Page 49 of Vengeful

She offered a faint smile. "Because I do. I sit in on school board meetings, remember? I'm privy to all sorts of things you probably don't want to know about."

I regarded her thoughtfully for a few moments. "I'm sure you get approached all the time to make changes to suit certain factions." Was that what Joshua was doing here? I got the impression there was more going on than that. Were they intimate?

I couldn't blame Joshua. She was intelligent and beautiful. If it wasn't for Lila, I'd pursue her myself. She was also one of Hunter and Parker's professors. I couldn't help wondering if Joshua was the only Brantley she was ever intimate with. Before Lila, they had a reputation for getting their dicks wet anywhere and everywhere they could.

"It comes with the territory," she agreed. "Nothing I can't handle."

She was keeping her cards close to her chest as far as Joshua was concerned.

"I can't imagine anything being beyond your ability to handle, Frankie," I told her.

"I've always thought you were wise, Slade," she replied. Her gaze scanned the room. She seemed more on edge than usual.

"I'm not sure I'd go that far." I kept my tone as light as I could. "Anything I can do?"

She turned back to me, hazel eyes serious. "Don't lose your shit, whatever happens. If at least one of those girls doesn't survive the trials, we're in for a world of pain."

I didn't need her to tell me which girls she was referring to. "Samuel Bell will use it as an excuse to blame the Brantleys," I said.

"Exactly," she agreed. "If they go to war, we'll all get caught in the crossfire."

Her words chilled my blood. "Joshua wants you to pick a side."

"Everyone wants everyone to pick a side," she said. "No one will remain neutral for long. Not even me."

"Are you really that neutral?" I cocked my head at her. If she was fucking Joshua Brantley, then people would assume where her loyalties lay. It's me, I'm people.

"I try to be, just like you do," she said. "You've always been affiliated with the Brantley family, but now…what will you do if this escalates? Who are your loyalties with?"

"Lila," I said immediately. She was right though. It would be natural, easy, for me to return to the Brantley fold. Why would I owe Samuel Bell any loyalty? He'd put Lila through hell. The only thing I owed him was a punch in the face. With a bullet.

"Nothing is so simple." Her tone was laced with meaning. "My mother was a Bell."

"And now you're sleeping with Joshua," I said without thinking.

The sides of her mouth twitched. "It looks as though the meeting is about to start."

The chancellor entered the assembly hall. The students gradually began to settle down.

I spied Chloe and Zachary sitting near the back. The twins weren't here. This meeting was only for students who’d take the trials this year, and relevant staff. No doubt Hunter and Parkerfound some way to watch. Knowing them, they were lurking just outside the doors.

"Thank you for coming," the chancellor said when those gathered were quiet enough to be heard. The hall wasn't big enough to need a microphone. The student body at Brutham was a lot smaller than the average university. Even if everyone was gathered here, there was no need for audio equipment.

"We love coming," one of the students shouted out.

Everyone laughed. I glanced over to see Francine smiling and shaking her head.

The chancellor cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I'm sure you're all wondering why you're gathered here."

"Because you told us to," someone else shouted.

"Yes. I'm sure you're wonderingwhyI told you to," he said. He was visibly starting to get annoyed. He paced across the front of the room and back.

"It's come to the attention of the school board that various individuals have been taking it upon themselves to go to the trials' site and undertake various activities there."

"How about that?" I whispered.

"You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Francine asked teasingly.

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