When her dad’s gone, Emma moves to a new academy for a fresh start, but the town’s BIG FOUR, Rowan, August, Liam and Karl, rule everything. Each dangerous, magnetic, and unpredictable, they pull her into their dark world. But the real danger isn’t them—it’s the secret deal that ties her to a deadly game she was never meant to play.
“Let’s get you all inside,” Thomas states. I jump at his words. I didn’t hear him approach. I have to be more alert. I can’t let what happened to me at that party ever happen again. Giggling, the kids let me up from the hug pile on the ground. As I stand, I feel Jamie’s…
As the water beats against my body, I lather my skin, remembering a time when I thought I’d spend my life with her. She was everything I wanted and thought I needed. Now that I’m clear-headed, I see that I never looked at her the way August and Karl look at Emma- like whether the…
He nods. “And he’ll get the best attention in our medical wing. My dad has already called in an entire team. He doesn’t want you or your dad out in the open until he has a complete update on the situation.” “He’s right, Ry. It’s the safest way to handle this,” my dad interjects, cutting…
“How… why would you not tell us any of this?” Karl inquires as if hearing my inner thoughts. Expecting our questions, a screen rises from the stand at the front of the table. An image on the monitor appears. “Elise Lockwood, or Seline Bishop as she’s been going by, was high on our radar, but…
“We’re here,” Thomas’s voice breaks me from my wandering mind. All distractions are cast aside until the beat of my heart resyncs with hers-Riri comes home now. KARL The truck stops outside LockCore Inc., and I pull down my balaclava, the white skulled bones etched into its fabric. The guys do the same, their guns…
August’s gaze looks crazed, his auburn curls wild as he speaks again, “He said he was going to take his turn with the fat blue-haired slut like he did with the mouthy bitch he had the other night.” My body locks as his words register in my brain. I’m going to burn this whole fucking…
The distinguishable pop of a gunshot sounds, and then Emma’s screams spring me into action. I’m sure the guys are almost here, so if anything happens to me they’ll ensure her safety, but I won’t fuck this up again. I run into the room in time to see Emma hovering over Aaron Bishop’s body- blood…
What did they do to him? I step down from the truck, hoping to find someone to update me on my father. My thoughts drift to the hate in my mother’s eyes. The revulsion and contempt in every word spewed from her mouth, the power in the slap she planted on my cheek. I mindlessly…
“ I can’t blend this version of the woman before me with my mother. She’s worn so many faces. First, she was the nurturer, the one who was our constant when Dad would be out on missions. Then, she was unreliable, drugs and alcohol dictating her actions, forcing me to become what she once was.…
“I’ve always loved you, son. I’m sorry I could never let you know just how much,” he mutters, planting a kiss on the top of my head. As he pulls away and our arms fall to our sides, something in my chest shifts and the pressure on my shoulders lifts. It’s strange to know how…