“Now clearly, there is cause for concern. However, discovering what forces are behind these attacks is a task left to your families. Here on this campus, you are safer than anywhere else in the world.”
I squeeze Tatiana’s hand. Along with being assaulted last year, she was also kidnapped from campus. So I am not as confident about the Dean’s reassurances anymore.
“I expect you all to devote yourself to your studies. There are no allowances at the Ares Academy for concerns outside this campus,” her eyes narrowed, and it was clear that scary Dean Christie was back.
We all dispersed in little huddles, sharing whatever scraps of information we had.
“Your people were all packed on the same train?” Liam asks, incredulous. “Fightin’ like rats in a shoe?”
“What?” Tatiana’s frowning, trying to understand him. His Irish accent gets thicker when he’s upset. “What’s this about a shoe?”
“He thinks it’s a miracle we didn’t kill each other, much less thoselokhi,those fuckers who tried to ambush us,” Konstantin translated.
“You know, it’s worth trying to find out who else has been attacked this summer,” I said, “maybe we can find some similarities that might help narrow down who’s doing this.”
“Crime families are always under attack,” Tati said. “Case in point, my brother’s Bratva last year.” The Aslanov Bratva was nearly pulled under by a constant series of attacks from three different crime families, including the Rostova Bratva. Their slime of a Pakhan tried to make an arranged marriage between Tati and our old friend Aleksandr, who killed his father and took his place.
“Speaking of that,” Meiying asks, “how is Aleks?”
“The last time we spoke, he was good,” Lucca said. “I know he’s under a hell of a lot of pressure to be the biggest, baddest Pakhan in Moscow.”
“The only thing the Academy does better than teaching us murder and mayhem is spreading gossip,” I said. “Let’s see how many students we can talk to today.”
Tatiana and I split off to head to our Digital Surveillance class. Professor Buçaj looks at us with absolutely no enthusiasm. “You might be thinking that you will all slide through this year as you did as freshmen.”
I arched a brow at Tati, and she gave me the same look. The professor thought our first year waseasy?
“You should all plan to work much harder,” Buçaj warned us. She was a sallow-faced woman in her mid-forties and a genius when it came to finding her way into government surveillance systems. Rumor had it that she hacked into one of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security spy satellites last year as “a fun little example” for her stupefied class.
I would love to see that. Hopefully, she’ll show us this year, too.
It was a good first day. I had some of the best professors on campus and I was feeling optimistic until I stepped into my Combat class and there he was.
Konstantin.
That asshole, smirking as he stood against the wall with Professor Zimmerman and a couple of other seniors as we all took our places in a circle. Combat is not my favorite class. No one liked Zimmerman. He was a gigantic Austrian boxer who’d pummeled plenty of people half to death on the underground fighting circuit in Eastern Europe before Dean Christie lured him here to crush the bones and hopes of his students.
“Welcome back,” Zimmerman said, pacing the room and examining each of us. “I’m using the talents of some of my best upperclassmen to help you learn this year. “Mr. Suarez, Mr. Marshdown, Mr. Solberg and Miss Morozova, you’ll be under the guidance of Mr. Turgenev.”
Oh, no way is that happening. “Professor Zimmerman?” I said, raising my hand. “Could I be switched to O’Neill’s group?”
The towering Austrian looks at me, frowning.
“No.”
Goddamnit.
Chapter Six
In which there is senseless jealousy, girl talk and chocolate.
Anti Hero - Taylor Swift
Konstantin…
I knew I’d fucked things up between Mariya and me that night on the train. She stares up at me, her lips parted in a blend of malice and malevolence that could burn the balls off a man. This is her weakness, she doesn’t know how to control her emotions yet, how to close off what she’s feeling so it doesn’t all play out on her pretty face. But her fiery gaze on me right now should leave me in a pile of ash on the mat.
When she dares to ask Professor Zimmerman to move her to Liam’s group, I want to shoot Liam in the face. Then, lock her in my suite and fuck her again. For hours. Days.
