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Chapter 8
Reg was stillin the hospital on Tuesday morning when classes were back in session. I helped mom out by taking Nat to school in the morning. Kingston helped all of us out by giving us a ride, that way I didn’t have to leave half an hour early and drag her grumpy ass to her school before I dragged my grumpy ass to Covington.
We got inside his giant black truck, me in the middle and her in the passenger seat, and I could practically feel her excitement when she shut the door.
“It’s so unfair, I don’t know why I couldn’t just start at Covington this year with you,” Nat complained as we started off on the first day Kingston was driving us.
“It’s because the school couldn’t handle two of you sisters in the building at once,” Kingston said with a sly smile directed at me. “Could you imagine how unfair that would be to all the other girls? Two gorgeous Oakville High girls coming to take over. They would revolt.”
That seemed to calm Nat down, she still obviously had a cute little crush on Kingston so even a hint that he thought she was pretty was enough to have her grinning from the passenger side for the entire trip to school.
“Drop me off right in front,” she directed us, waving her hand over the dashboard to point at the most obvious spot directly in front of a group of girls her age. “Samantha Sorgress is going to die when she sees me get out of your truck, King.”
She was apparently the only person on the planet that didn’t make Kingston ragey when she called him King. It was adorable, he was so kind to her and she was so giggle around him. I loved him even more for his kindness, so many other guys would throw a fit or act like my bratty little sister was a burden, but not him. He took it in stride, and even made it fun for all of us.
“Righto, little sisterino,” Kingston said in a silly voice, and we laughed at him as he pulled up to the sidewalk and brushed his hair to the side, giving him floppy bangs. He looked at Nat and said, “We have reached your destination, my princess.” His voice was even goofier and she laughed even louder, and for half a moment I felt like it was all okay. Like everything was going to be okay. And when I saw how happy Nat was, I realized that I would shoot Reg over and over if I had to. If it came down to protecting her from his disgusting assaults.
I could shoulder the burden for her just to give her the chance to grow up in dignity and with the safety to become exactly who she needs to be.
She opened the door and hopped out her side of the truck. I watched as she strolled over to her group of friends, spoke to them, and stood back with pride when they craned their necks to look around her at us. Once they spotted Kingston, they did their best to remain composed but before Kingston put the window up, I heard a squeal or two.
“You’re pretty popular at this grade level,” I grinned when we drove away. “I guess if I ever need money, I could sell Kingston Taylor merchandise to the girls at lunch hour.”
“Yeah, what can I say? I have that effect on the giggly kid crowd,” he laughed, but then he grew serious. “You know I’m joking, though. I’m not like Reg or Rick, my dad. They’re fucking scum, all of them, every man who looked at your pictures or wanted him to—”
“It’s okay, babe,” I said and reached over to take one of his hands in mine. I stroked the back of it with my thumb to calm him down. I could see cords in his cheeks from where he was clenching his teeth in anger. All of this had clouded even our light-hearted joking, and that was just one more shitty thing about it. “I know you’re nothing like them, and I know if you hadn’t gone away, you never would have let this happen to me.”
“I would have shot him myself,” he said. “I still can’t believe I thought you were into it. I want to go back in time and punch the dumbass I was right in the face.”
“I can’t believe you thought I didn’t want to talk to you,” I said. “I did email you. At least your mom’s email. I guess she didn’t want any part of Oakville reaching you, if she was trying to protect you from Rick’s legacy.”
“Once she found out about the Organization and Dirty Kingdom, she ran as far as she could with me. But you can’t fight the Organization when they’re running the show, so he got his summers and school breaks. He even had a private fight coach start training me after school in New York, when I was old enough that I didn’t tell my mom.”
“I hate them all,” I sighed and ran my finger up his hand and down again, the sensation seeming to ground him and bring him back from the fierce anger he was heading towards. “I hate that they’ve hurt so many people over the years, when you think about it. I’m going to do whatever it takes to stop them, you know.”
“I know,” he said and he laughed. “If anyone can, Evie, it’s you. And I’ll back you up. We all will. The one good thing the Organization did was bring us Kings together. We’re tight, and we’ll combine our power and influence to do whatever it takes to help you.”
“You are lucky to have found two good friends,” I said.
“They’re more like brothers,” he replied. “Maybe more than that, especially now that you’re here.”
“I guess I’m the lucky one, really,” I said. “I found the three of you.”
“We found you, technically,” he chuckled. “Which makes us luckier than you, if you look at it that way. I don’t know how many girls could have all three of us wrapped around her little finger like you do.”
“I guess I am one of a kind,” I said and let his love and warmth roll over me, re-energizing me when I needed it most.
We got to school and parked, and by the time we got out, Archer and Valen were waiting for us on the sidewalk.
They came to me, kissed me on the cheek, both of them, and I walked into school like a badass, with my Kings by my side. They were my boyfriends, my friends, my guardians, and my newfound confidence.
The Organization wouldn’t know what hit them, but neither would Covington. I wasn’t going to take anybody’s shit anymore, and they were all about to find out.
* * *
I feltlike everything had changed, but once I got to class in the morning, nothing had really changed.
It was still mundane, the usual school stuff with me passing one or all of my Kings in the hallway in between classes, stealing a kiss or two or three, and heading on my way.
