Broken (New York Heirs #2) Read online

  “You know what we should do?” Gabriel suddenly said. “We should hook up with Dunford girls. We should take their girlfriends. That’ll fuck with their heads for the next game.”

  “You’re going to make me believe in reincarnation, Easton,” I said simply. “No one becomes this stupid in one lifetime.”

  Cam choked on his beer. “This one does, and he only needs a quarter of a lifetime.”

  Gabriel scowled. “Some back up here, Wyatt?”

  Ryland murmured a non-committal agreement, his distracted gaze trained at a point somewhere beyond Gabriel.

  I turned to see what he was looking at, but the direction only led to the bedroom wings. All the windows were shut. “What are you looking at?”

  Ryland watched for a moment longer before turning back to the pool. “Nothing.”

  I was about to dismiss it and return my half-hearted attention to the party when I spotted a flash of orange darting through the hallway on the third floor, at the other end of the house.

  My gaze sharpened instantly.

  Where was the little princess going on a Friday midnight? The direction she was headed would take her straight through to the servants’ staircase.

  Wherever she was going, she was doing it in secret.

  “The hell you looking at?” Ryland threw my question back at me.

  “Original.” I watched the stairwell on the first floor with strange, unfamiliar anticipation, waiting for the tiny redhead to emerge.

  For the first time that night, I was intrigued.

  I hadn’t spoken to Karin Beckett again since I made my threats a year ago, but that hadn’t stopped her from being friendly from afar. Allie Beckett made no secret of her hatred for me, but Karin just followed me with a curious gaze whenever we passed in the hallways of the house or at school.

  And when our eyes met, she’d smile hopefully, a silent question of whether I had somehow changed my mind about her. My answer was always a pointed disregard of her presence.

  But I had to concede, it was easy to see why Karin was popular at school when she was only a freshman. She spoke to everyone in the same earnest way, from the biggest bitch to the weirdest outcast, as if every word that came out of their mouth was the most exciting thing in the world. The girl was a walking Valentine’s Day card.

  And at some point in the past year, I realized that I had begun watching Karin Beckett’s every move and eavesdropping on her every word.

  Perhaps it started when O’Kleeson, the groundskeeper, mentioned that the outer gardens were being overrun by wild rabbits. That same night I caught Karin tiptoeing out the back of the house, armed with a small bundle of carrots.

  The damned girl had been feeding them.

  I sat up, bracing my arms on my knees as I waited for her to appear. Even after a year of watching, I found it hard to believe that anyone could be that genuine. Was Karin Beckett truly as artless as she seemed, or was it all a well-scripted act? I wanted my answer, and I wanted it from her lips.

  My target finally emerged from the stairwell. She was wearing a black hoodie and jeans, with the hood now pulled over her head to conceal her bright hair.

  I watched closely, but instead of coming over to the party like I half-expected her to, Karin made a left turn and headed round the mansion to where the back gates were.

  There was only one reason she was going that way—to leave the property.

  My eyes narrowed.

  Where the hell was she headed? Did she have a secret boyfriend who’d somehow slipped my notice?

  I crushed my half-empty beer can and tossed it aside, pushing to my feet.

  “Where’re you going?” Gabriel asked in surprise. “The fight’s just getting started.”

  Sure enough, a small crowd had gathered to form a makeshift ring in the courtyard, the usual occurrence when it drew close to midnight.

  I’d started the fights out of pure boredom. It was a stupid game, everyone knew that, but it was better than doing nothing. Watching guys who were just as bored as I was fight it out for cash was the only thing that had me remotely interested nowadays.

  But tonight, my gaze remained drawn towards the corner where Karin had disappeared.

  “I have other entertainment lined up.”

  “Dude, seriously? I’m going up in the third round!”

  “I know—I’ve got a large wager riding on your loss.” I clapped Gabriel’s shoulder as I passed him, feeling strangely eager to go after Karin Beckett. “Don’t disappoint me.”

  The music from the party grew faint as I made my way around the side of the mansion and towards the back gate of the Beckett property. A narrow one-way road ran just outside the gates, separating the mansion from the forest beyond.

  There were no street lights on the private property, and it took a good few seconds until I spotted Karin’s small form caught in the pale moonlight. She was diligently making her way down the road, in the direction of the cliffs by the sea.

  I made my way over, easily gaining speed until I was right behind her.

  “Going somewhere?”

  Karin screamed and jumped into the air before I even uttered my second word. “Oh my god! Oh, it’s just you!”

  No one had ever referred to me as just you.

  “I thought you were a ghost,” she shrilled, her hands still clutching at her chest.

  I slipped my hands in my pockets and eyed her coolly. “The question is obvious, but I’m going to ask it anyway. What the fuck are you doing out here?”

  “It’s none of your business.” She couldn’t even meet my gaze as she said it.

  “Congratulations,” I drawled. “You’ve said your first cutting thing, and it’s not even that impressive.”

  “You don't know that it’s my first,” she sniffed. “I could say mean things all the time.”

  “You don’t,” I said simply. “I know everything that goes on in this town.”

  “Riiight. Your plan to take over it, along with Dad’s house and his business.” She narrowed her eyes. “Doesn’t it keep you up at night, taking what doesn’t belong to you?”

  If only she knew how close she was to the literal truth. I slept light, jerking awake at the smallest sound, half-expecting an intruder to jump me. Another residual habit courtesy of Barclay Private School for Boys.

  “I sleep well enough. Better than those who live in fear of having their possessions taken from them, I imagine.” I smiled pleasantly. “If you can’t keep it, you don’t deserve to have it.”

  Her mouth fell open. “That’s so freaking selfish!”

  “I am, and I don’t pretend otherwise.” I cocked my head, giving her a once-over that was outright insulting. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out here, princess, not everyone can afford to live out a comfortable life in an ivory castle like you.”

  “Don’t call me that, you don’t know anything about me. And ever since you moved in with your sneering and your death glares, the only parts of the house left for me are my bedroom and a straight path to the front door!”

  I eyed the fuming redhead in front of me with growing amusement. Apparently, Karin Beckett had a bit of spite in her. It was as threatening as a puppy with a butter knife, and just as entertaining.

  This night was getting interesting.

  “It isn’t personal. Like I said, it’s every man for himself.” I shrugged. “And I’ve never been one to be satisfied with scraps.”

  Karin muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like “Stupid asshole.”

  “Care to repeat that?” I said mildly.

  She glared harder. “If you’re done grilling me for something that is none of your business, I’ll be on my way.”

  “On your way, where?”

  “Somewhere far, far away from you.” Then as if she couldn’t help herself, “It’s a secret hideout.”

  I couldn’t stifle a laugh. “What are you, four?”

  “Fifteen. Goodbye.”

  Karin spun on her heel
and started clomping down the road again. I kept pace with her easily, every one of my strides matching two of hers.

  “I said, goodbye,” she gritted.

  “I heard you.”

  “Ugh!” Karin stopped in her tracks so suddenly I nearly mowed her over. She flung her hood back like she was preparing for a physical fight.

  “You’ve taken over my house, isn’t that enough?” she demanded. “Now you want to ruin my secret hideout too?”

  “I do take extreme pleasure in ruining things.”

  “I’m never going to tell you where it is now.”

  I tilted my head, my lips curving. “You know what I’m in the mood for right now, Beckett?”

  Karin squinted, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist the bait. “What?”

  “Rabbit. Stew.”

  She gasped, horrified, and I smiled evilly.

  “Oh yes,” I assured her, “I know what you’ve been up to at night, and I’ve yet to thank you for plumping them up for me. Fat little bunnies, skinned and de-boned, finely minced and sautéed—”

  “You wouldn’t! You sick, sick asshole!”

  “Show me where your hideout is, or your newfound pets will be cooking in Mrs Smith’s pot come tomorrow evening.”

  Karin’s face turned even paler than its usual color, but instead of giving in right away, she lifted her chin and glared. “What’s your freaking deal? Does this have anything to do with you showing up less and less to your parties?”

  I raised my brow. I wasn’t the only one keeping watch, apparently. “The princess has been spying.”

  “I sure have,” Karin threw back. “Especially when it’s an intruder in my house.”

  “That stung, truly.” I shrugged loosely, not understanding why I was explaining myself to Karin Beckett, sympathizer of homeless rodents. “I find them boring.”

  “Boring? It’s so loud it’s keeping half the town awake!”

  “Is that a complaint?” I asked pleasantly. “Would you like me to have them turn down the music?”

  “Oh.” Karin blinked, taken aback by my seeming acquiescence. “Well, yeah, thanks. That would be really nice.”

  I gave her a patronizing smile. “Wouldn’t it?”

  Karin scowled, finally catching on to the sarcasm. “You know something? I don’t think you find it boring, I think you find it pointless.”

  “That’s the same bloody thing. Now make your choice; keep your secret or save those vermin?”

  That earned me a sour look. “There’s an old watchtower on the other side of this forest, on a small cliff facing the sea. It’s the full moon now, and I'm going there to paint.” She paused, seeming to make a decision. “You can come if you promise not to demolish it after you inherit Dad’s estate.”

  I looked at her sharply, but Karin simply shrugged.

  “It’s not hard to tell that he’s gonna will everything to you and Estelle. His lawyer has been coming over pretty often.”

  The younger Beckett girl was evidently shrewder than I thought. It was all too easy to mistake her sunny smiles for ignorance.

  I had the feeling she used that to her every advantage.

  “That doesn’t bother you?” I asked lightly.

  She shrugged. “Kinda, but Dad wouldn't trust us with his money or the company whether you’re in the picture or not. He thinks boys are better and girls should stay at home and be good wives.” She looked at me from the corner of her eye. “So you promise to leave my secret hideout alone?”

  “I don’t make promises, princess.”

  Karin sighed impatiently. “I’ll show it to you anyway, you’ll find it sooner or later. Unless you’d rather return to your party,” she added. “In that case, please don’t let me keep you.”

  Without waiting to see if I followed, Karin stepped off the main road and ventured into the dark forest, her footsteps sure and steady like she’d done this a dozen times.

  I looked towards the mansion behind me, hearing the faint faraway sounds of a party. Booze, weed and sex were awaiting me back there.

  I turned back to see Karin moving deeper into the trees. The moonlight turned her red hair into a small flame, a glowing beacon in the darkness. She would be swallowed by the dense trees in seconds.

  I found that I wasn’t quite ready for that just yet. I wanted to keep her in my sights, even if just for a while longer.

  And so I stepped off the path, heading into the dark forest after Karin Hope Beckett.

  I felt weirdly nervous as I made my way through the forest. I could hear the sounds of crunching leaves behind me, so I knew Theo had decided to come with me. He walked behind at a distance of a few paces, which made me feel so very watched. I could feel him staring a hole in my back.

  I deliberately slowed my steps, and to my relief, Theo caught up beside me and matched mine. We made our way through the forest at an unhurried pace.

  “I thought you’d go back to the party,” I found myself admitting. “Scenery doesn’t sound like something you’d be interested in.”

  Theo raised a brow. “Not even I could resist a good secret hideout.”

  “Okay, I get it,” I muttered. “Drop the sarcasm already.”

  The forest was cool and still, with only the faint crunching of wet leaves and twigs on the ground as we trudged through the undergrowth.

  “It’s nice, huh?” I swung my arms, feeling the cool air through the holes in my long sleeves. “Sometimes you’ll hear an owl, but mostly it’s crickets. It rained earlier though, so I think they’re taking a break today.”

  “Taking a break,” Theo echoed. “You can’t mean that literally.”

  His mocking tone made me defensive. “You wouldn’t be in the mood to chirp either if your house just got flooded.”

  “I wouldn’t have the mental capacity to consider that at all, being a bloody cricket.”

  I snorted at that, but quickly schooled my features when Theo shot me a look that was vaguely fascinated, like I was a science experiment that had produced an unexpected result.

  I had to admit, this was getting really weird. I’d never dreamt that I’d be taking a walk through the forest with Theo Valentine.

  I sneaked a glance at him.

  His profile was beautiful and perfect, and his gait was relaxed, as if he were in control of the world. I couldn’t help wondering if it was all a front. Theo’s deceptive posture said he was bored and unimpressed, but those eyes… Behind the emptiness, they seemed guarded and never at ease.

  “Have you thought about which college you’re going to? Your grades are pretty good, aren’t they?” Theo didn't reply, so I took it as a sign to continue. “I heard Dad talking to Estelle about it. I’m happy for you, obviously, but sometimes I think it’s just so unfair. I don’t ever see you with a book, so either you’re secretly studying, or you’re just a natural genius. I’m going to do art, and—”

  “Don’t you ever stop talking?” Theo cut in.

  My eyes widened. “I’m trying to make conversation!”

  “Well, could you refrain?” he exhaled. “You have the kind of voice that belongs in an annoyingly cheerful advertisement, with the same tendency to be stuck in one’s head.”

  “I can’t help that my voice is high pitched! And you’re one to talk. You could read the inside of a Hallmark card and still sound like a psycho.”

  Theo considered that. “I’ll take it.”

  “Oh, you would, you like all things violent.” I glared at him. “Your fighting, and that crazy game with the cars… Why are you even doing this?”

  “No one’s holding a gun to their heads, princess. Those guys choose to do it because they get something in return, whether it’s money, respect, or just for the hell of it.” Theo gave me a faintly pitying look. “If you’re affected by something so trivial, you’re in for a bloody shock when you get older.”

  I was stunned at the matter-of-fact way he said it. “This isn’t trivial at all! It’s not normal!”

  Theo d
idn’t respond to that as he walked beside me. I expected him to say something sarcastic, but he only looked deep in thought at what I had said, as if this actually was the norm for him.

  “What was your school like?” I couldn’t help asking. “The one you went to before you came here.”

  “It was hell,” he said simply.

  I blinked, but Theo’s facade remained impenetrable. I had a growing sense that he came from a world that was so different from my own that I wasn't sure I wanted to know about it. Even with my uneventful fifteen years, I knew it wouldn't be pretty.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked gingerly.

  “No.”

  I was dying to ask more, and maybe whether it had anything to do with the painful-looking scar I knew he had on his abdomen, but I knew better than to push my luck with him.

  We headed deeper into the trees, stepping carefully through the damp undergrowth. The forest thickened for some ways before gradually opening to a clearing that led to the cliffs and ended in a sheer drop-off into the sea below. I could see more moonlight, hear the waves crashing somewhere below.

  “Here we are!”

  The wind was stronger here, whipping my hair about and creating a mess I’d have no hope of detangling later. “This—” I pointed towards the sea “—goes allll the way to the North Pacific Ocean. Amazing, isn’t it?”

  Theo looked unimpressed. “Quite.”

  “But isn’t it pretty?” I insisted. “See how the moon makes the water brighter than usual? The waves change between white and black with the reflection.” I pointed upwards, for some reason eager to have Theo see what I saw. “And the sky there goes from silver to navy the further it gets from the moon, like the moon is leaking color.” I looked at Theo hopefully. “Do you see it now?”

  Theo narrowed his gaze where I was pointing, frowning in concentration.

  He abandoned the effort within two seconds. “Where’s that tower?”

  I scowled. He could have at least tried.