Cruel King (Royal Elite #0) by Rina Kent

My phone vibrates.

Levi: Practice was cancelled. Come to the locker room.

Just reading his text lifts something heavy and crushing off my chest. The thought of him always puts me in a special mood. It’s like I become invincible knowing he’ll always be there for me.

Since Mum’s death, I’ve been a living dead until Levi breathed life into me.

I open the text to type back when strong lights blind me. I freeze and a tremor shoots through my limbs.

I continue staring ahead, but I can’t see anything due to the light. Just like that day at the party.

My heartbeat speeds up and my hands tremble so hard, the phone clutters to the ground.

Move. Move. Freaking move.

Everything around me disappears except for the sound of the downpour. The smell of the earth after the rain and blinding white light.



* * *



“Honey, give me the phone.”

“Is it Dad again?” I can’t help the disregard in my tone.

Mum smiles. “We have big news for you, honey.”

“Is it about Grandpa’s death?”

Her brows furrow. “Well, yes, but this means something more for us. For our family.”

“Family? What family, Mum? He’s married and happy with his blondie aristocrat and daughter. He’s not a part of our family.”

“Star…” her voice softens. “Everything isn’t what it seems.”

“Yeah, sure thing, Mum. Dad didn’t leave us for another freaking family.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to live with him?”

I rummage in her bag for the phone. “That was eons ago. I’m never living with him without you.”

She draws in a deep breath. “I’m done running, hon. I’m ready now.”

“For what?”

“Shit. Fuck!” Mum curses as she swerves the car around.

I look up through the rain-soaked windshield as she claxons for a long second.

“Move!” She shrieks and I watch in horror as she tries to swivel past a dog in the middle of the streets.

When she turns the car around the dirt side, the first thing I see is a man.

It’s funny how such moments happen in a slow-motion even though it’s a mere fraction of a second.

The man has his hands apart, his eyes are closed and his head is tipped back as the rain beats down on him.

He looks so… at peace.

Mum hits the brakes, but the car doesn’t stop. I don’t get a chance to scream as something thuds against the car and we topple over.



* * *



I’m thrust back to the present, gasping for air. I’m on my knees on the concrete floor, clutching my head between shaky hands.

“Astrid?” A hand clutches my arm.

I look up slowly. Dad looks down at me with a furrowed expression.

“Are you okay? What happened?” He pulls me to my feet and I hold onto his arm with all my might as if he’s my safety line.

“D-Dad,” I cry, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Please tell me the other person who died during the accident isn’t James King. Please.”

His lips thin in a line and it’s all the answer I need before the world goes black.

My mother killed Levi’s father.





48





Levi





There’s no warning when everything comes crashing down.



* * *



Astrid doesn’t show up in the locker room. Either she’s playing hard to get or something is wrong.

I sure as fuck hoped for the first option.

I call and she doesn’t pick up. I ask Daniel about her whereabouts and he says she met her father and must’ve gone home with him.

She answers none of my texts or calls.

My mood blackens when she doesn’t show up for school the next day or the next.

She’s been ghosting me for three whole fucking days.

If this is payback about those two weeks from hell, then I’ll take it. But Astrid isn’t as black-hearted as me. Sure, she’s a complete nut job when she wants to be, but she’s not vindictive.

Unless… something really wrong is going on.

After practice, I’m in the car when my phone beeps with a text from Uncle’s security company.

This could and would go back to him, but I’d take that risk. I kept that smashed footage of the summer party, but after that day in the Ferris wheel, I want to know the truth even more than Astrid.

I knew Jonathan’s company would get it done even before the police.

My brows furrow as I watch what happened that day.

Astrid banged on my door after I kicked her out. If I didn’t kick her out, that accident wouldn’t have happened.

She danced under the moon all alone like a fucking angel.

My jaw clenches as she starts running. I go through all the other cameras, trying to get a view of the two running after her.

Him.

I knew it.

I continue watching the footage, but the cameras stop right at the road. There’s no footage of Astrid being hit. There’s only a side view of the car that’s speeding down the road.

I’m about to close it when I notice something.

Wait a fucking second.

I reload back and then forth. Back and forth.

Well, fuck.

This changes everything.