Get Ready For It
LUCAS
I should probably warn Nana, but I’m pretty sure the leonine lawyer will have someone on that already.
After all, this is the fucking second time I’ve walked into a goddamn murder scene in the past couple of months.
I never put much stock into Fate before Morgana, because my parents sort of made me think that was a fool’s gambit.
They might be fated, but it’s for disaster, and I didn’t want any part of it.
But my new mate made me question my somewhat cynical outlook, and now…
I’m wondering if we’ve all pissed those old bats off inadvertently.
Not because we found each other, but because of some other misstep that didn’t register.
How else do I explain such rotten fucking luck with this dead body stuff?
I’ve purposefully kept my nose clean and out of trouble throughout my youth, so no one could compare me to my folks.
This bullshit has me in the news for everything, but my stellar abilities on the ice and good grades.
It’s undoing everything I worked for, and I don’t have a clue how to thwart it.
“Lucas, stop looking like you’re going to jump off the roof.”
I look over at Slade, who’s giving me a crooked smile. “I’m trying, man, but this is a lot.”
He nods, then sighs. “I was hauled into a lot of shit because of my family before I came to State U. Despite never being involved in anything they could charge me for, I was rounded up simply because of my name so many times that I learned the names of everyone in the cop shop in Bay City before I was even in middle school. I get why you’re worried; you do everything you can to show you’re not them, but then this crap happens. Right?”
“Actually… yeah,” I reply as I rub my neck. “I didn’t think about how familiar this might be to you. Are you doing okay?”
“One trauma at a time,” the siren replies with a mischievous grin.
“But yeah, it’s annoying even though I’m used to it.
However, I learned pretty quickly that knowing you’re innocent and having a good lawyer available is usually the key to riding it out.
Oh, and not snitching, if you value your limbs intact.
Family doesn’t mean dick if you have loose lips in the Sons . ”
“Got your ass beat for telling, did you?” I finally smile again when he sighs.
“Sure did. Spent six months in supe rehab to really cement the experience.” Slade shrugs a little, then inclines his head toward the aisle where Channing and Morgana greet a worried-looking Iggy and Liam, followed by a scowling Kaspar. “They’re going to lose their shit.”
Lucas chuckles. “Li feels like he’s going to rocket to the moon through the bond. That’s probably pissing off the grumpy dragon, and your professor looks very upset.”
“My professor,” Slade scoffs under his breath. “Ignatius Briarton will be fine as long as his own family doesn’t get involved. He knows Morgana and Thorne will help us.”
That’s awfully bitter-sounding for a gentle musician.
“Iggy seems like he’s always supported you. I can’t imagine he’s not concerned about you,” I whisper. “You’ve been able to stay free of your family while you lived with him at least.”
Slade sighs, looking down at his shoes. “Yeah, I know. I’m just… tense. I get snippy when I’m feeling out of control in my own life. You guys haven’t seen it yet because my response to my parental trauma is to hide. When it’s other stuff, I get a bit prickly.”
“Dude, process how you need to. I’m not going to dime you out.
” I think about it for a moment, realizing that the professor is his roommate, his sponsor, and his friend.
That means he probably has not had anyone to vent frustrations about their issues in years .
“You know, you can talk to Liam and me about things, too. Your empathy thing has to get really heavy when your only source of support is the one you’re pissed at. ”
His head lifts and he looks at me through his silver glasses, expression unsure. “Really? It’s… pretty intense when my kind lets loose. Most people don’t deal with it very well, so I don’t ask.”
I have no idea what that means, but he’s Lady M’s mate, and I’m in this family one hundred percent.
“Gotta be honest—I don’t know what I’m agreeing to, but if you need help? I’m here for you.” I grin at him encouragingly, hoping he believes me. “Not here and now, of course, but when we’re not waiting on cops and lawyers to converge.”
The siren laughs, and I notice how musical the sound of it is.
I must not have been paying attention, but it’s like he’s about a thousand times more appealing suddenly.
As I stare, his face turns bright red. “Shit. Sorry about that. I felt touched by your offer and opened some of my power up to you. You see me differently now, right?”
My mouth goes dry as everything about him gets more beautiful by the second. “Uh, yeah. You’re.. It’s like I’ve never seen you before. Holy shit, Slade. Is this… how you really look and sound when you’re not closed off to people?”
His face gets even redder as he nods. “Yeah. Siren thing. I’m really skilled at controlling it, so once I let people in, they’re often super shocked.
Sometimes it makes them too crazy, and I have to cut them off.
That’s why I keep it so tightly controlled until I trust new folks.
Well, I guess except for Morgana. I’m pretty sure she saw me normally from the second she walked into the coffee shop.
I didn’t know it then, but once we became part of her circle and she never mentioned the change? I knew.”
“You could make so much fucking dough just… standing places. Like as a model or something. You never have to lift a finger, man. You know that, right?” I say as I try to shake the effect off.
“No fucking thanks,” Slade growls softly. “That is not for me. You’re right, and certainly not the first person to tell me that. But I’ve been careful to downplay this as much as I can because… I was worried my father might…”
Goddamn it. If today wasn’t bad enough, I just got the pretty boy to admit that he was afraid his father would sell him off if everyone could see how gorgeous he is.
I’m batting zero for a thousand today, and it’s not getting any better.
“Greetings, my problem children!”
Slade and I both look to the door as it bursts open to reveal the impeccably dressed legal hotshot and his intimidating companions.
Kendrick is as dark and foreboding as the last time I saw him, while Rainier practically oozes ‘former special ops’ from every pore.
Even in the black polo and cargos, the guy makes me feel like we’re about to plan an invasion of Panama or something.
Channing, however, breaks away from Morgana to hurry to the three men.
Jax picks her up and spins her briefly, then smiles widely as the other two approach.
Very interesting. Morgana’s hand-picked introvert has definitely gotten cozy with these dudes—though how cozy is the question.
“Jackson, I highly doubt Slade and Lucas planned to find the Beauregard heir dead on this stage,” Morgana says drily. “Problem children is a stretch, even for you.”
My lawyer moves away from Channing, striding forward to air kiss my mate and then shakes his head.
“Fair enough, Dean LeCiel. However, I have so many clients all over the world, and the two ladies from this part of the world create the most work. There’s something in the air around these parts, I’d swear my life on it. ”
“There’s something in the air everywhere,” Rainier grumbles as he, Channing, and Kendrick join my family. “The uptick in problems is not normal, and I’d stake my reputation on that.”
Morgana tilts her head, eyeing the big man with a sharp gaze. “Is that why you guys have been on the move so much?”
Both of the scary supes shift their gaze to Channing, who shrugs. “I didn’t tell anyone where you were going, just when people were out of town. It seemed important, and today proves that it is. This would have been a much bigger mess if you guys were halfway across the country.”
“True, darling. Very true.” Jackson sighs and waves at us. “How are you two doing?”
“Not a day at the beach, man.” I snort, gesturing to the lump under the cloth and my stage-bound companion. “We’re stuck here until you clowns get the authorities here. Something I’d recommend doing soon before one or both of us have to use the restroom. That won’t be pretty.”
They all laugh, but I’m right. I drank a shit ton of water today because of early practice, and I don’t know what Slade has done, but we’ve been up here for almost an hour now. Bodily functions are inevitable, and who the fuck knows how slow those lazy asses at the station will be.
“Okay, Morgana,” Jackson says when he catches his breath. “Go make the call, and Channing, you call security and advise them the cops may enter the campus. They need to be sent to this building only , and don’t give them any other details. Got it, ladies?”
The women nod, peeling off in different directions to do as he asked, and I sigh. I’ve never been more grateful that while some buildings at SU are older, they’re all nicely air-conditioned. Lack of cool air would make this situation pretty gross in not that long.
“Take a quick, careful look around, gentlemen,” Jackson says to Kendrick and Rainier.
They split in opposite directions, heading for the furthest corners of the orchestra level of the theater without comment.
“I want to see if they notice anything we need to draw the less trained locals’ attention to. ”
Iggy nods, looking around the theater with a grimace. “It doesn’t appear to be disturbed but for the body to my recollection. That’s going to make this a nightmare.”
“Oh, we sailed past nightmare to absolute debacle the second the hockey player walked in on it, Professor.” The lawyer gestures at me with an annoyed look.
“We were riding out the LaMount thing while they spun their wheels. I was hoping they’d drop the charges now that you’re back from the coast. There’s been no movement, and that boded well for him.
Now he’s at another crime scene, and that idiot detective will use that fact to extend his ‘investigation’ into his supposed guilt. ”
“I’m right here, you know,” I retort. “And before this moment, I didn’t even know who this fucker was. I’ve never interacted with him or any of his family personally. Nana might have, but I wouldn’t know them from Odin, Thorne. I have zero motive to kill him.”
“This isn’t a TV show, though, Lucas.” Liam runs his hand through his hair, obviously stressed by my eventual issue.
“And the people in that station backed down because of the combination of Jackson’s and my connections, but…
They didn’t care as much about some out-of-towner hockey player as they will about the wealthy heir to a hometown billionaire family. ”
“Ding, ding, Your Highness!” Jackson says with a grin.
“The Beauregard name carries a fuckton of weight in this state, and despite their scandals and problems, they’re like a Southern Kennedy family, but for the arts.
The matriarch is absolutely dismal to deal with, and as I told Morgana, his sister is a straight-up cunt.
We’re going to be drowning in local politics and broader implications. ”
“Lucky we have you, then,” I mutter loudly enough for him to hear. “Aren’t you even more influential than this corpse?”
“How rude,” Jackson says as he frowns. “I’m always more influential than a corpse.
However, yes, my family’s heritage will help, as will the fact that Thorne Enterprises’ market value trumps that of the Beauregards.
The tricky bit will be that their roots go back further than mine—but only slightly. ”
Morgana stalks over, looking angry as she grips her phone. Hopefully, she doesn’t break the damn thing. “Why in the fuck does it matter who planted an apple tree earlier or whatever? You’ve got more money.”
“Oh, Morgana, that’s positively adorable.” The lawyer chuckles, shaking his head ruefully. “In this part of the country, that counts for so much more than the dollar signs. I know you grew up in Europe; you have to know how lineage affects power and influence.”
“Yes, but America is…”
“Founded by religious zealots the Brits kicked out? Yes, and they brought some of their own baggage along, my dear. It’s particularly tricky here and in the Northeast, but bloodlines—both human and supernatural—are a thing.
This will be a very intense battle, and that’s why I have Foley off doing some grunt work and Eli manning the internet.
PR is going to make or break our ability to keep this shit under wraps, so the university can function normally. ”
“There’s no way this stays a secret,” Liam interjects. “Not with the way the local police handled Lucas’ questioning.”
“Oh, I’m aware.” Jackson winks at us and then turns back to the group. “But we’ll be ready for it. I’m calling in some chips. Once Eli confirms it worked, I’ll bring them here to help.”
“You didn’t tell me that!” Morgana crosses her arms over her chest, her brow furrowed. “Who did you try to weasel into doing this?”
“The very best—we’re going to use The Serpent.”
I blink, my jaw dropping as the words echo in the quiet room.
Damn, I wish I didn’t know who that was because of my motherfucking parents—but I do, and it’s going to suck balls.