Damaged: A Dark Bully Romance (The Primes Book 2), page 17
“What do we do?” Leah asked.
“Nothing. Watch her closely. We can talk some sense into her if she steps out of line. For now, this is a good thing,” Luc answered.
“How so?” Klause handed Leah a water bottle.
“We have been trying to get Izzy to fight the Arnoults for years. This is the first time she’s shown the desire to do so.” Noah’s eyes shone with pride.
“Exactly. This might be the drive she needs to take them down finally,” Tilly added.
“Fine. I agree, as long as she’s not a loose cannon,” Klause said.
I left them still discussing Izzy. When I entered the room, she was stepping out of the shower. “What’s the verdict?”
“Huh?”
“Does everyone think I’m crazy?”
“Are you?” The drops of water on her porcelain skin distracted me, but we needed to discuss this.
“No. I know who my opponents are. You proved that attacking William without a solid plan yields nothing. If anything, it only gives Arnoult Senior more ammo against us. As I said, I’ll ensure it sticks when I strike. You’re just going to have to trust me.” There was surety, with a hint of stubbornness in her tone.
The coldness and calculating look behind her eyes made me uneasy. Did that mean she already had a plan?
I opened my mouth to ask, but she kissed my cheek and said, “Relax, you’ll be the first to know when that time comes. Please trust me.”
She sounded rational, so how else could I respond except to nod?
The next day, the girls demanded that we stop shadowing them, so we reluctantly resumed our old schedule.
We watched Lauren and Rose closely before we left for our class. Rome begged to confront them, but Klause and I disagreed. We wanted to see what they’d do and let it play out.
Lauren and Rose were back at their old tricks. The only difference was Lauren was focused on me while Rose was after Klause. However, aside from a few flirty glances and inappropriate comments from Lauren, they were well-behaved.
“They can flirt all they want as long as that’s all they do,” Klause muttered.
I agree. This retaliation was tame, and they were sure not to do it in front of Izzy. It meant they were warned against her or terrified of her after what happened to Heather.
The day ended without incident, except Ross informing me that my parents were home.
Izzy was still obsessed with training and didn't complain when I told her my parents were home and that I’d have to spend the night in my room. I asked Leah to ensure that she gets some sleep and doesn't train all night. “Trust me. I need sleep. So I’ll be the first to tell her to quit.”
My conversation with my parents was brief. Father reported that Philip Vanderford, Julius Baron, Fredrick Waldencourt, and he were working together. They had outvoted Alexander Arnoult and stopped him from pushing his agenda against the Vanderfords. If they kept this up, I’d be interested in ensuring they retain their power.
I got a text from Izzy that night at around ten that she was going to bed.
Ross and I stayed up late going through his intel, but there wasn’t anything substantial for us to use against the Arnoults.
I got maybe a few hours of sleep and ignored the alarm. However, when I heard the chirp—a ringtone reserved for Izzy, I sat up.
Good morning, she texted, followed by a heart emoji. Even though I was tired as hell, I got out of bed with a smile, eager to hold Izzy in my arms.
Today would be a long day; not even a cup of coffee helped with how tired I was, and the last thing I wanted was to tolerate Lauren.
I spaced out while sipping coffee and snapped out of it when I heard Izzy’s message chime through my phone. The bell is about to ring. Where are you?
Crap, I was late. I dashed out the door and pushed the Lambo to its limit.
However, classes had already started when I got to school, which meant I missed Izzy. I thought about napping in my car, but I didn’t want to sleep through and miss my chance to share second period with her.
With no other place to be, I trudged toward my class and pushed the door open, interrupting the professor and letting the door bang loudly behind me.
I walked to the back row and gritted my teeth when I spotted Lauren sitting in my usual spot.
“What the fuck are you doing in my seat?”
“You can sit next to me, Christian.” She patted the chair next to her. I wanted to crush her fingers but forced myself to ignore her.
“You.” I turned to a student in our row. “Move.” He scrambled toward the front of the class while I dragged my seat away from Lauren.
“May I continue, Mr. Waldencourt?”
I gestured for him to resume, but tuned him out as I plotted the demise of the Arnoult whore.
The bell woke me from my stupor, but before I could get up, Lauren leaned close enough without touching me and whispered, “If you don’t play nice, what happens next will only be the beginning.” She flashed me a satisfied smirk and with a flip of her hair, walked out the door.
What did she do now?
I rushed toward Izzy’s classroom with my heart racing and palms sweating, but as soon as I spotted her, my panic quickly faded.
When everyone’s phones started going off, my stomach dropped as I anxiously opened the message. Izzy gasped next to me.
In the video, Ally and a guy in a club were one step from having sex against the wall.
I thought our people had deleted this.
Glad it had nothing to do with Izzy. However, my relief was short-lived because the look on Izzy’s face meant she was on the warpath. “I thought we wiped this from the Arnoults,” she muttered, walking past me.
“Iz, wait.”
“No. I need to find Ally.” Iz shook me off and disappeared into the sea of students who were laughing and whispering as they watched the video.
I was going to kill the bitch. She better hope I reached her before Izzy did. Ally ran to Izzy, shaking off Rome. Leah soon followed, while Klause and I shared a dark look.
“It’s okay, Ally. I’m going to fix this. I promise.” Izzy held Ally, who sobbed louder.
Iz patted her back a few times, her eyes hard as she passed her to Leah. Izzy walked toward the students. “Listen up. Anyone caught watching the video will answer to me. This video will be wiped by the end of the day, and we will monitor and catch anyone with a copy.” She spun and spoke on her phone as I struggled to catch up with her.
I quickened my pace when I saw she was marching toward Lauren. I grabbed her elbow, but she angrily shook me off and approached her.
“Izzy. Stop.”
Izzy slammed Lauren’s face on the locker door, twisting her right arm at an uncomfortable angle. “What did I say about crossing me, you bitch.”
“Iz, don’t. She’s not worth it,” Ally begged.
“Shh. Let her do this,” Leah said distractedly, as she spoke on the phone.
Klause and I watched the girls helplessly. If I stepped in now, it would discredit Izzy. That would piss her off, and I wasn’t about to stick my neck out for Lauren. It looked like Klause felt the same way because he watched Leah with a helpless look.
“Let go of me!” Lauren struggled. Izzy didn’t budge except to push Lauren’s face harder, drawing out a whimper from the cunt.
“. . . William.” Lauren said through a grimace.
With a savage twist to Lauren’s arm, Izzy’s face morphed into a snarl. “I’m done with you Arnoults. Go ahead and call your brother so I can deal with him myself.” It was my first time seeing her act like a prime heir. This was a girl that had been pushed to her limits.
I hoped she didn’t lose herself entirely by the end of this.
“Let go.” Lauren thrashed, trying to dislodge Izzy. When Lauren’s head whipped back, almost catching Izzy’s nose, she savagely yanked at Lauren’s arm, which caused her to yelp.
Lauren dropped to the floor, sobbing, when Izzy released her. We would probably pay for this later, but it satisfied me to see tears run down Lauren’s face while Rose, Jane, and Rory watched helplessly.
“These two.” Leah gestured to four armed men that came out of nowhere, probably Leah’s security, and directed them toward Rory and Jean.
“Lee . . .” Klause stepped closer, but Leah raised her hand and shook her head.
“Escort these two out of the premises and deliver them personally to their fathers. Tell them I’ll check in to ensure they are dealt with.” Sometimes, it was hard to remember that Leah was prime since she was passive.
What was going on with them? They were both acting out of character.
Izzy rounded on Mike and Andrew. “Do you two want to join them?” They turned to Rome for help.
“You two are on your own. I warned you all that Ally was off limits.” Rome shrugged as he held Ally against his chest.
“Please. We didn’t know,” Andrew begged.
“We’re not a part of it.” Mike followed.
“Andrew.” Rory’s voice was filled with betrayal.
In response, Andrew shook his head. “You did this. I’m not going down for it.”
Mike crossed his arms and glared at Jean.
“Fine. Just those two.” Leah gestured to the men who dragged the two out of the building. Mr. Prescott, the headmaster, watched helplessly but couldn’t intervene. This was prime business.
“Anyone seen hanging out with this Arnoult trash will be on my shit list,” Izzy announced before walking away. Students gave her a wide berth, avoiding her eyes.
“And Ally is off limits,” Leah added, tugging Ally’s hand and following Izzy out of the building.
When Klause and I stepped out into the parking lot, the car carrying Iz, Leah, and Ally was speeding out of the campus lot.
“We need to get rid of those bitches,” Rome seethed.
“Yeah, sooner rather than later,” Klause agreed.
“I think they’ll be the least of our problems.” This all boiled down to William and Senior. However, with William present, I felt he was calling the shots. This was why he was the last resort: because he was a wild card even for Senior. They were both sick fucks coveting what wasn’t theirs.
“What do you mean?” Rome turned to me.
“I have a feeling William sent them to test Izzy. He’ll be desperate to get Izzy back, so he’s more volatile than ever.”
“You’re right. Let’s go.” Klause led us to my car since I drove to school today.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I drove off of campus.
“I need to be next to Leah. If he’s as desperate as you claim, his next target is her.”
“You’re right.” My foot stepped on the accelerator, and we were home just a few minutes after the girls. They spent most of the time locked in Izzy’s room while the guys and I waited in the living room.
“I thought you two broke up,” Klause said to Rome.
“Yeah, but we’re still good friends. Ally’s innocent. She doesn’t deserve to be targeted just because she has no power.” Rome never failed to take it personally whenever a woman in his life was under attack. He used to stand up for Heather when I’d talk shit about her.
“How’s your father doing?” Rome had been a solid friend, but I hadn’t bothered to ask how he was doing.
He shook his head, his face darkening. Something that happened whenever he talked about his father. “Nothing new. Still a sadistic, selfish prick. I found out recently that his goomar was a prisoner.”
“His what?” Klause asked.
“It’s what we call his mistress. She’s been around for as long as I remember. I always wondered why Mother put up with her, especially when he moved her and her daughter to the compound. I recently found out they are both prisoners.”
We stared at him, which made him chuckle. “Yeah. My life is just as fucked up.”
“At least no one is trying to kill you.” Klause raised his glass of beer.
Rome snorted. “At least prime heirs are protected. My father wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet between my eyes.”
“But you’re his only heir.”
He looked at me and shook his head. “He wouldn’t hesitate because he’s a sadistic bastard. Blood means shit to him.”
“Damn.” Klause lifted his beer for a toast. “To fucked-up parents.”
“I’ll drink to that.” I clinked my bottle to Klause’s prissy glass.
“Hear, hear,” Rome said. “What about your father, Klause?”
Klause didn’t respond immediately and placed his glass back on the table. “For now, he is proving to be useful.”
“Yeah. Mine too.” It meant Klause and I didn’t have to step into patriarch positions just yet.
We drank and talked for another hour until Ally was ready to leave. Rome drove her home, and for a change, Izzy skipped training, so I took my time making sweet love to her. We forgot about our troubles and focused on what was important—each other.
Chapter 12
Catherine
I knew going after William would have repercussions, but Ally was just the beginning. The next day in school, everyone was on high alert. The guys didn’t leave our sides until last period, when Heather texted Christian asking to meet.
When the bell rang, I walked toward my locker, but the guys weren’t back yet. “Where’s Leah?” I asked Ally.
A heavy feeling brewed in my belly and I didn't like it. Something felt off.
“I don’t know. She was right behind us.”
I called Leah’s phone, but there was no answer. My heart raced, and I dialed Tilly’s number with shaking hands. “Can you locate Leah?”
“Why, what happened?”
“She was just behind us. Now she’s gone.”
“Okay. Give me a second.”
“Ally, call Rome and get Klause here.” They were all together, meeting up with Heather. He would fight harder than anyone to find Leah.
I tried not to freak out, but given our luck lately, I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Iz. She was with you two until you reached the hall. Then I lost her in the crowd. I don’t like it; this was done on purpose. Check every room. I’ll watch out for exits while my team tracks her. They couldn’t have left the building. I’ll call Edgar.” My heart sank, and I was in a full-blown panic. I darted down the hall, shoving students out of the way and calling for Leah.
“What happened?” Ally grabbed my elbow.
“We need to find Leah.”
“Okay. You take that side, and I’ll take this side. Klause is on his way.”
Every empty classroom exacerbated the growing sense of doom inside of me. Christian found me after searching for half of the classroom on my side of the hall. “Izzy.”
Please. Please. Please let Leah be okay. “Did you find her?”
“No. Let’s go find Klause.” I shrugged off his hold and ran to the next room. I needed to find Leah. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her. “Weren’t you just with him? I need to check the rest of the rooms.”
“Izzy!” He grabbed hold of my hand and led me in the opposite direction. “The brothers are searching this floor. Let’s make sure Klause doesn’t kill anyone.” I couldn’t shake Christian off, so I pulled out my phone and called Tilly.
“I found her. She’s with Klause. Up the stairs, to the right, all the way down the hall.”
I ran, dislodging Christian. “Izzy!” I burst into the room where I found Klause breathing hard, staring at the five guys bleeding on the floor.
I heard a whimper and saw Leah huddled in the corner, held by Edgar. Her clothes were in disarray, she had scratches, bruising on her skin, and her hair was a tangled mess.
Oh, thank goodness. She looked banged up, but otherwise okay. I ran to her, and she fell onto me as the sobbing wracked her body. Klause pulled her away from me and wrapped Leah in his arms. “Shh. You’re safe. I got you. I got you. You’re safe.”
He continued to murmur soothing words as he kept Leah in his embrace. Klause held Christian’s gaze, communicating something I couldn’t understand. Christian nodded and locked the door. He started patting down the men on the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to know who these pricks are.”
“Oh. Good idea.” I helped him search the wallets.
Nothing stood out. Driver’s licenses showed they were local, with credit cards, cash and cell phones. They weren’t professionals. And they weren’t bums either, based on the credit cards and cash on their persons. The damage Klause had done to five guys was freaking scary.
They were all still breathing, so he didn’t kill anyone. However, by the look on his face, I was glad we got to him when we did.
Mason burst into the room, breaking the lock on the door. “Iz, take Leah to the car. We’ll take care of this.”
“I’m not letting her out of my sight.” Klause held on to Leah tighter. Silent tears still fell from her face.
“I’ll take them. I promise not to leave their side,” Rome, who was with Ally, volunteered. “Lee, do you want to go or stay with Klause?”
“Noah is waiting in the car, and Tilly is closely monitoring everything,” Mason reassured everyone.
“I’ll be there. I promise not to leave Leah’s side,” Edgar said.
Leah stepped out of Klause’s embrace. “I’m okay.” She kissed his cheek and took my hand. Ally hooked her hand on Leah’s elbow while Rome walked behind us.
When we reached the car, Noah drove us home with Edgar sitting on the front passenger’s side. Rome stayed back, but promised to collect Ally and drive her home later.
“Lee?” I wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk.
“I’m okay.”
“Do you want to tell us what happened?”
She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. Ally clutched Leah’s hand tightly. “Five guys converged on me outside of the classroom. It was confusing; I was being tugged and pulled. I tried to struggle, but someone placed a gag on my mouth and took me to the lab, and the five taunted me and passed me around. They talked . . .” She choked on the words, and more tears fell.
