Tormented Kings (Boys Of Kingston Academy #2)

Chapter 3

Preston

“I’m going to fucking kill your father, Preston,” Grayson growls. His gaze, which was once locked on Sadie’s house, snaps over to mine. “Is he fucking for real? He threatened Sadie’s life, tried to pay her off. What the fuck?!”

My chest rises and falls as slow, heavy, deep breaths fill my lungs. My hands tighten around the steering wheel while my eyes follow the lights as they flick on throughout the cottage.

Rage. Pure, unfiltered rage is flowing through my veins.

When Collin called me to tell me that Sadie was missing from the party, I was up on the roof, feeling sorry for myself and getting drunk like I always do. Just sitting in my own self-loathing.

In the time between finding out she was gone, and finding her standing on the side of the road, soaked from the rain, with no shoes on her damn feet, I felt a panic that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.

What is with this girl being the only one who can make me feel anything other than hate? There‘s no one in this fucking world who makes me worry or fear for their safety, not even myself.

Yet watching Sadie blossom from this shy, insecure girl to this feisty, headstrong woman has been one of my time-consuming passions.

I’ve been in hardcore denial when it comes to her, but I can’t do that anymore. Not when my stubbornness could be the reason she gets hurt. She’s right, I’m one to talk. She called me out on my shit tonight, and I think it’s about fucking time I listen.

“You're not going to kill him,” I say in a low voice as I slowly turn to face him. “Because I am.”

Grayson’s eyes flick between mine, and I know he can tell that I mean it. If I have to end my father’s life to keep Sadie safe, I’ll do it—consequences be damned. I know Collin would be right by my side.

At least... I think he would be. There's this whole thing with the photos and Connie. Fucking hell, I hope he’s telling the truth.

“What are we going to do?” Declan asks, voice thick with emotion. I know he’s worried about Sadie. We all are.

But as much as we all want to barge in there and make sure she’s okay, we can’t. It would make everything worse.

“First, we need to find out what the fuck all of this is about,” I tell them. “We’re going to go to Collin’s and get his side of this fucked up story.”

The rain has stopped by the time we reach Collin’s house. The gate to the property is closed, but the lights inside his house are bright and alive. Rolling down the window, I press the button to the speaker box. It rings for a moment before someone answers. “Can I help you?”

“Preston Jones. I’m here to see Collin.”

Knowing who I am and who our father is, I don’t expect them to let me in, so I’m surprised when the gate opens.

Pulling up to the house, I park the car and stare at it through the front window.

I’ve spent my life resenting Collin and his perfect little life. I despised him for having his sweet mom, who loved and cared for him, on top of the fact that he didn’t have to live at our father’s side.

Carol had made it clear, more than once, that I was always welcome over, that their home was my home.

Yet, I avoided this place like the plague. Why? Because I was jealous that this wasn’t my home. I was the child conceived through adultery, the one who put a black spot on the Killian name.

I have no right to be here. Still don’t. Yet, I get out of the car and head for the front door, Grayson and Declan following behind me.

I’m surprised it’s not the help who answers the door but Carol herself. To say she’s shocked to see me is an understatement. I thought she would still be at the charity event, but I guess that would be over by now.

“Preston!” Her face lights up with a kind smile. “I’m a little shocked to see you here. Come in.”

“Thank you, Head Mistress Killian,” I mumble, stepping into the house. I immediately feel out of place.

“Grayson, Declan, come in, come in,” she says, and the other two follow, voicing their thanks as Carol shuts the door. “And none of that Head Mistress stuff. It’s not school hours, and I prefer Ms. Killian anyway.”

I give a firm nod before my eyes drift to take in the place. There’s nothing special about it. It looks like most of the mansions around here, only this place has a different feeling to it. It’s not cold and lifeless. That much I can tell just by standing in the foyer.

“Ahhhh... is Collin here?” I ask, bringing my attention back to her.

“He is. He’s in the basement office.” Carol continues to talk, waving us after her. “I must warn you, he’s not in the best mood. He won’t tell me what’s going on, but maybe you three could be of help.”

“We‘ll try.” Grayson gives her a forced smile.

Carol points to a door, and we thank her before heading down.

We’re greeted with shouting as soon as we hit the bottom of the stairs and follow the loud yelling to an open doorway.

“I don’t fucking care!” Collin roars. “Find out where the photos came from, now!”

Rounding the corner to what looks like to be an office, Collin stands behind a desk, leaning over it with his hands on the table. His chest is heaving, head bent down.

“No need to worry about that. I know where the photos came from,” I state, crossing my arms as I lean against the door frame.

Collin’s head snaps up, eyes wild. Shit, he’s fucking pissed.

“Where’s Sadie?” he demands, hitting the button to end the call. Of course, she’s the first thing on his mind.

“Safe at home,” Declan answers.

“Drunk off her rocker, too,” Grayson mutters.

“What?” Collin growls. “How the fuck did she get alcohol and drink enough to get drunk since I last saw you? It’s only been maybe forty minutes.”

“She’s a lot more determined than we thought.” Grayson shrugs, moving over to the chair before sitting down and leaning back, lifting his feet to rest on the desk, earning a glare from Collin.

“What the fuck are you doing here? And what do you mean you know where the photos came from?”

“Sadie told us,” I inform him and that has him straightening up.

“Who?” His voice is low, demanding, and dangerous.

“Who's the one person in our lives that gets off on making our lives a living hell?” I cock a brow. “Come on, big brother. Is it really that hard to guess?”

His lip peels back in a snarl. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

“Preston already took that privilege away from me. But honestly, I don’t care who kills him as long as he is fucking dead,” Grayson spits.

“He tried to pay her to leave, Collin,” Declan emphasizes, stepping deeper into the room. “That bag, it’s filled with money. He told her to get out of town.”

“Also told her if she said anything to anyone, he would kill her,” I add in and watch as my brother’s jaw ticks.

“He wants you to marry Connie,” Declan continues. “And because you refused, he felt the need to take matters into his own hands, I guess.”

“Fuck!” Collin roars, swiping his hand across the top of his desk, sending everything crashing to the ground.

“Would you fucking chill?” I grumble, pushing off the door frame and closing the door behind me to join the others by Collin’s desk.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Collin seethes. “As if you don’t have a temper of your own.”

“Wonder who we got that from.”

We lock eyes, sharing an unspoken moment. That seems to have the anger simmering down just a little bit.

“What are we going to do?” Declan asks, refocusing the group.

“So many fucking questions tonight.” I sigh in annoyance. “I hate not knowing, not having control.” It’s why I thrive on it. I have it in every aspect of my life except when it comes to my father. And now Sadie. But for two completely different reasons.

Part of the reason I’ve been such a jerk to her is because I don’t like the power she holds over me. I don’t like the feeling of losing control, and that‘s all I ever seem to be able to do when it comes to that girl.

“Let’s lay out what we know. Sadie’s deal with us is over, but we still want and need her... Dec has already voiced his intent on dating her. Collin has pretty much pissed on her, staking his claim whether she wants him or not.” Grayson snorts, and Collin shoots him another look. “And I’m throwing my hat in the ring because.... well, I’m obsessed with her.” Grayson shrugs, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting it up. “Not sure what I’m going to do about the arranged marriage bullshit, but I figured I’d deal with that once Sadie picks one of us.”

“No need to waste your time.” Collin glares. “She’s mine.”

Grayson rolls his eyes and sighs. “Yeah, we fucking heard that. It’s getting old now, man. Give it up. And after those photos, I don’t think you're in the running for this one.”

“It’s not what it looks lik–”

“We know. It wasn’t you,” I finish his sentence. “Heard that one before, too.”

His face flashes with guilt. “About that.”

“So it is you?” I snarl. “After all that crazy possessive bullshit, you went and fucked another woman.”

“It’s not what it fucking looks like!” he snaps, repeating himself. He grabs one of the photos and spins it around to face us. “Look.”

“Ew, no thanks, man. I’m not interested in seeing your junk.” Grayson wrinkles his nose as he blows out a puff of smoke.

“Fuck off,” Collin mutters. “Not that. Look.” He points to a tattoo. “I had this covered up years ago.”

“Okay...”

“So if this was me, just a few days ago, how the fuck is the tattoo I had covered up still there?” He points to the tattoo again. “The photos are good, not going to lie. Somehow they managed to get all my new tattoos pretty damn close. If someone wasn’t going through this with a fine-tooth comb, it would be easy to fool them. But I know my body and the fact that I didn’t fuck anyone other than Sadie for years.”

“So they just photoshopped your faces and tattoos onto these people?” I ask, brows furrowing.

“Not really,” he sighs, sitting down in his chair. “After I looked at these longer than I’d like, I realized it was me. But that’s not Connie. Just her face.”

“So it’s you fucking another girl?”

“Yeah. When I was sixteen,” he sneers. “I haven’t had eyes for another woman since my feelings for Sadie turned to something more. But before, when she was still too young to feel anything but the need to keep her safe, I was a bit of a man whore. But that was years ago. At least a decade, give or take.”

“How the fuck would our father have photos of you having sex when you were a teenager. What the fuck is wrong with him?” A look of disgust takes over my face. I already know what's wrong with him. He’s sick and fucked up. I shouldn’t be surprised about this at all.

“Because he’s fucking crazy. He’s probably been keeping tabs on me for years. I have this place swept for bugs all the time, same with my phone. But if I’m correct, these photos were taken at a party thrown by one of my good buddies way back when. Meaning, that asshole had his house bugged. Fucking sick,” Collin growls, grabbing handfuls of his hair in frustration.

“So he altered them to make it seem like it’s you now, with Connie, and hoping it would be enough to send Sadie running?” Grayson summarizes.

“And if that didn’t work, threatening Sadie to leave town and kill her if she talked. He was betting on us not seeing this,” Declan says, looking at the three of us.

“He doesn’t know my girl at all,” I scoff, shaking my head.

“Your girl?” Grayson snorts. “Really now. Since when?”

“Fuck you,” I sneer.

“No, really. Enlighten us. Not too long ago, you were on our asses for entertaining someone you said, quote, was a high school crush’. You treated her like shit for weeks, then used her as pocket pussy before tossing her to the side. Don’t forget you couldn’t even stop fucking people until it was your turn to fulfill your end of the arrangement. Now you want to change things up and call her yours?” Grayson laughs. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

My eyes flick over to Collin, gut sinking as I remember the deal he made with me. I agreed to it, but I was never planning on actually taking his money. It was some stupid excuse I needed for myself to stop. Collin still has the money, and it will stay that way.

I bite down on my lip as I take a deep breath.

“I know I don’t have any right to her. But the fact is, I like her, okay? Want me to finally admit it, here it is. I hate that I want her, it drives me fucking mad, but I do. And the idea of my father, let alone anyone hurting her, makes me fucking bloodthirsty.”

“You three are pains in my fucking ass,” Collin groans, dropping his head to the desk. “You were supposed to be done with her after your deal.”

“Oh, you poor, poor soul.” Grayson moves his feet off the desk to lean forward and pat Collin on the shoulder. “You're a fool to think that was ever going to happen. Don’t worry, so were we.”

“So what? You're just all gonna go against your families and end your engagements?” Collin asks, looking up. “Because that's going to go over well.”

“Even if Sadie doesn’t choose me in the end, I am.” Declan chews on his lower lip. “Mia deserves to find love. To be with someone who can make her happy. Not be tied to me for the rest of her life.”

“And what about you?” I ask. “Don’t you deserve to be happy?”

His eyes flick up to mine, and my heart stops. “That's the dream, right?” He gives me a small, sad smile. “But it doesn’t always work out that way.” He holds my stare. “Even if I can’t have Sadie, any potential person I could love... wouldn’t want me,” he whispers the last part, ripping his gaze away from mine.

I want to tell him I could. If he gave us the chance, I could. But that would be a lie, wouldn’t it? I don’t deserve him or Sadie. I’d bring them nothing but misery. Both are better off with someone who can give them everything they deserve. Not some broken soul who has no hope.

“I sure as fuck am not staying with mine,” Grayson scoffs, flicking ashes into an ashtray. “Sadie is the only one for me.”

“What if she doesn’t pick you?” Collin asks.

“Oh, she’s going to pick me.” He smirks. “I’ll wear her down, one way or another. How do you feel about Sadie having a side piece?” Grayson wiggles his eyebrows. “I make killer pancakes.” He winks.

“You know, we could always share her,” Declan suggests, making Collin laugh.

“Right. It’s bad enough you're going to defy your parents, or in Grayson’s case, grandfather. I’m sure they would just be head over heels over the fact that we’re all sharing the same girl.”

“You see.” Grayson points a finger at Collin. “That's why I plan on blackmailing dear old granddad.” He winks. “He can’t say fuck all if I have something over his head.”

“Blackmail him with what?” Collin asks.

“That I haven’t figured out yet, but I’m working on it.”

“So, you're gonna toss your name into the hat on this?” Grayson adds, and I shake my head.

“No. No point. Even if she did want me, I’m no good for her.” I laugh, taking the cigarette from Grayson and sucking back a drag before putting the butt out. “I’m just done being a dick.”

“Oh my god!” Grayson gasps, looking up in the air dramatically.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m looking for the pigs flying.” Grayson keeps looking as Declan snorts a laugh. “Quick, someone call the devil and check on him. Because Hell has to have frozen over!”

“Oh, fuck off,” I growl, shoving at him as he starts to laugh.

“You sure you're even capable of not being a dick?” Collin asks, raising a brow.

“Fine,” I snarl. “Let me rephrase that. I’m done being a dick to Sadie. The rest of you can fuck right off.”

“Ah, there he is.” Grayson grins. “The Preston we know and love.”

I glare at him, flipping him off.

“Back to what's important,” Collin redirects, the mood growing serious again as he locks eyes on me. “We need to find out what the fuck we’re going to do about our father.”

“You okay?” I ask Declan. After an hour of arguing that got us absolutely nowhere, we agreed to reconvene on Monday during Host Club hours. The only thing we did agree on is that Sadie isn’t to be alone outside of her home. Collin and Grayson already have the stalker thing down pat, I may as well join them. Declan won’t have any issues with getting Sadie to spend time with him, so he has it the easiest out of us all.

Collin plans on talking to Sadie on Monday to try and prove his innocence. I’m not sure if she’s going to listen. I’m not even sure if the guys’ plan of winning her over is going to work.

From the defeat in her eyes tonight, Sadie just might be done with not only the group of us but this whole place. I wouldn’t blame her. If anything, I wish she’d leave. At least we would know she was safe. Move away, go to college, and live a normal life with normal people.

But she won’t. Sadie loves her mom and her family business too much. While this might not be the world she belongs in, this place is her home. It’s all she knows.

“Huh?” Declan looks over at me. “Yeah, sorry,” he sighs. “Just worried about Sadie.”

I nod; I am, too. The idea of no one being there to help in an emergency has me on edge. But I know Grayson has eyes on her. He might not know I know, but I do. Fucker thinks he’s sly, but he made his obsession so damn obvious.

“She’s going to be okay,” I lie because how the fuck would I know that. “She just needs time.”

“I don’t know.” He leans his head against the window. “She’s been through so much. And she was right, a lot of it is because of us. If she hadn’t come into the Host Club that day, her life would be so different.”

He’s right. Because even though they’re all in now, none of us would have made a move to change anything if she didn’t come to us with that deal. We would have kept living our lives the way we have been, and she would have been none the wiser.

I don’t say anything, not sure of the words to say as we pull up to his dorm parking lot.

“Thanks for the ride,” he tells me.

We dropped off Grayson first, and I offered to take Declan home. I was just trying to delay going back to my house. I’m not sure if going there is even a good idea. If I see him, it’s going to take everything in me not to just put a bullet in his head and end it all.

“No problem.”

He opens the door but pauses before looking over at me. “Wanna sleep with me?” My brows shoot up, and his cheeks go adorably pink. “I-I mean crash in my dorm,” he corrects in a rush. “I’m sure home is the last place you wanna be. Or maybe you could go over to Grayson’s; I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

“Dec.” I bite my lip, trying not to grin as I place my hand on his shoulder. “Relax. Breathe.”

His lips part, eyes flicking down to the hand that's touching him. I should move it, but I don’t, liking the contact more than I should.

“You sure?” I ask. “About me crashing at your place?”

“Yeah.” He licks his lips and nods, attention back on my face.

“Then yeah. It’s late. Probably not the best time for me to be on the road anyway.”

“Yeah,” he says slowly, eyes still on mine.

This is a bad idea. A really fucking bad idea. There’s a reason why I’ve stopped hanging out with Declan alone or, at the very least, avoid it.

Because when I’m alone with him, all the things I want to do to him flash through my mind. Like how I want to devour his lips, have him on his knees, whimpering, begging, and at my mercy. We all know Dec is a sub through and through. I’d love to see how good of a boy he could be for me.

But I won’t cross that line because I’d hate myself when I hurt him. And I would end up hurting him.

Moving my hand, I step out into the cool night air and look up at the moon. The clouds have parted, making the night sky bright and haunting.

Taking a deep breath, I follow Declan to his room. We’re quiet the whole way up. Once we’re in his room, he scratches the back of his head. “I didn’t think this through.”

“Relax.” I chuckle. “It’s just a bed.”

“Right.” He nods. “Just a bed.”

Another thing about Declan that pleases me is how he turns into this shy little virgin boy around me. Only when it’s the two of us, though. He has bite and will normally bark back when needed, but when it’s just the two of us, he’s all cute and fumbling.

And trust me, Declan is anything but a virgin. He’s been with his fair share of women. But has he been with any men?

Exhaustion fills me, and all I want to do is sleep. So, I pull my shirt off and strip down to my boxers.

“Ready?” I ask him when I find him staring at me, lips parted.

“Yup,” he squeaks out, ripping his eyes off my body. He quickly pulls back the covers and jumps into bed, moving all the way over to the wall.

I roll my eyes and get into the bed, groaning as my body settles into the mattress.

“Night,” Declan whispers as I pull the blanket up over us.

“Night,” I mumble, closing my eyes.

Minutes pass and still, I can’t fall asleep. My mind is racing with all the fucked up things going on in my life. Like how I need to tell that cunt Tina to fuck off and leave Sadie alone. I knew she was messing with her, but I didn’t know how bad it was. If I threaten her, though, it would only turn Tina into more of a crazy bitch.

“I can’t sleep,” I huff, moving to sit up. But when I look down at Declan, he’s already passed out cold.

Sighing, I scrub my hands over my face before looking back down at him. He looks so peaceful, lips parted, chest moving with steady breaths.

He still has his glasses on, so I reach over and take them off his face, placing them on the bedside table.

I turn back to Declan, my hand itching to touch him. So I do. I brush his hair out of his face, gliding my fingers down the side of his face, lingering on his cheek. “I hope she chooses you,” I murmur. “She would be a fool not to. You're the best choice. You're kind, loving, and fiercely loyal. You will give her everything she needs and wants in life.” I lean down and brush my lips against his. “I just want you to be happy,” I whisper. “Even if it can’t be with me, I would be glad if it's with her.”