Swish, swish.
The windshield wipers were busy at work this morning. It’d been raining since late the night before, and now there was just a whole dreary feel to the day. Dark and gloomy, matching my mood.
It was perfect.
Swish, swish.
“Are you nervous, miss?”
I wasn’t responding, because this isn’t how things were supposed to be. I wasn’t supposed to wake up in the middle of the night and find the bed empty. And I wasn’t supposed to have to be escorted by one of our guards down to the apartment building’s gym to find my boyfriend, the guy I loved, the guy who was so not a secret from the entire world anymore, pummeling a boxing bag so hard that his knuckles ripped open every night. It was not right that I had to stand on the side, waiting for him to fight through his haze before he noticed I was there, and then watch as blood dripped from his hands to the floor.
But all of that was happening.
Because three weeks after there’d been a kidnapping attempt on me, after he had saved me, everything was just, simply, not okay.
To be more frank, everything was shit.
And here I was.
In the back of an SUV being driven by one of my two personal bodyguards, to a school that I used to daydream about attending, while my boyfriend, that guy I had come to love so much, was heading into his own personal nightmare.
Fitz, my guard, clued in on my state and didn’t ask again, but his eyes were on me. He saw. He more than saw, and I knew I’d be getting a call from Kash about two minutes after the first chance Fitz had a moment to text his boss that I was not okay.
Because I wasn’t.
Today was the day all my dreams were supposed to come true.
Instead, I was a week late going to my graduate program and I wanted to be anywhere except where I was going. And I had no say, because the world found out in a big way I was the daughter of Peter Francis, a tech legend who I’d grown up idolizing until I found out myself, this past summer, that he was also my father.
And then there was my boyfriend, Kash Colello, whose grandfather was one of the richest men in the world, but that came with strings and dangerous alliances with the dark underground of the world. My boyfriend, with his inherited wealth, now that he had come out of the shadows to the world, and whose “coming out” was even bigger than mine because of his connections and his family, was now the ninth wealthiest man in the world.
Life as Peter Francis’s daughter, life as Kash Colello’s girlfriend, was a whole lot different than life had been as Bailey Hayes.
There were rules and expectations and lots and lots of people watching you.
So no, I was not okay.
I had a pit in my stomach the size of the Grand Canyon and no one could tell me not to have it. It was there. It was getting bigger every morning I woke, and it wouldn’t stop growing.
But that wasn’t for Fitz to deal with, or my new classmates.
I was hoping they had no clue who I was, but I was realistic and knew they probably did. Everyone in our world knew my father, so that meant everyone would know who his daughter was.
“It’s a big day today. I’m nervous.”
I was lying through my teeth.
The shadow in his gaze cleared. He nodded, the wrinkles smoothing out in his forehead, and while he went back to driving and doing his job, no longer holding a nagging worry, I was still here. I was still not okay.
My phone buzzed. It was Matt.
Naveah. Tonight. I want to hear how your first day went. Hope it’s great, sister.
The text from my older brother was helping to ease some of the doom and gloom. Especially because I was pretty sure he’d be sleeping off a hangover from drinking at Naveah the night before. The nightclub was their favorite spot to see, be seen, and to get laid.
I texted back.
Deal.
We drove more, and my phone buzzed a second time. MomBoss.
Hope your day is amazing, sweetie!! You’ll wow everyone with your brain.
Sigh.
Chrissy Hayes, aka MomBoss, aka my mother. She was being the doting and loving mother this morning, not the feisty, ready-to-commit-murder-and-hide-the-bodies mom or her other alter ego, the party animal.
She had a bigger social life than I did.
Thanks, Chrissy.
MOM TO YOU!
Thanks … MomBOSS
Better. You’re learning.
We kept driving and my phone buzzed a few more times. Ser:
KICK ASS, BIG SISTER!! FIRST DAY FOR BOTH OF US!
Well, then. I didn’t realize my little sister was that excited to start eighth grade. It eased my worry for her, because I knew Seraphina was kind and pure and those friends around her were so not the same.
Slay those other girls, Ser. SLAY.
She might not realize I meant that word almost literally, but I did. She texted back:
Consider them slayed.
That eased my gloom even more. I now matched the outside. It was more dreary, slightly overcast. A bit more than overcast. More like overcast with a good chance of rain. Stormy.
I needed to stop using weather analogies. And then I heard from Cyclone, my little brother.
Cyclone: I finished the robot. What are you doing today? I have school. They’re doing a robotics class and I got in. Did Dad tell you? I’m in there with a bunch of older kids, but I’m in. They said the robot sealed the deal. This year is going to be AWESOME!
Cyclone: Aunt Helen said we could all do pizza night tonight. You in? Tell me you’re in. I have to tell you about my robotics class. You and Kash have to come.
Me: You bet, buddy, and have fun today! You’re right. A robotics class is amazing. I’m not surprised you got in, and YOU’RE going to be AMAZING!
Cyclone: Okay. Calm down. It’s just the first day. Did Ser tell you that I grew again? I’m almost as tall as you.
I laughed. He probably was. I was five-six and he wasn’t too far beneath me. Even Seraphina had had a growth spurt and was nearing just an inch below me. Though, while it was obvious she could be a supermodel one day, it was pretty clear that I got the short genes and different body structure than the rest of the Francis kids. Matt was tall but lanky. Seraphina already had a little bit of a bigger bone structure than me. I was petite, like Chrissy, and I like to think I had the same feisty Hayes attitude in me. We packed a wallop if need be, but I got Peter’s hair and his eyes. We both had honey-brown eyes and jet-black hair with tints of blue in the right light.
The rest of the Francis kids were going to be tall and gorgeous.
And right on cue, as if they all got together and timed their texts perfectly, my little brother’s text did the trick. It ripped through the dark cloud. A streak of light shone through. He was a little genius, and he was excited to learn and grow that brilliance. I wasn’t as worried about him being bullied, because Cyclone was like me. He’d just hack them, and eventually everyone would learn to instantly fear him.
I loved the little tornado dude.
I’d been at Kash’s so much and I’d stayed away from the Chesapeake Estate. I couldn’t do that anymore. I needed my brother and sister. It hit me then just how much I needed them. There was a whole feeling burning inside my chest, making my heart squeeze. Painfully. After all the scandal that went down, with their mom being arrested for trying to kidnap and murder me, I’d been told that it might be a good idea if I steered clear from the house and Seraphina and Cyclone.
That was done. The burning just increased thinking about it.
I wasn’t staying away anymore.
Me: We gotta hit up the house before Naveah. There’s a robotics class I have to hear about and I need to make sure those girls were nice to Seraphina today.
Matt: Sounds good. Do your hacking thing, check those bitches’ social media stuff. Can you write a program where if they start talking shit about Ser, their computer gets fried?
Me: No, but give Cyclone a couple years. I’m sure he’ll be all over that.
I could hear Matt’s laugh in his response.
Forgot. I’m talking to the wrong genius in our family. Too many of you fuckers to remember.
I was almost, and I was stressing the almost, in a good mood when I saw we were coming up to the beginning of Hawking’s campus.
Gotta go. We’re here.
Hawking University was known around town for its football team, but not for me.
All I cared about was that it was where I’d get my master’s in computer information systems and then be on the way into my career creating security systems. That said, it was pretty to look at as we pulled up. Hawking was made up of gray brick buildings, most of which looked like castles. The building with most of my classes had a patio that stuck out over the rest of the building, and the roof looked raised, like it was the opening over a grand patio. Weird, but also kind of cool. The front doors were tall enough to cover two floors, and they were made up of metal and painted a dark orange. They looked almost burned, and I was guessing that was a latest trend, too.
Or I was assuming. I had no clue.
But ask me the latest trends for computer spreadsheets, program coding, or websites and I could list off a good two dozen, then give a bulleted list of pros and cons for each new trend, delivering it all with my sharp and snappy wit.
Even now, just thinking about it, I was getting all hyped.
I was almost bright and sunny. Until Fitz stopped the car.
No one deemed me ready, and to tell the truth, I hadn’t been. I was a mess, but who wouldn’t be? The world knew whose daughter I was, and then the world knew it’d been my stepmom who tried to kill me.
But there were good changes, too: my man and my family.
And all that brought me back to here, because I knew I wouldn’t be attending graduate school as simply Bailey Hayes, freak genius brain but cute repertoire. I wouldn’t be able to impress anyone with my saved file of memes. Instead, when I walked in there, everyone would know who I was. And not because of all that I just stated but because they knew who my father was, and two months ago I would’ve been salivating over the fact that Peter Francis had an illegitimate daughter. One who had his brain.
Except that girl was me, so there you go. My dilemma.
I liked being anonymous. No way was I going to be anonymous in there.
God. I sounded whiney.
No more whining. Check.
“You’ve been registered and everything is up-to-date. Your textbooks were delivered, along with your first week’s worth of notes.” Fitz kept talking, as if he knew what was bugging me.
Being new, everything was work. Usually I’d have to trek across a campus and make sure all my payments would be going through to pay for my school. I’d have to worry about getting a picture taken, getting my official ID. Textbooks, ’cause you had to be current with what the professor wanted you to have. Then there was the map of actually finding where you were supposed to go, or even just parking.
Kash and my security team went over my safety plan. I had a safety plan! I still couldn’t get over that I was someone who needed a safety plan. So I knew the second guard was already inside. Erik and Fitz. Both looked my age or a few years older. Kash introduced us last night. He came around to officially meet me, and Kash told me Erik would be in civilian clothes, meaning he’d attempt to blend in. I couldn’t fathom how a high-security bodyguard could “blend” so he was invisible. But they were trying. So I would try, too.
Fitz was about to open his door, and I knew what he would do after that.
I couldn’t. That was too much attention.
“Is Erik inside? I’d like to get out on my own.”
His eyes met me in the mirror. He knew what I was really asking, and after a second look, he used his phone. It buzzed back a moment later, and I looked through my window to the building. As Fitz answered me, I already spotted Erik standing at the door.
He did look like a grad student. Jeans. Hoodie. He had a bag slung over one shoulder and his phone in his hand. His gaze on me, he pushed open the building’s door, taking a casual stance behind it.
He was looking just like the four other students right next to him, but I knew that wasn’t the case. He was out there watching me, and I knew as I got to the building he’d somehow find a way to open the door for me. I would have to wait so he could go in first. These rules were stressed heavily to me the night prior. There was protocol and reasons for everything, but mostly Kash said it was all for my safety.
“You’re good to go.”
I grabbed my bag and nodded to Fitz. “Thank you.”
I got out, and as soon as I did, my phone started ringing.
Kash calling.
He’d woken me this morning with his mouth trailing down my spine, a firm hand on my hip, and then a full hour of ecstasy. I expected a quickie for the morning. It was anything but. He’d been in no hurry. There was still that, but there’d been a whole element where it was slow and tender and loving. He kissed me the entire time he made love to me.
My entire body had been trembling from the emotions, and he rubbed a tear away with his thumb at the end. I’d been that overwhelmed.
I loved him.
God, did I love him, and somehow he knew the exact touch I needed to start this next chapter.
I answered, my phone to my ear. “You’re supposed to be walking into your first shareholders’ meeting right now.”
Kash came from a powerful, well-connected family. With his grandfather being the evil lord he was—wealthy, powerful, and dangerous—and his mom having been a money genius who left an extremely large inheritance, he was a major player in the world. Besides money and power, Kash had his father’s shares in Phoenix Tech, since he and Peter started the company together.
Kash had been steadily taking over his father’s shares, which my father had previously voted in his stead, and he was also taking over older companies that his mother had started with a similar arrangement. The owners had been waiting for Evelyn Colello’s son to step out of the shadows.
A low chuckle greeted me, and it washed over me, my entire body encased in warmth and flutters.
The flutters. I was still affected by just his voice.
“Shareholders can wait. Fitz said you’re heading inside. How are you feeling?”
I stopped on the sidewalk, adjusting my bag, and shut the door behind me. The air was warm, sunshine already promising to be high and heavy that day, and students of all ages roamed behind me, around me, cutting in front of the vehicle. More than a few were eyeing Fitz, who could be seen through the windshield.
It was an impressive vehicle, a black SUV, but it wasn’t anything more. I could be a normal student just getting dropped off by someone … but I was in the back and Fitz was in the front and I could feel their gazes switching to me, wondering who I was.
This wouldn’t have bothered me three months ago. Three months ago, I would’ve assumed I was getting the attention because my tech reputation had preceded me. I would’ve been trudging from the parking lot, with my own shitty little Corolla in the lot, and I would’ve been standing in line to get a parking permit so I wouldn’t get a ticket on my first day of classes.
But there was no recognition on any of their faces.
I breathed easier. “I’m feeling ridiculous, to be honest.”
Another low and baritone chuckle from Kash. “You got this. And you already met Busich and Goa. They’ll look out for you.”
I pressed my lips tight together.
I’d met them. I hadn’t wanted to meet them that way, though. Not in my father’s study, with my dad there, and knowing I was already getting special privileges because he was introducing me as Peter Francis’s daughter. Busich was the head of all the graduate programs and Goa was the head of my program’s department. Two individuals a normal graduate student might never have met, but not me. Another change.
All these changes.
My stomach clenched. My gaze wavered; everyone was starting to circle in on me.
Get ahold of yourself! I could hear Chrissy’s voice snapping at me, loaded with impatience and thinking this whole thing was ridiculous. Me, griping about all the “special” things that had happened to me and I knew would keep happening to me. I would’ve rolled eyes at myself three months ago, but—
“What if you dosed her too much?”
“Bitch…”
“Kidnapping and murder…”
I swallowed over a knot that was encased in acid and shoved that whole thing down my throat. That happened.
My hands were shaking, but I kept my voice firm. Goddamn, my voice wouldn’t give anything away.
“You’re right. I’ll be all good.”
Straighten up, Bailey.
I straightened.
Roll your shoulders back, girl.
I rolled my shoulders back.
Suck it in. Suck it up. And get going. You have a degree to conquer. You’re going to earn a master’s of science in computer information systems.
I sucked it in, sucked it up, and I was good to go. Hearing my mother’s voice smoothed it all away, and I was ready. I would be fine.
I changed tactics. “I love you.”
He was quiet for a moment. He wasn’t buying it, but he said it back, and I knew it was a pass. He’d deal with this tonight, and what “this” was, I wasn’t even sure myself. But I hung up with Kash.
I knew he had my back.
I knew he loved me.
Knowing that, feeling that, accepting that, I was ready to go.