“Her highness is lounging in a bubble bath,” Arianna giggles. “But she wants us to let her know if we do anything.” She frowns. “Whatarewe doing tonight? I mean, it’s Saturday.”
“Well,Lena’sschedule is clear,” Wren says dryly, biting back a grin.
I shoot her a murderous glare.
“Huh?” Lucia says.
“Nothing,” I grunt. “I had a study group thing that got called off.”
She nods. “Well, if wewant, Aaron and Chris told me there’s a rager going down at The Garrison.”
Aaron and Chris are Lucia’s new friends from the party last weekend—the gay guys who made sure she and Galina got home okay.
“It’s a Reckless night, but I guess they’re breaking from their tradition of keeping it club only.” She shrugs. “Maybe they're making up for last weekend?”
Ari frowns. “We really want to go to another Reckless party after the last one?”
“Well,” Wren shrugs, “if we couldskipthe non-consensual drug use this time, that’d be fun.” She grins. “Ooh, let’s bring Jude. Maybe he and Kirill will beat the shit out of each other again.”
“That wasinsane,” Lucia shudders.
I glance at her. “You’re not…you know…”
She makes a face. “Still into Jude? Uh,hard no.” She shakes her head. “No offense, I know he’s your cousin, but I think he mightactually be a sociopath. Have you heard the rumor that he’s the one who spiked the absinthe?”
I think back to trying to help Jude after the fight, and how he flat-out told me I’d just taken ecstasy. But evenJudeisn’t crazy enough to lace the drinks for an entire party.
Right?
“Yikes, that would be above and beyond,” Ari shudders. “Anyway, I personally feel that another Reckless party is probably a bad idea at this point?”
Lucia’s phone dings. She glances at it and snorts. “Ahhh,to be young again.”
“Huh?” Wren asks.
Lucia laughs. “My little brother is texting me pics from this super sloppy looking high school party he’s at.” She rolls her eyes. “Oh boy. Apparently Massimo and Griffin are there, too, Lena.”
That makes sense. Lucia’s younger brother Elio goes to St. Thomas Aquinas along with Massimo, Wren’s little brother Griffin, Damiano and Vincenzo’s kid sister Sofia, and a bunch of other younger siblings of New York-based Knightsblood students. It’s a Catholic prep school, but like Knightsblood it’s been pretty much co-opted by the mafia families in the city.
Suddenly, Lucia laughs. “Ouch. That’s not a good look.”
I frown. “What?”
“Looks like there’s some Knightsblood representation at this thing, too.” She rolls her eyes and shows her phone to Arianna.
…Who instantly goes pale.
“Lena, you gotta see this!” Lucia laughs.
Ari’s eyes go wide. ““No, she?—”
Too late.
Lucia hands me her phone, and a green, venomous snake hisses inside me.
“Achilles Drakos cavorting withhigh school girls?” Lucia makes a face. “Eek. That’s not great for the Golden Boy image.”
I barely hear her. I’m too busy staring puredeathat the photo, complete with kegs, guys taking their shirts off, girls with too much makeup…