Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
"Neil," Kevin said, low and frantic.
Neil ignored him. "I know it's not entirely your fault that you are mentally unbalanced and infected with these delusions of grandeur, and I know you're physically incapable of holding a decent conversation with anyone like every other normal human being can, but I don't think any of us should have to put up with this much of your bullshit. Pity only gets you so many concessions, and you used yours up about six insults ago. So please, please, just shut the fuck up and leave us alone."
Jaws dropped up and down the line; Raven symmetry shattered as they stared at Neil in stupefied disbelief. Riko's expression could have frozen hell, but Neil was too upset to be afraid. He'd have a nervous breakdown later. Right now he leaned forward and looked down the table at Dan, who sat with her face buried in her hands.
"Dan, I said please. I tried to be nice."
"Matt," Dan said, almost choking on his name. "Matt, Coach. Get Coach. Oh my god."
Matt left as fast as he could.
"You can't say things like that," Jean said.
Neil wouldn't have looked at him, except Jean sounded more horrified than angry. "Then he shouldn't have asked me to join the conversation. I was happy sitting here saying nothing."
Jean turned on Kevin and spoke in quick, furious French. "What the hell is this?"
"His antagonism is a personality flaw we're learning to live with," Kevin said.
"Live with," Jean echoed, like the very idea offended him. "No! You should have dealt with him two weeks ago when he first stepped out of line. We trusted you to discipline him. Why doesn't he know his place yet?"
"Neil has no place in Riko's games," Kevin said. "He is a Fox."
"He is not a Fox!"
"Funny," Neil said in French. Jean wasn't expecting him to understand them and shot Neil a startled look. "I'm pretty sure the contract I signed said Palmetto State University."
"A contract does not change facts," Jean said. "Did you forget who bought you?"
"Bought me," Neil repeated. "Nobody bought me."
Kevin frowned, lost. "Jean, what are you talking about?"
Jean looked like he swallowed a stone. "You don't know." It was supposed to be an accusation, but it fell flat. Jean shot an incredulous look between them. "How can you not know? Why else would you have recruited him, Kevin?"
"He has potential," Kevin said.
Jean's laughter sounded more than a little hysterical. "God save you both, you useless fools. No one else can. How either of you have lived this long when you're so miserably stupid is beyond my capacity to understand."
Wymack's voice nearly startled Neil out of his skin. "What the hell is going on over here?"
Neil looked up to see Wymack standing right behind him. Matt went back to his chair but didn't sit down again. Jean ignored Wymack but turned in his chair and said something in a flurry of Japanese. Whatever it was wiped the icy look off Riko's face at last. Riko sent an intent look between Neil and Kevin before answering. Jean gestured helplessly. Kevin looked from one to the other before saying something in cautious Japanese.
Wymack interrupted before Kevin could finish and motioned to his Foxes. "On your feet. Abby is talking to the event coordinators about finding us a new table."
Neil didn't need to be told twice, but he didn't get far. Jean turned back on him before Neil had finished pushing in his chair and beckoned for him to listen. His French was almost too fast for Neil to follow, but Neil understood more than he wanted to.
"Riko will have a few minutes of your time later," Jean said. "I suggest you speak with him if you do not want everyone to know you are the Butcher's son."
Hearing his father's name aloud was a kick in the chest. The noise Kevin made at his side was worse. Neil reacted without thinking, clapping a hand to Kevin's chest and shoving him as far back from the table as he could. Kevin stumbled back so fast he almost fell. Neil didn't look back at him, but he couldn't tune out Kevin's hoarse denial.
"That's not true."
"Shut up," Neil said, but he didn't know which one of them he was speaking to. "Don't say anything else."
"Run along," Jean said. "It's what you're best at, isn't it?"
Wymack stayed behind to deal with Edgar Allan and the Foxes cleared out of there like their lives depended on it. They attracted a lot of curious stares as they crossed the room to Abby, but the Foxes were too busy watching Kevin and Neil to return any of it. Abby and Blackwell's coach walked them to their new table. They'd switched seats with the coaches. It put the Foxes on the outskirts of the event, but Neil doubted any of them really minded.
They settled in the same order they'd been in at the last table, but Kevin sat sideways to stare at Neil. He seized Neil's chin in an iron grip and turned Neil's face toward him. Neil wanted to fight it, but there wasn't a point anymore. He watched Kevin, waiting for recognition to sink in. On its heels was sick fear. Neil clenched his hands together under the table where no one could see his fingers shake.
Kevin opened his mouth, but Neil didn't want to hear it. He didn't know what Kevin was going to say and, more importantly, he didn't know what language it would be in. Neil spoke first in quiet but strained French.
"No, Kevin. Not here. You and I will talk tomorrow."
Kevin hesitated. "Does Andrew know?"
"He knows only pieces of it," Neil said. "He doesn't know my name."
"Does he know who you are?"
"I said no." Neil wrenched Kevin's hand off his face. "We're not doing this here."
Kevin stared at him a few seconds longer, then got out of his chair almost fast enough to take the whole table with him. Abby was at his side in a heartbeat, expression pinched with worry. Kevin couldn't seem to manage words, but he gestured for her to follow and started for the door. Abby took a step after him, then hesitated, torn.