Page 24 of Vicious Prince (Violent Kingdom)

I think back to the last time I say Ty Capulet, the little prick, after he testified against me in court and helped to send me to prison for two fucking years for somethinghedid.

Yeah,I text back. I know exactly which one.

Dude. Wear a mask or something. They’ll never let you near that place. You don’t exactly blend.

I catch my reflection in the mirrored coffee table I'm hunched over and have to agree. My tattoos are pretty fucking conspicuous. The Montague crest on my back might be covered, but there’s plenty more black and red ink snaking up my arms, all the way to my fingertips. Up my neck. Everywhere. Plus the small matter of me looking exactly, irredeemably like my exiled father, who is the only person more hated than me in this little criminal society in San Francisco.

I gave Rosaline something to knock her out. I’m meeting you there. You’re not going in to their lair alone.

I smirk.Swell,I text back.See you there.

Somebody is going to get fucked up tonight, and not in a fun way, like these three giggling girls, whose doses of my special recipe have started to hit them. I wait eleven painstaking minutes, the entire time imagining exactly how I’ll rearrange Ty Capulet’s face.

That fucking family. They’re like blood-sucking demons. Ghouls. They’ve taken everything from my family, and now one of them is trying to undermine me and steal my drug.

Haven’t they taken enough?

Game on, motherfucker. You just messed with the wrong Montague.

I stalk to my car once I know my pills are safely dissolved in these girls' stomachs. When I get to my car, I open the door so hard I nearly wrench it off the fucking hinges. I wish I had a faster car, to rage-drive back to the city and smash right into the front doors of the Palatial Hotel, maybe take out some Capulet family members on my smash and grab mission. I intend to make an example of that family. A bloody one. And it might just involve taking their beloved princess Avery down a couple of notches.

When I finally get to the financial district in the city, I park in a handicapped spot — if I’m going to beat some people to a bloody pulp, may as well start breaking the rules now — and collect my supplies from the trunk of the Prius. Knife? Check. Something to cover my face? Check. Guns? Check and check.

The cells of fury that continue to multiply like cancer inside of my body propel me to the front entrance of the hotel. Before I get there, though, I hear screaming. Sirens. People start bursting out of the front of the hotel, spilling like bees from a hive that’s crashed to the ground. They all look rich, and beautiful, and frightened as fuck.

How interesting.

Meet me round back,Merc texts me.

I change my trajectory, continuing down the edge of the building as people rush by, too panicked to even notice the enemy going for an evening stroll beside them. I round the side of the building, stepping into the shadows of the Palatial Hotel’s loading dock, and that’s when it seems that the universe is finally deciding to throw me a bone. A bone that looks like Avery fucking Capulet, stepping out of the service elevator, surrounded by security and clutching at some tall dude in a suit who looks like he’d eat her alive, given half a chance.

Hello, little lover. It’s time your family was taught a lesson.

Chapter Seven

AVERY

After my father’s speech, and then Joshua’s, during which I stand beside him and smile and blink my pretty fake eyelashes and try to ignore the blisters forming from my new Manolo Blahniks; the party moves outside to the rooftop deck. There are thousands of tiny fairy lights strung over the massive pool, everything sparkling and shiny. Normally I would love being here, but tonight I just want to rip the shoes off my feet, tear off this ridiculous dress, and put on some pajamas. I’ve been instructed by my father that I have to stay until at least midnight — maybe longer, if I don’t turn into a pumpkin — so I grab the prettiest drink from the nearest silver tray and try to appear semi-elegant while tipping it down my throat. The champagne bubbles tickle my nose and burn their way down my throat; but after a second flute, tossed back much the same way, a pleasant buzz filters through my veins and loosens my tense limbs. I’m reaching for a third glass when a hand presses against the small of my back, making me jump. I drop the champagne flute to the floor, where it shatters into a million tiny shards, tiny droplets of frothy liquid hitting my ankles. Fuck’s sake.

I turn around, expecting Joshua, letting my shoulders drop in relief when I see my cousin and uncle both standing in front of me.

“Hey,” I say to both of them, my tongue feeling a little thick in my mouth.

“Are you drunk?” Enzo asks, looking equal parts horrified and amused.

Nathan scowls. “Every damn time, I tell you. You have got to eat at these things.”

I shrug, mostly sad that I don’t have a fresh drink in my hand. “I’m not drunk,” I protest. “Tipsy, but not drunk.”

My uncle blinks slowly, as if in deep thought. “Maybe you should take Avery to freshen up, maybe have a snack?” Enzo suggests to Nathan, who nods in response.

“You want to cut out for a little while?” Nathan asks me, hugging me just long enough to bend down and murmur those words into my ear. I nod, and he grabs my hand, making a beeline for the exit.

I scan the crowd, looking to see if Joshua notices my exit. He appears oblivious, deep in discussion with my father, both of them laughing and sipping on amber-colored liquid in thick crystal tumblers. Well. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that he’s already moving on to business, but really? We’ve been engaged for literally thirty minutes.

Perhaps this is a good omen amongst the shitty day I’ve endured. Maybe he’ll leave me well enough alone and treat this like a business arrangement after all.

Just as I’m crossing the threshold into the ballroom, Joshua meets my gaze. I stop in my tracks, my entire body freezing up. He grins, raising his glass, giving me a wink that makes me want to run over there and rip his fucking face off in front of everyone.

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