“Yes, way. There is too much at stake to mess this up. None of it will be real.”
Placing his palms on the sides of my chair, he shoves his angry face all up in mine. “You expect me to sit there anddonothing,saynothing, when he’s groping and kissing you?”
“I had to put up with that for weeks when you had that slut bag Rochelle grinding on your lap every day! And you put your dick in her mouth!”
“It isn’t the same!” he retorts.
I shove at his chest. “You’re right. It isn’t! Because you did that purely to fuck with my head. And I’m doing this to protect your life!” I scream, losing the tenuous hold on my emotions.
“Back the fuck down,” Drew calmly says, appearing behind me. “I mean it, dude. You will not speak to my sister like that.”
“Fuck off, Drew.”
Drew grabs him into a headlock in a lightning-fast move none of us see coming. “Quit bitching and moaning. You still have your woman, and she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you safe and ensure you get to be together. You havenothingto complain about.”
Kai rams his elbow back into Drew’s gut, extracting himself from the chokehold. “Don’t pretend you know what I’m feeling because you know jack shit.”
I stand. “Kai.” I circle my arms around his neck, and when he tries to push me off, I cling on harder, pinning him with a vicious look. “I will not let him touch me intimately or fuck me.” Kai looks like he wants to explode. “I kept Trent out of my bed for two years, so I can handle this with Charlie.” I grip his neck more firmly, pressing my body against his. “And when he’s kissing me, it’ll be your lips I’m imagining.”
Someone makes a gagging sound.
“Pass that puke bucket in this direction when you’re finished,” Xavier says, grinning at Jackson. “I just threw up in my mouth.”
“I know I’m a hypocrite,” Kai says, blocking the others out and concentrating on me. “But the thought of any man putting his hands on you makes me want to commit murder.”
“Save those sentiments for my father, and yours, and Charles Barron because they are the real enemy.” I peck his lips. “And we can do this if it means we get to be together permanently when it’s all over.”
Slowly, he nods, and a resigned sigh slips from his mouth. “I fucking hate this, but you were right earlier. We can’t lose focus.”
“Thank fuck for that,” Drew says.
We reclaim our seats, and I look my brother square in the eye. “Charlie mentioned something about changes within the order, and he implied everything is tangled up with that. We need to know what’s going down.”
Drew nods, glancing at his watch briefly. “Let me give you some background. I know you guys know some of the shit that goes down at Parkhurst,” he says, eyeing Sawyer, Jackson, and Kai, “but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.” He reaches across the table, snagging a bottle of water from the pile stacked in the center.
“There are elite, and towns like Rydeville, in every state in the US. There are the same tiers of authority—founding families who reign supreme and other families who come from legacy wealth who form the inner circle. Parkhurst is the governing body ofallthe elite. But only the founding fathers and their successors are members; however, all the elite have access to the facilities.”
He looks at me as he pops the cap on his bottle. “You were in the medical facility, and they have several others. Educational. Sporting. Legal. Defense. They provide support services to the elite across the country, and in return, the elite abide by the rules handed down from the council, offer preferential rates for key services and products via their companies, and other stuff I’d rather not get in to.”
“You can’t hold shit back,” I snap. “You just promised.”
“If I was to explain everything that goes on in that place, we’d be old and gray by the time we left here. I will tell you what is pertinent for you to know and no more.”
I don’t bother arguing with him, because I’ll work on him in the coming weeks. For now, I want to hear the parts he’s willing to share. “Go on.” My voice is clipped, and he looks surprised.
“There is an order within Parkhurst, depending on your status. Heirs who have yet to assume control, and fulfil their legacy, like me, Trent, and Charlie, are at the bottom of the food chain.”
“Father commented earlier that Charlie had ‘newly elevated status.’ You would’ve missed overhearing that part. What does that mean?”
Shock splays across Drew’s face. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I was listening carefully to everything they said.”
“It means Father has promised him something. And he’s done something to warrant the promotion.”
Blood leaches from my face at the thought of what he might’ve done. “Do you think it’s something to do with me?”
Drew shrugs. “Probably, but it could be anything.”
