Page 40 of Gambit
He frowns back. “Heard of him.”
“He trained me to be exactly like him. Only worse.”
He smirks again. “Nice. Do love to see a girl kicking ass in a guy’s world.” He shoots Victoria a heated stare, which she preens at.
“Who says this is a guy’s world?” I ask, drawing his attention back to me. “Dawn of a new era.”
“Oh, I like her,” Victoria states.
“Honoured,” I drawl, shooting her a brief glare before moving my gaze back to Cian. “We’re two sides of the same coin; we might as well use that to our advantage.”
“Fine,” he concedes after a pause, a grudging admiration in his eyes. “You have my word. No more campus antics. We’ll play nice for now. As long as you openly admit that Blackbriar isn’t a wannabe next gen university. We hold our own.” His anger flares up and bubbles under the surface. I’ve hit a massive nerve, as I thought I might. He sees Robert as the chosen one, sent to Castle and making it with the big boys and girls while he is here; King, yes, but perhaps not in the same league as Castle.
“I can admit that. You guys know your stuff, but this rivalry doesn’t have to spill over to each other. We could put it to better use by bringing our forces together. I hear Ravenswood is stirring up trouble.”
“Pah,” he spits out. “Bunch of low-life pussies.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
We share a smile, and while I’m not thrilled that Ravenswood got dragged into our little mess, it sure as shit gave us something to agree on. As it stands, Ravenswoodaretotal badass criminals who constantly stirs up trouble on the other side of the country. But there are no organisations behind them, so to us, they are fair game anyway.
“Good,” I say, extending my hand. “Then let’s shake on it and put an end to this bullshit.”
As our hands clasp, I see the hint of a genuine alliance forming. A partnership born from rivalry, but strong because of it and our family ties.
The handshake between Cian and me lingers just a second too long. I can feel the eyes of everyone in the courtyard on us; we might as well be under a spotlight. I’m primed in case Cian decides to start something, anyway.
“Aww, all besties now?” Victoria’s voice pierces the silence, sharp as a shiv. “How quaint.”
“Victoria,” I say sweetly. “Decided to join the conversation?”
She snorts, but her eyes shine with interest. “Let’s just say me butting into this conversation would send it sideways. You’re Cian’s family, he gets to decide what to do with you.”
I smile slowly, somewhat sinisterly, feeling the balance shift. We’re not friends—not yet—but recognition flickers between us, the beginning of respect.
I sense rather than see my guys close ranks around me. We’ve done what we came here to do, and now it’s time to get our asses off their turf before they decide our presence is no longer welcome.
“Let’s head out,” I tell them, my voice steady.
Cian gives me a mock salute as Victoria gives me that cheeky wave again, and we back away before turning to stride through Blackbriar University’s campus back to the car, the buzz of whispers trailing in our wake. I feel their eyes on us, measuring, calculating. But there’s no fear in my step—only the thrill of a challenge met and bested.
“Eliza,” James murmurs as we reach the car. “Was that always the plan?”
“Yep.”
“Nice of you to fill us in.”
I snicker and take his hand. “I’m sorry; I know I should’ve said something, but I wasn’t sure how it would go down. For all I knew, he’d kick our asses back to Castle.”
He nods, accepting that, and it’s now a non-issue.
The car purrs to life under my hands, and as we leave Blackbriar’s gates behind, I feel the weight of the day settle into a sense of accomplishment. We have allies in the making and new challenges ahead.
“Today was a game changer,” I say, breaking the quiet. “Cian and Victoria didn’t expect to find common ground with me, but it’s there.”
“Common ground can turn into a battlefield or a stronghold,” James remarks from beside me, his gaze out the window reflecting a world rushing by.
“Or both,” Oliver muses from the back seat.
