Page 14 of Pretty Secrets

I swallow, wondering what Franklin Jarvis is planning. It must be something big if he’s putting me back into the Knights after the black stain I left on our name. “So, I’m still following her?”

“Don’t just follow her. Fuck her. Own her. Do what you have to do. Understand?”

Utter amusement pulses through me. “Completely.”

“I’ll give you further instructions once you’re on the inside again. I still expect continuous updates as that might change my course of action.”

Trying to figure out where he’s going with this is like decoding a cipher with no starting point or reference. But I need to do what I have to until I’m of age.

A knock sounds on the door behind me, and my grandfather peers up. His butler announces that he has a guest. “Excellent. Do tell her to come in.”

That’s my cue to get the fuck out. I stand from the chair but freeze when a familiar head of red hair bounces into view. She looks straight past me, those beautiful baby blues zeroed in on the old man.

I turn my head to follow her, and nearly grind my teeth to dust when she happily falls to her knees, smiling up at my grandfather. He’s not looking at her, though, he’s looking at me. “Leonardo, you really should be careful who you let into your life.”

The sound of his zipper lowering makes my stomach clench. He pulls her head toward his crotch, and I can only count myself lucky that the edge of the desk is in the way. The last thing in the world I want to see is his old cock getting a blowjob by the same lips that were recently on mine.

He drops his head back as she goes to town on him. I turn on my heel, my veins running cold the more the scene plays behind my eyelids. She’s either a pawn of my grandfather’s, or this is payback for her scream at the end of our phone call. I’m not sure which, but I do know I’ll be deleting her name from my contacts. Fucking whore.

Women are all the fucking same. They can sniff money out, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s attached to a wrinkly old cock or a young one, they’ll hop on it in a heartbeat if they think it means they’re set for life.

Well, I’ve got news for dear old Grandfather—I couldn’t give a shit about that lousy fuck, anyway.

7

Eden

My sister’s boxes are staring me in the face when I wake up. I’m procrastinating. I’m not ready for the memories they’ll bring, but I am ready for any clues that could surface. There might be top secret Knight shit in there. If only there was a signed affidavit saying,If I die, it’s the Knights. Blame them.That might be the only thing that will hold up in court. I’m well aware I’m up against a Goliath. But with everything in me, I believe that the Knights had something to do with Dee’s death. There is no other answer.

I pull the covers off and swing my legs to the floor. Today’s the day. First day of classes. First day being thrown to the wolves. I’ll have to be smarter and fiercer than them if I’m going to play in their arena.

After getting ready, I stand in front of the bathroom mirror, eyebrows hitched practically into my perfectly styled hair as I stare at the new me. This is definitely going to take some getting used to.

A knock on my door sounds, and I take a deep breath. It’ll be Oliver, but I’m oddly nervous about his reaction. The handle jiggles, and I hear a stifled curse coming from the other side.

I smile to myself and walk toward the door to unlock it, my skirt pulling tight over my ass. “Coming,” I grind out, trying to shift everything into place.

After turning the lock, the door immediately opens, and Oliver pushes inside. “Edie, love,” he greets, not even glancing my way, “look.” He holds out his hand.

I blink at the object placed there, stomach clenching. This is proof that whatever my father said to the Elders worked. I wasn’t sure if they’d let me pledge considering what happened to Dee, but I had to try. Dad took some convincing, but eventually, he said he would do what he could.

He must’ve come up with a pretty damn good argument.

“I got one, too,” Oliver murmurs as he hands the metal box over. The shield-shaped object is heavy, spanning past the length of my hand. My fingers shake a little as I run them over the crossing keys adorning the middle in aged bronze. I press on a raised section on the side and the lid flips open. Engraved in the bottom of the case is the Knight’s motto.Vivere triumpho.To live in triumph.

I grind my teeth, the magic of the moment suddenly disappearing. Their sacred saying is like a slap in the face, as if they’re laughing at me from all sides. “Bastards,” I growl.

Oliver lifts his brows. “Isn’t this a good thing? You wanted in. This is your invitation.”

“Vivere triumpho,” I mock, turning to place the metal case on the bare dresser. They can kiss my ass.

“Yeah, well, that’s the Knights.”

“No shit.”

“Alright, grumpy pants,” he retorts, pinning me with his blue-eyed stare.

I grip the side of the dresser until my knuckles turn white. I’m furious with the Knights, but I’m mad at myself for getting caught up in that moment. For a few seconds, I forgot what I was truly here for. Getting in is only a means to an end.

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