Savage Sinners (Elites of Macedon High 3)

Chapter Four

Soren

Alex infuriates me.

Her slow crawl to fame is marked by mistake after mistake, too many of them piling up behind her like a mountain made of trash, discarded connections, and broken bodies. Every time she thinks she’s getting ahead, she does something fantastically foolish to sully her progress.

Is there a piece of me that wants her to succeed? Of course. She’s every bit as capable as her father, with the kind of passion that any leader should possess. But is she acting like she knows everything? Absolutely.

And it drives me up a fucking wall.

As I walk into the fencing studio, I notice her working on her stance and posture, hair flowing down her back like a dark waterfall. Her grace and beauty are evident in her movements. In truth, I never have to see her face to know she’s gorgeous. She carries herself that way.

If only she didn’t also fuck things up in the process of moving around.

“You missed a job,” I say pointedly while lifting a foil from the rack. “That’s disappointing, Alex. We have an arrangement.”

“So, sue me.”

Irritated, I round her body, walking purposefully into her view. “It’s not particularly professional to miss appointments like that, sugar.”

“You made it clear at my party that you were angry with me, so I figured you didn’t want to see me.”

“I can be angry at you while working with you.”

She hums while waving her foil. “I’ve experienced differently.”

“I can say the same about you, sport.”

“I’m not a child, Soren,” she snaps. “You’ll do well to treat me like the empress I am.”

I shake my head while clicking my tongue. “See, now it’s really getting to your head. You think you own this town just because you’re a Moretti?”

“Isn’t that true?”

“No, sugar. You have to earn it.” I crouch into position and hold up my foil, silently goading her into action. “It doesn’t bode well when your plan gets discovered.”

She takes her position and holds up her foil, daring me to attack with her eyes. “And what’s the plan?”

“You want to use us and then dispose of us.”

She whacks my foil, retreats, and glares at me, eyes burning with passion. “So, you have it all figured out then?”

“I might.” I smack her foil and dance left, moving with the same grace and dignity as her. I feel a tickle in my gut, a sort of satisfaction at the way she follows my movements, knowing that I’m creeping right under her skin in ways she can’t control. “I’m pretty sure you’re fumbling the execution, but I can see the plan.”

Her smile is catlike. “I may still need you.”

Our foils repeatedly collide, silence drifting over the studio as we focus on combat. The sound of our weapons clacking together echoes through the room, with intermittent huffs and gasps filling the space in between. I’m sure I’m going to win her over when she takes the lead.

“I may not need you,” I counter. “Have you ever considered that, Ms. Alex?”

“I’ve considered a lot of things.”

I growl while defending my position, keeping her jabs at bay. “I might even leave Macedon for the West Coast.”

“What?”

A vicious smile appears on my lips as I catch her off-guard, forcing her back a few steps. “I think it might be better in California.”