Page 5 of King of Violence

There’s a pause, the air between us heavy with unspoken words. I want to ask him what hedoesmean, but I know better than to push too hard.

“Well,” I say, standing up and slinging my bag over my shoulder. “I’ll let you get back to saving the world. Just don’t forget to take a break sometime. Take care of yourself.”

Felix watches me leave, his gaze unreadable.

I walk out of the library into the cool night air, feeling something I haven’t felt in a long time—curiosity.

Felix Caruso doesn’t just see the surface. He looks deeper, even if he doesn’t like what he finds.

And for some reason, I want to know what it would take to make him look at me differently.

I pick up my phone, dialing the number of the guy who hacks into the school system to fix my grades.

“Hey, I need a favor.”

FELIX

The lecture hall buzzes with quiet murmurs as students shuffle in, clutching their laptops and coffee cups like lifelines. I take my usual seat near the front, setting up my materials with a precision that would make a drill sergeant proud. My notebook is open, my pen poised, and my laptop is positioned at the perfect angle for notetaking.

Professor Hartford begins the class with his usual monotone, diving straight into the finer points of criminal procedure. It’s a topic I’m genuinely interested in, but today my mind feels unusually restless.

I try to focus, jotting down everything he says, but my email inbox keeps nagging at the back of my mind. I shouldn’t check it—I know better than to let distractions creep in during class. But the temptation is too strong.

Just a quick look.

Sliding my laptop’s browser open, I navigate to my email. Most of it is the usual clutter: updates from the student bar association, reminders about upcoming deadlines, and some spam about a “limited-time offer” for a subscription I don’t remember signing up for.

But one subject line catches my eye:

New Academic Initiative Assignment

My stomach sinks.Great, another thing to add to my list.

Dear Felix Caruso,

As part of Valmont College’s Academic Improvement Initiative, you have been selected to serve as a peer tutor for Julian Greco. This program is designed to provide academic support to students in high-demand athletic programs. Your role will involve one-on-one sessions to ensure the student meets their academic requirements. Attached, you’ll find his course schedule and the topics we suggest focusing on.

This opportunity allows you to further develop your leadership and teaching skills, which will look excellent on future applications. Please confirm your availability by the end of the day.

I stare at the screen, my pulse thundering in my ears.

Julian Greco.

The namepractically leaps off the page, taunting me. Star quarterback. Campus celebrity. The face of every promotional poster and social media campaign. He’s the golden boy with an easy smile, a perfect throw, and the kind of charisma that makes professors overlook late assignments. And now, apparently, he’s my responsibility.

I only spoke to him once before our official meeting yesterday. He’d bumped me with his bag, scattering my booksacross the floor. I expected him to ignore me and keep laughing along with his friends, but he didn’t.

Instead, he dropped to the floor. “I’m so sorry, man. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Julian gathered my books and handed them to me with that insanely charming smile of his. “Later.”

“Mr. Caruso.”

I snap my head up, realizing too late that the entire lecture hall has gone silent. Professor Hartford is staring at me, his bushy eyebrows raised in expectation.

“Is there something more pressing than my lecture on the exclusionary rule?” he asks dryly, his gaze cutting into me like a scalpel.

“No, sir,” I mumble, quickly closing my laptop. My cheeks burn as a few students nearby stifle chuckles.

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