A clutter of Cormac’s fan club glares at me from a nearby table. Claudia Morris, a particular non-favorite of mine, is glaring at me, her heavily mascara’ed eyes narrowed. My father initially ordered me to become friends with her because he was interested in her father’s arms dealing up in Seattle, but itwas instantly clear that Claudia knew nothing about the family business. I’m not even sure why she’s here.
“Maybe you need to transfer from the Spy division to Assassins,” Liam offers unhelpfully.
Willow leaps in to save me. “I knew you were good with knives, honey. But thank you for not murdering the professor because he is the pure definition of sexy as fuck.”
She smiles in a misty fashion. I can’t hold it against her. Cormacishot as balls, and after hearing his legendary backstory with his family’s mafia, even the guys have what Lucca calls a “bro-crush” on him.
“Can you believe he saved eighteen hostages from those MacLaren fucks?” Jun says.
“I thought it was thirty,” muses Lucca.
“On his own. A hostage rescue mission he handled by himself,” adds Konstantin. “Cormac MacTavish has killed enough assholes to single-handedly populate an entire circle of hell.”
“As soon as you men are done with your bro-crush circle jerk, maybe we can share what we know about the Leader’s Challenge?” Athena has such a way with words.
Lucca’s smile drops. “Not here.”
He’s got a point. Even though we’re all technically competing against each other, if one of us knew something important, we’d share it with the rest of our group. Students have been hurt during Challenges. Very badly hurt.
“Miss Chandler? Dean Christie would like to see you in her office.” One of the Dean’s personal guards hovers by the table and my breath rushes out of me in a wheeze. No one wants to be called to Dean Christie’s office. For any reason.
“Uh, okay.”
Everyone at the table gives me whatever their approximation of a reassuring smile is as I leave the hall.
The Dean’s building is quiet this time of night, with just a few students meeting with their academic advisors and the ever-present security.
“Miss Chandler, thank you for joining us.” Dean Christie smiles at me pleasantly.
“Yeah, great to see you, sis.”
It’s my brother Richard, better known as The Dick to everyone who is forced to come in contact with him. He’s lounging on the Dean’s couch, smiling up at me malevolently.
“While we do not approve of family visits,” she says, “I understand this is an important one. I will give you two some privacy.”
I almost wish she wouldn’t. When the door closes, The Dick’s eyes narrow. “Sit down.”
Leaning against the armrest of the opposite couch, I look him over. Expensive clothes, nicotine-stained fingers, and my slimy little brother looks too happy. He’s always hated me, but he hated me even more when I was accepted into the Ares Academy and he wasn’t.
When Michael was alive, The Dick didn’t try much with me. But after, when I was on my own, he’d tried to set my hair on fire once. He’d stolen my credit card, bought a car and crashed it, telling my father I was the one who’d done it, that I was such a shitty driver that he should take my license. Another time, he bribed one of his douchebag friends to try and grope me… it was never safe with him around.
“Why are you here?”
He pulls out his cigarettes and I frantically put my hands out. “Oh, my god you idiot you can’t smoke in here! Dean Christie will use her table saw on you!”
Though that might not be a bad thing.
Sighing, he shoves the pack back into his pocket. “I bring good news. Dad and I have narrowed down your marital prospects to two lucky bachelors.”
“I have two more years,” I say, folding my arms to hide the tremor in my hands.
He shrugs, “Maybe, maybe not. Don Accardi is really interested in settling down and squirting out some kids as soon as possible.”
No! Not him. Enzo Accardi is close to fifty years old and looking for wife number three after the other two died under “tragic” circumstances. “It’s going to be hard digging up information for our father if Accardi kills me.”
“Eh, you’d probably live long enough to give him a kid or two,” The Dick smiles at me nastily. “But back to business. Dad wants you to keep an eye on prospect number two.”
“Someone here at the Academy?” I frown, “Who?”
