Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
NOLA
Pushing the front doors of the school open, I head straight for my bright teal Jeep. It stands out amongst the fancy red, black, and white sports cars and SUVs that most students drive.
I’m not a big car fanatic. I don’t care what I drive as long as it gets me around. But my dad got me this Jeep for my sixteenth birthday, and I love it. It’s pretty and runs great. That's all I care about.
When I see who’s parked next to me, my eyes widen, locked on the two guys leaning against the black Bugatti. I nearly trip over my own feet, stumbling to a stop.
“Fuck,” I hiss, panic rising within me at the thought that they might see me. Looking around for a place to hide, I dart behind the nearest car. What the hell are Jasper and Sylas doing here, too?
If all three of them are here, then there's got to be a good reason. What could they possibly want with Mr. Robinson?
Honestly, it could be about anything. He might just be a teacher to me, but knowing how this school works, he could be working for the Brotherhood. The likelihood of that is actually quite high.
The Brotherhood of Blood and Death is a not-so-secret society that runs New Orleans, led by the founding families.
To the outside world, they’re just your typical CEO bigwigs, but I know more than I should. Years of blending in with the background, listening in on conversations that were not meant to be heard by the ears of a little girl, let me know they’re anything but.
Slowly, I rise, peeking over the hood of the car to get a better look at them.
Sylas is leaning against the car, hands in the pockets of his ripped black jeans.
Fuck, he looks so damn sexy today. He’s wearing a black leather jacket and nothing else under it, which shows off the tattoos covering his chest and stomach.
They go all the way up, right up to the top of his neck.
His white hair is shaved at the sides, longer on top, with parts of it hanging over his forehead.
He flicks it back, giving Jasper a cocky smirk after saying something that’s probably a tease.
Damn it, I can’t make out what they’re saying. Where’s Skittles when you need him?
Jasper speaks, and while I might not be able to make out the words, the deep rumbling of his voice is just audible enough to affect me and sends a shiver of pleasure through me. It’s rare to have the privilege of hearing him speak. He only talks when he has something important to say.
He’s the leader of their little group, but Sylas and Wesley are happy to do the talking for him.
He’s the silent observer type. He’s the one with eyes that gaze right into your soul, which is both terrifying and arousing at the same time. It’s like he knows what you're thinking without you even needing to say a word.
At first, I thought Jasper was leaning against my Jeep, but when he straightens, I notice the black motorbike behind him and the helmet that’s tucked under his left arm.
He turns around, facing my Jeep, dark brown eyes assessing it before he looks up, gaze sweeping over the parking lot like he’s looking for someone. Is he looking for me? Quickly, I duck down.
Shit. Why would he be looking for me?
Carefully, I shuffle around the car and to the next, checking to make sure I’m not seen before continuing until I make it to a car parked a few spots down from the guys. I want to hear what they’re talking about.
I’m nosy as hell, and I like to know everything about them. It’s kind of my thing. A very unhealthy thing, but it’s what I do. Especially when it comes to these three.
I’m kind of… sort of… a little obsessed with them. That's putting it mildly, Nola.
“What the fuck is taking him so long?” Jasper's husky voice growls, sending prickles of delight dancing across my skin.
“I swear to god, I’m going to kill that man if he puts his fucking hands on her,” Sylas sneers. His dangerous threat has liquid heat pooling low in my stomach, ramping up the arousal Wesley created only moments ago.
It’s been too long since I’ve been this close to them in real life. There’s only so much I can take watching them through the lens of my camera or from the video feed Skittles collects for me.
“Doesn’t matter if he touches her or not, he’s dead anyway,” Jasper mutters.
My head slowly peeks up, needing to get a good look at them. When I lay eyes on Jasper, I have to bite my lip not to moan.
This man… this fucking man, is one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen. Though he’s Korean American, his features lean toward his father’s Korean heritage with wavy ebony hair and deep brown eyes.
Like the other two, he’s decorated with tattoos. From the top of his neck, down his chest, and over his arms. I’d love to see if he has some in other places, if you know what I mean.
I’m working on placing a few cameras inside their bedrooms, but their security is proving to be more than I can handle. I’m not giving up, though. I’m sure Skittles can make it work.
“True. And here I thought our Friday night was going to be dull,” Sylas chuckles.
“Since when are any of our weekends dull?” Jasper drolls.
“I feel like a party is needed. It’s been too long, and I need to take the edge off,” Sylas sighs.
“I fucking hate parties,” Jasper scoffs. “And you know it.”
“Well, tough shit for you, big guy. There are only two weeks before we’re gone for the summer, and our lives will be consumed by work. We need to have as much fun as we can, while we can.”
“Can’t you just find a girl and bring her home?” Jasper grumbles. He swings his leg over his bike, casting another look toward my Jeep.
Anger and dread rush through my body at the mention of another girl. My fingers curl into a fist as my heart begins to pound. I hate knowing what they’re like, knowing the number of women they’ve had in their bed, and that they’ve never had the same person twice.
At least there’s that. But still, it should be me in their bed. Every. Fucking. Night.
“We’ll decide later. Right now, Wesley needs to get his fucking ass out of here. What is taking him so long?” Sylas huffs.
Just as he asks the question, the front doors of the school burst open, and my head snaps to the side. A very pissed-off-looking Wesley stomps toward the guys with long, purposeful strides.
He shoves a hand into his pocket to retrieve his pack of cigarettes. He plucks one from the cardboard case and pops it between his lips before lighting it. Taking a long drag, he holds it in for a moment before exhaling the smoke and walking through the cloud he created.
“So, what's the deal?” Sylas prompts.
“He’s dead,” Wesley states. There’s a bite in his tone, it’s icy-cold and menacing, as he takes another drag from his cigarette.
“Wait, what?” Sylas. “Like you took care of him right now?”
Wesley narrows his eyes. “No, you fucking dumbass. I mean, he’s a dead man.”
“What happened?" Jasper demands.
“The rumor is true,” Wesley sneers. “To make it worse, he was going to try it again.”
“How the fuck do you know?” Sylas questions.
“Because I walked in just at the right fucking time.”
Hold up. Wait. The ‘her’ that Jasper and Sylas have been talking about… was that me?
A small smile curves onto my lips as giddy excitement floods me.
I thought they gave up on their ‘protecting me’ thing after they graduated.
Once they left, people felt safer and became bolder when sharing how they felt about me.
No one laid a hand on me, but I didn’t feel as untouchable as I did when they were attending Crest Wood.
The guys fall silent as Jasper and Sylas’ bodies become rigid. “Did he hurt her?” Jasper growls, his voice low and terrifying.
He cares! He really cares.
“No,” Wesley answers. “But he had his hand on her; that's reason enough for us to end him. If I hadn’t walked in when I did, he would have tried something.”
He might have tried, but I would have stabbed him just like I did the last time. Only this time I wouldn’t have left his penis intact.
Hold up. Did he just say he was going to end Mr. Robinson because he messed with me?
If I weren’t already crouched down, I might just fucking fall over. God, it’s so hot when a guy murders someone for you. Like, true love. Honestly.
“Fuck,” Sylas groans in pleasure. “I’ve been itching to play. It’s been too fucking long.”
“Then you’re in for one hell of a night.” Wesley takes a final puff before tossing the butt of the cigarette onto the ground. “Come on. Let’s go set up and then come back for this piece of shit.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Jasper asks, taking another look at my Jeep. “Where is she?”
Wesley looks around, his brows pulling together. “She should have passed by here already. I told her to scram when I interrupted them.”
Shit, shit, shit!
What if they start looking for me and find me spying on them? I can’t let that happen.
Biting my lip, I creep back over to the first car I was hiding behind, the one closest to the school entrance. I wait there until all three of their backs are turned away from me before standing and walking to my car.
My heart thunders in my chest with nerves and excitement. What if they talk to me? Oh god, I hope I don’t actually pass out.
Or worse, cum on the spot.
Relax, Nola, you’re starting to sound like a psychopath.
I mean, I was already fairly certain I am one, but they don’t need to know that… yet.
At the sound of my footsteps, the three of them look my way, knocking the air clean out of my lungs.
Chewing on my lip, I avert my gaze, staring down at the ground. They say nothing as I approach my car.
There's no way I'm going over to them to say hi. That would be weird, right? To just randomly start talking to them after years of only exchanging the occasional word.
Okay, so it was more like Sylas saying something to me, while my cheeks burned bright red and my voice disappeared, leaving me unable to speak and all too flustered by him. They’re the only people who affect me like that.
It hasn’t always been like this, though. We grew up together, and my father has worked for their fathers for as long as I can remember.