Year Three (Kingmakers, #3)

by Sophie Lark

“Dean Yenin,” she says, batting those big blue eyes at me. “What a pleasant surprise.” “I doubt it’s pleasant, or a surprise,” I reply coolly. “Oh, it’s both, I assure you.” She smiles sweetly. “After all, when have you ever broken that brooding silence of yours to speak to me before?” “I’d prefer to keep it that way,” I say flatly. “But you’ve been putting your hands on something that belongs to me.” Lola pouts. “You can’t possibly mean Cat Romero.” “That’s exactly what I mean.” “That shy little mouse . . . she’s not worth the time to walk over here.” “And you’re not worth the breath that sentence took. So let’s cut this short. Cat is under my protection. You don’t talk to her. You don’t touch her. Is that simple enough for you?” A flicker of anger crosses Lola’s face. She quickly smooths it away, putting out a hand to still Carter and Belkie, who shift menacingly in their seats. “And what do I get in return?” she inquires. “After all . . . Cat lost the Quartum Bellum for us.” “You did that to yourself,” I say coldly. “In fact, I should break your fucking neck for trying to break hers. As for what ‘you get’—how about I let your henchmen keep their arms. Unless they try to stand up from those seats again, in which case, I’ll use Carter’s fist to beat Belkie’s fuckin’ head in.” Lola toys with a lock of her shining hair, her eyes bright with interest, as if she’d enjoy watching that happen, even to her own friends. She stands up, crossing the space between us with an unneces...