Page 24 of The Lost Kings
“Share,” he laughed, and I tried to wrestle the bag away from him, but we just ended up laughing while he slid closer. Before I knew it, his arm was around me, pulling me closer into his side.
Sighing, I answered him, “I think they’d hate you but only because the only people they like are each other and me.”
“I wouldn’t blame them for hating me. I sort of hate them too but mostly because they have a piece of you that I could never have.”
He didn’t elaborate and neither of us clarified what he meant. I hadn’t ever told him the specifics of what broke up the twins and me, but maybe he didn’t need to know.
“They haven’t ever given me Italy. That’s all you, Adesso, and I fear it always will be.”
He was quiet again until I felt something like a kiss against my head.
“I fear Italy would never be enough. They have a past with you, and something tells me somewhere along the line that they might have developed more than friendly feelings for you.”
I toyed with the fringe on the blanket. “What makes you say that?”
The stars winked above, and the wind rustled through my hair as Adrian stroked my arm. “Because I did.”
Chapter 10
Gio
AGE 13
Dad told me that Kyle was in private security and because of who he protected it warranted extra people to be stationed around the manor. Armed people, men and women who wore tactical gear and had helped train Presley how to shoot those weapons.
When we realized how much Presley was being taught, both King and I asked if we could train as well. It took a while, but our parents finally gave in, and while we didn’t get to train with half the artillery that Presley did, I was never jealous. Especially not when I saw how many miles Scotty forced her to run around the property, or how long she had to box without gloves or any kind of wraps. Mostly I felt bad for her, and it angered me, but I’d never been envious.
Not until now.
“Dude, there’s no way her dad is training her to drive that.” I gasped, wide-eyed as the gleaming Dodge Hellcat rumbled down the road.
Kingston didn’t say anything, but he’d watched the taillights disappear as it exited through the main gate.
I jumped down from the cement half wall and ran toward theopposite end of the fence line, where we could see the street that circled our manor but wasn’t inside the boundary line. It was often used when my mom and dad had big renovation projects done on the manor. There were four feet of solid brick that encompassed our property. Above that was two feet of iron fastened to the top, but we could see through the slats.
“There they are!” I pointed, seeing the car come back into focus.
Presley’s dad was in the passenger seat while the window was rolled down; his smile was probably something that would stick with me for a long time. I hadn’t ever seen him smile like that. The car wasn’t speeding, but then through the window I saw Kyle say something and Presley downshifted, and the car shot off quicker than a bullet.
“That’s way too fast for her,” Kingston shouted while we both moved down the fence line to try and keep up with them.
A tight curve was up ahead, and my heart began to thrash in my chest like a fish out of water. “She isn’t slowing down!”
My brother’s fingers wrapped around the iron in a tight grip as he watched the car, and I moved farther down the fence until I found a spot that we could probably climb over, that is if we had a way to soften the fall, but even if we didn’t, would a broken arm be that bad as long as it meant we could stop whatever it was Kyle was doing with her?
We both seemed to hold our breath as we watched the car slide to the side and glide over the gravel. Dust kicked up, and rocks flew behind the car, but within seconds, the car straightened and increased in speed.
“Did she just drift?” I asked, feeling confused and mildly alarmed.
“Pressy finally did it!” A familiar voice sounded behind us, and both my brother and I turned to see Carter walking up. She had her hair in a tight ponytail with shimmery strands of blue and gold intertwining with her reddish-brown hair.
Kingston turned back toward the empty road. “What do you mean she finally did it?”
“She hates that nickname, by the way,” I reminded our stepcousin because if Presley heard her call her Pressy again, she’d probably punch her. Carter’s existence in the manor was always a little confusing. While Presley felt like family, Carter actually was. Her mom, Mallory, was our mom’s stepsister, but Carter’s dad, Decker, was Kyle’s brother by blood. So, Presley and Carter were cousins by blood, and Carter was ours only by marriage and yet throughout our lives we did way more with her than Presley did with her.
Carter stepped closer, getting a better view of the road. “Presley has been working on drifting for over a year, took her forever to get that. Uncle Kyle took me a few times when they came to visit us in LA last year, but I got really bored with it all.”
My confusion only deepened. I’d lived around Kyle and Presley my entire life, and I had no clue either of them was into cars like that.
