Page 58 of Play The Game

Blaise glares at him. “No. It’s just that every time I think I know how fucked up we all are the bottom falls out and I find a whole new level of depravity. Ash; when, where, and why?”

Avery pulls a face and wriggles in her seat, looking down at her phone and effectively putting a barrier between herself and the conversation. I’m sure now that the death isn’t what’s bothering her; it’s the rotting that turns her gut.

Ash stares at his glass and says, monotone and dry, “I had to help Joey dig up one of my father’s toys. I think we washed more of her down the drain when we washed our hands afterward than what was left of her on the bones when Senior finally fired up the incinerator.”

Blaise swallows.

Harley nods, then grunts and pipes in, “One of my grandfather’s lackeys was sunk in the bay, out past the docks. He’d been skimming, caught red-handed, and they chained him up and dropped him off a boat. He floated up a week later. I’ll never forget the smell, Domhnall made me help him scoop the gross fuck into a net and he paid some biker guy to dissolve what was left of him in acid.”

I nod at him. “The Boar; he’s the same guy who sent the cleanup crew to Haven for us. Pricey, but you’re never going to get caught if he’s the one getting rid of your problems.”

Harley’s eyes flash and he leans over to drape his arm around my shoulders. “He was the one that vouched for you and Illi, right?”

Avery’s head jerks up. “That reminds me. We need to make a list of the members of the Twelve we like.”

I groan and rub a hand over my face. “I’m not sure we like any of them. It’s more like the ones who want us dead and the ones who could be persuaded to spare us.”

Harley snorts. “There’s also the ones who want to fuck you, babe.”

Ash cuts me a glare. “Is that list longer than the Jackal?”

Harley’s eyes only get more intense now he has backup in this brewing argument. “One of them asked if her pussy was gold plated.”

Fucking rich, entitled, bratty boys.

Blaise snorts, enjoying this conversation a little too much at my expense, and I smile at Harley like I’m baring my teeth at the asshole. “Aves, we also need to add the Lynx to the list of cougars chasing Harley’s dick.”

Blaise’s raucous laughter almost drowns out the frustrated groan Harley lets out.

It’s jarring how quickly I adjust to the mundane little bubble of Hannaford but within days of getting back, my focus shifts away from the bloodshed and violence of the Bay and centers on the most irritating issue here, instead. I watch the cougar skank with rage in my blood and fire in my eyes. I watch her every move in my presence, cataloging her quirks and ticks, all the little mannerisms until I have a full picture of who Ms. Vivienne is.

She’s a slut.

I know, I know, I’ve banned the word, but fuck if it isn’t the right one for her. She doesn’t just fawn over Harley. She touches every guy in our class and when I see her out in the dining hall, she touches every being with a dick that crosses her path. I’m sure she must be hosting orgies in her room every night with the amount of winks and knowing looks she’s getting.

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t throw stones and all that shit but technically, I’m not having any orgies, despite Avery’s snarky comments. Also, how many people does there need to be involved before it’s classed as an orgy? Fuck it, off topic.

I manage to keep my cool until classes finish for the day and then I drag Avery down to the gym for a training session, intent on sweating my rage out. I’ve kept up with my own routine but she’s gotten pretty good at kicking my ass in our lessons as well. I’m still going easy on her because I know she’s a little hesitant about the knife, but I’ve found the best way to get her over that is to talk about what I’ve done in the past. She loves it when I walk her through scenarios, like she’s learning a skill and piecing together more of my past. I think she wants to know everything that has ever happened to me, but there will always be things I’d rather never speak of again.

When my body hits the mat for the fifth time, my fury has burned out enough to talk it out.

“Why Harley? Like, of all the dicks in this school she could climb, why him?” I’m totally fucking pouting. Thank fuck he isn’t around to see it. His head would probably get so big it would explode.

Avery helps me off the floor and then hands me a bottle of water. “I’ve looked everywhere for a link to the Jackal and I can’t find one. They’ve never crossed paths as far as I can see. I think she’s just a desperate whore. A dirty, desperate whore who enjoys a challenge.”

I nod and wipe my face with my shirt, ignoring the face Avery pulls over it. “He is fucking gorgeous, the bastard.”

Avery shrugs. “There’s plenty of gorgeous guys at Hannaford that she can have, you just don’t notice them because you’re too busy drooling over the three you’re obsessed with.”

“Rude,” I grumble, and Avery cocks an eyebrow at me, smirking at my attitude.

“It’s an observation, not a judgment.”

“Fine, but you don’t need to be so smug about it.” God, I sound whiny. I need to harden the fuck up.

She scoffs at me and gets back into position, then changes the subject because she’s a saint. “I spoke to Atticus again. He’s pretty adamant I go to the Charity Gala this year, and he said he’s going to dance with me there. He’s still not chasing me but it’s getting close.”

Fuck. I need to look this guy up, make sure he’s not some rapist asshole. I make a note to talk to Ash and see why he hates him so much. I wonder if Harley likes him?