King of Regret: An Academy Surprise Baby Romance (Boys of Almadale Book 2)

by Jacie Lennon

  “What’s your issue with Connor?” I ask Landry, and she fidgets.

  “Corbin didn’t like how friendly they were on the yacht,” Trixie cuts in.

  “Sounds like a story I want to hear,” I say. “But after we get Brock back. I think we should meet with both Chester and Connor.”

  “You’re right,” Trixie says. “I’ll get Connor if you contact Chester, Landry, since he is your ex-stepdad.”

  “On it,” Landry says, immediately launching herself from the bed and grabbing her phone off the desk. There’s a knock on the door, and it opens a crack, but Landry throws herself against it. “Still meeting,” she yells.

  “Damn it, let us in,” Bodhi yells, and Landry turns the lock.

  “Landry, open the door right now,” Corbin says, and Landry turns to us with a giggle.

  “It’s fun to rile him up,” she says with a little shimmy, showing us exactly what she means.

  “Chester. Now,” Trixie says, reminding her, and Landry busies herself with her phone.

  The guys start banging on the door, and I fight a rise of nausea. There is so much happening at once, and my head is swimming.

  That stupid man trying to help me warms me from the inside out, but it’s overridden by the fear that he won’t make it out of this alive. The Lions have the cops in their back pocket. They could do anything they wanted to Brock with no repercussions.

  “Chester says to meet at the mansion,” Landry says a moment later, and Trixie looks up from her phone.

  “Great. Connor says he will meet with us. I didn’t tell him what it was about.”

  I take a deep breath and let it out, my chest shaking with the exhale, and a loud sob sneaks out.

  “Oh, Peyton. Oh no.” Landry comes to sit beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and drawing me to her chest. “It’s going to be okay.” She runs her hand over my hair in a calming gesture.

  “What if they kill him?” I say, another sob clogging my throat.

  “Kill him?” Landry asks, sitting back and looking me in the eyes. “They aren’t going to kill him.”

  “I can help him,” I tell her on a whisper, knowing what I need to do. “I can go back to Drake and get him to let him go.”

  “But at what cost?” Trixie asks, and I stare at her. She already knows I’m the cost. I would have to stay with him. “No,” is all she says and then goes to unlock the door, Corbin and Bodhi spilling into the room.

  “Don’t fuckin’ lock us out again,” Corbin growls.

  Landry winks at me. It helps take my mind off of what I was thinking. That was a dark place to be. Going back to Drake is the last thing I would ever want to do, but Brock has done so much for me, and it might be the only way I can help.

  “Let’s see what Chester and Connor say,” Landry says, patting my hair again.

  “The fuck did you just say?” Corbin asks, hands slung low on his hips and eyes narrowed at his girlfriend.

  Landry stands up. “Boys, we have a plan.”

  32

  Peyton

  “I don’t like this,” Corbin says, fingers tapping on the steering wheel as he drives Bodhi’s car with all of us crammed inside.

  “You just don’t like Connor,” Landry says from the middle seat in our back row.

  We are on our way to the Montgomery mansion—a place I didn’t think I would find myself at again so soon and under these circumstances. Was it only last night that I was wrapped up in Brock’s arms in that very house? I check the time on the dash of the car and see it’s eleven at night—well past my bedtime, and I’m feeling it. I stifle a yawn as Landry and Corbin continue going at it.

  “Can you two shut the fuck up?” Bodhi grumbles from the front, and I give in to the sleepy yawn.

  You would think the adrenaline of the night would keep me up, but pregnancy has a way of messing with your body.

  “I felt the baby kick for the first time yesterday,” I say, trying to change the tension in the car.

  “Oh my God, are you serious?” Trixie leans across Landry to plant her hand on my stomach. “Make it kick,” she says, and I laugh.

  “It doesn’t kick on demand,” I say, and she frowns.

  “Well, tell me next time. I want to feel it.” She moves her hand off of me, and I smile. “Are you going to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

  “Probably. I have the envelope in my room at school,” I say with a shrug.

  “You have the envelope, and you haven’t opened it?” Landry looks at me incredulously. “I would have looked at it before I even left the doctor’s office.”

  “There’s been a lot going on, you know,” I say.

  I’m not sure what has held me back from taking a peek inside. It’s not that it would make it more real; it’s already real enough. Maybe, subconsciously, I’ve been waiting to look at it with Brock.

  I think back to the paternity test results I opened earlier, my fingers shaking as I pulled the paper through the flap of the sealed envelope. The tension running through my body as I took it out. My eyes scanning the document as fast as they could, once, twice, three times before I lay back on my bed. My hand dropping to my lap. The memory reminds me that I have a lot to discuss with him once he’s safely back at Almadale. But for now, I have too much to worry about.

  I notice the conversation has picked back up, swirling around me during my moment of introspection, and I’m glad that they didn’t ask any more questions. I’m not sure I have the answers for myself.

  Finally, we are driving down the long tree-covered drive and stopping in front of the house, everyone clambering to get out of the cramped space and rushing inside. Chester is waiting for us, an unreadable expression on his face. From what Landry told us, she didn’t give him many details, if any.

  After eating dinner with him just last night, I found him to be a very caring father, the exact opposite of what I was used to, and I loved it. He asked me about myself, seeming focused on learning about what I was interested in, and was pleased to find out that I enjoyed numbers and solving equations. He asked me about my time on the mathletes after Brock brought it up and then what I did for fun, which was work at Mooney’s for extra money to get out of my house.

  “We are waiting on one more,” Bodhi says to his dad once we are all inside.

  Chester crosses his arms and pins us all with a look. “Where is Brock?”

  We all shuffle around awkwardly until there’s a knock on the door behind us. Bodhi opens it, breaking the silence, and a guy walks in. I’m assuming it’s Connor, and holy hell, how do all the guys at these prep schools look like the cookie-cutter good boy gone bad, the kind you don’t take home to mama? The boys at Loredo need to step up their game. Even from across the foyer, I can see why he and Corbin might have had beef over Landry.

  “Connor, what a surprise,” Chester says, stepping forward to clap him on the back. “How are your parents?”

  “They are great. Thank you,” he says.

  Bodhi moves up at that point and takes over. “Why don’t we go to the entertainment room? It’s got the most comfortable seating, and we need comfort right now.”

  “I don’t like the sound of this,” Chester mutters as we all make our way up the wide staircase and into a huge room with a large movie screen and lots of fluffy recliners and couches placed everywhere.

  I sink into the first chair I come to with a hiss of pleasure, my weariness taking over. I reach up with my hands to rub my temples.

  “I’m Connor,” a deep voice says from the seat next to me, and I look over to see his hand extended toward me, a smile on his handsome face before it melts into a frown as he meets my eyes. “You.”

  Now that I’m seeing his face up close, my eyes widen, and I gasp. “What are you doing here? You’re Connor?”

  I glance around to see what everyone else is doing, and only Bodhi is watching us with a frown on his face. He starts to walk toward us, and I quickly look back to Connor.

  “Yes,” he says,
bringing his hand back to his side since I never shook it.

  I’m honestly surprised and a little confused.

  “What’s going on?” Bodhi asks, standing in front of us, arms crossed and a questioning look on his face.

  “I don’t know,” I say, glancing down and rubbing my sweaty palms on my knees. “I—this—I mean, Connor is the one who helped me escape from the compound.”

  “He what? From the compound? What are you even talking about?” Bodhi asks, and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one unsure of what’s going on.

  Connor lets out a long breath and bites his bottom lip for a second before shaking his head. “I didn’t think this would happen, but I guess all secrets come out in the long run. I’m guessing you are Mooney’s niece?”

  “One and only,” I say, head cocked to the side as I take him in.

  He looks different, not dressed in jeans and leather. His prep-school attire makes him appear younger than he looked at the compound that night. Or maybe I was in too much of a hurry to get out that I didn’t pay attention.

  “How do you know my uncle?”

  “He’s a contact of mine. Since the Lions frequent his bar, we keep each other informed. He is my liaison to get information to my family when it’s unsafe for me to do it.”

  “A contact? Like secret-spy shit?” Bodhi asks, and I look up, having forgotten he was standing there.

  Connor runs a hand down his face and leans back in the chair, his legs sprawled wide. “Something like that. I’m infiltrating the Lions for my family. I’m a prospect, but the Lions don’t know my real name or connections. Anyway, that’s why I helped you that night. I’m not on their side.”

  My head is spinning, knowing that Mooney—my uncle Mooney, whom I’ve known for my entire life and who has always taken care of me—is tied up with a Mafia family.

  What the hell?

  “Tonight, in the desert,” Connor says, looking up at Bodhi, “that was me.”

  “Fuckin’ hell,” Bodhi hisses. “Corbin, get your ass over here,” he yells as he turns, which makes everyone in the room jump at the sudden noise.

  “Lower your damn voice,” Landry says from where she sits, perched in Corbin’s lap. She reluctantly slides off to let him up, and they both walk over.

  “What’s up?” Corbin says, arms slung over Landry’s shoulders as he tugs her against his front. It’s a little overkill, territorial alpha male, but it makes sense, considering the history with Connor.

  “Fuckin’ Connor here is the Bandana Bandit,” Bodhi says, a laugh escaping from him as he looks at Corbin.

  “The Bandana Bandit?” Corbin asks, confusion marring his face.

  “From tonight,” Bodhi prompts, and I can see when it clicks because Corbin’s eyes go wide and dart between Connor and Bodhi.

  “He’s also Mooney’s contact inside the Lions, and he’s the one who helped Peyton escape that night at the compound,” Bodhi says.

  “No shit?” Corbin says.

  I reach up to rub my temples again. I need some sleep. Or a drink. But since I can’t drink, I’ll take sleep.

  “Small world, Stanson.” Corbin doesn’t stick around though, grabbing Landry’s hand and pulling her back over to the chair they were sitting in beside Trixie.

  Trixie doesn’t bother to come see what all the fuss is about. I’ve noticed her withdrawing more, especially when Bodhi is around.

  “I have a feeling Corbin and I won’t ever be friends,” Connor says, bringing our attention back to him.

  “Shouldn’t have tried to move in on his girl,” Bodhi says, grabbing the chair beside me and reclining it back so the bottom portion pops out to raise his legs.

  Why didn’t anyone tell me?

  I lean back, and my leg rest pops out. Instant relief hits me as my body fully sinks into the fluffy chair. I must have audibly moaned because both guys are staring at me.

  “Sorry, I’m tired,” I say with a shrug. “Tell me more about this undercover situation you have going on, Connor. Also, I should thank you for all your help that night. I hope you didn’t get into any trouble.”

  “No trouble,” he says with a smile. “They didn’t even know I was in there. They think you got out by yourself, which you practically did. You didn’t deserve to be locked up like an animal.” Connor’s eyes cloud over as he narrows them, almost like he’s thinking about something else.

  “Do you know where they have Brock?”

  “Yeah, he’s in the jail in Loredo,” Connor says.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. At least he’s still alive.

  We are distracted by Chester standing in front of the screen in the room, clearing his throat as he pockets his phone.

  “I just got off the phone with my lawyers who I always have on standby, so it will be no issue to get ahold of them, but first, I need to know what exactly is going on, and then we will plan what we need to do about it.” He rubs at the scruff on his jawline and then stretches his neck.

  He looks like he’s preparing for battle, and sadly, that might be exactly what we are in the middle of. Thanks to me.

  We spend the next ten minutes explaining everything to Chester, who goes from rubbing his jaw to rubbing his chest, as if it hurts. His face remains impressively impassive at each new piece of information, but I know he has to be freaking out on the inside.

  I found an old receipt in my pocket that I’m worrying back and forth, a tear starting down the middle, fracturing it in half, like my emotions are doing right now. Bodhi can’t seem to stop bouncing his leg up and down.

  I knew the Lions had the cops in their back pocket, but to hear it spoken out loud solidifies in my mind that Brock isn’t safe at all. But to Chester’s credit, he doesn’t show any fear.

  Once we are done explaining, everyone starts talking at once.

  Chester throws up a hand and booms out, “Quiet,” making the room fall silent.

  “One at a time,” he says after a pause, looking at each of us.

  “I can make this all go away,” I say, and everyone stares at me. I don’t shrink down. I know that if the roles were reversed, Brock would do it for me. When no one speaks, I clear my throat, assuming they want me to tell them my plan. I let go of the mangled receipt, letting it fall to my lap. I rub my hands down my legs again before I kick the leg rest in on my chair and sit up, cradling my stomach as I move. “I can go to Drake—”

  “No, absolutely not,” Bodhi says, throwing up a hand at the same time that everyone else starts murmuring their own noes.

  “Let me talk,” I say, and finally, everyone quiets down. “I can go to Drake and tell him what he wants to hear. It’s my fault Brock is in this mess, and it’s only right that I get him out of it.”

  “You can’t sacrifice yourself,” Landry says, sitting up off of Corbin, a worried look on her face.

  “I’m not sacrificing myself. I’m doing what needs to be done to get Brock out of this situation.”

  “And what are you going to tell Drake that will suddenly have him releasing Brock and giving up on this feud?” Chester asks, and I decide what I’m going to do right then and there.

  I take a deep breath because I know what I’m about to tell everyone is possibly going to have me booted from the inner circle, but if it means that Brock gets to come home, it’ll be worth it. A part of me always knew that I wouldn’t be here forever.

  “That I’m having his baby and I will get back together with him if he gives up this stupid pissing contest.” I rub one hand across my chest, the burning in my heart letting me know how attached I’ve become to the people who are currently all staring at me with their mouths agape.

  “It’s Drake’s baby?” Bodhi asks quietly, not meeting my eyes, and I don’t say anything. “Did you get the paternity test done?”

  This time, I nod quickly, the tears in my eyes threatening to spill over.

  “Fuck,” he says, pushing his leg stand in on his chair and rising to pace around the room. “He’s gonna be cr
ushed.”

  I stare at Bodhi, comprehending what he said, wanting to know more, but I don’t have time to ask because everyone starts talking over each other again.

  “Absolutely not,” Chester says, slicing one hand in a downward motion, as if that puts a stop to it.

  “You can’t do that. It doesn’t matter who the dad is,” Trixie says, standing and walking to me, grabbing my hands and hugging me.

  “I can’t believe that cretin reproduced,” Corbin says from where he sits, arms encasing Landry.

  They are so cute; it makes me sick to my stomach.

  “Look, I’ve made up my mind,” I say, raising my voice and my head from where it was resting on Trixie’s shoulder.

  “Isn’t there anything you can do?” Trixie asks Connor. “It makes it that much easier that you are involved with them, but I was hoping your family would have some pull to help us get Brock back.”

  Connor worries his jaw back and forth as he looks at Trixie, seeming to mull over her words in his mind.

  “We might be able to help,” Connor says, standing and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’m going to talk to my, uh … my dad, and we can meet tomorrow with a game plan.”

  I don’t like the way he said that last part of the sentence. It was weird, and even though I don’t know him, he seemed so self-assured until right then.

  “Fuck yeah, let’s get the Soltorres involved,” Bodhi says with a fist pump, and I’m thinking I need to talk to him about the danger of the situation we are in right now. He’s like a kid on Christmas morning.

  “No need to involve anyone else,” I say, shaking my head. I would rather not bring another crime organization into my life and owe them anything.

  “Like I said, we will meet tomorrow and talk.” Connor glances around the room, spins, and walks out, leaving us all confused.

  33

  Brock

  I sit with my back against the cinder-block wall on what has to be the most uncomfortable wooden bench I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. I guess it’s a kind of mercy that they decided to re-handcuff my hands in front; otherwise, I would have been fucked. I’m not sure why they didn’t take them off of me once they put me in this cell, but I assume that was Drake’s doing.