3 #3
“Yeah, that doesn’t really matter in the real world,” I drawled. “But I get it. You’re from one of those families. You don’t want me with her. Okay, message received. Don’t care.”
“You should,” he warned.
I took a step closer. “Or what?” I chuckled darkly and let him see his death in my eyes. “You don’t deserve her either, fool. If you were better for her or could give her something I couldn’t, then I would consider it. I care for her and what’s best for her, but you’re not better than me.”
“He could give her way more,” his friend defended.
“Really?” I challenged, knowing the shit I was about to pull might get me in trouble or cost me my job, but Bevin was worth it. “You really think so? I treat her like a queen and support her. I’m there for her and patient. I understand her better than any of you fools—”
“You’re not one of us,” Chad snapped. “You’re not from our world.”
“No, but she ran from that world,” I reminded him.
He snorted at me. “Really? And became the head of the Millen family? Yeah, sure, she wants out of the top-tier family world. Keep telling yourself that, buddy.”
Okay, fine, he had me there, but he only knew the surface shit, and to win the argument I’d have to tell him more. And he wasn’t worth that.
But also, I knew what to lock in on now.
“You really think you’re better for her than me? You think you can give her more?” I pushed instead of answering him.
He snorted, his ego more than his brains. “I know I can.”
I smirked at him. “Willing to prove it?”
He matched my smirk which I wasn’t ready for, reaching behind him and pulling out an envelope. “Yeah, I am. Dump her and it’s yours.”
I couldn’t make my mouth work for a full minute. “A bribe? From you?” I burst out laughing. “I mean, I expected that from her family maybe in a telenovela, but someone who wanted to date her?” I snatched the envelope before he could react. “How much did Mommy and Daddy give you to—”
His friend snorted. “They want to mate him off for an alliance. They don’t want this. That’s all his money.”
Yeah, I was right that this smelled beyond dirty.
“No matter what it is, it’s not enough. Bevin is priceless and so is what we have,” I said firmly as I dropped it on the ground. “And I can do way more for her than you can.”
That ego came back as pride and more filled his eyes. “Yeah? Fine, you prove it.”
Fool. I chuckled darkly. “Gladly.” I said the right spell under my breath and focused it on him. “What’s your game really? Why do you want my girlfriend single?”
“Fuck,” someone hissed, knowing what I’d done. “You’re out for this. You’ll be—”
I shoved him away when he came at me and tried to break the connection, pushing my magic more into Chad. “What?”
“Take her over,” he blurted, his eyes glazed over and under my control.
“Become the real head of the Millen family and control all her wealth. Her magic and get the name of the bitch who owns Familiar Treasures. Get everything so my parents can’t control me or mate me off to some fat, gross chick for an alliance. Save all of us from our matings—”
“They’ll expel you for this, not just lose your job,” a different guy yelled as he came for me. “You can’t say this was Wicked Challenges while on break.”
I deflected him and he landed hard into the wall, enough to take his breath out of his lungs. “How? You wouldn’t pull money of your own to bribe me to bail just on your charm alone. You have a plan. You can’t be this stupid.”
“We’ll work together,” he answered. “We’re from different families and feed her information making it clear we don’t want that life. We don’t, but no woman can handle leading a family. I’ve got the most magic, so it’s me. We can go from there. I won’t forget them and their help to—”
Two that had been in the room and blocked finally acted and I cut the connection to deal with them. It didn’t matter. I got enough information.
“We’re calling the cops,” one snarled… From the floor where he was bleeding.
“Oh, please do,” I purred. I pointed to Chad who was shaking off my magic.
“He told me to prove it, fucker.” I held up my watch.
“And I have it all recorded.” Then I pointed past them to where the surveillance camera was like in every hallway of every dorm.
“And you did this on video instead of outside in a blind spot.”
“You—” Chad started to say.
I tapped his forehead hard and bared my teeth at him.
“You can’t even fucking protect yourself from something basic like being egged into a challenge.
You couldn’t protect Bevin from shit and you think you should take over everything she’s built?
Over my dead fucking body, asshole. So yeah, whip it out and let’s compare sizes. I’ll win.”
I turned on my heel and stormed off before I put them all in the ground.
Because I wanted to put them all in the mother fucking ground.
Instead, I messaged Taylor Reid that there was an emergency and I made a mess, but it was worth it to know what I did and protect Bevin. It might not seem it, but if kids at a college were willing to go to this length and ally with each other… What would the fucking adults with real power do?
I just hoped he agreed with me.