Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 642(@250wpm)___ 535(@300wpm)
My fingers flex in my palm.
What the fuck.
“I’m from a small town not far from here and studied law at the University of Del Morts. I have many talents, but one I’m passionate about is…” Her voice dies out as I dig into my pocket to find my phone.
what the fuck is that?
Dad: A necessity.
for who?
Everyone.
Halen’s name slides down on the top of the screen. I tap it and a new screen opens onto the group chat.
halen “drift queen” hayes has added luna nox to the group chat.
Halen: What the fuck is happening? Priest, I swear if this is another secret you’re hiding it’s not funny. A wife I can take, but this…
River: He didn’t.
Stella: I don’t like her.
Stella: Why she look at you like that, Priesty?
Evie: Fml. What am I missing out on?
Vaden: Just War about to explode after finding out he has another sister.
Evie: Standard. From the little baby farm?
Halen: … I don’t know.
I look up at War in time for my phone to vibrate again.
You know about this?
No.
Pop?
I read over it a few times.
Dad.
Nate loves Tillie, but he had an active past. There’s no saying how many kids any of our parents have walking around without us knowing, or when the next one is about to show up on our doorstep.
Exiting the group chat, I tap on Evie’s name away from prying eyes.
Your dad home?
The chat bubbles light up before disappearing.
Yep. My brain is fried from this weekend, or I’d help.
I close the message and type out another to War, telling him to pull himself together, before my phone is back in my pocket. In the darkest corner of the room, Pop’s eyes are already on me.
“Anything else I need to know about aside from the redhead on a power trip that’s gonna make Tillie’s old cat-fighting days shine bright?”
It’s a test for my grandfather. Everything I needed to know hit my phone an hour into the opening night, thanks to Dominique, Evie’s dad. Being my father’s best-kept secret, he has always remained on the outskirts of King drama, but soon, that same secret was about to be my own.
I’m undecided whether I want anyone at all to know about Jessica, since the possibility of her being hurt is enough to guarantee a full-blown war. There hasn’t been one since the marking of the first treaty that sits between both the Gentlemen family and the EKC, and no one wants another of those.
“No.” Pop leans against his Bugatti, staring up at my house behind me before crossing his ankles. “There is the issue of you needing to go to Perdita. Why haven’t you done that already?”
Crows squark above us as the cigarette burns between my fingers. Riverside Elite sits in a conclave of folklore, guarded by statues of our ancestors. As if nature itself could barely let the structures go, moss grows through the cracks of ancient stones, surrounded by flowering vessels.
“I will. I have things that need to be ironed out here before I can leave the mainland. I assumed everything was fine over there since War and Halen had been working on the new island that you so graciously gave. Always such a brat.”
The wrinkles around Pop’s eyes deepen when his grin spreads wide enough for the tattoos on his face to stretch. “And it is. At least for the surface. You still need to check in every now and then.”
“They won’t step out of line.” I bring my eyes to him. “Or I’ll kill them. They know that.”
He chokes on his laugh. “That I am sure of.”
Before he can slide into his car, I stop him with my words. “Pop, I can’t have any more surprises like the one you dropped on our lap tonight. This girl, whoever she is—”
“—War and River’s sister.”
Flicking my burning cigarette to the ground, I stomp on it with my shoe. “She’s younger than River. Which would mean that it would have happened after the fact.”
Pop’s eyes burn into mine. “Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong. Nate is as loyal to Tillie as any of them are. It isn’t as simple as cheating, but if you’re asking if there’s a chance I dragged her from the farm, then…why don’t you go and see if there are any missing?” That would require me setting foot on the new island War and Halen are playing with, and since it’s fallen into the category of what Halen is taking care of, I’m not interested. She still reports to me on what needs to be done.
Closing his door, the bright headlights of his car turn to embers as he disappears through the wired gates. Without him near, the music from behind me comes into focus, and I turn, staring at the swarm of people going in and out of my house. I thought Halen was joking when she decided to throw the after-party here, turns out, I underestimated my sister’s relentless spite.