Savage Devil: A High School Bully Romance (Green Hills Academy Trilogy Book 1)

by Josie Max

  “That’s not what I meant. You’re real. You don’t care what these rich bastards think of you. I see it in your eyes. The world hurt you and instead of letting it crush you, you fought back.” He sighed, staring at my lips. “I know what that’s like.”

  Fuck. My heart cracked a little.

  “Why did you stay the night at Seraphina’s before the bus accident. She told me you came to her. If you hated her, why stay the night?” I raised a brow at him.

  “Her father. He helped me arrange the house to be in my name. Nothing between us happened no matter how much she wanted to paint it that way. After, I went and hung out with my friends. That’s all. You still want to fight about things that aren’t true?”

  My shoulders sagged.

  “I’m tired of fighting,” I whispered.

  “Me, too.” He leaned forward and kissed me.

  It was a whisper. A kiss that spoke about heartache and loss. It was like being seen for the very first time.

  He slipped his hand around my waist and pulled me close.

  “Let me in, Violet. I promise, I won’t let the mayor or anyone else hurt you.”

  I nodded and let him in the door. I believed him. Only it wasn’t the mayor I was worried about at that moment. It was my heart and what Knight would do to it.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Violet

  “DID YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED? Why school was closed on Monday?” Arabella asked as she pulled up to Knight’s house.

  My aunt and I moved into his home right after I talked to him on Saturday. He was honest with Aunt Dahlia—or as honest as he could be. I didn’t want her to know about what the mayor and his buddies did to me. He kept that part secret.

  It mortified her that she let me live with him. I told her that’s why I was worried about her when I hadn’t heard from her those days around my birthday.

  She explained she got a terrible case of food poisoning and was in the hospital. She never told me because she didn’t want me to worry.

  With the mayor as my enemy, that’s all I ever did was worry.

  “No, what happened?”

  I slid into her car and she took off. Arabella glanced around as she turned into traffic.

  “I overheard my father on the phone.”

  I snorted. “You mean you eavesdropped on your father.”

  She waved her hand at me. “Overheard, eavesdropped, same difference. Anyway, they found a body in the basement. In that hole.”

  “Holy shit,” I breathed.

  My mind raced, wondering if we locked back up. Would the police question us since we found it a few weeks ago?

  “Apparently, the body’s been there for a while. That’s how the janitor found it. The smell.” Arabella scrunched up her face.

  “It smelled when we were down there . . .. Do you think the body was already there?”

  “It might have been. I’m going to spend lunch helping my father.” She winked. “Maybe I can find more information.”

  “Good idea.”

  We spent the rest of the car ride coming up with various theories on the body. Arabella thought it might be the mayor as he hasn’t been seen since the day he tried to rape me.

  I didn’t think it would be him. Knight would have figured something out. That’s when she suggested Knight might have killed him.

  “He used to have lots of anger issues, Violet. They put him in an institution for a few months . . . about six months after his parents died. Like I said before, he’s not the same.”

  I knew he was angry, but I had no idea it ever got that bad for him.

  “No, it couldn’t have been him. He got the house and his sister’s safe. There’s no way he would kill the mayor. Not because he tried to rape me.”

  Arabella sighed. “Okay, I’m going to tell you something, but you can’t tell Knight. Like, at all.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “I’m so fucking serious, Violet.” She came to a stop in the line of cars for the valet at school.

  We noticed a few police cars parked in the parking lot. We would probably see more of them over the next few days as they swept the basement.

  “Everyone here thinks Knight went to the institution because he tried to off himself. He didn’t. They informed my father that Knight tried to kill his uncle. He tried to poison his food.”

  I sucked in a breath. “Holy shit. What happened? The mayor didn’t die.”

  “He went to the hospital. At first, he thought it was food poisoning. Like he ate bad chicken or something. But when they took a blood sample, they found something in his blood. The mayor thought one of his staff tried to poison him, so he had the house searched and found rat poison in Knight’s room. After that, he was shipped off for several months. When he came back, he was . . . different.”

  After Knight and I talked this past weekend, he was so kind and offered for my aunt to move in. How could a guy like that try to kill someone?

  “He said nothing to me,” I murmured.

  She pulled up to the front and the valet attendants opened the door.

  “Why would he? He doesn’t talk about it. I don’t even think Briggs and Caleb have talked to him about that time. But maybe he’s changed. It’s not as if he did anything lately. But we can’t completely rule him out just because he gives you orgasms.” Arabella winked and came around the car.

  Heat crawled up my neck. There were so many times Knight could have hurt me, but he didn’t. Just some teasing and name calling the first week. That’s all he had done to me.

  But what Arabella told me had me doubting his affection.

  “I rarely admit this, but I think I was wrong about you and Knight. I think the guy does like you. Every time I showed up at the hospital or at your aunt’s place last week, he was there. Waiting like a lonely puppy dog.” She shrugged. “Maybe not a puppy dog, more like an affectionate attack dog.”

  I watched as the valet drove off with Arabella’s car. She gripped my good shoulder and leaned in close. “If he does like you, then maybe you can talk to him about his past. He may not open up, but if he sees you care, there’s a chance he’ll say something.”

  There had to be another side to that poisoning story. I bet if Knight explained his side it would sound reasonable. I frowned. Maybe not. He said he hated his uncle.

  It was frustrating that I was still uncertain about Knight.

  Arabella and I strolled toward the front door. When we stepped inside, we saw Seraphina in tears on her phone.

  “Daddy, no! You can’t take my car away. It was a gift from you,” she whined as one of her friends tried to rub her back, but Seraphina pushed her away.

  Arabella’s eyes slid to mine as a tiny smile curled her lips.

  “I’m sure my offer letter to apply to Winter River is just lost in the mail,” Seraphina continued.

  Oh. My. God. Had Seraphina not been invited to apply? I crossed my fingers.

  The students surrounded her as everyone witnessed the queen of Green Hills Academy succumb to a meltdown.

  “You called them? What did they say? No! There must have been a mistake. You graduated from there. They have to let me in.”

  I rolled my lips over my teeth, holding back a laugh.

  “Is it wrong that I feel a sense of satisfaction that Seraphina didn’t get invited to apply to Winter River University and I did?”

  Arabella’s eyes widened. She pivoted to me and exclaimed, “Oh my god, you were invited to apply to Winter River University?”

  All the students, including Seraphina, turned their gazes on me. I nodded and Arabella pulled me in for an embrace and whispered, “Me, too.”

  A window shattering scream interrupted our embrace. I pulled back to watch Seraphina throw her phone to the ground. It broke into pieces.

  “They’re letting trash like you apply, but not me? What the fuck? It’s like I’m being punished for something.” She stormed off in a sob.

  I gasped as it hit me.

  “What?” Arabe
lla asked.

  “Knight.” I grinned up at her. “He told me he would punish Seraphina for stealing from him, but he wouldn’t tell me what. I think this is the punishment.”

  Her lips curled. “Maybe Knight has used his evil powers for good.”

  It was almost worth getting into that bus accident to know Seraphina would never get into Winter River University.

  I sighed. Arabella and I headed to the front office. She wanted to say hi to her dad, and I wanted to pick up anything that might be left over from last week.

  “Do you have anything for me? Violet Adler,” I asked the woman at the front desk.

  “Let me check.” She walked away.

  I waved over to Arabella as she made her way to her dad’s office. Adjusting my arm brace, I glanced around the place. It was just over a month ago that I first stepped in this place with a bloody lip. I had no idea the crazy hell that awaited me.

  Maybe that craziness would die down with me safely in Knight’s house and Seraphina properly punished.

  “Ms. Adler. This was the only thing waiting for you.”

  She slid the thick cream-colored envelope with a very distinct golden edge toward me. My smile fell and my stomach twisted as I reached over with an unsteady hand.

  “My dad is out talking to the officers in the parking l— Violet, what’s wrong?” Arabella slid up beside me.

  I held up the envelope. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized it, too.

  “You’ve been through too much, let me open it.” She reached for the envelope that looked exactly like the one I got on my first day at Green Hills Academy hidden in my locker.

  I held it back.

  “No.” I took a steadying breath. “It was meant for me. This person wants to scare me, but not anymore. No matter what it says, I’m marching out to those officers and giving it to them. This person thinks they can scare me, and I won’t do anything? They obviously don’t know me.” I slid my finger through the seam and ripped it open despite the pain in my shoulder.

  Reaching in, I pulled out the letter. Just like last time, it was handwritten.

  You tried to run, but I can hide. With you tucked neatly inside, all I have to do is lie. Say bye-bye.

  My jaw tensed. “Stupid rhyme. This could be anyone. It could be Seraphina or the mayor or even Knight,” I grumbled.

  Arabella plucked it from my fingers and studied it. “Maybe if we get—”

  “Violet Adler?” a familiar voice that I couldn’t place asked from behind.

  I turned and was face to face with the nice police officer from when my mom died.

  “Hey, I remember you. Officer Harris, right?” I asked.

  She nodded, but instead of the warm smile from six months ago, her lips were a straight line.

  “I’m going to need you to come with me.” She placed her hand on my good arm.

  “Is this about my mom?”

  I bet they found something. A new piece of evidence that proved she was murdered. I never believed she died of drowning because of drugs. She had been sober and happy for the first time in her life. There was no way my mom would throw all that away in the middle of the night and drag her unconscious daughter along for the ride.

  “No. This is about John Lenker. His body was found in the basement.”

  My heart beat wildly in my chest. He was one of the mayor’s friend who tried to rape me. Had Knight showed them the video?

  “I, uh . . . I don’t understand.” I glanced back at Arabella, who looked just as confused as me.

  The officer leaned closer and whispered, “I see you’re hurt so don’t make me pull out the handcuffs. Just come with me.”

  My head jerked back. “You think I killed a middle-aged man and hid his body in the basement?”

  The room fell silent. I had spoken too loudly.

  “She’s wounded. How would she be physically able to do that?” Arabella took a step forward.

  “The precise time of Mr. Lenker’s death was three weeks ago. I believe you weren’t hurt then. Besides, a witness has come forward putting you at the scene of the crime.”

  The officer pulled me away and Arabella came running after us yelling that she was calling her father’s lawyer to help me.

  I watched as students stopped and pointed at me, all of them whispering. I felt numb, much like I had when I was at Happy Pond.

  Once we were out of the building, I glanced over to the police car. The principal was there talking to a student. And when they turned, I saw it was Knight.

  I opened my mouth, ready to call out to him. But before I could, he lifted his hand and waved. With a smirk, he said, “Bye-bye.”

  My blood felt like ice. I gave him my virginity. My aunt lived with him. He lied to me this entire time.

  That’s why he suddenly became nice. He wanted to use me to cover his tracks.

  He was the devil.

  MAKE SURE TO PREORDER the next book, Twisted Knight, coming out February 26th, 2021.

  Sign up for my newsletter to read a very sexy BONUS SCENE + SNEAK PEEK of TWISTED KNIGHT!