Page 44 of Sour Lollipops and Sweet Nightmares (The Society #1)

He knew the night before. I could’ve ruined her in the cafeteria before my dad initiated shit.

“You’re fucking kidding?”

Did I look like I was kidding?

“You can’t punish my brother for something I did.”

“I think I can.” Did he just meet me? I was a petty son of a bitch. I always had been.

“If you’re not going to give him any details, then why tell him at all?”

That was a fair question.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to give it to him.” But he would have to earn it.

Before Ravi could question my motives, the door to the locker room opened.

Slater stepped out, pulling a hoodie over his head.

“Alright.” His eyes locked on me. “What do you know?”

His relaxed smugness from earlier was gone, replaced by a sharp edge to his jaw. Slater was doing a good job of pretending to be calm and cool, but little things gave him away. Rolled back shoulders, tense muscles, and gritted teeth.

Apparently the golden boy athlete didn’t like his dose of reality. I got a sick satisfaction out of that. I was being forced to claim my bride, and no matter how many girls we ruined, one day the other guys would be forced to claim theirs. The Society always got what they wanted.

Always.

“Not here.” I tipped my chin at the overhead camera in the corner of the ceiling.

There was always someone watching. We couldn’t risk my father or someone from The Society overhearing us.

Slater gave me a tight nod. “Basement?”

“No,” Ravi interjected. “North quad, behind the press boxes.”

That was a strange location. “You sure?”

Ravi shot me a look. “Am I ever not?”

If anyone knew where cameras couldn’t see us, it would be Ravi. He was sneaky and observant. Personally, I thought their father was an idiot for favoring Slater. Ravi was intelligent and far more dangerous.

It took us ten minutes to walk out of the building and head over to the north quad. None of us said a single word, but I could feel the anticipation in the air. Slater was close to breaking, which was exactly what he did when he stepped behind the press boxes.

He grabbed me and threw me back against the wooden wall hard enough to make it crack.

My ribs were going to be sore tomorrow.

“Tell me what you know.”

I laughed at his demand. “Or what? If you kill me, you won’t find out shit.”

“Don’t fucking play these games with me, Issac.”

I smiled back at him. “Leverage is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

“Come on, Slater, calm down,” Ravi tried. “This is no way to get what you want.”

“Shut the fuck up, Ravi. I’m sick of taking his shit,” Slater snarled over his shoulder while he slammed his forearm into my chest, pinning me back against the wall. “You will fucking tell me what I want, Issac, or I will break you in two.”

“Yeah.” I stretched my neck and hissed in his face, “Do it then.”

I wasn’t scared of Slater. He wasn’t even using a fourth of his strength to hold me back. Besides, if I died, I would take his precious information to my grave. Slater could kill me, but I would still win. And he knew it.

Slater’s jaw twitched as he stared at me. He was pissed. I thought he might take a swing or two, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped his arm and stepped back.

“What do you want?”

Look at that, the jock twin wasn’t stupid after all.

Soothing down my shirt, I pushed off the wall. “I want you to get a girlfriend.”

Neither Slater nor his brother was expecting that. They both arched a brow at me.

“What?” Ravi asked.

To which Slater added, “Why?”

“Because chicks travel in packs,” I explained. “And Georgia only has one friend.”

His rage morphed into confusion. “You want me to keep some chick out of the way? That’s it?”

“That’s it.” I nodded.

Slater’s shoulders relaxed a little. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright.” He shrugged. “That’s easy enough.”

That’s where he was wrong. There was always a catch.

“Who’s the chick?”

This was where the catch came in. “Rachel McMann.”

At just the mention of her name, Slater’s entire demeanor shifted. His face dropped, and his chest heaved with a heavy sigh. “Are you fucking kidding me? Do you have any idea how long it took me to get rid of that bitch?”

“Not my problem.”

“No, unh-huh, not happening.” He shook his head while slicing his hand across his neck. “I am not going near that crazy bitch.”

“Well, you can spend a couple of months fucking her, or years fucking the girl your dad picked out for you. That’s up to you.”

We all knew what option he was going to choose. That didn’t mean Slater was happy about it. I could hear his teeth grinding while he glared at me.

“I hate you so much.”

“Also, not my problem.”

Cry me a river. All Slater had to do was keep Rachel out of my hair. I didn’t say he had to be nice to her. It wasn’t that difficult, and based on the shit eating grin Ravi was sporting, he was going to enjoy Slater’s newfound relationship. He really was a horrible brother.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Slater huffed out a sigh. “If I’m going to do this, you have to give me something now.”

“No, I don’t.”

What deluded world was he living in? I held all the cards here, although there was a high chance that Slater might try to murder me in my sleep. It might not be a bad idea to give him something.

I didn’t have to give him anything significant. It could be as simple as when she would be arriving or that she was Irish. Not enough information for him to do anything, but enough to give him a push.

“Tell you what.” I slapped my hand on his shoulder. “Not only will I give you something now, but I’ll let you and Levi join in on our fun tonight.”

Intrigue arched Slater’s brow. “What kind of fun?”

Both Ravi and I smirked at him.

In eight hours, Georgia Pyne would regret ever setting foot on this campus.