I should start skipping. What are they going to do, fail me? Prevent me from graduating?
What a joke.
Except I’m no longer so sure I’ll be taking over for Dad. The Bouchard Syndicate was always my future, but now, I have no fucking clue anymore.
I check my texts, relieved to find one from Asch telling me that he got Pandora and Samantha safely to their dorm room.
That doesn’t mean Pandora is going to stay safe. Bobbi—Lynx—might not be going after her, but the threats aren’t over.
Nothing is ever over.
I know enough about my dad’s business to know that even if we stopped with all this BS, the world wouldn’t change. The backroomdeals will continue. Networking will still get you ahead faster than hard work.
It’s really not like me to get nihilistic like this, but the past few days might be getting to me.
My entire body is wired. I didn’t even release any aggression the way Asch and River did when they took on Bobbi. I’m glad I was there to help Pandora, but I’d had to be the smart one. The calm one—and who thought that was a good idea?
I need to hit something.
Without a convenient punching bag around, the gym will have to do. I stop by my car for my gym equipment, then make my way to the locker rooms.
River is in the middle of changing into his workout clothes, and he glances at me. “Don’t see you here often,” he remarks. “What brings you to my domain? You look like you want to kill someone. I can suggest a few candidates, if you want.”
“Your domain?” I scoff. “It’s the gym, River. And I come here plenty.” I lift my shirt up to show off my abs. “I don’t get like this without working out.”
His gaze sweeps over me, lingering on my abdomen before looking back at my face. “Fair enough,” he says. “Want company? I have some aggression to take out, too.”
“Yeah. I’m sure I could kick your ass,” I say with a smirk.
River scoffs, but he waits for me to get changed so we can head to the training room together. I notice River make a strange curve around the entrance to the saunas.
Not a fan of the heat, maybe?
“Asch texted,” I mention. “He’s with Pandora and Samantha in their dorm. He’ll probably stay with them for the night.”
“Good,” River says. “I’m glad someone’s there with them.” He exhales slowly. “I don’t think Pandora will appreciate having one of us with her all the time, but…” He trails off. “We just don’t know what’sgoing to happen.”
I stretch to loosen up my muscles. “I mean, let’s be real, half of it is protecting Pandora from herself.”
I shouldn’t have said that.
Pandora would hate me for saying it.
But I remember how she’d been after the attack, and how frayed and broken she’d looked.
If she’d allowed it, I would have kept her locked up in my room and spent all day with her. All week.
The rest of our lives.
River winces, but he nods. “Yeah. She’s… She’s not doing so hot, man.”
Try telling me something I don’t already know.
He starts to stretch, too, limbering up.
We get into position across from each other.
“No face punches,” I say. “Or groin anything. Because we don’t want to make Pandora even more upset.”
