Page 24 of Kings & Corruption

Not just business family, but real family.

That had hurt the most, and I knew I was in for more of it at school, especially at Aventine, where everyone would be looking for an edge, some way that they were better and more powerful than everyone else.

Drago slowed the car as we came to an intersection.

“Where to?” he asked, the engine revving down enough that I could actually hear him.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “Is there a drugstore or something?”

I’d only been to the town of Blackwell Falls twice, when my mom and I had driven up to see Emma at Bellepoint. She’d shown us around campus and taken us to her favorite bistro in Blackwell Falls. The town was well-appointed, with a tree-lined main street, cute little shops, and expensive eateries, but I doubted they had a Sephora.

“You got it.” Drago took the corner so fast I grabbed the door handle.

He parked on a side street and turned off the engine. I reached for the door but was surprised when he ran around to open it for me.

Oscar Drago, a gentleman?

I wasn’t sure I could take many more surprises.

I stepped onto the curb and waited while Drago shut the door to the Porsche. I didn’t know when it had started to seem normal that we would go into town together, but sometime between the annoying interaction with Neo and our arrival in Blackwater Falls, I’d let the baggage between us fall away.

It was still there, lurking in the shadows — I didn’t trust Drago or his two gorgeous and annoying bros — but being in the Kings’ house meant I needed them.

For now.

Plus, the closer I got, the more access I would have to their secrets.

“Let’s go,” Drago said.

“Your camera…” It was in full view in the back seat, just asking to be stolen.

“No one’s going to mess with my camera.” There was a threat in his words, but I didn’t have time to analyze it, because a second later he reached for my hand. He chuckled when I tensed, the sound as smooth as expensive Scotch. “No Willas will be harmed in the making of this field trip, I promise.”

I didn’t tell him that being harmed had moved to the number two position on my list of Things to Worry About — right behind being sucked in by Drago’s sexy af smirk and Rock’s sea-blue eyes.

As for Neo Alinari, fuck him.

“There’s a Walgreens on the next block,” Drago said, his big hand still wrapped around mine as we started down the street. “We can take you to the city sometime if you want legit shops, but this should do for now.”

The pedestrians milling around us were mostly students — obvious from their age and attire — and I tried to ignore the ones who stared as we passed.

Which was most of them.

I had no idea if they were staring because they knew I was the traitor’s daughter, because they knew I was Emma Russo’s sister, or because I was holding hands with Oscar Drago, one of the three most desired men on Aventine’s exclusive campus.

It didn’t matter. I just wanted to buy what I needed and get back to the house, which was already starting to weirdly feel like a refuge from the real world. After a year of anonymity, I was going to have to ease into this whole notoriety thing.

“You should be able to find what you need here,” Drago said as we stepped into an upscale Walgreens. Typical for a town like Blackwell Falls to try and pretty up its drugstore, like there was something unseemly about a store that carried literally everything you needed for basic survival.

“Thanks.” I looked around until I found the makeup section. “I can take it from here if you want to go have a beer or something.”

He shook his head. “I’m good.”

I stared up at him. “No offense, but I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Think of me as your private security detail.” His biceps bulged as he crossed his arms over his chest, and there was a glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes as he stared down at me. “Would a bodyguard gohave a beerand leave the person he was protecting to fend for herself?”

“Except I didn’t hire you,” I snapped. “And I don’t need you.”

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