Page 78 of Brutal Kingdom

“Thanks.” I take the cup from her, my body blocking the door. “Was there something else?”

“I thought we could strategize.”

There’s no way in hell I’m letting her in my apartment. “About what?”

“About how Jordanna managed to weasel her way out of the dungeon. Did you know she was moving in here?”

I feign ignorance. “She did?”

“You haven’t seen her?”

“I keep to myself around here, so I don’t pay much attention to who’s living here. Which floor did they put her on?”

“This one, Logan.”

“Huh. So that was her moving in?”

“So you did know.”

“I saw a bunch of boxes and people a few nights ago, and Jordanna and Kassidy were with them, but I didn’t think it was her moving in. Where did she get ten grand from?”

“I don’t know and your contact in the housing office won’t tell me anything.”

“What contact in the housing office? You burned that bridge for me.”

Her promise that Lyndsey wouldn’t get caught or penalized didn’t pan out the way she said it would. She input the dorm transfer, never gave notice to Jordanna, and closed out her file. Bella and her promises weren’t worth shit, per usual, when “Mrs. Felding” phoned the housing office demanding answers about what happened. Tabitha was phenomenal on the phone that day. Eighth grade year, she used to call the school all the time, and get me and Simon out of classes, so we could cut school for the day.

“Bella, I really wish I knew what to tell you. If she’s suddenly come into some money, maybe there’s truth to this inheritance thing after all.”

“There’s not. I told you, she’s lying and trying to steal my birthright away from me. She’s hanging out with the mob, so maybe she borrowed money from them.” Her eyes widen. She looks behind her towards Jordanna’s door. “Maybe you should move. I don’t think it’s safe for you to live here.”

Nice try. Bella doesn’t give a shit about my safety. She still hates that she’s supposed to be top dog at this school, but I live like I am, and now Jordanna’s up on the penthouse floor, too.

“Thanks for your concern, but I think I’m good right here.”

I pull my door closed, waiting for that satisfying click of the electronic lock engaging. The sound draws her attention back to me. Her eyes dart to my door. “You’re leaving now?”

“I have something I need to do at the paper, and didn’t you say you were on your way to class?”

“My class is in an hour.”

“Come on, we’ll ride down together.” I say, walking to the elevator. I hold the door open until she gets in. No way in hell I’m leaving her on this floor alone. When we step outside, I hold up the coffee and say, “Thanks again for this.”

Division has never looked so good. For a long time, I preached that it was important to have a hierarchy, because when people are left to do their own thing, chaos ensues. Watching the very clear chasm that’s manifesting itself on the quad, I’m ready to eat my words.

Bella’s sitting on the right in our usual spot, surrounded by our usual group. To the untrained eye, things look normal. But they’re not. Looking at the crowd of girls that linger on the edges hoping for a scrap of attention, I see the numbers have dwindled. That’s still not the thing that really screams trouble. Rumi, the female half of the Fiore twins, is missing. She’s been hoping Bella will invite her to sit closer since the beginning of school. Her brother Rocco is leaning up against his favorite tree looking bored with everything, as usual.

Either of them would be good to have on your side in a fight, but Bella keeps Rumi at arm’s length out of spite. Hurting Rumi hurts her brother, who Bella says is in desperate need of an attitude adjustment. I personally like his attitude. It’s only a problem for her because he’s got that dark and broody thing going on and doesn’t fall at her feet. He also doesn’t give a shit about who’s in charge of the school. When your dad is a hitman for the Moretti crime syndicate, you tend not to care about college level politics.

I find the power structure and dynamics of the underworld fascinating. Where we control and influence in boardrooms, they push for resolutions in dark alleys and control labor relations. We’re yin and yang of the same fucked up coin. I’ve never had much dealings with anyone from that lifestyle. Eighty-seven percent of Tabitha’s family have gone legit. The other thirteen percent are avoided and ignored because the FBI keeps tabs on them.

I remember the day the news broke that one of Tabitha’s cousin’s warehouses in the city was raided. We thought it was a random slip up that got them caught, but it turns out the feds had been building a case against them for years. It was obvious from the evidence submitted in court that the Feds had someone on the inside. Nobody knows how the undercover agent got in or who it was. Tabitha says that screw up created a void and let the Morretti’s acquire new territory. Graham Holt is Moretti’s black sheep son and guardian for his cousin’s Rumi and Rocco.

Rocco looks up, dragging his eyes across the quad before settling his gaze on his sister. She’s sitting on the outside of the circle that’s formed around Jordanna. One of the guys gets up and does a dance move that causes him to spill his drink. They all start laughing and a food fight breaks out. Everyone freezes when Rumi gets hit with what looks like a tomato. She pulls the slice from her hair, looking over at her brother, who’s climbing to his feet. Jordanna walks over and points to Dixon, the guy who threw the tomato. I watch as Jordanna walks up, distracting Dixon, while Rumi walks behind him and throws the food back at him. Both girls take off running, ducking for cover behind a tree.

The bodyguards are standing under a tree, watchfully waiting for some shit to pop off. They watch Rumi, Rocco,andJordanna. The twins have power in their world, but they’re not the ones in charge of this little group of misfits. It’s the warrior woman I’ve destroyed and watched rise from the ashes.

I swing my gaze to Bella. She’s playing it cool, but this has to be eating her up. That means she’ll strike soon. I saunter over to my group and sinking onto the blanket with Tabitha. She’s holding a book, but I know she’s watching too.

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