The Bad Boy's Palything: A Dark High School Bully Romance

by Lannah Smith

  "And what? You think I went there and pulled the trigger?"

  "Wouldn't put it past you. How did you get the information that he was supposed to marry April Locke?"

  For a long moment, Christopher didn't speak. He stared at his right-hand, his arms folded across his chest.

  Then he said, "Around the time I was inducted."

  “What the hell?” Alec’s face had grown red. “You were what? Twenty-two? Twenty-three?”

  Christopher wasn't intimidated by his visible anger. “Maybe.”

  “fuck,” he muttered. “This just keeps getting uglier and uglier.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “Tell me,” Alec demanded, knifing up the stool. “Tell me you didn’t kill him.”

  In the end, Christopher lost his patience and his temper.

  “I didn’t,” he clipped. “And I regret that every fucking day. Because I would love to. I would have loved to kill that bastard who gave April no other choice but to run away.”

  Alec’s face darkened. “Sir—”

  “So far, she’s been abused, insulted and assaulted. Her mother’s gone, she saw the closest thing she had to a brother killed in front of her eyes. She’s been holding on but if that shit went on, she’s going to fucking break. Anyone would fucking break if they went through that kind of hell.”

  “Sir—"

  Christopher cut him off again, his voice going low, shaking with menace, “Her father kept trying to break her. Repeatedly. To the point she almost had no intention of letting herself heal. He’s lucky he didn’t break her because I will fucking play with him before I kill him.”

  “Skull, I—,” Alec started, and this time, his tone was conciliatory.

  Christopher didn’t feel like being consoled.

  “We done here?” he asked.

  Alec pursed his lips.

  Then he said, “Yeah.”

  Christopher pointed at the door. “Then get out.”

  Alec gave him one long look before he backed out. But he couldn’t get out. A man had appeared at the door, blocking his exit, muttering something that sounded urgent. Christopher took a long pull of his beer, draining it, when Alec moved back in towards him.

  “We have a problem,” Alec bit off, stopped advancing in front of his desk.

  Christopher put the bottle down and reached for his laptop, “Then fix it.”

  “It’s not a problem I can easily fix, sir.”

  He snorted. “Don’t undervalue yourself, Alec. Be confident.”

  Alec almost crushed Christopher’s fingers when he suddenly decided to slam the laptop close while he was reaching for it. He took in a sharp breath at this insult.

  “fucking hell, Alec—.”

  He stopped talking when he realized that Alec had a face like thunder.

  Alec locked angry eyes with him and announced, “It’s not the time for fucking jokes right now. A truck’s coming up the cliff.”

  Christopher’s gaze tightened and his body went solid. “Whose truck?”

  He had a feeling he already knew the answer before Alec could respond.

  “Leon’s.”

  Chapter 43

  Loud, angry voices woke me up.

  I sat up in bed and brushed my hair out of my face, blinking into the semi-darkness. The muffled voices downstairs continued to rage on and I looked across the room to the door where Cow was, sitting on the floor.

  "What's going on?" I whispered into the sudden silence.

  Cow didn't have answers for me. It moved towards the bed, jumping up the sheets and laid down beside me. I stroked its fur for a few moments, wondering if I just had another bad dream.

  I heard a voice then. A voice so familiar it felt like a truck had hit me. It was yelling, a tone so harsh and demanding.

  I shut my eyes tight.

  It was a voice that had once saved me.

  Scooting to the edge of the bed, I threw the covers aside and stood. Barefoot, I pulled a robe on and padded quietly to the door. When I opened it, I saw two tall men standing outside the hall. Two men I'd never seen before. They swung their gazes to me but they didn't look surprised, no. They looked like they had expected me to awaken. With the loud racket downstairs, who wouldn’t?

  "You can't go outside, Miss Locke," one of them spoke.

  My gaze narrowed on him. "Why?"

  "Mr. Lawrence would like you to stay in your bedroom," said the other.

  "Since when did I care what your employer likes?" I said this quietly and sternly. "Move."

  They didn't move. They just kept looking at me like I had just grown two heads.

  My gaze narrowed further into a frigid glare.

  "Move."

  They looked at each other and it was my turn to stare because I had finally met them. Two of the eight men that hid inside the house, protecting us covertly. The man who spoke to me first had black hair and Asian features. The other was a blond. But both reeked of the same arrogance as Alec and their employer which was probably why my glare was not that effective on them.

  They parted to make way for me. The Asian even waved his hand in a gesture for me to precede them and I noted that their lips were twitching. I wished I could pierce them more than my icy glower, the jerks. They followed behind me wordlessly. A slamming noise that sounded like a vase meeting the floor echoed throughout the house and I started to run.

  My immediate thoughts fell to my father and a familiar fear washed over me. Griped with worry, I reached the landing, my fingers curled around the railing. From the top of the steps, I could see Christopher and Alec. The two of them were facing a completely pissed off Leon.

  Oh, God.

  My heart started to pound and every muscle grew tense.

  What was he doing here?

  “You dumbfucks really thought you can keep me out?” Leon roared his question.

  My fingers tightened around the railing. I willed my heart to calm.

  “You dumbfucks really thought you managed to deceive me?”

  “You shouldn’t have come,” Christopher muttered with lethal calmness that I didn't get. Behind him, Alec kept quiet, kept his face devoid of expression and kept out of the way, but not too far unless his employer needed him.

  “Then you shouldn’t have done this shit,” Leon countered. “You know this shit will stick. You know this getting in and yet you fucking got in. And you lied to us. Kept lying to us.”

  “I had to. I don’t expect you to understand.”

  Leon leaned in towards him and bellowed, “Then fucking make me! Because we’re all worried about you!”

  "Are you here to get me?"

  Everyone’s heads snapped up at the sound of my voice. Despite already knowing I was living here, Leon looked visibly stunned to see me. I know it had been eight years but, in those years, Leon had somehow changed without changing at all for me. He grew up. But that was it. He was still the Leon I knew.

  Christopher's expression turned from calm to irritation in an instant.

  "Get back to your bedroom, April," he said in a voice that expected instant obedience.

  I gave him a sour look. "I don't recall giving you permission to order me around, Christopher."

  "It's late. You should be sleeping."

  "Something the two of you should have thought of before you started shouting and disturbing everyone's sleep."

  Alec aimed a dark look over my shoulders. I felt the men behind me stir and thought they’d forcibly take me back. But they did not touch me.

  “Well?” I demanded, looking at Leon. “Are you here to take me back or not?”

  Leon recovered his composure with a frown. “No.” He glanced at Christopher. “Not yet.”

  A muscle jumped in Christopher’s jaw. “Not ever.”

  “Why not?” I asked, slamming the railing angrily.

  Leon gave me a piercing look. “My neck hurts looking up at you. Either come down here to talk or go back to sleep.”

  I lifted a brow. “Why should I? I
prefer to stay here so I can look down on you.”

  “Hell, you haven’t changed at all.”

  “Well, I was just thinking that you didn’t, Leon, but I guess you did.” I smiled tightly. “You’re rather getting soft now, aren’t you, seeing how quick you are to lose your control now?”

  I had struck a nerve.

  His jaw dropped open, then snapped shut and tightened. A muscle jumped in his jaw and he muttered angrily, “How the hell did you survive living under one roof with her, Skull?”

  Christopher smiled but it did not reach his eyes and it was not a smile that made my heart quicken nor a smile that made me wary. This one was guarded. And I wasn’t sure who put it there, me or Leon.

  “If you aren’t here to take me home then, pray tell.” I folded my arms across my chest. “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re not going anywhere with him,” Christopher interjected, his hard gaze never leaving his friend. “Leon won’t be able to protect you. Not when he has a wife and newborn baby to look after. Tell me, Leon. What lie did you tell your wife so you could come all the way here just to nag at me?”

  Leon’s hands curled into tight fists. “I told her that I was going to knock some fucking sense in you.”

  “But is that way more important than taking care of your family?” I asked.

  A flash of surprise crossed his face.

  “Because if you’re not here to correct this wrongdoing, then don’t you think you wasted so much time and energy for nothing?”

  “Wrongdoings.”

  I blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Leon looked at Christopher. “Wrongdoings,” he repeated flatly, glaring at him now.

  Christopher drew in breath and shook his head. “Don’t fucking start again.”

  “fuck, Skull, you put a—.”

  “Shut your fucking mouth!” Christopher clipped in an icy tone that made my gut clenched. “Shut it. Let’s talk in the study.”

  Leon glowered at him. Then something clicked and he looked at me. And when his eyes returned to Christopher, his expression was one of confusion.

  “She doesn’t—?”

  Christopher didn’t let him finish. “She doesn’t.”

  That statement got another immediate reaction. And that was of sheer disbelief.

  “What the hell are you two talking about?” I frowned.

  Alec, who had been silent throughout the exchange, finally reacted. “Why don’t you take Miss Locke back to her bedroom?” he told the men behind me.

  My shoulders straightened and I scowled at him. “I’m not going anywhere.” I jerked my chin at Leon. “Not when he’s talking in riddles. I want answers.”

  “This does not involve you, April.” Leon couldn’t look at me. He was giving Christopher a scorching glare. “Just go back to sleep.”

  “I’m not your wife, Leon,” I hissed. “Go back to her if you want to order a woman around.”

  “Honey…”

  I looked at Christopher and I felt my heart lodge in my throat. He was looking at me and he looked quite upset. Tired.

  This made me angry.

  He wasn’t supposed to be up, dealing with Leon’s anger. He was supposed to be sleeping.

  Resting.

  “It’s past midnight. Everyone should be sleeping.”

  Alec walked up the stairs and stopped next to me. I didn’t pay attention to him. My gaze was centered on Christopher.

  “I’ll take care of this,” Alec muttered low enough for only me to hear. “Just try and go back to sleep.”

  This, meaning Christopher.

  Slowly, the tension left my body. I nodded at Alec, I knew I could trust him when it came to Christopher, and then I looked at Leon.

  “If I hear another racket, I’m coming to the study to strangle the both of you,” I warned. “It’s making Cow frightened. Keep it down.”

  His mouth going tight, Leon nodded. I gave him one long hard look before I turned to leave.

  “You have a cow?” I heard Leon ask Christopher.

  I felt my lips form a smile at Leon’s bewilderment.

  But when I was back in my room, in the dark, alone, I felt that smile leave.

  This was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 44

  “What the hell do you mean she doesn’t know?”

  Leon asked this just as soon as they entered the study, his voice furious and perplexed. Clearly, he wasn’t going to waste time getting to the heart of the matter.

  Christopher closed the door behind him. He tore his fingers through his hair then dropped his hand to his side.

  This was going to be a long night.

  “Keep your voice down,” he muttered, pouring himself a drink.

  “Jesus Christ, Skull.” Leon paced in front of him. “This is fucking insane.”

  “What’s fucking insane is you waltzing in here and leaving Sophia and the baby behind,” he clipped.

  Leon turned and snarled at him, “What’s fucking insane is you being a fucking crime lord now. That you run guns. That you deal drugs. That you have a fucking stable of women.”

  Finishing his drink in one long swallow, he set the glass down to refill it and lifted it up, hesitating.

  This wasn’t smart.

  He knew this wasn’t smart.

  He’d already finished a glass earlier. Alec would have a fit if he knew about this. But he couldn’t be smart, not tonight when he barely had sleep for the past few days.

  His hesitation didn’t last long when Leon grabbed the glass from him, not to be ignored.

  “You have a stable of women, Skull,” he repeated, slamming the glass down on the desk.

  “I handle a few escort agencies,” Christopher corrected.

  Leon’s gaze narrowed. “Call it whatever you want. That doesn’t make it sound better because it still is a fucking stable.”

  Christopher inhaled in a deep, calming breath. He had to tell himself over and over again that this was his friend. His brother. “I don’t condone brutality to women, Leon,” he said softly and dangerously.

  This news apparently was enough to calm Leon down.

  “But are you going to rid of it?”

  “And let those women run to other stables just to get treated worse than a fucking dog?” Christopher bit off. “I’m sure you did your homework. I don’t let those women get hurt. I don’t force those women to work when they don’t want to work. I don’t exploit those women just because I can and just because they chose that line of work.”

  Leon’s jaw clenched. “Still—.”

  Leaning in, Christopher cut him off with a harsh, “I give them protection. My people answer to me if they don’t. My people get the people who fucks with those women or they answer to me if they don’t.”

  “What about the other shit you got—.”

  “If you did your homework, you know that story,” Christopher clipped, interrupting him, eyes narrowed and angry and so fucking done with this conversation.

  Leon did know that story. And fortunately, he left that alone because Christopher was in the brink of losing control that he might forget his history with him.

  Leon didn't speak. Christopher didn't either.

  This went on a while and Christopher tired of it.

  "Is there anything else on your mind?"

  He watched Leon draw in breath before he spoke, "You know you can't keep her here forever, Skull."

  Christopher exhaled. "I know. I plan on us leaving after Christmas."

  Again, he watched Leon blink.

  "You are?"

  "Yeah."

  "Where will you go?" Leon asked. "Back home?"

  He nodded. Leon opened his mouth to speak but Christopher beat him to it.

  "You know I don't appreciate you coming here even if you're just looking out for me. I know you're right. That what I'm doing is fucked up but it still is none of your business. And I can't promise you that even if you're now in the know I'll tell you everything. I
can't. It's still my business to deal. I can promise you though," he rushed when Leon was about to speak again, "that if I can't deal, I'll ask for your help."