Finale: A Dark Gang Romance (Academy of Stardom Book 4)

An hour after Lena finally falls asleep, I hear a light tap at the door. Sliding off the bed as quietly as possible, I tiptoe over and open it. Zayn’s leaning against the doorframe, his forehead pressed against his arm, a bleak look in his eyes.

“You’re back,” I whisper, reaching for him. My hand cups his cheek, and for a brief moment he presses his eyes shut, leaning into the warmth of my palm. “Are you okay?” It’s a stupid question because, clearly, he isn’t.

“You’d better come,” he says, pushing off the door and taking my hand in his. He smells of smoke and ash, of fire and destruction.

“How bad is it?” I ask as we walk towards the living area. He doesn’t answer, instead he suddenly pulls me against his chest and hugs me fiercely, his arms folding around me as he buries his face into my hair. “Zayn. Just tell me. I can handle it. What happened tonight, it was just a… blip,” I say, reusing Dax’s description from a couple days ago. I know it sounds lame, it wasn’t a blip, more of a mountain.

“Does that mean you’re staying at the Academy, that you’ll still dance?”

“Yes.”

“Thank fuck,” he replies, cupping my face in his hands and kissing me roughly. He tastes of whisky as my tongue curls around his, and we try to reassure each other with love. With his thumbs stroking my cheeks, Zayn pulls back, sighing heavily. “This is going to get worse before it gets better. We’re gonna need dance more than ever, Pen. All of us.”

Before I can even respond to that statement, he takes my hand and pushes open the door to the living area. I’m surprised to see Grim and Beast standing by the kitchen island with Xeno and Dax. The fact they’re both here doesn’t bode well. York is talking quietly with Gray by the front door, and beyond I can see another two men I don’t recognise. I’m assuming they’re the ghosts Zayn demanded were sent to watch over us before he left earlier this evening with Xeno.

“Pen. I’m just gonna say this now,” Grim says the second she notices us. “If I get my hands on your brother before you do, I’m gonna string him up and gut the bastard for what he’s done. I’m sorry, he doesn’t deserve to live it up in prison with fucking digital tv and goddamn all-inclusive meals at the mercy of the bloody Queen of England.”

“Please, don’t call him my brother. He’s never been family,” I respond, not bothering to argue because I agree wholeheartedly. It’s time to take a leaf out of Grim’s book.

“I’ll take that as an approval,” she replies, a dark smile pulling up her lips as she strides across the room and pulls me into a hug. “How’s Lena doing?”

“Not great. She’s sleeping right now,” I reply. We move to the sofa and I sit between her and Zayn.

“That’s good at least,” Xeno says, taking a seat opposite us whilst Beast sits to Grim’s left.

“You know, I wasn’t sure I believed all the talk about David until now. I just thought he was your average two-bit sociopath with a superiority complex, but I agree with Grim, the guy’s fucked in the head. The sooner he’s put down the better,” Beast says to me before lifting his feet up onto the coffee table, dirty boots and all.

Xeno cuts him a look, but doesn’t say anything. It’s only when Grim taps his leg that Beast removes his feet. I would’ve smiled had I not felt like throwing up. Once the rest of the guys have joined us on the sofa, including Gray, Xeno clears his throat.

“Rocks has burned to the ground. As you’ve probably gathered, it was an arson attack.”

“Shit,” I exclaim, glancing at Zayn who blows out a steadying breath. “Was nothing salvageable?”

Xeno shakes his head. “Not a thing, the place is gutted. I’m betting accelerants were used to ensure the most amount of damage in the quickest amount of time. The arsonist knew what they were doing.”

“It was like staring into the pits of Hell. Nothing but charred remains,” Zayn adds, heavily, his tone serious and full of weight.

Reaching over, I squeeze Zayn’s hand. “I’m sorry. I know you had mixed feelings about the club. But it’s still a blow.”

He shakes his head, letting my hand go and reaching for the bottle of whiskey on the table. He pours himself a generous shot, knocking it back. “It’s nothing but bricks and mortar, and honestly, I don’t give a shit that it’s gone… There were more bad memories attached to that place than good.”

Zayn chews on his lip, glancing over at Xeno. Something passes between them. “What am I missing here?” I ask. I know these men better than anyone and this low mood isn’t just about the club burning down or our confrontation earlier.

“There’s more, Pen…” Zayn says, confirming my worst fears. He turns to face me, his knees brushing against mine.

“What?” I whisper.

“Fuck man, don’t beat about the bush. Just tell her,” Beast says, earning him a dig in the rib from Grim.

“Tell me what exactly…?” My voice trails off when a terrible thought occurs to me. I swallow hard, hoping to God that I’m wrong. “The club has been closed since that night everything went down, so no one was hurt, right?”

Grim rests her hand over mine and squeezes it gently before Zayn pulls out a folded note from his pocket. I see a dark stain of red on one corner of the lined paper and swallow hard. It doesn’t take a genius to work out what that stain is or who the note is from. With trembling fingers, I take the note from Zayn, and avoiding the blood, I unfold the note and read it out loud.

Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…. Catch a piggie by its toe…

Mum was just the starter, Penelope.

Didn’t she have pretty toes?

“Fuck!” I exclaim, dropping the note. It flutters to the floor as bile rises up my throat at the words and the insinuation. “Please tell me he isn’t saying what I think he’s saying?”

Xeno locks eyes with me and nods. “We’ll make him pay, Tiny.”

“I—” My hand clamps over my mouth, the taste of bile burning the back of my throat. I gag.

“How?” Dax snaps. I’ve never seen him look more murderous than in this moment. He’s practically vibrating with rage, and those thick veins on his forearms that I love to drag my tongue over when we make love, bulge beneath his skin as his fingers curl into fists on his lap.

“With a handheld saw I imagine. Fucking awkward to do,” Beast replies, earning him another dig in the ribs from Grim and a grunt of annoyance from Xeno.

“Beast, now’s not the time,” she snaps.

“He wanted to know how…” Beast shrugs, then clamps his mouth shut and holds his hands up when Grim gives him a death glare.

Dax stands abruptly. “That’s not what I fucking meant.”

“My bad. Apologies, Pen,” Beast says, grimacing as he realises his mistake. The fact that he can talk about chopping off limbs without even flinching reminds me just what he’s capable of. “Sincerely, I’m sorry. I forget not everyone has the stomach for this shit.”

I just nod, not having the words to respond. Isn’t it enough that David took her life, but removing a toe so he could send another sick message? That’s beyond fucked-up. My hands begin to tremble as I look at the note on the floor and try not to picture the fear in my Mum’s eyes as her own son held her down and strangled her to death. I don’t even want to know where the toe is. I only hope it’s not in this flat.

“How did you get it?” Dax asks, pointing at the note on the floor.

“David sent the toe with this note by courier to Tales for the attention of Grim,” Zayn explains, picking up the note and placing it on the coffee table in front of us.

Dax frowns “Grim?”

“What the fuck? Why?” York asks, sitting forward in his seat. “I mean, no offense, Grim, I’m kinda glad you received it and not Pen—because a fucking toe—but why you?”

Up until now he’s been silent, watching me closely as though he’s half expecting me to grab the nearest weapon I can lay my hands on and go on a rampage. Truthfully, whilst I might feel like doing exactly that, my body has other ideas. I can feel the beginnings of shock setting in as my teeth start to chatter and my skin covers in goosebumps.

“That was exactly our reaction too,” Zayn says.

“It’s because I work for you, isn’t it?” I say quietly, feeling like the room is closing in. How many more people that I care about will have a target on their backs because of me?

Grim shakes her head, and squeezes my hand gently. “Not to toot my own horn or anything, but no one would come after me blatantly like that just because I happened to hire you. This is much, much more than that. David is playing with us. This is a game to him. It’s just one big mindfuck.”

“What are you saying exactly?” I ask Grim, shifting uncomfortably in my seat, trying not to pass out.

“We believe David’s got someone on the inside, a motherfucking traitor,” Beast growls.

All eyes turn to Gray who raises his eyebrows in surprise. He’s been sitting quietly all this time, just observing in that thoughtful, unobtrusive way of his. “Me?” he questions, pointing at his chest. He’s calm, not in the least bit perturbed by the sudden rising tension in the room.

Grim lets go of my hand and leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she perches her chin on her steepled fingers. “You know me better than that Gray. If I thought it was you, then your pretty face and the contents of your skull would be splattered across the wall by now.”

Gray grins, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him look anything other than moody and thoughtful. “Which is exactly why I’d never betray you.”

“I hope the threat of death ain’t the only reason, son,” Beast adds, a smile in his eyes.

“That and the fact that you’re the only family I’ve ever had,” Gray replies sincerely. “You never need to worry about my loyalty. Not now. Not ever.”

Xeno nods. “Good to fucking know, because if I find out you’re a fucking traitor it won’t be Beast and Grim you’ll need to worry about. It will be us.” Xeno let’s that threat hang in the air, and the guys glare at him too just in case he didn’t get the message.

Gray nods, his top lip twitching with mirth that he shuts down when Dax snarls at him. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, but just so you know, I’ve been looking out for Lena for weeks now and there ain’t nothing I’d do to hurt her. She’s just a kid.”

“Do you have any idea who it might be?” I ask Grim, forcing myself to breathe and ignoring the dark spots in my vision.

She presses her lips together in a hard line. “Not right now, but when I find out who the snake is they’re going to regret ever fucking with us.”

“When will this end?” I mutter, those dancing black spots growing in size. I blink them away, forcing myself to remain strong, to not fucking crumble again even though the walls feel like they’re closing in. Everywhere we turn there’s another enemy, more snakes waiting to strike, to strangle, to poison, to kill. Grim grasps my hands in hers and ducks her head to look me in the eye.

“Do not let him get in your head. You hear me, Pen. Do not let that bastard rule you. Trust us to take care of this.”

“I trust that you’ll do everything you can,” I reply, grateful for her friendship, her support. “But I want you to promise me something, Grim.”

“Anything, Pen.”

“That when the time comes, I’m the one who kills him.”

Beast whistles under his breath. “Fuck me!” he exclaims, but I refuse to look at anyone but Grim. I know she understands. I know she gets it. My Breakers love me. They love me enough to want my soul to remain pure, and I know, I know that given the chance they’ll kill David for me. I can’t have that. I won’t. This isn’t about me keeping my soul intact. They’ve dirtied theirs up, darkened their souls with their actions over the years we’ve been apart, and I refuse to allow them to blacken them further. It’s time I taint my own a little bit. Besides, David’s my responsibility.

“I have to be the one to do it, Grim. I have to be.”

She nods, a mixture of both respect and sadness in her gaze. “You have my word, Pen,” she promises, before drawing me into her arms and hugging me tightly.