Page 24 of Gambit
“Fine,” he grumbles, but it’s good-natured.
We make it back to the townhouse in under a few minutes, ready to get these four factions under the thumb so they don’t decide to screw me over.
Oliver, James, and Tarquin arrive with Connor, Imogen, and Harry, and Robert strolls in at the same time.
When everyone is seated, I get right to it. “There’s a move being made against us from the outside. Anyone know anything?”
Connor leans back. “What’s in it for us if we do?” he drawls, his eyes flitting around the room as if watching a tennis match.
“Protection,” I snap, my patience thinning. “Those fuckers come in, and it’s not just us that’ll get hit. We’re your best bet at keeping shit stable.”
Imogen chimes in, her voice like a blade: “I’ve heard whispers about another university wanting to rival Castle for next gen’s playground. I wasn’t overly worried. I mean… come on, right?”
“Really?” I take in her words, feeling the weight of the next few decisions on my shoulders. “Right, here’s what’s going to happen. We present a united front. Any favour they think they can call in from you, you agree and then tell us. But we need to know who exactly we’re dealing with.”
Raph’s hand finds mine, a silent message of solidarity and strength.
James leans forward, hands clasped between his knees. “We need names. Anyone got a line on who’s behind this?”
Harry shakes his head, a frown creasing his forehead. “No fucking clue, but I’ll get my people on it.”
“And you’ll share what you find,” Tarquin’s voice has an edge, no room for bullshit.
I watch them, my family. They’re wolves ready to protect the pack, and I love them fiercely for it. We’re the next gen, and no other university fuckers are going to take that away from us.
“I think we can all agree that Castle is theonlymafia university in England, and we are going to keep it that way. Anyone who wants a fucking fight over it will find one.”
“Totally,” Imogen says, as Robert agrees, with Connor and Harry close behind.
They file out, and I purse my lips. “This is ridiculous. I have better things to do than fuck about with some assholes who think they’re better than us.”Like, keep my grades up so Dad doesn’t go ballistic on my ass.
“Well, agreed,” Raph says, “but we can’t rule this out as a serious problem. If they come here trying to prove a point, then they’re going to come in guns blazing.”
“We need to find out who it is,” I state the obvious.
“We’ll get the info. Now that we know the score, we know which stones to unturn,” James says with his usual calm and logic.
“True. Right now, I need to get to class. I heard VC Peters is taking over Franks’ Medieval History class, and I can’t give that fuck any excuses.”
“Go,” Tarquin says, understanding my predicament. “We’ve got this.”
James steps forward, and I frown at him. “I don’t need a chaperone.”
“I’m in that class, remember,” he says with a slow smile.
“Oh, yeah,” I snicker. “Let’s go then.”
He takes my hand, and we walk quickly out of the townhouse and across campus to the lecture hall, where VC Peters is indeed presiding over the lecture.
He glares at me as I enter, but I ignore him. It’s the best thing to do, really. He’s a vindictive cunt, but I doubt he has the stones to try anything. Unlike Franks, he has brains and knows who to be terrified of. If it’s not me, it’s definitely my dad, no doubt.
James and I sit next to each other, and I pull out my books, trying to get lost in the words, but Franks’ voice, his face, just won’t leave me alone. It’s being in here. Hopefully, once I leave again, so will his memory.
“What’s that smell?” someone mutters behind us.
James and I exchange a frown as Peters also catches a whiff and goes to the window.
The sound of sirens in the distance has me on my feet instantly and staring out of the window next to Peters. I can see a giant plume of smoke on the horizon, and my frown deepens. Catching James’s eye, he shrugs and sits back nonchalantly, which tells me everything.
