Page 88 of Precious Legacy
I roll my eyes as I reach for my leather jacket. My silence is everything, and he hates it. I mean, I get why he did it, but it’s still infuriating that he took away my main motivation to succeed in the academy. Now that it’s gone, I feel hollow. It’s stupid how much that one event has been my driving force, because now I have nothing else to cling onto. I know it’s ridiculous, and I need to focus on the bigger picture, but seeking retribution was what put all this in motion in the first place.
There’s still Prescott to contend with, but even I know that probably isn’t a winning battle. Not through the justice system, anyway.
Arms wrap around my waist, and I hate how much my body betrays me when I melt into his warmth.
“You were never going to be able to take them down, Presh. Not with a cop involved.”
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. He’s right. Deep down, I knew that taking them down my way wasn’t going to end how I wanted it to from the moment I recognized Prescott.
“I was just protecting you.”
I push away, jaw feathering with irritation. “You call that protecting me?” I scoff, arching a brow as I turn to face him.
Roman looks downright offended by my accusation. “Yes,” he growls.
“Unbelievable,” I sigh, grabbing my keys from the side table before spinning around. “When are you going to get it through your head that I don’t need your protection? Being with you is what got me here in the first place!”
I realize my mistake as soon as the words fall from my lips. Roman looks hurt, fists clenched to keep his temper at bay. His jaw tightens as he steps towards me, darkness shrouding him.
“I…” I sigh. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…”
He pinches my chin and tilts my head so that I’m peering into his gorgeous blue eyes. “It’s okay. We can fix this.”
He’s referring to my current predicament about the academy. I’m about to walk into the place, and I have no idea if I still have a spot. Prescott made it clear last week that I was on his radar, even after Mom threatened him. I’m a mismatched bundle of nerves with no outlet for my anxiety, because even with Ashton and one of his friends out of the picture, I still wantthis.Ineedthis.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I need to keep my head down. I need to pass my exams and graduate, and just hope Prescott doesn’t come near me.”
“If he does?—”
“Roman!” I peer up at him, caging his face between my palms and pleading with him.
“I don’t want you anywhere near him,” he grumbles his admission.
Stroking my thumbs over his smooth cheeks, I swallow the lump in my throat. “Promise me you won’t do anything. You’ve already taken out two of them. Prescott is mine.”
“Fine,” he huffs, threading his hands in my hair. He plants his lips on mine—soft, and so unlike Roman that my brows furrow as he pulls away. I can tell he’s not happy about this, but he has no choice. I’m already looking over my shoulder constantly, and with Prescott’s added threat, I need to keep a low profile and hope this all blows over. Roman’s grip tightens as his gaze darkens. He pulls my head back, exposing my neck as he runs his nose over the sensitive area. “But I swear to god, if anything happens to you, there will be more remains spread about this city.”
I shiver beneath his words. I don’t even have the energy to be repulsed by them because my body is alight with excitement. The power of his threat makes my thighs clench because I know it’s not an empty promise, it’s a vow.
Clearly, proving I’m nothing like my family is going to be harder than I realized, because not only do I have to prove it to Roman and my dad, but myself, too.
After forcing myself off Roman before things get too heated, I say goodbye and head to the academy. I’ve opted to drive today since they’ve now opened up parking for trainees.
Savannah is already waiting for me at the entrance to the building when I arrive, her blonde hair flowing and whipping in the breeze.
Flipping the kickstand down and sliding my helmet off, I glance warily at Sav.
“Good weekend?” she asks, flicking her hair over her shoulder.
“Hardly,” I grunt back. I refrain from telling her about the arrest—or Prescott for that matter. If I’m going to keep a low profile, I need to try and forget about what happened. Thatmeans not spilling to Sav about fight night. It’s not that I can’t trust her, but she doesn’t know who I am, and she’s my first real friend outside of the group I grew up with. If I tell her who my family is, I’m afraid that friendship will dissolve.
Thankfully, she doesn’t ask for any more details, and we head to our lockers in silence before our first class starts. I’d feel some relief over that, except I find myself looking over my shoulder constantly. It feels like day one all over again, my nerves twisting and sending curdles of anxiety into my gut.
By the time our next class arrives, I’m about to explode with the amount of tension wound up inside of me, because this is the class I’ve spent most of my morning dreading; defense tactics.
We peel into the gymnasium at eleven o’clock, our footsteps thundering as we circle the large mat laid out on the floor. On the far side, Officer Prescott enters, stepping into the middle of our group.
A shiver tracks down my spine the moment I lay eyes on him.
