The Darkest Note (Redwood Kings #1)

by Nelia Alarcon

I don’t cry when I get the call from the police. I don’t cry when I identify the body, when I see the dark hair and bloated skin. I don’t cry when they hand me the note my mother left behind.

There’s no perfect way to say this, so I’ll get to the point. It’s over for me. But it’s not because of you or Vi. Sweetheart, you are everything a mother could possibly ask for. Smart, strong, perfect.

That’s who you are to me, Cadey. You are my sunshine. It’s just that I’ve been battling this dark cloud way before you and your sister were born. I don’t have the strength left to fight it anymore.

I have to go now. Remember that I love you and Vi more than anything in the world. I’ll meet you on the other side. - Mom

I don’t shed a single tear as I crumple her note and hand it back to the cops. I certainly don’t cry when I tell the mortician to burn her body to a crisp.

I’ve never seen people who look as hauntingly beautiful and effortlessly intimidating in real life. Are these The Kings? The boys who were powerful enough to shut down the entire show?

From the shaggy blond hair to the easy way the tight T-shirt wraps around his pecs, it all screams danger. Damage. Destruction restrained to the body of a Greek sculpture.

He pushes out every sound, every thought until he’s all that’s left.

But my brother is wrong. I did mess around on tour. The problem is… even when boredom had me indulging in a nameless chick with her legs spread open, it didn’t rid me of the redhead from the back-to-school showcase.

Women like her… they’re the reason empires fall and kings turn into losers. The magic in her fingers has that kind of power. And I want no freaking part of it.

I don’t know who New Girl is, but she’s keeping my best friend from his rightful place. She’s in my way. And I’ll do what I always do with the things that keep me from getting what I want. I’ll destroy them. And there won’t be a brick standing when I’m done.

I’m only five years older than her, but I can’t help the weariness I feel when I see her fresh-faced enthusiasm. The world is going to knock that right out of you, Vi. Hell, I could do it myself. But, like the plucky little flame that stands alone in the darkness, I want to protect her light for as long as possible.

I hate that I notice.

“Fine. I’ll warn her first,” I say to Finn, because he seems the most unsettled. “Give her a chance to walk away for her own good.” “And if she doesn’t take that chance?” Zane asks. I focus on the desk where New Girl had been hunched over. “Then I’m going to turn her life at Redwood Prep into a living hell.”

I thought Dutch had reached the pinnacle of male perfection. But seeing his perfect white teeth flashing in the sunlight, I know that he’s not just beautiful. He’s outright dangerous. A heartbreaker in motion. A destroyer of souls. And I should be nowhere near them.

“Just because something’s beautiful doesn’t mean it can’t burn your world down.”

“Just say yes. You know you want to.” There’s something darkly magnetic about him, although he’s the least friendly-looking out of the bunch. And suddenly, I do want to say yes. I really, really want to say yes.

Jinx: This one is for free, New Girl. A king will never marry his concubine. Don’t walk through any doors believing it’s your happily ever after. The only path in front of you is the one that leads to destruction.

“What if I don’t?” “If you don’t,” his lips move over mine, so close I can smell his cinnamon-scented breath, “then I will make it my personal mission to destroy you.”

When all you’re surrounded by is pain and darkness—there’s no choice but to hold on to something intangible. Beautiful idealisms. Unreachable dreams.

Everything about my existence is moldable. No matter how much pride I have, I’m nothing but a plaything in the hands of the rich and powerful. The hand grabbing mine is proof.

Dutch is breathing in my fear like a drug. I feel the darkness vibrating in his bones and it rumbles against my skin.

“And today, Dutch almost kissed you.” “Whoa. That is not what happened,” I snap. “I’d knee him in the nuts before I let him kiss me.”

She ignored me. Made me look like a fool in front of my brothers. And it deserves a punishment. Is it my fault she’s still got so much of a fighting spirit? Maybe.

But this beautiful pain-in-the-butt still has no fear. It’s about time I put the fear of The Kings into her.

It was a reaction that I don’t understand or particularly care for. The last thing I want to be is attracted to the girl I’m trying to run out of Redwood.

She steps into me, fearless and sexy as hell. “You listen up, Dutch. I am not your property. I do not belong to you. And as long as there is breath in my body, I will never give you the privilege of telling me what I can and cannot do.”

I don’t waste a second. Flattening my hand against her torso, I push her off balance and throw her over my shoulder.

“Keep doing that and you’re going to flash every junior in the lunch room,” I warn her. For some reason, the thought of them staring at her pert little backside is not sitting well.

I’m assuming he tried to get under her skin and she got under his first.” His words send a tightness through my chest. Is that what Brahms is doing to me? I shake my head quickly.

“See that girl behind me?” Dutch whispers. The jock’s frightened eyes jump to me before swinging back to Dutch. “You don’t mess with her unless you get my permission.”

I see it then—the interest flickering in his gaze. I thought he came to track me—the real me—down. But he’s not. He’s back here because he has a thing for my alter ego. Power surges through my body, crackling like lightning. There have been so many moments at Redwood Prep when it felt like the light at the end of the tunnel was getting smaller and smaller. So many moments when all I wanted was a chance to level the playing field. I haven’t had many opportunities to get back at the great Dutch Cross. Now that a door is open in front of me, I feel bold. There’s no way I’m letting this moment slip through my fingers.

I can’t believe Dutch Cross is letting me into his thoughts like this. It feels almost evil to use it.

“I know I’m not the only one feeling this,” Dutch says softly, looking both relaxed and intense at once. “No,” I grab his collar. “You’re not.” Roughly, I drag him closer and smash his mouth to mine.

The desire inside me twists tighter and tighter. It’s a discordant sound. As messy as the notes I played when I first caught sight of him in the lounge. I should resist it. I have to.

But there’s a draw to him, unadulterated and magnetic. The more I want to resist, the harder it is to let go.

But the way it felt with her, it was almost like I knew her. Like we were cut from the same cloth.

I have no freaking clue why this girl screws with my head. In fact, after the kiss-slap duet, it took me a long time to page through what the hell had just happened to me.

“There’s something more to that redhead,” Finn says thoughtfully. “I can feel it.”

I know that I’d follow her anywhere. And that means I’m in deep. Way deeper than I’d like to be. I can’t lose control and the moment I see her, I’ll be putty in the palm of her hands.

I despise him. From deep down in my soul, to the place where music flows through my veins, it all abhors him.

I’m going to kill him today. I have to.

I give him a one-fingered salute. My backpack bounces as I stride away from him. “Okay then.” He grunts and, a moment later, I’m airborne. A moment after that, I’m practically kissing Dutch’s firm and sexy buttcheck while my legs are spiraling down his chest.

He smacks my behind and I yelp. There’s smugness in his tone when he says, “Simmer down, Brahms. If you keep thrashing like that, everyone’s going to get a view of your plump little backside.”

I dig my teeth into my bottom lip, sure that today’s the day it’s all going to end. Today’s the day I murder Dutch Cross.

They can do anything to me and I wouldn’t be able to run. That’s not a turn on. That’s a dangerous situation. And these are dangerous people.

“As long as you’re enrolled in Redwood Prep, you belong to me. I own you.”

My chest tightens and I realize that, beyond any shadow of a doubt, I’ve never hated anyone the way I hate Dutch Cross.

“If I tampered with your drink, trust me, you wouldn’t be able to tell.” The threat hangs between us, like the eye of a hurricane. “Might want to be careful with your words, Brahms.” “You might want to not be so paranoid, Dutch. It was a joke.” It was not a joke. If I’m getting their coffee every day, then you bet I’m going to slip a laxative in Dutch’s.

His jaw clenches. “You don’t need to ask questions. Just do as you’re told.” “Are you embarrassed, Dutch? Is there another girl out there who sees you for the despicable human being you really are?”