Page 2 of Sinister Legacy
“No, I think Shrink Cassie needs to stay out of the closet. You’re only with him because it’s easy. And safe. He’s the popular quarterback with two brain cells. Let’s face it, Liam is good for your image, but he’s not what you want.”
“And what do I want?”
She lifts one shoulder and lets it fall. “You’re intelligent, Keira. Liam is… not.”
Laughter bubbles up from my chest. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit judgy now? Besides, so what if I think he’s safe?”
Safety is what I need now. Liam is predictable and boring. There are no hidden surprises to be unearthed. All he cares about is parties, sex, and football. The police won’t storm the school one day to arrest him. I like it. It’s boring, but it’s what I need.
“Fine,” Cassie replies, pulling up to the school parking lot. “He must be a beast in bed for you to put up with him.”
I try not to laugh, while she cuts the engine. “I sense there’s more you want to say?”
Shifting in her seat and turning her body in my direction, she says, “I know you’re not a jersey chaser like all the other girls here, which is why I don’t get it.”
“You don’t get what? Why I’m with him? Or why he’s with someone like me?”
Cassie pales, so I wave her off, reaching for the door handle. “It’s fine. I’m Jimmy Hill’s daughter. My reputation precedes me. I’m not stupid. I know Liam likes the notoriety of fucking the daughter of a serial killer. My father’s legacy will follow me like a shadow until I’m old enough to escape this forsaken town. And even then, it’ll still be with me. It always will.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Cassie says, holding her jacket over her head to protect her from the rain when we step out of the car.
“It doesn’t matter, though. It’s still the truth.”
I step in a puddle, and rainwater soaks my Chucks as we cross the parking lot. By the time we reach the entrance, my wet hair sticks to my cheeks, the shoulders of my denim jacket are damp, and my jeans are soaked through at the thighs.
“I can’t believe how bad the rain is coming down,” Cassie says, lowering her jacket from her head.
“What is it now? Day three of constant rain?”
“Something like that.”
Liam’s loud holler announces his arrival. He runs up behind me, picks me up, and spins us in a circle. “How’s my favorite girl?”
My feet meet the floor again, and I turn in his arms. Liam, dressed in jeans and a letterman jacket, is attractive, with sandy hair, gray eyes, and a Prince Charming smile. He’s so good-looking, it borders on annoying sometimes.
Before I can answer, he slings his arm around my shoulder and steers me down the next hallway, where my locker is located. “I tried to phone you last night. We had drinks at Jessica’s place.”
“Jessica hates me,” I point out.
“She doesn’t hate you.”
I stop short of pointing out that they all do. I’m not a cheerleader, and it rubs the girls the wrong way that their quarterback is dating outside of their clique.
Liam stops us to do some weird handshake with one of his football friends. Before long, they’re tussling. I ignore the amused sparkle in Cassie’s eyes and set off walking.
“Safe,” she whispers, making my lips twitch.
“Safe is good,” I reply.
The words die a swift death as I turn the corner, walking straight into a very big, very hard chest. Warm hands, so warm that I can feel them through the denim, clamp down on my arms to steady me. “Watch it.”
My eyes lock on King, the hot-headed resident bad boy with a nice hush-hush criminal history to go with the family name. The only reason he’s not in prison or juvie is because of his stupidly rich family. They have the ability to bail him out of any situation, apparently. Money and power speak louder than the justice system. King Knight is anything but a knight. He’s the boy to seek out if you want your heart ripped out of your chest. He’s a deadly weapon with his black hair, brown eyes, and killer jawline. And he knows how to wield it to get his own way.
I wrench free from his grip on me and mumble an apology. He’s already on the move, turning the corner. That’s the thing about King—in his world, you’re no one until you’re someone. And I would rather stay hidden in the shadows than have his spotlight directed at me.
Madison is waiting for me at my locker, phone in hand. She doesn’t look up until I’m right in front of her, and then she slides to the side, pocketing her phone. “Did Liam tell you about the party at Jessica’s last night?”
“Let me guess, she was all over him.”
