Page 30 of Pretty Lethal
“Fucking hell, Wilder. I’m actually trying to work here,” Hawk groans, although he looks pained more than angry, so I’m guessing I just got his dick hard with that imagery, and I take some satisfaction in that.
“I just got out of a meeting with Robbie,” I tell him, knowing that will have his cock immediately calming the fuck down.
His eyebrows lift in surprise. “And? How did it go?”
I wave toward his phone. “Maybe you wanna call the boy scout down so I don’t have to repeat myself.”
He grimaces, reaching out to grab his phone and text Kai. “That bad?”
“Not really,” I sigh, slouching further in my chair. “I’m just sick of this shit. I want them off my back, but I don’t see a way out. At least, not while we’re still at Ridgeway.” I rub my hand over my chin as I muse aloud. “Maybe when we’ve graduated, we can move far away, where they can’t get their claws in me.”
“Yeah,” Hawk scoffs. “Except Kai and I both work here, Hadley lives here, and Emilia is happy teaching at Ridgeway.”
“Alright, jeez. You know how to burst a man’s bubble, don't cha?”
There’s a knock at Hawk’s door before Kai enters, his eyes widening when he notices me there.
“What’s gone wrong now?” he asks, closing the door behind him and taking the seat beside me.
“Technically, nothing,” I say at the same time Hawk explains, “Wilder met with Robbie today.”
I recite the entire meeting to them both, including the fact that Robbie was trying to dig for information on Emilia—a fact neither of them like.
“I just dunno what to do,” I sigh once I’ve caught them up.
“Do you think they’ll harm Emilia if they find out about her?” Kai asks, staring at me with that penetrative gaze of his.
I give his question some serious consideration before answering. “They’re definitely not above using her to make me do what they want. As to whether they’d harm her…” I give a questionable shrug. “I’m not sure. I wanna say no, but I just don’t know. I think they'll leave her alone as long as she’s not an obstacle in their way. Otherwise… I can’t be sure.”
Hawk frowns. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”
“No, it’s not,” Kai agrees. “But I equally don’t see a way out of this right now. Like you say, if you simply tell them you don’t want to participate anymore, they could lash out against Emilia or any of us in order to force your hand.” He purses his lips. “Go to the party on Saturday, do some investigating and see what you find.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Hawk interjects, pulling open the top drawer of his desk and lifting out a familiar-looking envelope. Holding it up, he arches a brow. “Recognize this?”
“You got one too?” I ask in surprise.
“Well, technically, Dad did. Apparently, he gets it every year yet never goes. After your dad and my mom colluded to try and marry you and Hadley off, he stays clear of anything Clearwater-related.”
“Can’t say I blame him,” I mutter bitterly.
“Hold on, you nearly married Hadley?” Kai asks around a laugh.
“I wouldn’t saynearly,” Hawk corrects. “Not a chance in hell the guys were going to let Wilder anywhere near her, but yeah, that’s how Wilder ended up at Pac.”
“My dad’s an arms dealer. He was trying to solidify a deal with Hawk’s mom and the rest of the board of Nocturnal Mercenaries.”
The laughter seeps from Kai’s eyes as one side of his lips lifts in a snarl. “And they thought marrying off two teenagers was an acceptable way to do business?”
Hawk and I both shrug, more than used to that sort of shitty behavior from parental figures. At least Hawk’s dad managed to get his act together and even helped them all take down the rest of the board. Now they have a pretty decent relationship.
As for me and my dad? Not so much. I haven’t seen him since that night he made the mistake of cornering Hadley—my fucking fiancé at the time—in a bathroom stall of a restaurant we were eating at.
I’m honestly a little sorry she didn’t just slice him open and leave him to bleed out on the bathroom floor, but beggars can’t be choosers. It’s not like he’s made any effort to reach out to me since that night. I basically told him to fuck off, and he did. As soon as I met Hadley, I was done being his puppet.
After the fire, I’d been so numb that I didn’t give a shit about anything. He dictated my every move. He said jump, and I didn’t even question it. I just fucking jumped. But everything started to change after I met Hadley and started attending Pac. I regained a part of myself that I believed I’d lost forever the night I accidentally set fire to my friend’s house with all of us passed out inside it. I think my father realized that—realized he was losing control of me—so he cut his losses when he could. I have no idea where the fuck he is anymore or even if he’s still alive. Which is exactly how I like it.
“Is that why your dad was kicked out of the family?” Kai asks curiously.
