Page 27 of A Knight’s Revenge: The Complete Series

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“ Y ou don’t need to miss out on the party for me, girl,” I said to Mari after we’d sat in silence for a few minutes.

The frigid night air had done me some good.

I’d cooled off at least a little bit from my altercation with Chad, but I felt guilty that Mari was now freezing her ass off, sitting with me on a stone bench outside of A Dorm instead of enjoying herself inside.

“Are you sure?” she asked, hesitance clear in her voice. “I don’t mind heading back to C Dorm with you.”

“I’m sure.” I gave her a confident smile. “I’ve had enough of everyone’s shit for tonight.”

Enough of Chad’s shit, for sure.

Enough of watching Lisa, Harper, Annie, and other faceless girls rub all over the Heirs like they belonged to them.

Enough of being in the same room as the emotionless husks my ex-best friends had decided to become whenever I saw them.

I waved Mari away, sending her back to the party, then I got to my feet and started the uncomfortable trek back to C Dorm in these heels.

My way was lit by the soft yellow glow of the streetlamps that lined the campus sidewalk.

It was quiet out here save for the low thumping of the music I could hear emanating from the open patio doors behind me at A Dorm.

An occasional loud laugh or shriek sounded from the partiers outside, but otherwise it was only me and the rustle of the fall leaves in the chilly wind.

I shivered, quickening my pace to get back to the heated comfort of my room before I could no longer feel my fingers.

I’d only just passed the entrance to B Dorm when I realized someone was following me.

Slowing my steps, I paused, bending down as if I was adjusting my uncomfortable shoe. I carefully stepped out of my heels, then I whirled around to face the idiots who’d decided to creep up on me.

“Uh-oh, she caught us,” Chad droned, stepping into the light of the sidewalk lamp.

He held up his hands in mock surrender, the broken ring and pinky fingers of his right hand now sporting what looked like a hasty tape job.

“Those kids from the ghetto are probably used to always looking over their shoulders, right?”

“Is that right, Southside?” Chad’s accomplice said with a sneer.

I recognized him—Cameron Murphy, Tier One student from one of the big banking families linked to Spencer. He was a tall, lanky guy with dark brown hair he’d let grow into a hideous mullet situation. I was pretty sure he was on the lacrosse team, and he was one of Chad’s main lackeys.

He went on, looking at Chad. “You think she’s scrappy? Got some fight in her?”

“I sure hope so, man,” Chad purred, running his gross eyes up and down my body yet again.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that Chad had decided my having broken his fingers in front of the entire school couldn’t go unpunished. I’d been tired, frustrated that I was no closer to getting what I needed from Bennett, and had my big cozy bed on the brain, so I’d been caught off guard.

Fighting off not one but two meathead assholes had not been in my evening plans.

I said nothing, eyeing the both of them as I shifted back and forth on my bare feet. The concrete was freezing underneath them, but I’d been barefoot in the cage many times. It was certainly preferable to fighting in Mari’s stilettos.

“What, now you decide to keep your obnoxious mouth shut?” Chad snapped, advancing toward me. “You need to learn a fucking lesson, Southside. ”

“You need to learn to keep your disgusting hands to yourself, asshole,” I replied. “I suggest you and Beavis over there turn around and go back to burying yourself in booze and willing girls. I’m not in the mood for this.”

“Too fucking bad,” he shouted in my face. “You’re a mouthy, insolent bitch who thinks the rules of this Academy—of this fucking City —don’t apply to her. Maybe if we break that pretty face a little bit, you’ll remember your fucking place.”

He swung his fist right at my nose. I threw an arm up to block the hit before ramming my knee right into his thick stomach and knocking the wind out of him straight away.

“Fuck!” he shouted, staggering back.

I had to move quick because I’d seen Chad at Fight Night, and he wasn’t a slouch. He’d just underestimated me, a girl, and he wouldn’t make the same mistake again if I didn’t put this shit to bed as soon as possible.

Cameron ran for me, attempting to tackle me to the ground, but I quickly stepped out of the way, breaking the loose hold he managed to get around my arm. He was sloppy, not trained as Chad was, so I made quick work of jamming a foot straight into his knee.

“Fucking shit ,” he wailed and fell to the ground, and I knew I needed to get him out of commission quickly or else I risked being overpowered by the two of them together.

Chad had recovered and came at me again, grabbing me around the middle and tossing me sideways.

I hit the ground hard and rolled to my hands and knees, scurrying away from Chad and over to Cameron who was on his ass, trying to get to his feet with a fucked-up knee.

I jumped on top of him, slamming his back to the ground and pinning his boney elbows with my knees.

“Lights out, motherfucker,” I hissed, then I rammed my fist straight into the fragile bone of his temple, knocking him right out.

I had no time to enjoy that lovely moment before Chad was on me again.

He yanked me off of his unconscious friend and then threw his big body on top of me with a roar.

We struggled, hands and fists flying. He landed a hard punch straight into my cheekbone right before I managed to ram my foot into his junk.

He seized up, and I rolled him off of me with a mighty heave .

My face throbbed, and the world spun for a few seconds as I tried to get to my feet. Blood trickled down my cheek, and I cursed Chad for yet another fucking gash in my skull Dom was going to have to fix for me.

I didn’t have my usual knife in my shoe since I’d let Mari talk me into sexy high heels for the evening, but I didn’t live through listening as my parents were murdered in front of me without the kind of lasting trauma that required me to always have a weapon of some kind on me to feel any sense of security.

As Chad recovered from the hard shot to his nuts, he crawled toward me as I stood up, hooking his uninjured hand around my ankle and yanking it in a move meant to take me to the ground again.

I stumbled, falling to my knees. Before Chad could crawl on top of me again, I ripped the switchblade from its nest inside my bra, flicked it open, and with all the strength I could muster, I twisted around and jammed the blade down on Chad’s hand, stabbing straight through the top of it and nearly impaling my own fucking foot in the process.

“Oh, fuck, oh my God!” he screamed as I twisted the blade in his meaty hand. “What the fuck, you crazy bitch!”

He rolled onto his back, and I took the opportunity to kick him hard in the ribs before I crawled on top of him.

I sat on his chest, watching in fascination for a few seconds as he cried and cradled his bloody hand, the silver of the blade’s tip just peeking through his palm.

After I’d had my fill, I grabbed the hilt and yanked it out while he screamed. I wiped the blade clean of his blood using his dirty, sweat-soaked white polo shirt, wrinkling my nose in disgust. “Fucking gross, Chad,” I muttered.

He started rocking underneath me, trying in vain to buck me off as he moaned in pain.

“Nope, stop that,” I ordered him, pressing my blade to the base of his throat. “Don’t you fucking move.”

He stilled, sucking in shaky breaths as he looked at me in wide-eyed terror.

“Good boy,” I cooed. Fuck, my face hurt.

“Now, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.

You’re going to get your pathetic ass up, and you’re going to walk yourself and Murphy back over there to A Dorm.

You’re going to sneak in the back so no one sees you, and you’re going to say nothing about what happened here tonight. Are you understanding me?”

When he didn’t reply, I pressed my blade harder into his throat, drawing just a little blood.

“Ah! Fuck, okay, yes!” he screeched.

“Call a car, or whatever it is you people do, and go get patched up. Tell your parents you got mugged outside the gates, or whatever—I don’t give a shit.”

He tried to nod but then let out a pained hiss as the movement pressed my blade further into his throat.

“I’m serious, Chad,” I growled, getting right up into his face. “If I hear even a whisper about this, your browser history and some interesting files you have on your laptop are going to become public information.”

“What… the fuck… are you talking about?” he wheezed.

I shook my head like I was very disappointed in him. “ Tsk . I think you know those girls are all underage, Chaddy. Don’t try to deny it. It does make sense, though.” I leaned in further, getting almost nose to nose with him before I whispered, “Because Daddy has the same tastes, doesn’t he?”

Chad had gone white as a sheet, and whether it was from blood loss or fear, I didn’t know nor give a shit.

“Who the fuck are you?” he croaked.

I chuckled. “I’m a ghost, asshole.” Then, slowly and with great care, I climbed off of him and got to my feet. I looked down at him, twirling my knife lazily through my fingers. I pointed back toward A Dorm. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”

After a few failed attempts, Chad managed to get upright on his shaky legs. He pulled his shirt off with trembling hands and wrapped it around his bleeding palm. He hobbled over to rouse Cameron enough to get him to his feet, and I watched as they limped slowly away.

Suddenly everything hurt, and I was very cold.

I trudged over to the nearest seat—the front steps of B Dorm—and I dropped my ass onto the bottom step.

I felt my adrenaline crashing, and I sucked in a few deep breaths.

I stayed there, working on controlling my breathing while my head throbbed, and I watched Chad and Cameron plodding off in the distance as they finally disappeared behind A Dorm .

I hung my head in my hands, willing myself to get up the motivation to walk the rest of the way to my dorm.

After a few minutes, two black-booted feet appeared on the sidewalk in front of me. I lifted my head from my hands just as Zach knelt, bringing himself down to my level to look into my face with those depthless dark eyes.

A hint of a frown tugged at the corners of his lush mouth before it disappeared in an instant, replaced by his usual cocky smirk.

He reached up, cupping my swelling cheek with his big hand before rubbing his thumb gently across the bleeding cut there.

He pulled his hand away, glancing at his now bloody thumb, then he wiped himself clean on his expensive T-shirt like it was a cheap rag.

“Had enough yet, Princess?” he whispered, eyeing my injury with what looked like amusement.

I wondered if he’d somehow seen the state of Chad and Cameron, but if he had, I doubted he’d have thought any of this was funny.

“It’s just a scratch,” I said, emotionless. I didn’t want to do this with him—with any of them—anymore. They’d made it clear where they stood with me, as I had with them, and I needed to remember that.

His smirk morphed into something more serious. “Eventually, it won’t be just a scratch,” he replied ominously. Then he rose, and he didn’t offer me a hand to do the same. “Go home, Princess.”

As he turned to leave, I muttered, “Someday, Zach.”

He paused, tossing a look of confusion at me over his shoulder, but then he shrugged and ambled off, whistling like he didn’t have a care in the world.

I shifted, pulling my phone from my back pocket, thankful the tight leather had kept it secure through all of the bullshit of the night.

I dialed Max.

“What’s up?”

“Hey,” I said, licking my chapped lips. “I want to come home tonight.”

“Now? It’s pretty late—are you sure?”

“Yeah,” I replied, my voice cracking slightly. “Can you please… come get me?”

Max was silent for a moment. “I’ll be on the next train out.”

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

I couldn’t wait to see the back of this place.