“Will you?” Felix asks. “Forgive me?”
I shake my head, tears welling up in my eyes.
I never willingly cried for him. But when he asks me point blank in front of all these people, knowing how much his pride means to him, how could I not?
“You … I always thought I could never fall for anyone ever again after Eve. Until you came along and consumed my world. And you’re so much more than she ever was to me. I’ve taken a bullet for you. I’ve killed for you. And I would kill a million more men if it means you’ll absolve me of the pain I’ve caused you.”
He licks his lips, his thumb brushing across my skin to pick up the single tear rolling down.
“But if you don’t …” I say, looking deep into her eyes. “I won’t stop. I won’t stop fighting for you.”
She shakes her head again and again. “Then fight.”
A crazy smirk slowly forms on his lips. “You really don’t like the easy way out, do you?”
She laughs through her tears. “Fuck that. Fuck it if it’s wrong. I don’t care. Fuck whatever anyone else thinks. No, I won’t forgive you.”
He grabs my face with both hands and whispers, “Last chance to walk away now, Pen. Or our new deal will last until the end of your life.”
“New deal? There was an old deal?” Lana mutters, but we both ignore her.
It takes me not even a second to say the word, “Deal.”
Even if they hate me for burning down the school, even if I hate them for hurting me …
The hate couldn’t possibly be as strong as the need deep inside in my heart to be close to them. To belong to these sick boys.
Suddenly he smashes his lips on mine, taking away any and all doubt I had in my mind. Because this kiss … God this is a kiss I couldn’t possibly live without.
“Whooo!” Dylan cheers, and my lips unlatch to gaze across Felix’s shoulder.
His dad seems pissed as hell. “Care to explain yourself?”
“She stays. Or I go,” Felix growls, leering at his father over his shoulder. “End of story.”
Felix’s father grinds his teeth. “This … this is what you choose after all this mess?”
He nods without a single sliver of shame showing on his face. “She’s worth it.”
And that comment … God, I didn’t think anything could make me blush this hard.
“Penelope …” her father mutters. “After everything that happened. To your sister. To you … why would you want to stay here?”
I look at Felix and at Dylan and Alistair who sit in their chairs, gazing at me with pure and utter devotion, and I realize I’ve fallen too deeply, too fast to let go.
I sigh. “Because I belong to them.”
The relief that shows on their faces makes me feel better about my decision, despite the fact that I know I’m disappointing my parents. They hate this place with every fiber of their being, and for good reasons. But they don’t know these boys like I do.
“I want to stay.”
They would destroy the world to save me.
“Are you sure?” my father asks. “This place hasn’t been kind to our family.”
“I know,” I reply, and I look his way. “But we’ve taken care of the person responsible. And this university paid a heavy price for it. I made sure of that.”
My father swallows and puts his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t trust these people,” he says. “But I trust you.”
“Thanks Dad,” I say, covering his hand with mine.
He ogles the boys from the corner of his eyes. “But if I have to come back here even once…”
“Don’t worry, sir. She’ll be in good hands,” Alistair replies.
“Expert hands,” Dylan adds, running his tongue along his teeth.
My father might not know what that means, but I certainly do.
“I doubt that,” Lana mutters. “But I guess it’s already been decided.”
“It’s not up for debate,” Felix says. “So what’s it gonna be, Dad? Her or me?”
His father sighs, rubbing his face. “Fine,” he says after a while.
A smile erupts on my face.
“But.” His father waits until everyone looks at him. “No more killing.”
Felix grumbles but doesn’t respond.
“And no more fires either,” his father adds, glaring at both Dylan and me.
“Awww,” Dylan mopes, and Ali swats him. “No one said nothing about a barbecue.”
“Not on school grounds,” Rivera says.
Dylan sighs out loud. “Whatever.”
“In Felix’s words … it’s not up for debate,” Rivera replies, and he grabs a pen and some paper. “Now, since you all decided to destroy the school, you will also help rebuild it.”
“Wow, wow, wait a sec,” Dylan mutters. “My dad might’ve been rich, but I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I will take care of the school,” Rivera says. “Someone will need to chip in on the restoration of the Skull & Serpent Society building.” He lowers his glasses. “And as I’ve heard it got damaged quite severely from a certain shoot-out.”
“I will take care of that,” my father suddenly fills in.
All eyes are on him.
“Since my daughter is to stay on these grounds, I want her to be safe and taken care of.”
“How kind of you,” Rivera sneers. “Since your men were also kind enough to sieve it through with bullets.”
“I will have the damages fixed,” my father retorts. “To settle that score.”
He’s trying to avoid another war. Smart.
“And to have a piece of the pie in management, I suppose,” Rivera muses.
“I wouldn’t decline such an offer,” my father replies, an arrogant smirk on his face.
Wait, is this Rivera’s way to call a truce?
“I guess that’s settled then,” Rivera says, penning some things down.
“What about …” Dylan mutters.
“Your father?” Rivera looks up at him.
Dylan swallows.
“He had an unfortunate … accident.” Rivera adds a smug smile. “A deadly one. It happens.”
“So, we’re off the hook?” Alistair asks.
“Good one,” Lana jests.
“Caruso was a loose end,” his father replies. “That has been taken care of.”
“By us,” Dylan says.
Chief King raises a brow. “And as a thank-you, I won’t have you arrested.”
Alistair makes a face.
“So I guess we all have something to be grateful for,” he adds with a stern gaze before smiling like the crazy person he is.
Just as his entire family.
I guess we’re not that much different after all.
“Okay, are we all done now?” Lana asks. “Because I’d like to go back home.”
“Same,” Alistair chimes in.
Felix suddenly places a hand on my shoulder, pulling me away from my dad. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
I nod and let him tug me away, despite my dad’s unwillingness to let me go. “I’ll text you every day, okay?”
As we pass him, my father growls at Felix, “If anything, and I mean anything happens to her … I will personally put a bullet through your skull.”
A smirk forms on Felix’s lips. “The only thing that will be happening to her … is us.”
“Us?” He frowns as Dylan and Alistair pass by us swiftly to avoid more punishment.
Felix squeezes my shoulder tightly and whispers, “It’s our little secret.”
Dylan walks past us and stares out the window at the bottom of the stairs as he picks up his phone.
“What’s he doing?” I ask.
Alistair sighs as he walks past us. “Probably calling his mom.”
My heart suddenly feels too heavy for my body to carry.
“Hey … can we talk?” Dylan mutters as he paces back and forth. “It’s about Dad.”
“Oh God.” Alistair walks to him and snatches Dylan’s phone from his hand. “Not on the phone.”
Dylan looks enraged. “What?”
“Do it in person,” Ali says, looking at him intently.
It takes awhile for the anger to settle. “How? What am I supposed to say to her? Sorry, Mom, I killed Dad?”
Alistair shushes him. “Not so loud.”
Dylan gulps. “Give me back my phone.”
Alistair brings it to his ear. “Sorry, Mrs. Caruso. Dylan would like to speak with you in person today.” And he turns off the conversation before Dylan can say anything else.
Dylan shakes his head. “Don’t make me go over there.” Tears well up in his eyes. “Don’t make me face her like this.”
I almost want to run over to him, but Felix’s strong grip keeps me here. “Alistair can handle it.”
“But he needs me. He needs us,” I say, gazing up into Felix’s eyes.
“It’s already hard enough to tell his mom this. Don’t need us seeing the show,” Felix says, his fingers digging into my skin. “We don’t need to see his heart bleed.”
I hate to admit it, but Felix is right. My emotions will only get in the way. It’d be selfish to ask him to let me come along. As much as I’d like to help him right now, I know I wouldn’t be able to do anything else that Alistair isn’t already doing. Even though I know Dylan is suffering because he has to tell his mom the worst news she’ll ever hear. Not just that but he’s going to have to choose to tell the truth or lie about it … to protect himself from his mother’s wrath.
And me being there will not make it better for him. Alistair knows him much better than I do, and it’s already hard enough to do this. He doesn’t need us there too.
“Alistair,” I call out. “Don’t let him do it alone.”
Henods at me.
“I can’t do this,” Dylan mutters.
“Yes, you can,” Alistair says, squeezing Dylan’s shoulder. “I know you can.”
“And my little brother—”
“They have to know. In person. Face-to-face.” Alistair lowers his face. “She needs her son now, more than ever.”
Dylan quietly nods a few times.
“I’ll be there with you, every step of the way.” Alistair throws his arm over Dylan’s shoulders, and says, “C’mon, I’ll drive.”
