To Devil’s Creek.
After Bastian untied my brother, Aiden shot up from the chair and got in his face. They were around the same height, over six feet tall, facing off with their foreheads touching.
“Do it,” Bastian challenged, hands balled into fists at his side, ready for a fight. “I’ll bury you.”
Aiden bumped his forehead against Bastian’s. “I’d like to see you try.”
“I’ll go with you.” I moved between them to break up their staring contest. “Leave my brother alone.”
“Lexie, you don’t have to do this,” Aiden groaned. “You don’t owe them shit.”
“Maybe you should worry about your own responsibilities to your family,” Luca snapped. “After your sister becomes a Salvatore, you will become a Knight.”
“Never gonna happen,” Aiden shot back. “I’m not joining your secret society of criminals.”
Our grandfather was a high-ranking member of The Founders Society, the parent society that oversaw The Devil’s Knights. The Founders required every man in our family to become a Knight. It was the only way to rise within the ranks, ensuring the legacy of our family.
The Salvatores were currently in charge of the Knights, but to ascend to The Founders Society, one of Arlo’s boys had to marry a Wellington. They were among the original founders of Devil’s Creek but not related to one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. And since I was the only living female of marrying age from a Founding Family, they needed me.
And my family owed them.
My grandfather still hadn’t confessed why he owed Arlo a favor. Whatever it was, Arlo held it over his head. Pops had given Aiden and me an escape from our crazy parents.
So I felt like I owed him.
When we were eighteen, Carl Wellington III gave us his last name, along with money and opportunity. We attended the best art school in the country on his dime. The Rhode Island School of Design didn’t take just anyone. But between the Salvatores and their art connections, and my last name, doors opened for us.
I glanced up at my twin, whose eyes were ringed with dark circles. We both knew they would eventually come for me. It was only a matter of time before Arlo Salvatore retired as the CEO of Salvatore Global. And that meant one of his sons would take over for him and become the head of the family.
I slipped my fingers between Aiden’s and led him down the hall to my bedroom. Once inside, I tore apart my closet for suitcases and stuffed as much as I could fit into the bags.
“It’s not too late to run, Lexie.” Aiden sat on my bed, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. “Pops made the deal. You don’t have to honor it.”
“Aiden, there’s no point in running from them. We both know it’s a waste of time.”
His already flushed face got even redder. “Do you really want to marry one of those psychos? You deserve so much more.”
“I wouldn’t have an art career if it wasn’t for them,” I pointed out. “Luca has pulled a lot of strings to help me. He’s a jerk, but he has his moments.”
“They’re going to ruin you. Hurt you. I don’t think you understand what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I can handle them,” I assured him, though my words lacked certainty. “Maybe you should take Pops up on his offer. Then you could come with me.”
He shook his head, not the least entertained by the idea. “I don’t want or need anything from him. I would rather starve.”
“Pops gave us a life, Aid. We would probably be dead in a ditch right now if it wasn’t for him.”
Until now, we’d never spent more than a few hours apart. Some nights, I had terrible nightmares from my childhood, reminders of the parents we left behind. Aiden was always there for me. He was my rock, my person. Pops wasn’t a shoulder I could cry on, but he’d given us advantages. Helped me to heal from my trauma.
My grandfather was there when we both needed him most, and I would not let him down. An arranged marriage wasn’t that big of a deal. Plenty of people married without knowing each other. My grandparents had the same deal, their marriage nothing more than a merger of two powerful families.
Before Aiden could talk me out of leaving Brooklyn, I stepped into the hallway to grab toiletries from the bathroom. I found a large bag and stuffed it with deodorant, makeup, the usual things.
Luca watched me from the doorway.
I advanced on him, but he didn’t move. “Get out of my way.”
He clutched my chin and slammed my back into the door. “Stop talking back, baby girl. I’ve had enough of your princess act.”