Page 50 of Kings & Corruption

“As head of the Queens’ house,” she finally said, “I appoint myself and Mila to the first challenge.”

“Or course,” Claire said.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Being at Game Night made me feel like I’d just stepped out of the airport in an unfamiliar country and was trying to negotiate for a taxi.

“The challenges get harder,” Quinn explained. “But ourfearless leaderwould look weak if she didn’t do at least one of them herself.”

Now I understood why it sounded like Quinn put the wordsfearless leaderin quotes. “So she chose the easiest one.”

“Exactly,” Quinn said. “And she chose Mila because they’re BFFs.”

“She’s probably saving me for last,” Claire said.

“What’s the point of all this?” I asked. “I mean, I get the whole pissing contest thing. But is that it?”

“That’s the biggest thing,” Claire said. “But the winners also become the school’s unofficial leaders, and they get to choose next year’s games.”

“Plus, they get to wear the rings,” Quinn added.

I remembered the rings winking on Neo’s, Oscar’s, and Rock’s hands, a match to their tattoos. So they’d won last year. Except…

“But the rings have crowns on them,” I said. “Isn’t that the Kings’ symbol?”

“The gold in those rings is older than the school,” Claire said. “Every year, the winning house has them melted down and remade their way."

The other house’s leaders had stepped aside, and everybody grew quiet again, all eyes on Neo.

“The Kings choose Rock for the first challenge,” he said. “And Willa.”

I didn’t register that he’d said my name until I heard the murmur roll through the crowd. My mind was short-circuiting, trying to figure out what it meant.

“Well, it could be worse,” Claire said. “At least Rock knows what he’s doing.”

Her words did absolutely nothing to calm the boiling of my blood.

I met Neo’s eyes from across the fire, and it was safe to say I wasn’t imagining the smirk on his stupid mouth. “I’m going to kill him.”

Chapter23

Willa

Iwas still fuming the next morning. I hurried down to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, glad the guys were all outside, and returned to my room.

We’d left the bonfire shortly after the games announcement, and I’d stalked to the Hummer without a word to the guys. Rock sat up front with Neo on the way home and I sat in the back with Oscar.

Next to him, not on his lap, even though he gave me puppy dog eyes with his ridiculously long eyelashes.

I’d barely waited for Neo to pull all the way into the garage before opening the door and storming to my room, and I’d tossed and turned all night, contemplating all the possible scenarios for my probably ill-fated attempt at committing a crime.

I felt trapped. At Aventine. In my life as Frank Russo’s daughter and Emma’s sister.

And definitely as Neo Alinari’s stepsister.

Just saying it made me want to throw up in my mouth.

I needed to get a car. Or a bike. Anything that would allow me to escape the confines of the giant house and all its giant men.

I settled for the balcony after figuring out how to open the door with the app on my new phone.

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