Dirty Little Secrets (Kings of Bolten 1)

I’d left Bianca with Levin. I knew shit was going to go down, and I didn’t want him to be outnumbered by the lords. I had to take my chances and bring Vincent with me in case I was ambushed. It hadn’t slipped past me this entire thing could be a trap. At least Levin was in a place with witnesses. The lords wouldn’t strike with so many people around.

Stella visibly swallowed. “I need your help.”

“Get fucked.” I dropped her arm and turned to leave.

“Wait. Please. I have information on Hail’s plans for Bianca. I just need you to promise to protect me from them in exchange. If things go wrong, I need to be safe.”

I paused and shot Vincent a look. He lifted a dark brow at me.

Turning to her, I spoke, “What things could go wrong?”

She fidgeted, twisting her fingers together. “I don’t know. I-I thought Hail would want me once Bianca left him for you. But I overheard his plans. He doesn’t want me. He still wants her. He’s going to take her, marry her, and then he’s going to kill her.”

I glared at her, sizing her up. Stella Monroe was a super cunt, but even super cunts had a purpose.

“Why save Bianca?”

“I don’t give a shit about Bianca. I care about me.” She composed herself and stared me down. “I care that he humiliated me, and not just once. First, he got engaged behind my back, and then he flaunted her around while keeping me on the side, making promises he didn’t intend to keep. Then, when she left him, he acted like we had a chance again. But there’s no chance for us. Not now. Not after he marries her. She’ll have it all until he kills her. Plus, I really don’t think she’s all that terrible, even if I hate her.”

“So it’s about you.”

“I’ve seen the monster he is. Even if he did marry me someday, he’d end up killing me like he’s going to do to her. My daddy has a lot of money just like her stepdad does. We’re both easy targets. Marry the daughter. Kill the father. Daughter inherits everything. Kill the daughter. I-I just hoped I was different, you know?”

I nodded. Seemed about right.

“I’ll keep you safe until graduation. Past that, you’re on your own.”

“Dom—” Vincent snarled.

I held my hand up to silence him.

“My protection comes with strings. First, you do whatever the fuck we tell you to do. Second, if you don’t do what you’re told, you die. Third, if you go behind our backs and betray us, set us up, or fuck with anything that belongs to us, you die. If you lie to us, you die. If you fuck a lord again, you die. And finally, if you don’t kiss my queen’s ass with every step she takes, you die. Got it?”

She hesitated for a moment before nodding her head. “I understand.”

“Good. We have a deal. Now tell me what you know.”

She blew out a shaky breath. “I was hiding in Hail’s closet, wanting to surprise him tonight before the dance. H-he was late, but when he came into his room, he wasn’t alone. He had the lords with him.” She licked her lips before continuing, “The plan is to get Bianca alone and snatch her. They have a priest waiting outside town at an old warehouse on the ridge. You know, that old, abandoned factory everyone says is haunted?”

I nodded, crossing my arms over my chest as I watched her. Vincent leaned against the wall, not looking interested, but I knew he was absorbing everything she said.

“Hail is going to marry her there tonight, whether she wants to or not. Once it’s over, he plans on murdering her stepfather after getting him to sign whatever plan they have in the works and leaving Bianca whatever assets he has. I don’t know the details of any of that, though. But I think you need to look into it because a man like David D’Angelou giving up everything he has is sketch, you know?”

“That it?” I grunted, silently agreeing with her.

“They’re going to create a distraction at the dance. Drake and Tate are supposed to grab her. Fallon is going to drive them. He should be waiting at the gates with the car right now. He has a black Lexus sedan. Hail already left to get things ready.”

“Are you the fucking distraction?” Vincent demanded, stepping forward, his teeth bared.

“N-No! I’m not. I swear it. I just wanted to tell you guys because I’m done with Hail after tonight, and he’s going to be so mad. I needed the protection—”

I shoved her against the wall and tightened my hand around her throat.

“You sure you’re not lying? I’ll kill you right now and put your face in the toilet with your ass up for the next fucker to find.”

“T-there’s more,” she rasped, clawing at my arm.

I cocked my head at her, noting the fear on her face. “Tell me.”