Page 3 of Brutal King

“Yes,” I say matter of fact. It annoys me to no end that Luca would do this to me.

After ditching my economics class, I met up with the one friend I’m allowed to have because she’s passed the “vetting” process my father set in place.

I’m sure the only reason that happened is that she’s a straight-Astudent with absolutely no ties to any criminal organizations, a clear background check, her parents are bothsurgeons who have also set high expectations upon their daughter, and they overprotect her by providing her with her very own bodyguard.

Pops was so afraid I’d be corrupted by some bad influence—never mind his own occupation— that it didn’t occur to him I might be the one to corrupt a friend.

Not that I’ve corrupted Jenn against her will, she’s been more than willing to be set free from her cage. All I’ve done is give her some ideas. Very little arm twisting required.

Today is a good example of that. It was much too beautiful to remain cooped inside, studying a subject so boring I nod off the instant Mr. Wells starts to speak. So, I suggested we slip outside for some fresh air. I never said where, that was all Jenn.

Unfortunately, while she was able to lose her guard, it appears I wasn’t as lucky.

“Albert was easier,” Jenn says, referring to my oldkeeper, as I used to call him. “I liked him more.”

“Which is why Luca let him go.” I sigh, recalling with fondness the days when we could get away and no one would be the wiser. Albert either didn’t notice, or was too tired of chasing after me to care.

“Guess your brother is stricter than your dad was,” Jenn remarks the obvious.

I nod in agreement.

After Pops died, Tony, my sweet eldest brother, tried to push for more security measures. But I easily persuaded him to let me live a little. To remember what it was like when he was twenty-one. He was easy to convince because he was soft and kind and his heart was so big.

But he still tried to do his job as my guardian. As long as I asked for permission, and he knew where I was at all times, I had a semblance of freedom. I could go out with Jenn whenever I pleased, to campus parties, restaurants, shops.

It all ended two months ago when Tony was murdered and Luca took over thefamigliaand with it, my life.

Luca isn’t like my father. But he’s not like Tony either. I’m not sure if he’s even anything in between.

I must admit it took me by surprise, even for someone who was always pigheaded. Luca wasn’t one to be corralled by anyone. He rebelled against my father’s control from the beginning. It’s why he moved out the second he could and went on to form what Pops called “his own little gang” with his best friend, Gunn Sinclair.

Out of anyone, I thought he would have been sympathetic toward my need for freedom. A chance to make my own way, choose my own life.

However, it was the complete opposite. Once Luca took control, the bars around me slammed into place so fast I barely had a chance to react. I’ve attempted to talk to him about it, but he shutters his expression and closes himself off to anything I have to say.

It is the way it is because he says it. There’s no compromise.

To an extent, I understand him wanting to come in with a show of strength. He feels the weight of the world on him right now. The responsibility of a big territory like the Sinacore’s is great.

What I don’t get, is the level of protection he’s focused on me. He’s so afraid someone will hurt me, he has not only reinstated all of our father’s rules, but has me watched at all times. Victor isn’t just a driver. Oh no, we don’t do that in the Sinacore family. Anyone who works for us must first and foremost be lethal. It says so on their application.

Our chef, for example, can not only cook a perfect steak, but he can wield his knives against any attacker with deadly precision.

Our housekeeper, Nan, might be older, but she’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen.

That means our driver isn’t just a driver. Victor was a transporter for the cartel for years before he came to work for my father. His only mission now is to make sure I get from pointatobalive, and kill anyone who gets in the way.

I let out a long sigh. Luca has put me in a protective embrace that is as suffocating as Pops’s was. More so.

I’m not sure if I can endure it again.

“Come on.” I take Jenn by the hand and drag her toward the car. “We’ll give you a ride.”

She peeks around me at Victor and comes to a screeching halt. “He scares me. I’ll just meet you at the dorm.”

We hug goodbye and I turn to face my guard. I fight the urge to shiver. Heisscary looking, huge, with his dark hair in a buzz cut that easily shows the thick scar on his scalp.

That’s all Jenn sees. A scary looking man. She has no idea that Victor isn’t just scary looking, butactuallyscary.

---