Chapter Three
Two Worlds
Ryan’s POV
"What do you an we are out of bombs?!"
My father shouted angrily, making veins pop out at the side of his neck.
I wiped the last trace of Elara’s shy smile from my mind and focused on the chaos in front of . School was over. Now I was back in my real world...the world of blood and loyalty.
The Terminator Mafia’s eting room slled of gun oil and fear. Ludacris, our family assistant, was pale. Ribs, our analyst, couldn’t stop trembling . Father’s hands twitched, ready to grab a weapon.
I wasn’t Ryan Blackwood, the school’s bad boy anymore. This was Ray...heir to the Terminators.
I knew apologizing wouldn’t do any good. My father didn’t like apologies. I had to co up with sothing else or I would walk out of here with more than a broken bone. I tried not to wince thinking about the last ti.
"Father, our suppliers had a problem but we are working on it. In the anti, I have ordered more guards on the periters and a severe ssage has been sent to the Volkovs."
Father stopped pacing. He turned to look at .
"A ssage? What kind of ssage?"
"The kind they won’t forget, sir."
He looked at for a long mont, then he nodded slowly. "Good. You’re learning."
Ludacris finally let out a breath he had been holding. Ribs wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.
I tried as much as possible to keep my face blank... although after all these years I was already used to it.
Before I had very little ti to enjoy my freedom before I took over the family business properly.
I begged to go to school so I can be among my age mates for a while ... I felt myself sinking into the darkness, becoming the monster everyone expected to be.
Until a little rabbit decided to bravely enter the wolf’s den.
For so reason I just couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way she sat next to without asking permission. The way she talked back to in class like I was just a normal guy.
The way her eyes widened when I grabbed her wrist, but she didn’t scream or cry like the others would have.
She was different.
And I know this pull is dangerous but fuck it.
"Ray, are you listening?"
My father’s voice snapped back to reality.
"Yes, sir."
"I want you at the docks tonight. Ten o’clock. The Volkovs need to understand what happens when they try to ss with our shipnts."
My stomach tightened. I knew what "understand" ant. Blood. Screams. And more dead bodies.
"I’ll be there."
"Good. Bring Marcus with you. We’ll make an example of one of their n. I want you to ask the questions this ti."
My jaw clenched. Questioning ant torture. It ant looking a man in the eyes while you broke him piece by piece until he begged for death.
"Understood."
"Then shoot him yourself. It’s ti you stopped acting like a little child and started acting like my heir."
The words hit like a punch to the gut, but I didn’t let it show. I just nodded.
"Yes, Father."
"Dismissed."
As soon as I walked into the hallway, I saw Marcus leaning against the wall. He was my bodyguard, but more importantly, he was my best friend. The only perosn who knew inside out.
"Rough eting?" Marcus asked, falling into step beside .
"When are they ever easy?"
We walked in silence until we reached my room. I shut the door behind us and loosened my tie. The expensive fabric felt like a noose around my neck.
"I need you to find everything you can on soone," I said, tossing my jacket onto the bed.
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"A girl from school. Elara Hayes."
"Why?" His voice was curious.
"Just do it, dumbass."
Marcus studied for a mont, then smirked. "You like her."
"I don’t like anyone."
"Sure you don’t. That’s why you want a full background check on a random girl."
I shot him a warning glare. "Can you do it or not?"
"Already on it." He pulled out his phone and started typing. "Give a few hours. I’ll have everything...address, family, financial records, social dia, the works."
"Good."
Marcus paused at the door. "Be careful, man. Your father finds out you’re interested in so girl, he’ll lose his mind."
"I know."
"And if the Volkovs find out..."
"I know, Marcus. Just get the information."
He left without another word.
In a few hours, I would be at the docks. I would question a man, and torture him for information, and then put a bullet in his head. My father would watch, making sure I didn’t hesitate, and didn’t show weakness.
That was my real life. That was who I was supposed to be.
But when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Elara’s face.
My phone buzzed. A reminder about tonight’s eting.
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. Ti to beco the monster again.
I t Marcus in the garage. He handed a file.
"That was fast," I said.
"Told you I’m good. Everything’s in there. Addresses, school records, even her mother’s work schedule."
I flipped through the pages. She is a scholarship student, raised by a single mother in a poor neighborhood. No father in the picture, no wonder she had claws.
"Destroy this," I told Marcus, handing the file back. "All of it. Wipe it from the system."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
Marcus looked confused but nodded. "Okay, man. Whatever you say."
We got into the car. The drive to the docks was quiet. Marcus drove while I stared out the window, watching the city change from bright lights to dark alleys.
My phone buzzed again. This ti it was a text from one of the guys at school.
Party this Friday. You coming?
I thought about the invitation I’d given Elara. Would she show up? Would she really co to my party?
Probably not. Girls like her didn’t go to parties with guys like . They stayed ho, studied hard, and avoided trouble.
Smart girl.
We arrived at the docks. The sll of salt water hit my nose. A group of scary looking n stood near a warehouse, their faces were hard and cold. My father was already there, smoking a cigar.
"You’re late," he said.
"Traffic."
He grunted and pointed to a man tied to a chair inside the warehouse. His face was already bloody, his clothes torn.
"That’s Dmitri. He works for the Volkovs. He knows where they’re hiding our shipnt. Make him talk."
I walked toward the man slowly, each step feeling like I was sinking deeper into darkness. This was who I was. This was my legacy.
But sowhere in the back of my mind, I could still hear Elara’s laugh from Chemistry class. I could still see her smile.
And for just a second, I wished I was back there. Sitting next to her. Making stupid jokes. Being normal.
But that second passed quickly.
I picked up the tool my father handed and looked at Dmitri.
"Let’s talk," I said quietly.
The man spat blood at my feet. "I’m not telling you anything."
I nodded slowly. "You will."
And then I beca the monster they needed to be.
Chapter Four
Bruises and Butterfly Plasters
Elara’s POV
I walked out of the cab, already feeling like going back ho.
The driver gave a weird look when I handed him the crumpled bills ... probably wondering how a girl like got into a big shot school like this.
I had almost walked past the school entrance when I saw Ryan.
He was leaning against the gatepost like he owned the place. Which, knowing his family’s money, he probably did.
He held a cup of coffee in one hand , and the sun just seed to follow him. I hate to admit it, but he looked unfairly good ... like a freaking sex god that shouldnt exist among us pathetic humans.
Except he did exist. And he was right there.
A few girls stood close to him, obviously trying to get his attention. But he looked completely bored, like they were just part of the scenery. He took another lazy sip of his coffee, staring at nothing in particular.
Then, for so weird reason, he looked up.
And his eyes imdiately found mine.
My feet almost stopped moving. Everything else sort of... faded?
He smiled slowly at .
I looked away quickly and practically speed-walked past him, nearly walking into a girl with a Prada bag.
"Watch it!" she snapped.
"Sorry," I muttered, not stopping.
-----
Chemistry class was just about to start when I walked into the class.
The teacher gave a warning look as I sat down .
A few minutes later, the door opened and Ryan walked in looking very relaxed.
And of course ... of course ... he dropped into the seat right next to .
The teacher started talking about covalent bonds or sothing. Honestly, I wasn’t really listening. I was too busy noticing the way Ryan slled .. like expensive cologne and Cedar, maybe? Or was that just my imagination running wild?
I also noticed His knuckles were completely ssed up. They looked dark purple with bruises, and angry red cuts, so of them were still fresh and raw-looking. Like he’d punched sothing hard.
What the hell happened to him?
I looked at it as my brain tried to co up with different explanations. Sports? No, this wasn’t a sports injury. A fight? Maybe. But who fights hard enough to do that kind of damage?
Ryan caught looking at him.
I turned my eyes back to my notebook, feeling my face heat up. It was none of my business.
I tried to focus on what the teacher was saying ... but my mind kept wandering back to those bruises.
Then sothing landed on my desk with a soft thud.
It was a folded piece of paper.
I opened the paper carefully , trying to be as quiet as possible .
Will you co to the party? I want you to.
His handwriting was actually kind of nice and it looked neat, it was nothing like the ssy scrawl I expected from a guy like him.
Was he serious right now?
I grabbed my pen, thinking about just ignoring him, but curiosity got the better of .
Why would I co? Because of you?
I folded it back up , passing the note back without looking at him.
A minute passed before he replied.
Yes. And let concentrate.
I almost laughed out loud. The audacity of this guy.
Let concentrate, I wrote back, pressing my pen a little harder than necessary.
Another note ca back almost imdiately.
It’ll be fun. And you know you need a little fun.
My face went hot ... because my stupid brain imdiately flashed back to what he’d said yesterday. "You look like you need so alcohol and sex in your system."
Who even says that to soone they literally just t?
I crumpled the note shoving it deep into my bag, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.
From the corner of my eye, I could see him leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, looking way too pleased with himself.
I rubbed my neck feeling as if soone was looking at .I turned my head slightly and noticed the blonde girl from the bathroom yesterday. What was her na again? It didn’t matter.
She was sitting three rows back, and if looks could kill, I would already be dead and buried. Her jaw was clenched so tight I thought her teeth might crack. Her perfectly manicured nails were digging into the edge of her desk like she was imagining it was my face.
I rolled my eyes and turned back around.
Seriously, what is wrong with people in this school?
-----
Imdiately the bell rang, I shoved my books into my bag standing up to leave.
But then I saw his hand again.
And for so stupid reason, I couldn’t just leave it alone.
I don’t know why I did it. Maybe because despite everything ... despite him being annoying and cocky and way too confident ... I couldn’t stand seeing anyone hurt. Even if that person probably deserved whatever he got.
I pulled a small Hello Kitty plaster from my pencil case. It was one of the silly ones my mom had bought years ago.
Without thinking too hard about it, I reached over and pressed it gently onto the worst cut on his hand.
Ryan froze completely.
Like, full-on statue mode.
He stared at the bright pink plaster with Hello Kitty’s face smiling up at him, then slowly looked up at . For the first ti since I’d t him, he actually looked surprised.
"I’ll consider it," I said quickly, not quite eting his eyes. "The party, I an."
Before he could say anything ,or before I could change my mind or do sothing even more embarrassing ... I grabbed my bag and practically ran out of the classroom.
My heart was beating way too fast. I could feel his eyes on my back the entire way down the hallway.
What is wrong with ?
——
"Elara!"
Liam Carter called my na jogging toward
Liam and I went way back. Like, sandbox and juice boxes back. Our moms had been friends since forever, which ant we’d spent most of our childhood being forced to play together while they gossiped over coffee.
Over the years, we’d actually beco real friends. He was one of the few normal, non-terrifying things about this whole scholarship situation.
"Hey," I said, waiting for him to catch up.
"Hey." He pushed his glasses back up, slightly out of breath. "You okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?"
"Are you getting close to the delinquent?"
I frowned. "What?"
"Ryan Blackwood." He said the na like it tasted bad. "I saw you two exchanging notes in Chemistry class."
My eyebrows shot up. "Were you watching ?"
His ears turned red. "No! I just... I sit near the door. I happened to see. That’s all."
For a second ... just a second ... he almost sounded jealous. But that was ridiculous. This was Liam. We’d known each other since we were like six.
There was no way.
"Nothing, really," I said with a shrug. "He was just being annoying. As usual."
"Elara." Liam’s voice dropped lower, more serious than I’d heard in a while. "Just be careful, okay? He’s dangerous."
I opened my mouth to argue. To say that Liam was overreacting, that Ryan was probably just so rich kid with an attitude problem and too much ti on his hands.
But then I rembered those bruises.
And the way he’d smiled when I asked if he was a monster. "Oh, Elara, I am worse than a monster."
The words ca back to now, and they didn’t sound like a joke anymore.
I closed my mouth and just nodded.
"Okay. I’ll be careful."
Liam’s shoulders relaxed a little. "Good. I just... I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, you know?"
"I know. Thanks, Liam."
"Want to grab lunch?" he asked.
"Sure. I’m starving."
As we walked toward the cafeteria together, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was an unknown number.
I pulled it out and stared at the screen.
Friday. 8 PM. Don’t make co fin
d you.
Ryan.
My stomach did that uncomfortable flip again.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket, trying to ignore it.
"You okay?" Liam asked, glancing at .
"Yeah. Fine."
But I wasn’t fine.
Because Liam had said Ryan was dangerous. And every instinct I had was screaming at to stay away.
So why ... Why ... was I actually considering going to that party?
Reviews
All reviews (0)