Page 24 of The Brat: Prequel

TEN

MAX <3

Victoria: You were popular tonight

Maxim: ?

Victoria: At the Citizens for the Arts gala

Maxim: You were there?

Victoria: Yes. The last half of it anyway

Maxim: You should have told me

Maxim: I thought you had an event at school tonight

Victoria: It was a washout.

Maxim: I’m sorry to hear that

Victoria: Anyway, going to bed

Maxim: Sweet dreams, katyonok

ELEVEN

TOUCH HER AND DIE

I crack my knuckles at the pictures Misha drops in front of me.

It’s been a while since he graduated from being her guard, as we experienced a flurry of recruitment once we became the Forgotten Boys. That he’s getting involved in Victoria’s security says a lot.

“You can’t kill him.”

My lips purse at his declaration.

“You can’t. We need them.”

“We need no one,” I sneer.

“We’re leaning on his uncle for that construction job in Queens. If you piss him off, he’ll back out of the deal.”

“If he backs out, I’ll kneecap him. How’s that for incentive?”

“Did you turn into O’Donnelly Sr. when my back was turned?” Misha, my closest friend, my brother, the man who knows me best in the world after Niko, folds his arms across his chest and stares at me, unimpressed. “I’m telling you the deal will collapse if you kill Kirkland’s nephew.”

“What even is Homecoming?”

I stare at the hands the bastard is using to cup Victoria’s face. She’s been acting strangely since that night and I’ve been looking into why.

Misha shrugs. “A dance. Inessa went to hers⁠—”

“I can see it’s a dance, fuckface,” I gripe. “What kind of homecoming?”

“I don’t know. I doubt the puritans in this country would actively encourage teenagers to hook up on school property, Maxim.”

I jab the asshole’s face with my pen. “Then why aren’t they pulling him off her?”