Page 28 of Kings & Corruption

“It’s so beautiful here,” I said.

His tongue snaked out to touch his lip piercing as he looked down at me with smoldering eyes. “It’s nothing compared to you.”

I rolled my eyes, but my face heated anyway.

Dammit.

“Can we eat?” I asked. “I’m starving.” I was always hungry, and the single jelly donut, as orgasmic as it had been, hadn’t taken me very far in the fuel department.

He smiled down at me. “You’re going to have to get better at taking compliments, tiger. But yeah, we can eat.”

Drago stripped off his jacket for me to sit on and we settled on the bank of the river, shaded from the sun but close enough that we could still feel its warmth through the branches of the trees.

“This is one of my favorite spots,” he said, unpacking the food. “I come here when I need quiet.”

“Must be a lot given your roommates,” I said, unwrapping my sandwich.

He laughed. “You’re actually funnier than I remember.”

I stared at him, my sandwich halfway to my mouth. “What do you mean?”

“What? You think I don’t remember you?” He uncapped both our sodas and nestled them in the dirt. “We’ve been around each other since we were kids.”

“Yeah, but you could say that about half the kids at Aventine. Do you remember them all?” I asked.

“They aren’t all like you,” he said.

My face grew hot and I took a bite of my sandwich to hide my embarrassment. Emma had been the center of attention in our family. Tall and willowy, beautiful and funny, Emma had been like a shining star. I’d always been the quiet sister, always reading in a corner by myself, studying everyone else, wondering how they made it all look so easy.

Until my dad turned traitor, I’d always assumed I’d been invisible to Neo, Rock, and Drago.

To everyone.

We talked about everything and nothing while we ate: about Drago’s love of movies and photography, about his friendship with Rock and Neo (“they’re my brothers in every sense of the word”), my year of travel.

“I’m sorry about Emma,” he said as I balled up the paper that had been around the turkey and avocado sandwich I’d devoured. “She’s good people.”

I stiffened, remembering that Drago could know something about my sister. It seemed impossible after our afternoon together. He seemed so normal.

So nice.

But I couldn’t afford to take anything for granted. Even if the Kings hadn’t been responsible for Emma’s disappearance, I knew how it worked, how the people in our world protected each other, especially the men.

“Thank you.” I looked out over the river, watched as it tumbled over the slick rocks that protruded from its surface. “I miss her.”

He nodded. “I bet you do.”

He sounded like he meant it, and I remembered that he had an older brother who’d died when we were in middle school. My parents had told me he’d gotten sick, but I heard later that he’d committed suicide.

My chest felt tight and I rose to my feet. “I’m going to rinse my hands.”

I walked to the riverbank and crouched, swirling my hands in the water, turned amber by the light. I forced myself to breathe through my grief, waiting for it to subside before standing. I had a lot of practice. I knew the drill. How it could hit me like a rogue wave, knock me off my feet, pull me under if I wasn’t careful.

When I felt steady, I turned back to the picnic spot and stood over Drago. “Should we go?”

He reached out a hand. “Come here.”

I should have said no, should have said I wanted to leave.

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