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“I gotta go. But Hollis…” I waited. “We’re gonna discuss this later. We need to.” He ended the call; he was right though. We didn’t keep things from each other. I knew we had to hash this out. It was wrong of me to keep that she was due to return from Preston, and even from Texas. But I had my reasons.
Who even knew what she was like now? Probably a vapid bitch, who would acknowledge the pull and power we now wielded and want in on that to spin to her advantage. To use us, like every fucker tried. Tried, but never succeeded.
No, Milla couldn’t blend back in seamlessly like she never left. Because she did, and there were no take backs on that, especially with no contact throughout the years. She made her view of us perfectly clear and that’s the way it could stay for all I cared. Pussy wouldn’t side-track me.Control was strength.Everything we’d been working towards was on track.
Grabbing my keys and wallet off the side table positioned next to the front door, I pushed my phone into my jeans pocket. I headed out the front door towards the car parked in the driveway and unlocked it, slipping in the driver’s seat and starting the engine.The purr of this baby, hmm. My car was my indulgence and thinking about it brought a rare smile to my face.
Pulling out into the road, the iridescent navy-blue Nissan GTR turned heads. Not just because of its obvious beauty, but because they knew who its master was. People within East Bay and the surrounding areas knew me. My name carried weight. No matter which angle you looked at, it varied for everyone.
‘Can I’ by Drake blasted through the speakers on my fifteen-minute journey to Coldharbour, ready for a long ass day of lectures, which I took seriously. I might already have had my career all mapped out for me, but I wouldn’t let my education slip through the cracks just because I’d been busier than usual lately.Always have a fallback plan.
Only one more year until graduation, then it was all systems go. My entrepreneurship business degree had to be the most monotonous subject, but it would be useful and beneficial to me in the future.
Unsurprisingly, as I pulled into my reserved space in the car park, Preston, Texas and some of our crowd—the ones loyal to us—were there waiting. I greeted them with a nod while locking the car and shoving the keys into my back pocket.
“What’s up with you this morning?” Texas queried, gauging my mood.
Preston just arched his eyebrow at me sarcastically, in a way which made me want to throw down and punch him. These men were my brothers, the closest people to me and the ones I trusted implicitly. Kind of had to when you did the sort of business we were involved in... although we had that bond solidified years before, so that worked to our benefit.
Deciding to take the longer route, we strolled through the grounds, saying our hellos and getting our bearings for the first days back at Coldharbour. Another year holding the mantle, keeping people in line and collecting information while finishing our selected studies.
This year would be testing for us, and it didn’t help that our little problem had made her way back onto campus. As long asshedidn’t cause waves, and slipped easily into the order which we’d established here, she’d be fine.It’ll be fine.
However,she was a legacy too. Naturally, she’d garner attention like we all did. But she wasn’t as well known now as she’d been gone the last few years. I doubted it’d bother her. I didn’t care.Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Hollis. Scowling at my own thoughts, I turned around when I heard my name called.
“Where’s Milla?” Lee asked.
Seemingly she was the hot gossip of East Bay and Coldharbour, all because she’s hot. I didn’t know what the massive fuss was about. I couldn’t deny she left a bunch of friends here who were concerned, includingus. I ground my teeth together, stopping an unnecessary response.
“Where’s she staying?” Adam chipped in.
Lee, Adam, and Daniel, the latter who wasn’t currently here, were childhood friends that we’d all grown up with.
“North wing, one of the ones on the top floor. Those posh as fuck rooms that rival a hotel room,” Texas responded, whistling appreciatively.
At least she wasn’t in the West Wing with us, not that we’d see her much if she were.
Adam’s father—Mayor Adrian West—lorded over East Bay. He was a dirty player on the board we were closely watching. Not that Adam was anything like his dad, but I didn’t believe we’d seen the depths of Mayor West’s depravity yet, unfortunately. It was like walking a tightrope with Adam, not letting him catch on or notice our interest in his dad, but making sure we protected our friendship with him at the same time. It was far from simple. But simple was easy, and easy wasn’t a part of my vocabulary.
“Looking forward to seeing our girl Milla,” Texas remarked, his voice menacing. He rubbed his hands together like he was ready to acquire something, that something more than likely being the woman in question.
She’d better watch out because she had just become the new shiny toy. However, if Texas kept his priorities in line, I could look past his self-destructive behaviour. Because that’s exactly what chasing that girl was—destructive.
Preston barked a laugh and clapped him on the back with a ‘good luck.’ I was fully aware his feelings matched Texas’, probably even more so.
Lee snickered alongside Preston. Adam’s eyes flashed and he smirked at our banter over a girl who’d left us all. If she knew what was good for her, she would have stayed gone.
What I learned about people was that if they did it once, they’d do it again. So, I’d be counting down the days until Milla left, because that’s what she excelled at best. If she didn’t, we’d push her out.
* * *
I’d always had a sharp eye for detail, always observant. Sometimes you didn’t need to say a thing, you just had to sit back and watch.
I grew up with a poor excuse for a dad who left my mom when I was a little kid. There were many times where he came home drunk and verbally abusive. So, I learned when to hide. I always noticed small ticks of his that, even at a young age, enabled me to know when to approach him safely or when to leave him be.
In short, I’d come off lucky. I never suffered from his harsh tongue and cutting words, unlike my mom. She was never physically abused but when dad left, the weight off her shoulders was noticeable. Maybe only to me, because I was always looking and listening. I figured out her tells well, because she was my first study.
My mom, to me, was a true queen and the strongest parent I could have wished for. It was never an issue for me now to look after her, more so a privilege to take care of her as she always did me. Picking up the slack where she struggled, I gave her an easier life so she could live peacefully, happily.
