BULLY KING Read online

  At least Cooper and Isabella didn’t see that part of the evening.

  I keep running, unsure of where I’m going. I want to go to my cottage, but it’s all the way across the lake on campus. I don’t have a boat. So I can’t get there.

  And now I’m in someone’s back yard. Some rich asshole’s back yard. And Cooper and Isabella just—

  Ugh. No. I will not picture that in my head again.

  Who am I kidding? It’s not the first time I’ve seen Cooper’s cock. But I never got such a good look at it before. Everything was dark when we were together last. Secret.

  Everything about us was a secret. He was embarrassed to be seen with me. But that didn’t stop him from wanting me. It just made me his target. He, and Ax, and Lars tormented me all through fall semester of their senior year of Prep. And then it all came to a head that New Year’s Eve.

  And still, to this day, I can’t figure out if they liked me and were just acting like stupid little boys, or if they secretly hated me and only wanted to make my life miserable.

  I wasn’t a virgin when I had sex with Cooper for the first time. But I was very inexperienced and didn’t realize that there are men out there—men like Ax, and Lars, and Cooper—who thought of women like a sport.

  I dated all three of them that spring. It was nice. Having so many people care about me—that was a new feeling. I almost felt like I belonged.

  Date? Date, Cadee? Are you kidding me? That wasn’t dating.

  They used me.

  I run harder, looking over my shoulder, just to make sure Cooper and Isabella aren’t coming after me, and then I smack right into the hard chest of a boy and fall ass-backwards into the grass.

  And when I look up, who is staring back at me?

  Ax Olson.

  He scowls. “What the fuck are you doing here, Cadee?” Then he looks behind him. At the massive mansion. His mansion? Maybe? I wouldn’t know. He never invited me to his house when we were… dating.

  “Get up, for fuck’s sake.” He grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet, then starts dragging me down towards the lake. He pulls me along his dock and into the boathouse, then slams the door closed, not even flicking on the lights.

  “What are we doing?”

  “We?” He sneers at me in the moonlight. “We aren’t doing anything. Just shut up and stay out of my way.”

  I can’t see much since the lights aren’t on. But when my eyes sweep the perimeter of the dock and get to the corner, I pause. “Oh, my God. Are you sleeping in here?”

  “I said shut up, Cadee.”

  “Why did you bring me here?”

  “I didn’t want my father to see you.”

  His father is the Judge. Capital J. Just like when you say the Chairman’s name, or the Mayor’s name—they all come capitalized. It’s not just a title. They are proper names around these parts.

  He walks over to the small window that faces the mansion and cautiously peers out.

  “Are you… hiding from him?”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  “Well, then I’ll just leave.”

  He crosses the length of the side dock so fast, I don’t even have time to back up. And then he grabs my arm and shakes me. “You’re gonna stay right here until I say you can leave, do you understand me? Cadee?”

  “Fine. Whatever.” And suddenly I feel like I’m back in time. To that year when these boys controlled me so completely, I lost myself and… made that one mistake.

  Hell, who am I kidding? I made thousands of mistakes that year.

  “Just…” He stares into my eyes. He’s breathing hard. Unreasonably hard for the quick walk we just took. Then he points to the sleeping bag in the corner. “Sit down there and wait. Quietly.”

  I nod. Then he lets go of me and I slink to the back corner and kneel down on the sleeping bag. I want to ask him questions. But I know better. Ax is not the kind of guy who shares things.

  He doesn’t say another word to me. Just stands at the tiny window and stares out at the lawn behind his mansion.

  I get tired and lie down on the bag. Yawn. Stretch out. And even though I plan on thinking about my day and how it all went sideways…

  The next thing I know, I’m waking up to the rising sun.

  And I’m alone.

  “Where the hell—” It takes me a minute to realize where I’m at. Ax Olson’s boathouse. I search for him, but he’s gone. Probably left last night. And didn’t bother to wake me.

  Does that surprise me?

  No. Like he gives a single fuck about me.

  But then I remember what day it is. I start work today. And I heard everything that Isabella and Cooper said to the Chairman last night. They want me out.

  I was hiding in the hallway because I knew they were going to talk about me when I left. And I was right.

  These people—they are all cold, ruthless predators.

  I get to my feet, gather my long dress in the tips of my fingers, and then run out of the boathouse and back towards the Valcourt Mansion.

  I’m just reaching for the French door that leads to my room when someone calls out, “You’re late, Cinderella! The ball ended hours ago, honey!”

  I turn and see Mona Monroe on a side patio of her mansion, smoking a cigarette, wearing a silky black robe and with her unruly black hair pulled back by a red satin headband.

  She waves. “Better get a move on, sweetheart.” She taps her wrist, even though she’s not wearing a watch. “I saw all the servers heading towards the Glass House about ten minutes ago.”

  Shit.

  I go inside, rip the dress off, pull on yesterday’s clothes and then go back outside. And stand there.

  I have no idea where this place is.

  “It’s a lake behind the lake,” the chairman said yesterday.

  I turn away from the lake and start walking towards the woods. I creep past the Valcourt mansion, crossing my fingers and praying to all the gods that none of the men inside see me.

  They don’t. Small miracles.

  Then I cross a smooth blacktop road and head into the woods on an unmarked path.

  It has to lead somewhere. And if there is a secret lake in this forest, it seems logical that there would be pathways right across the street that would take you to it.

  I walk for a while and I’m starting to get worried—and scared about being lost, if I’m being honest—when I hear shouting ahead.

  Happy shouting. Not screams or anything. Always a plus when you’re walking through the creepy woods.

  But that’s bad. It means that the people I’ll be serving are probably here already.

  The shouting and boisterous laughter becomes louder, and closer, when I come upon a large stone… what is it?

  There are weird markings on the door. And I stop in front of it, wondering if this is the place. It’s not glass. More like a mausoleum, if I had to describe it.

  But then I hear shouting again and keep going, pushing my way through the thick underbrush until I come to the edge of a clearing and find a massive glass house. Like a greenhouse. Except it’s not made up of many small panes, but large sheets of glass that have to have cost a literal fortune to produce.

  There are dozens of people here already. Some of them servers, like me. I can tell because they are wearing navy shorts, gold shirts, and white aprons.

  But not all of them.

  I spy Ax first. Then Lars. And then… yes. There Cooper is with his future High Court Queen, Isabella.

  “Psst!”

  I startle at the interruption of my thoughts and turn to see a handsome man beckoning me towards him. “Come here,” he whispers.

  I do. Because he’s wearing an apron, which means he’s not one of the assholes, but one of the staff, like me.

  “You must be Lacy,” he says, pulling on my arm to make me follow him behind the glass building. “You’re late. You’re so lucky I was outside and saw you. They will crucify you, Lacy. You cannot be late. Ever.”

  “Um�
�� thanks? But I’m not Lacy.”

  He stops and looks at me. “Then who the fuck are you? Everyone else is here already.” He points at me. “If you’re a fucking reporter—”

  “I’m not a reporter, Jesus. I’m Cadee Hunter. I’m taking Lacy’s place this summer.”

  “You got Lacy’s scholarship? But…” He frowns at me, then looks around, like maybe Lacy is hiding somewhere in the trees, playing a joke on him. “That’s not possible.”

  “Why not?”

  “She worked her ass off for that scholarship.”

  “No. She’s the daughter of an embezzler and was getting it as a favor.”

  He laughs. “Where the hell have you been hiding? Nothing’s free. Trust me. She earned that spot you just stole.”

  “I didn’t steal anything.”

  “Whatever. I don’t really care. One more year of service and I’m done being a waiter. I will have all the right contacts to slide right into a very important position.”

  I side-eye him, not quite believing it.

  “Well,” he amends, “I will have more than I did when I came here. I’ve been inside the tomb. Once you get in, you’re in. Keep that in mind, Not-Lacy.” He taps my head for added emphasis.

  “The tomb?” I wonder if that was the weird stone building I passed on my way over here?

  “Never mind. You need to change into your uniform. Quick. They expect breakfast to be on time and they like to be served coffee first.” He leads me inside, past a whole bunch of busy kids my age who are preparing breakfast, and then points to a door. “It’s in there. Don’t forget the shoes. They hate it when you try to work without the shoes.”

  “Thanks,” I say. “But who are you? I’ve never seen you around before.”

  “I’m Victor,” he says, reaching for my hand and holding it up so he can bump me in the knuckles. “Victor English. Lead servling to the heir apparent for four years running now and not at your service. You have nothing I need, Not-Lacy. So I won’t protect you until you do.”

  “Why would I need your protection?”

  “I know all the ropes. They can’t hang you if you know the ropes.”

  Ominous. Like everything else since yesterday morning when my life suddenly went sideways.

  I pass through the door, closing it behind me, and find myself standing in a locker room of sorts. I’m just about to go back out and ask Victor which locker is mine when I see the garment bag with a large piece of paper that says ‘Lacy.’

  Well, there it is. My uniform.

  I sigh as I reach for the bag. Hmm. It’s definitely not a pair of navy shorts and a gold shirt. It’s bulkier than that. I sit down on a bench and wonder how bad it will be.

  I figure it’s a French maid thing? Maybe? If they want to sexually exploit me.

  Or something ugly and demure. Very institutional in gray.

  But never in a million years did I ever expect to see the costume I pull out of that bag.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN - COOPER

  “What do you mean Cadee spent the night at your boathouse?”

  The words are coming out of Ax’s mouth, but nothing about them makes sense.

  “I told you, I got in a fight with the Judge and bumped into her on the lawn. Well.” He thinks about this for a second. “No, she bumped into me.”

  “Get to the part about the fucking boathouse and how you spent the night with her.”

  He shrugs. “I couldn’t leave her there on the lawn. So I dragged her in there with me.”

  “Did you fuck her?”

  “Fuck who?” Ax and I both turn to see Lars coming up towards the path in front of Ax’s house that leads to Dragonfly Lake.

  “Why do you care?” Ax says.

  I turn back to him. “Because we had a fucking deal, Ax. You don’t touch her.”

  “Touch who?” Lars asks.

  “Cadee!” Ax and I both say at the same time.

  “Hmm. Are we fucking and touching Cadee again?”

  “No,” I growl.

  “Maybe.” Ax shrugs.

  “No,” I repeat. “We are not. Stay the fuck away from her. She’s trash.”

  “Huh. That’s too bad,” Lars says. “I kinda liked having her around yesterday. Fucking miss senior year of Prep. It was… hot.”

  “Shut up, Lars,” I growl. “We’re not getting involved with her. In fact, we’re on a mission to get her fired today. Understand?”

  “Why would we want to get her fired?” Lars asks. “She’s not hurting us.”

  “She could hurt us,” I seethe. “Everything that happened that year was…”

  “Was fun.” Ax fills in the blank.

  Lars narrows his eyes at me. “What you guys did to her, you mean. I liked her.”

  “Yeah, and you know what?” Ax says, turning on Lars. “I’m still kinda pissed about that. Sometimes I think you want this life. Sometimes I think you like it too much.”

  “Hey.” Lars shrugs with his hands. “I’m not gonna whine about my life. It’s pretty damn easy, all things considered.”

  “Shut up, Lars,” I say, pushing him on the shoulder. “Don’t go soft now, asshole.”

  “You know what else?” Ax says, and I sigh. Because I can tell he’s working himself up into one of those infamous tirades. “I’m super happy that your life is so awesome, Lars. But mine fucking sucks. And that’s not fair.”

  “I didn’t fuck up your life,” Lars says back. “You did. All you had to do was follow directions and things could’ve gone easy. Even Cooper follows directions better than you do. So if your life is a shit show, that’s your fault, not mine.”

  “OK, enough, you guys. Can we just concentrate on getting Cadee out of here?” I point to Ax. “Humiliate her today. Make her cry like a goddamned baby. She’ll tell my father, he’ll see she’s someone he can’t trust, and then she’ll be gone and we can forget she ever existed.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” The three of us turn to see Isabella all dressed up in her garden party finery. I’m talking the wide-brimmed lace hat, the long, cream-colored dress with a pink satin sash around her waist, and white gloves. “I’ve already seen to her utter humiliation.”

  “That was fast,” I laugh.

  “Well.” She shrugs and smiles. “I can’t actually take the credit. They’ve been using this costume for three years now. But I signed off on it this morning.”

  “What uniform?” Lars asks.

  But then an eruption of screams makes us all turn towards the Glass House to find Cadee dressed up in said costume.

  “Oh, hell the fuck no! I am not wearing this!” Cadee is yelling at Victor English, who I kinda remember from our own summer rush.

  “Oh, my God.” Ax laughs hysterically. “That’s so fucking wrong!”

  Cadee Hunter is dressed up like a rubber duck. Complete with an orange beak hood, orange duck feet, and a wooden sign hanging around her neck from a chain that says, Hi, my name is Fugling. How can I serve you today?

  I laugh. I can’t help it.

  And then everyone is laughing. Us. All ten of the wannabe princelings and swanlings. Even the staff has come out of the kitchen to point and chuckle.

  “I’m not wearing this!” Cadee yells again. “You all can go—”

  “Be careful,” I bark, silencing everyone with my yell. “You better be careful how you speak to us, Cadee Hunter.”

  Isabella tsks her tongue. “Call her by her name, Coop.”

  Fugling. I sigh. But whatever. I need to keep Isabella happy this summer if I want her to be helpful. “You had better be very fucking careful what you say around here. One mouthy outburst from you, Fugling, and you’re out. No place to live, no summer job, no scholarship.”

  “Which is probably a good thing,” Ax says. He’s made his way over to Cadee and he’s circling her like a predator. He licks his lips, like he’s going to be eating her for breakfast instead of the food the servers are preparing. “Just leave, Cadee. Why put yourself through this? You know you
don’t belong here.”

  Lars sighs.

  “You got a problem with this, Lars?” I whisper it so Ax doesn’t hear. I don’t want him distracted. Cadee Hunter looks like she’s thinking we might not be worth all this effort. And that’s a good thing.

  “She didn’t do anything. It was us stalking her.” Lars keeps his voice low.

  “She agreed to everything we did that year. All of it.” I stress this part. Just so we’re clear. “We didn’t coerce her. She wanted it.”

  “Right,” Lars says. “And so did we. She never said anything, Cooper. She kept her part of the bargain. Just leave her alone.”

  “We have another year in this place. And then when we leave, she will be here, alone. Without us to run interference if she suddenly feels the need to put us in our places.”

  “If we’re gone, who cares? So you guys bullied her a little? High-school kids who bully cute girls isn’t what I’d call a career-ender.”

  Yeah, I sigh to myself. Because that’s not all that happened that year. Lars has no idea how much shit I’m covering up. And I’m never going to tell him. Because he would take Cadee’s side over mine without even blinking.

  “Do we want her holding shit over our heads for the rest of our lives? And we won’t be gone. We all know where we’ll be.”

  “I’ll be gone,” Lars says. Then he looks at me. “I’m in finance. That means I’ll get sent to the city no matter what. Not my fault you’ve been fucking off for three years and you’ll get stuck here like your brother Dane.”

  “Fuck you.” I point at him. “Do not compare me to Dane.”

  “Easy,” Lars says. “And anyway, we can’t erase her mind. She’s going to know our secrets forever no matter what happens.”

  “Right. But if we allow her into the inner circle, she’ll have power. And if she’s smart, she will learn to grow that power. Then one day, Lars, one day we’ll be somewhere enjoying ourselves, the memories of High Court long faded, and we’ll turn around, and there she’ll be. She’ll make demands, or threats, or both. And whatever we hold dear when that happens will be up in the air. Why would you want to leave this loose end behind when we’ve spent the last three years doing everything in our power to avoid this very situation?”