Hannaford Prep: The Complete Series

by J. Bree

Bree

Wait what?! Who did she kill?

My eyes land back on the Jackal, and I lift my chin until I no longer feel like I’m looking up at him. “I am the Wolf.”

My social worker interrupts my staring and I startle. She’s looking at me like I’m fragile again, and I don’t know how to tell her that I’m easily the strongest person in this room. You don’t survive what I have without becoming bulletproof. I have five pins holding one of my legs together to prove it. I’m the Wolf of Mounts Bay, and I can survive anything.

Is the whole school full of gorgeous, rich assholes?

Avery turns to smile at me, but it’s the smile of a predator who has identified their prey.

The list? Was that metaphorical, or did that psycho Avery actually organize her reign of terror that methodically?

The list!!

He snaps forward in his chair and grabs my tie to yank me forward. Our faces are so close together, I can feel his breath on my lips, and I fight the urge to lick them. Or lick his lips. God, I need some serious therapy. I wonder if my scholarship covers that.

How do I explain to this gorgeous, infuriating rich prick that there is no way Joey Beaumont could break me? That I'm friends with the Jackal and I survived becoming the Wolf? He wouldn’t even understand what any of that means, that I’d been put to the test by the most dangerous underground criminal organization, and I hadn’t just survived. I’d won.

After a terse ‘of course,’ Mr. Trevelen hangs up and then he looks at me like he’s never seen me before. He looks at me like he’s let a monster into his school. He has.

The uniform hides the physique of the male students far better than the legs and curves of the females. Sexist bullshit. If the guys get to see whether, or not I’ve shaved my legs this week, I think I should be able to see who bench presses my bodyweight on the regular.

“Which dictator did you pick for history? I'm going to wipe the floor with you.” His eyes are still twinkling, and it makes me feel lightheaded. Is he flirting? He can't be. I clear my throat. “Avery Beaumont, but Ms. Aurelia said I can't choose someone still in power, so I went with Mao Zedong. Who did you pick?”

What I wouldn’t give to be one of them. To be worried about what my parents think about my grades, or what I’m going to wear to the next party I attend. Instead, here I am trying to decipher obscure text messages from gangster kingpins while planning my next move against billionaire sociopaths.

They may all be monsters, and I know I am too, but I don’t want to be. Someday I will be a fully fledged adult out in the world, and I refuse to let this school turn me the way it has every other student.

So, this is the reason why I think she isn't all stabby in this series. She's trying to get away from it all. Which... okay, I get, but it makes it hard to believe she is a BAMF.

It's clear to everyone what has happened. Harley’s face turns thunderous. Blaise’s cool and unaffected mask finally drops, and his jaw clenches. I watch as Ash’s entire body begins to shake, the need to break and smash and destroy whoever has touched his sister so strong that the other students begin to back away slowly, and Blaise steps up to join him, his eyes dark swirling pits. Harley calls out to Rory, and when he turns fearful eyes on them, he signs his own death warrant. The guilt is written on every fiber of his being.

“She’s as loyal to him as you are to Liam O’Cronin so don’t be a dick.” “Difference is I can’t help the family I was born into,” he grumbles under his breath. Her eyes are pure ice. “Neither can she.”

“People stay in power by being proactive. If I let the Mounty boy insult Blaise without consequence then what’s to stop one of the privileged kids from doing it? It keeps me busy and the sheep where they belong.”

I want a mobster’s son with the face of an angel and the rap sheet of a street kid. I want the singer with a soft heart wrapped in barbs and trip wires of devastating wit to keep it safe. I want the billionaire’s unwanted son with eyes of ice and an endless love for his sister.

I dodge curious looks and leering seniors as I sprint to the dance gym, my hand steady on the reusable, glass coffee cup Avery had personalized with ‘Dictator in Power’ after I’d told her about my sniping with Harley about our history class last year. I can’t look at it without bursting out laughing. Someday, when I tell her who I am, I want one with a wolf on it. Two very different, but very deadly, predators.

“I don't accept bribes from rich playboys. Only favors.”

I take some time to reassess my life choices because, boy, did I make some life choices last night.

“The Crow deals in information. The type of information you deal in, I’ve always guessed that he’s the bastard son of a big player or a governor or something. The Tiger is a lawyer. He’s actually a decent guy, dirty as they come but he makes bank by digging people out of shit. He’s married, got kids, lives a white picket life while being a member of a criminal institution. It’s fucking weird.” “The Lynx?” Avery takes a gulp of her drink and I remember I have mine to drink as well. “She’s a mafia princess.

“The Boar runs the imports and exports, the Viper is a bookie, the Bear does cleanups and party drugs, the Fox runs parties of all kinds, the Ox runs protection and enforcing, the Coyote is the tech guy, and the Vulture sells skin.”

“The Jackal does everything. Drugs, guns, extortion, kidnapping, fucking everything. He’s a gang leader, through and through. And the Wolf… is invisible. Collects things. Does things no one else wants to do and the stuff no one else can do. I’m good at not being seen.”

They both blink at me then Ash says, “You asked his dealers to leave and they did?” I shrug. “I asked nicely.”

I stay on the floor until Avery finally drags me up and pushes me into the shower. I try to tell her I’d just had one but she starts on with her ‘hot water heals all’ philosophy and I just give in.

“I hear drinking the blood of your enemies helps with PMS. I’ll ask Ash to bring us a gallon.”

I roll the diamond between my fingers absently while I wait for the reply. Avery is watching the little stone move with something predatory in her eyes. She looks at the diamond the way I imagine I look at Harley, Blaise, and Ash. I hope to God they never notice. I think she’s honestly turned on by it. I start to feel weird about playing with it so I sigh and hold it out for her. She lunges for it like a crack addict.

“I’m never going to eat again. Goodbye boobs, it was nice having you,” I mutter and Avery cackles. “That will shut them up! The boobs are in danger.” Harley snorts and shoves the French toast back at me. “Save the boobs, Mounty.”

“Secret girls’ business,” says Avery in her most innocent voice. He rolls his eyes at her. “With the two of you that could be anything from pairing the correct shoes with an outfit to plotting the murder of a filthy-rich senator for your own gain.”

“I'm weird. I wear guys’ shirts and sweaters with booty shorts and skirts. I listen to the same three albums on repeat. I like French toast, coffee, and cherry anything. I don't function my birthday or Christmas. I can kill a grown man eight different ways with nothing but my bare hands. I’m never going to be normal.”

Avery pouts as she carefully packs the diamonds back into the safe. “I don't want boring old diamonds. I want priceless, blood-soaked, favor diamonds.”

A good guy. He’s a cage fighter, a trained killer, his weapons of choice are his fists or a fucking meat cleaver, he shows no mercy and has no conscience, and, according to my crazy hot girlfriend, he’s a good guy. I think I’m going to have a fucking stroke.

“What are you doing after school? You’re coming with us, right?” he murmurs. I clear my throat. “I’m going to conquer the world with Avery. Haven’t been able to find the right college course for that just yet but we’re exploring options.”

“Wanna help me get back at them? Beat them at their own game?” She quirks an eyebrow at me over the rim of her cup. “Always, Mounty.” I lied. I’m never letting this evil queen go.

The sound of our door unlocking startles me, and I shoot Avery a look. She rolls her eyes. “Ash insisted on having a copy. He says it’s for emergency use only and apparently having a locked door between him and his Mounty this morning counts as an emergency.”

Harley scoffs and whispers in my ear, “Stop looking at her like you want to fuck her; you’ll give us all a complex.” I quirk an eyebrow at him. “If we both swung that way, we’d be fucking married by now. I would have wifed her ass last year.”

Avery stands slowly, smoothing her skirt down with a steady hand. She’s been teetering on the edge of bloodshed all week and this bitch just stepped into the ring.

You have a single chance to give Lips the mark her paper deserves, right now, or you can continue down the path to your own destruction because I assure you, Ms. Turner, that you are not in the position of power here. I will wipe all traces of you from the face of the Earth.”

I love Avery “Dictator in Power” Beaumont. ♥️

Harley looks at his cousin like he’s lost his damn mind, but also like he’s fucking impressed. I’m swooning a little because only Ash would threaten a man whose latest victim is still bleeding at our feet.

“No problem. How many times do I have to tell you, I’m on your side. I trust that you wouldn’t be going and killing a decent person. Honestly, I don’t think I would care even if he were decent. If he’s in your way, take him out. Our family first; fuck everyone else,” she says,

“You’ll always be the Wolf. And we’ll always be yours.”

“Okay, teach me how to do that. Now, Mounty, I need to be able to do that. You looked like an assassin seductress, I’m in.” Avery gushes, her eyes lit up like I’ve just handed her a box of blood diamonds.

Avery smirks at him and I settle back in the chair, content to watch her work. I bleed people out for her and she does this stupid political crap for me. It works.

“Mon monstre, cut his heart out for me when you’re done. I would like to eat it.” The people within earshot all freeze and turn to look at the stunning blonde, but she stares Joey down like there’s nothing even slightly worrying about the psycho. I guess if you share a bed with the Butcher you’re immune to these things.

We walk out on the stage and Blaise grins easily, waving and bowing like the natural performer he is. I stomp out like I want to commit mass murder on every fucker in the damn room.

“Well, maybe it’s time we reminded him that you’re Avery fucking Beaumont and you might have shown him your soft side because he meant something to you but that doesn’t make you any less of a ruthless, cutthroat dictator. Beat him in his own game because, Aves, he has no fucking clue who he’s really dealing with.” She smiles at me and hands me a towel. “None of these stupid boys do.”

I’m kind of expecting to come back and find them being held up by rough and tumble eleven-year-olds. I’d also be tempted to put money on the Mounty kids in that situation.

When we finally get past the statues and immaculate landscaping and into the building, the looks we get from the other students… pure, unadulterated terror. Well, that's nice.

We’re firmly a stab-first family going forward.

Blaise shrugs. "Avery got them. Apparently, being a part of a gang means we have to coordinate this shit."