Mad Boys (Blue Ivy Prep, #2)(28)

She wasn’t the only one giving him a bland look for that. Older than both of us. Too old to look at her like that. Bodyguard? Friend? Was she sure about that?

When KC glanced at me, I held out the water bottle wordlessly. “You’re welcome,” I said before she could try to talk.

“Be right back, sweetheart,” the guy said before he headed for the stairs.

KC stared after him for a minute, then down at the water bottle I gave her. She twisted it open and gave me a faint smile.

“Don’t talk,” I suggested. “Do you need anything—”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” a screech cut through the hall, and I flinched. Payton Webber had the worst voice, and it didn’t matter whether she was getting fucked or trying to fuck someone over, she always sounded so goddamn irritating.

Hands on her hips, she faced off against KC. Behind her were a pair of movers with boxes stacked on a dolly. She glanced at the dorm room, then back at KC.

Oh.

They were going to be roomies.

Oh.

KC’s expression blanked and she said nothing, but there had been a fire in those icy eyes before the shutters came down.

This was going to end in blood.





Twelve





KC


Thank fuck for Dix. He handled the overwrought Payton’s bullshit so much better than me. Aubrey and I just decided to share a room, and that meant one bed would go into storage and we would share one, or we could just get two smaller beds later. For now, sharing a king wouldn’t kill us.

That put us in one bedroom of the suite and Payton in the other. What started as an exercise in just getting everything inside to sort later turned into a sniping argument.

Our choice in sofas was a little pedestrian. Why fabric and not leather? We weren’t putting that rug down, were we? She would prefer no dairy in the fridge at all. Also, only organics.

A headache pulsed behind my eye as she kept it up. “You know,” Dix said conversationally. “If we stuffed a gag in her mouth and put her in the closet, I doubt anyone would notice.”

Snickering, I shook my head. “Trust me, you notice when golden silence hits.”

He rubbed my shoulder. “Hang in there.”

I did not want to be that diva who demanded a change right after we got assigned to our new suite, but I’d almost take the janitor’s closet over this.

“If you’re just going to stand around and do nothing, could you at least do it in your room where I don’t have to trip over or look at you?”

“Did you have to practice getting your voice to hit that note? Or is it naturally shrill?” ‘Cause I’d heard out-of-tune guitars with better pitch.

Eyes narrowed, Payton raised her eyebrows as she straightened and put her hand on her hip. “You sound like the gutter trash whore your mother is… oh wait, I forgot, she’s the high-end porn star trash. My mistake.”

The smug little smile just put her over the top.

“Honestly, you think ‘your mama’ jabs are gonna get to me?” Did I like that Mom had that reputation? Of course not. Was Payton getting on my nerves? Yes, she absolutely was. Did I intend to react to every insult involving my parents? Fuck no, I would not.

She gave an airy little sniff. “I’m sure you’re used to the view from down there… though I do have to wonder if you and your mother have similar tastes? Maybe why Daddy Dearest prefers the new wife’s kids to his own child. Care to comment?”

“Does your ass ever get jealous of the shit that comes out of your mouth?” To be fair, I was genuinely curious. The sudden pink flush to her face amused me. Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened, then the door pushed open, letting in all the sound from the hall.

The volume of sound from so many disparate conversations coupled with the rolling squeak of carts, the thump of boxes, and the steady cadence of feet rushed into the suite like a rising tide.

“Coffee maker is here,” Dix announced. “Executive decision time, you need some caffeine.” He carried the huge box balanced on one shoulder. The Brevilles were really heavy when boxed up. The fact he handled it so readily impressed me. At the counter, Dix didn’t wait for someone to clear away the bags of…whatever the fuck was in the organic sacks, before he shoved it all to the side and in the sink.

“Do you mind?” Payton charged toward him, but Dix barely spared her a look.

“Not in the slightest. You can empty your bags from right there as easily as from up here.” Then he went to unpacking the box.

Payton gave him an incensed look. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

“A pain in the ass?” Dix retorted, his tone far milder than the sarcastic look on his face. “Some of us are working, either go coordinate your movers or just get out of the way.”

Her mouth opened and closed, before she wrenched her gaze in my direction.

“Don’t look at me, I’m fine with you going away and never coming back.” Facts were facts. I needed to stop letting her provoke me, cause the hoarseness of my voice might be “better” but my throat wasn’t healed yet.

With a little squeal of indignation, she flounced off to her room. The minute her door slammed shut, I rubbed a hand over my face.

“Kill me,” I muttered.