. You’ve got sticky notes everywhere.”

“I’m also building a database, an encrypted server, and developing a new data mining algorithm for my senior projects. This is the information I’m practicing with.”

So he gets to work on this anytime he wants. “It’s scary the way your mind works, sometime.”

“Thank you.” He flicks off the lights. When we step outside of the pool house, I turn away as he locks the door and follow him down the path to the main house.

I had my clothes delivered here this morning, because I knew we’d be working up until the last minute. Entering the back door, we take the stairs straight up to his wing. I use the guest room I claimed as my own when I was ten. Thirty minutes later, we emerge and descend the stairs to the front of the house. We’ve missed everyone arriving and most of the pre-dinner bullshit banter and drinks. Thank god.

Tabby’s in the corner with her mom. She smiles when she sees me. It slips as soon as her gaze lands on Simon. I snatch a drink from a passing tray, and almost choke on my first sip, when she raises her hand as if she’s going to wave at Simon, only to turn it around and flip him off. He sends a text. Whatever she reads when she looks down at her phone pisses her off.

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