Page 5 of Kings & Corruption

It was one of many reasons I’d chosen to attend Bellepoint instead of Aventine. The fact that Emma had last been seen at Aventine, that she’d been the outcast daughter of a traitor, made me wonder if she’d become part of the game.

And if she’d paid the highest price of all for losing.

“Today, in the spirit of that family, we commit to joining our lives together, but more than that, we commit to joining our families in every way.” Roberto took my mom’s hand. Something was coming. It crackled like the electricity that charged the air before a summer thunderstorm. I felt Roberto’s eyes on my face and turned to look at him as he continued. “Which is why I’m thrilled to announce that this fall, Willa will be attending Aventine University with Neo.”

The bottom dropped out of my stomach as a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd, followed by a polite smattering of applause.

I found Mara in the crowd, her face white, then turned to look at my mom.

How could she do this to me? How could she send me to the school where Emma was last seen alive? The school where, more than anywhere else in the world, I would be a pariah? The school attended by people who’d been trained in the art of making others suffer?

Looking at the polite smile on her face, I felt a surge of hatred for her. She couldn’t even look me in the fucking eyes.

Guess being a traitor ran in the family.

The decision had been made, probably by Roberto, and I knew my mom well enough to know she wouldn’t fight it. She was the perfect Mob wife. Always had been. Her father had been part of the family, and his father before him. It was why she hadn’t followed my dad into Witness Protection, why she’d opted to stay to prove her loyalty to the family.

My face heated and I turned to find Neo watching me, a cruel smirk twisting the corners of his luscious mouth.

He’d known. My mom hadn’t bothered to tell me, but Neo had known I would be attending Aventine with him, Rock, and Drago.

Resolve hardened in my stomach. If there was no changing it, I would use it. Going to Aventine meant even closer proximity to the people who’d last seen my sister.

It meant proximity to their secrets.

Their lies.

I met Neo’s gaze and returned his smile.

You want to play, asshole?

Let’s play.

Chapter3

Willa

Iwatched through the back seat window as we pulled through Aventine’s iron gate. It was purely ornamental: there was no keypad that I could see, which meant it was probably always open.

There was, however, a security camera mounted to one of the stone pillars that flanked the driveway. I watched it as Roberto drove past, its red light blinking like an alarm, and made a mental note to keep my eyes open for others on campus.

If I was going to snoop around trying to figure out what happened to Emma, I needed to be sure I wasn’t caught on camera.

“It’s so pretty up here,” my mom breathed from the front seat. She’d made similar exclamations during the entire three-hour drive from Long Island.

I’ve always loved Upstate.

I can’t wait to come visit you when the leaves change.

I’m envious, Willa!

It was all bullshit designed to keep me quiet. I’d always been the family wild card, and after the stunt I’d pulled taking off to travel for a year, the title felt more earned than ever.

My mom didn’t know what I would do, didn’t know what I would say, and since she was officially rowing a boat with Roberto Alinari, it was imperative that I kept from rocking it.

Or sinking it.

“Don’t you think so?” my mom asked, turning around in the front seat to look at me. She was still beautiful, with thick blonde hair and symmetrical features that made her look like a doll.

---