Broken Kingdom (Corium University Trilogy 3)

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out quickly. “It’s my dad,” I announce a millisecond before answering the call. “Dad, I’m with Lucas. I’ll put you on speaker.”

“We’re about to land in Takotna. The helicopter is waiting there, so we should be in Corium in less than two hours.”

I want to tell him that it’s not soon enough, but the rational part of my brain is still somewhat working. I know he is coming here as fast as he possibly can.

“The other founding members are also on their way, but they might not get here as fast,” Lucas explains.

“That’s fine. Gives us more time to plan.”

“How is Aspen?” my mother yells from the background.

“She is doing fine. I’m keeping her separated from everyone for safety.” It didn’t even dawn on me until now that she would be in danger if people knew where she was. For the first time today, I’m actually taking Lucas’s words for what they are. She is somewhere safe.

“Good. Quinton, stay calm. We’re almost there,” my mom adds.

“I’m trying. I just can’t sit here and do nothing.”

“Start by coming up with ideas on how we can sway each founding member to give us their vote,” my father offers.

“Fine.” I huff and take the seat in front of the desk.

“Finally,” Lucas mumbles low enough for only me to hear.

“We’ll get started on that. I’ll see you when you guys get here.” I end the call and turn my attention back to Lucas.

“So who are all the founding members? I thought I knew who they were, but apparently, I didn’t.”

“That’s because the founding members come in three tiers. The people who gave the most money to fund the school and still provide money are in the first two. Tier one is your father, Julian Moretti, Lucian Black, Adrian Doubeck, and my brother, Nic.”

“That’s the people I knew about. No one told me there were more until recently.”

“Tier two are the people who provide an equal amount of funding to the school but asked to stay anonymous. Those three are Enzo King, Alessio Bianchi, and Dr. Lauren.”

“Dr. Lauren?” That one surprises me. She doesn’t have a kid as far as I know.

“Yes, there is more to the good doctor than you think, but that’s something to worry about on a different day.”

“Agreed. So that leaves two people.”

“I see the math classes are paying off.” Lucas chuckles to himself. “Nash’s father, Nathaniel Brookshire, and Anja’s mother, Katharina Ivanov.”

“So how does the voting work?” Hopefully, the higher tiers have more voting power.

“Unfortunately, all the founders get an equal vote.”

“Fuck.”

“Yes, fuck. Nic, Julian, Enzo, and Adrian will be a yes for sure. They have been friends with your family for a very long time. Katharina Ivanov is easily swayed. All we have to do is give her something shiny. Dr. Lauren and Lucian shouldn’t be hard to get on our side either. I am not sure about Alessio, simply because I don’t know much about him. He is a wild card. I only met him once. And of course, Nathaniel Brookshire will be the hardest to deal with.”

“Nash deserved to die.”

“I agree, but making his father see it that way will be a stretch.”

“A stretch… but not impossible.” I don’t know what I need to do yet, but I will figure it out. “I can’t wait and do nothing. I’m going to talk to Vito, see if he can help with his father.”

“That’s a good idea, actually. I’ll check on Aspen while you do that.”

“Make sure she has her phone, and tell her to call me, or I will find her!” I have half a mind to follow Lucas, so I know where she is, but I also know that Lucas won’t be easily tricked.

“Calm down. I’ll make sure she calls you.”

Before I change my mind, I give him a nod and turn away. I head straight to Vito’s room, hoping he is actually there. Yes, I know where he lives, but I don’t know his schedule or where he hangs out if he isn’t in his room.

Raising my hand, I rap my knuckles against his door loud enough for the sound to travel down the empty hallway. There is no noise coming from the inside, no tv or music, but soon enough, I can hear his approaching footsteps.

A moment later, the door opens, and Vito stands in front of me.

“Quinton? To what do I owe this rare pleasure?” His eyebrow raises, but he still doesn’t look too surprised to see me.

“I need to talk. Can I come in?” I ask out of courtesy, though I am already stepping into his space.

He moves aside, opening the door farther to let me in. His room is decorated sparsely, just as I imagine every guy living here.

“Have a seat.” Vito waves toward the leather couch in front of a large flat-screen TV.