The Risk (Kings of Linwood Academy 3)

She knows about Mr. Black’s affair. I don’t know how she found out, but she knows.

And Audrey is leaving him? Is that true, or is she lying?

Does Linc know?

As far as I’m aware, Mr. Black has still been playing along with Paige, acquiescing to the woman’s demands in an effort to keep the whole sordid story from spreading far and wide in Fox Hill.

And when Savannah threatens to tell all the kids at school about his affair, what she really means is that she’ll tell all of their parents. If enough students find out, one of them will say something to their mom or dad, and the story will only spread from there.

Savannah is threatening to destroy the entire Black family.

Unless I do what she wants.

She wasn’t kidding. She wasn’t bluffing. She really did find a way to get back at me.

Cocking a perfectly shaped eyebrow, she stares at me, winding a strand of red hair around her fingertip. “What? No snappy comeback?”

“What do you want, Savannah?” I ask, my voice low and harsh.

Her eyes harden. “I want you to stop treating me like your little bitch. And I want you to forget everything Trent told you about me. You wreck me, I wreck your boyfriend. One of them anyway,” she corrects, with a disdainful frown. “And don’t think I won’t be looking for ways to bring down the others too.”

Fuck.

My thoughts immediately go to River, to the secret he’s managed to keep from nearly everyone in the school for so long. If it got out, it’s not like he’d be in trouble. He hasn’t done anything wrong.

But it would hurt him.

And I can’t let that happen.

Just like I can’t let Lincoln be hurt any more than his dad’s indiscretions have already hurt him.

She wins.

“Fine, Savannah.” I step back, fury burning in my chest even as I hold my hands up in a gesture surrender. “I’ll stop. I won’t ask you anything else about Iris, and I won’t… tell anyone what I know. Is that what you want?”

A slow smile spreads across her face, poisonous and deadly. “Yeah, it is. For now. I’m sure I’ll think of other things I want in the future, but you’ll just have to wait and see what those are.”

God, I want to grab a fistful of her hair and smash her face against the wall. I probably could too. I came out on top last time we fought, and if I took her by surprise, I’m sure I could get at least one satisfying hit in before she even started to fight back.

But then we’d get dragged into Principal Osterhaut’s office, I’d get in trouble, and she’d air Mr. Black’s dirty laundry anyway just to spite me.

With extreme effort, I uncurl my fists, sucking in a deep breath through my nose. “Great. I can’t wait to find out.”

“Aw, Harlow.” She grins smugly at me. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

This fucking bitch.

I won’t deny I enjoyed having some power over her after Trent told us all her embarrassing secrets, but I used that power for two specific reasons only—to undo my expulsion from Linwood Academy and to track down information about how Iris and Judge Hollowell met.

Savannah is going to use her newfound power over me to make my life miserable just because she can.

“Yeah. Fun.”

I hike my backpack higher and yank open the stairwell door just as the bell rings for second period. I make it through Biology, English Literature, and Gym, rushing out of the locker room before Savannah or her cronies can give me any shit.

My chest hurts. Savannah didn’t just twist the knife, she stuck a second one in alongside the first, and now I feel like I can’t fucking breathe.

Instead of heading for the lunchroom, I take the stairs two at a time to the second floor, moving quickly toward the room where Lincoln has his fourth period class. Mr. Wartenburg let us out of gym a little early, so fourth period is just officially letting out as I walk up. Lincoln steps out of the classroom, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair, but he pauses when he sees me.