Page 106 of G.O.D.S Omnibus

“Do you have a sister?”

“No, but if I did, it would be like that.”

“And the other guys?”

“She lost her virginity to Van, but she claims he’s the reason she turned to the other side.”

“Oh!” I say in surprise. “So, she’s a lesbian.”

“She doesn’t conform to labels. If she wants to fuck someone she will, it just happens that most identify as female . It’s probably safer that way for all parties involved, as while we might not have romantic feelings for her, we would kill for her. Jarrah is especially good with a butterfly knife.”

“Are you two going to join the class?” Trace snaps impatiently.

“Sorry, Teach. I was just trying to convince Jolie that the BJ she gave me last night was so good we should skip class and do it again,” he exclaims with a triumphant gleam in his eye as jealousy flashes across Trace’s face.

I sucker punch Colt in the gut, and he makes anoomphsound before he cackles like a hyena. I walk over to where the entire class is waiting, then motion for Trace to begin. His features darken at my blatant display of disrespect, but he recovers quickly.

“Today we’re going to learn basic self-defence moves. A few parents have raised concerns, and they would like their children to be prepared in case something bad happens. I’m going to start by breaking you off into groups. I know those who have basic training, so you’ll be split accordingly.”

Students groan and complain about not being able to be with their friends. “For those not so confident, I have a step-by-step YouTube tutorial on the screen up there,” he says, pointing to the wall. “It will walk you through everything.”

He reads out names and everyone pairs off. Colt is paired with a short blonde, and he smiles at me with a wink; she has no chance against him.

Of course, I’m last and am left with no partner. It’s obvious he did this on purpose. Trace just gives me his best puppy dog eyes, and all I can do is shake my head at him.

“What’s going on with you and Colt?” he asks.

“That’s none of your business,” I counter, crossing my arms over my chest.

I’m waiting for him to snap. The one thing I know is how to push his buttons. I always thought he was my person, but I’ve come to find out that wasn’t the case, so that stings more than anything.

He starts to stretch, and I copy what he does. “Anything to do with you is my business. You’re ours, even if you don’t want to believe it. Every single molecule in your body was created for us to protect. We all get that you’re mad and rightfully so. But trust me, Jolie, you know me, and I need you to dig deep and trust that we know what we’re doing.”

“You say that like I’m supposed to forget what you all did.”

He lowers his voice. “We don’t. Use it like we are because the information Case extracted that night has been helpful. We know you were previously listed in his will to get majority ownership of Olympia if Mr Z died. In the event of your death, someone named Harold Knox would have received the company on behalf of a secret organisation. But after you ‘died’ it was changed. We’ve done our research and Harold has been missing for a few years, presumed dead. The organisation is currently being run by someone named Amelie Rossi. We need you to get close to Mr Z and hope he changes his will back, which he won’t do unless he believes you’re on his side.”

“I’ve already told Creed and Kai that I’m willing to help, but I can’t forget what you all did that day.”

“We’re okay with that... for now. Brennan is going to meet with Mr Z’s brother tonight.”

“Is that smart, considering Mr Z is watching everyone’s every move?”

Trace starts to show me the moves, continuing to talk as he does. “There are underground tunnels running all over town. Only a select few people, namely us and Team Hades, knew about them. Ziyon has one that goes directly to his property, and the entrance is somewhere inconspicuous. We believe Ziyon had them built without anyone knowing about them.”

“So, Brennan is safe?”

“He is. Now try to take me down.”

He throws a right-handed punch, but I deflect it and punch him in the stomach. I don’t hold back since I still have a lot of unresolved anger towards him. I move my right arm up around the right side of his neck and use my knee to hit just under his ass, and he falls to the ground. This move really only works if they come at you with their left arm to grab you.

I hold my hand out to help him up. “You know, you really should wear more clothes. It’s very distracting.”

“Is my skin distracting you, Jolie?” he jokes. I roll my eyes at his audacity, but something else catches my eye.

“When did you get that?” I point to a fresh tattoo of an anchor on the side of his neck. It’s really small and looks like it fills a gap.

“Kai did it a few days ago.”

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