Page 28 of Vengeful Queen
“More unfinished business,” I reply. “But right now, we have to keep her safe. That’s the priority.”
Jaxon shakes his head. “She’s going to be livid when she finds out from someone else.”
“She has a right to be angry,” I reply. “She accused us of treating her like a doll.”
“She may not have muscle, but her spine is made of steel,” Asher replies. “She beat Eddie off barehanded.”
I rub my hand over my face. “We’re going to have to come clean and beg for forgiveness. We have to stop treating her like we own her.”
“Do you really think she’s okay with all of us?” Asher asks.
Jaxon nods. “She brought up her sister and those guys.”
“And you can handle me touching her while you watch?” he asks Jaxon.
Jaxon gets a thoughtful look in his eyes, as if he can picture it. “I could. I’m falling in love with her. And besides, we’re not just friends; we’re brothers. I’ve said stuff to you two I thought I’d take to my grave.”
“And what about you?” Asher turns to me.
“I’m curious to see who’s the biggest,” I joke. “So yeah, I’ll watch.”
Asher smirks as the mischief returns to his eyes. “It’s not you, man-ho junior.”
We order another round and toast our new plan. And by the time we leave the Oak, we have several new plans of action.
CHAPTER 13
Asher
Eddie doesn’t have enough sense to fear me, Hudson, or Jaxon, so we need help. With reluctant admiration, I have to admit the security team from Phoenix Gym knows what they’re doing. Two of the four-person team are women, and they walk around with Charlotte without raising suspicion, blending in with the co-eds. The team suggests a routine to lure Eddie out, so Charlotte leaves campus daily around six o’clock and walks to town. Often she only walks a block to Theta. I don’t like her going over there to hang out with a bunch of bitches, but I keep my mouth shut. I don’t have a better plan in place, and it bothers me that I can’t take care of this on my own.
“So, where are we headed today?” I ask her as we walk out of the school gates.
Charlotte smiles warmly, and I grin like a fool with no self-control. She’s dressed in ivory from head to toe, imitating an angel. Her long skirt flows down over her hips, and her bulky sweater looks warm. I want to grab her hand and search for somewhere private. Sighing, I’m thankful it’s thirty degrees out, or I’d have a boner in my jeans.
“You want to go to the Oak?” I suggest hopefully.
But she shoots me down with a shake of her head. “I have an appointment to see an apartment.”
Before I can object to her moving off-campus again, Charlotte steps into my personal space. Her hands rest gently on my shoulders as I place my hand on her lower back. I stare at her glossy lips, and she smiles at me as if she’s fallen in love.
The guys reassured me she needs me, but I feel guilty about what I did to her. Not defending her the way she wanted in that fucked-up school.
Charlotte presses her lips to mine, and I get carried away, clutching her tight as my tongue slips past her lips. So hot. I love the taste of her. She wiggles against my body as if to keep warm. Charlotte moans, and her eyes flutter as if she’s been dreaming.
“We should get going.” She straightens her hat with the huge pom-pom. “It’s not that far.”
We walk hand in hand down the main street, and I check out every house that has a realty sign in the front yard. Charlotte laughs at my anxious frown. “I found a rental off High Street,” she says. “You can live with me next year instead of Alpha house.”
I grin like she’s already given me the key. “If that’s what you want.”
She smiles. “I want it.” And we walk on in silence.
I wonder if she’ll mention Astrid’s boyfriends to me. When I found out, I played along like I knew Astrid was with four guys, but I didn’t know. Ignorantly, I thought they were all friends, and maybe she was dating the blond. I wait for Charlotte to say something, but we keep on walking. I’m sure she’s going to give Hudson and Jackson their own keys.
I sense trouble before I hear his footsteps. A hard gaze on my back causes my hair to stand on end. I hold Charlotte’s hand tighter as she looks at me wide-eyed. The footsteps click behind us, picking up speed. I pull her in front of me, placing my body between her and him.
Eddie plows into my back when I stop short. He grunts as he stumbles to move away from me. My fingers tighten around his wrist, and something metallic clatters against the ground. A hunting knife lies on the pavement between our feet.