Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 882(@200wpm)___ 705(@250wpm)___ 588(@300wpm)
My hand trembles around the phone. “But they’re leaving us with nothing. Not a dime. Not even the house…”
“I know kid. I’m sorry. It’s only gonna get worse.”
I swallow but my throat is too dry and scratchy for it to matter.
“And if you’re smart, you’ll gather whatever cash you’ve got left, take your sister, and leave.” His voice darkens. “Leave that godforsaken city, Nathan, before it consumes you too.”
And he hangs up before I can even say another word.
Present
I wake up drenched in sweat and with eyes wide open. My heart races a million miles an hour.
Fuck.
I get up and rub my forehead, trying to get the nightmare to dissipate, but nothing works. The memory will never leave me.
I check my phone and the texts I’ve received.
Romeo: Bring the cash to the parking lot at the base of Spine Ridge Mountain, nine PM. You know the date. And if you’re not there with the money… we know where to find you, boy.
My hand squeezes the phone tight, and I throw it aside before I break it.
Fuck, how am I gonna get out of this mess I didn’t even fucking create?
I should’ve listened to our lawyer and ran with Rory.
God, I fucking hope she’s not too mad at me for leaving her with our aunt. But what else was I supposed to do?
I sigh out loud. I can’t sleep like this.
I get out of bed and look out the window, staring at the moon, like I always do when I’m on edge. But lately, nothing has calmed me down. It’s as if everywhere I look, everywhere I go, the jaws of fate are slowly catching up with me.
Groaning out loud, I walk out of my room and roam across the hallway until I find my way into Milo’s room. He’s snoring loudly, arms wide and legs splayed across his bed.
Without a care in the world.
I smirk. Like he needs any of the space in that giant king-sized bed with his stick-figure ass.
But I don’t want to wake him either.
Suddenly, my eyes land on a piece of paper lying on his desk. I pick it up and read through it. It’s a party at the Skull & Serpent Society with a date from ages ago.
Why does he have this? Did he go there? Or is he keeping it for some other reason?
I pull out my phone and take a pic, immediately opening my files so I can send it to the server, but then I see the picture I took with Rory mere days ago during our weekly get-together, making me stop and stare.
I wish I could’ve prevented this from happening.
That I could’ve stopped my parents and whisked her away before it was too late.
“Trouble sleeping?”
Kai’s voice makes me turn around.
“Nightmares,” I reply, lowering my phone.
He leans against the doorjamb, arms folded. “You do this often?”
“Only when I need it,” I reply, unfazed by his questioning. “But I don’t want to wake him.”
“Interesting …” Kai muses with a smile, and his eyes land on my phone. “How’s Ro doing?”
Shit. He noticed.
“Fine,” I reply, clearing my throat. “I’m doing what I can to keep her safe.”
“That’s good to hear,” he says. He steps forward and snatches the paper from my hand. “Hmm… well, this is even more interesting. A party from long ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.”
“You went there with Milo?” I ask.
“Only to check out the chicks. Wild night,” Kai replies, folding his arms again. “But now that I’m thinking about it … a party like this could prove useful.”
I frown. “Why?”
“Lots of booze, lots of people,” he says. “That’s a toxic combination.”
My eyes narrow. “Get to the point.”
He leans in, grinning like a motherfucker. “This entire school is filled with rich kids. Think about all the bags left unchecked … bags we could rifle through for cash.”
Now he’s talking my language. “Go on.”
“People who are too drunk to care won’t notice some missing jewelry or cards,” he says, staring at the paper with a glimmer in his eyes. “It’s perfect.”
“So you want to throw a party? Where?”
He shoves the paper into my chest. “Right. Here.”
Lana
I sling my bag over my shoulder and make my way out of class. I’m so glad economics is done for this week. I head toward the cafeteria, where Irina and Brooke wait for me. I sit beside them with my iced coffee and take a much-needed sip.
“Hey, baby.” Jason sits beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, but I move it off.
“Don’t call me that,” I reply.
“Why not? I like it,” he says, winking, and he leans in to kiss me on the cheek. “When are we going to have another cuddle?”
I’m really not in the mood for whatever he’s thinking. We only hooked up a couple of times, but we never made it official, and I’m glad we didn’t.