Bully King - J.A. Huss Page 0,88

things are shaking out between Cooper and I and doesn’t need to have a conversation about it. But Lars definitely does.

But then everyone is interrupted by Ax. “Hear ye! Hear ye!” he belts out from the front of the tent. “Line up for challenge two, ladies!” He’s wearing a pair of faded jeans with lots of holes today and a white t-shirt that says ‘Crybabies are Losers.’ His wallet chain flaps against his leg as he paces back and forth, those evil eyes of his searching the tent like he’s looking for a victim.

It doesn’t quite have the same effect on any of us this time. I think we all know that Ax is dangerous and will beat the shit out of you if you cross him, but deep down he’s got a really soft heart. Especially for girls.

And I have to give him props for that. If my mother had wounded me the way his did, I might harbor some deep-rooted resentment of women.

All the girls look at each other nervously, wondering what this challenge might be.

I sigh and lean against a chair.

“Get. To fucking. Work.”

I look over at Victor, startled. “What is your problem?”

“You work here, Fugling. And we need help in the kitchen. You’re not here to enjoy the show.”

“Whatever.” I push off the chair and walk towards the Glass House, cursing Victor under my breath. And once inside, everyone seems to have a job for me to do. Starting with scrubbing the floors on my hands and knees.

They have the curtains open today. And the other servers are setting up for what looks to be an elaborate luncheon, but the door is closed, so I don’t hear anything that happens outside in the tent.

All I see is Sophie crying hysterically as the other girls do their best to console her.

One of the servers comes through the door from outside and I stop her before she can retreat into the kitchen. “What happened to Sophie?” I ask.

The girl—no clue what her name is—smirks at me. “She was traded.”

“Traded? What?”

“Yup. Dante bought her right out from under Michael.”

“Yes!” a boy says behind me.

“What’s good about that?” I ask.

He laughs. “We have a pool going and they were my picks. I just won a thousand bucks! Drinks on me tonight, people!”

They all whoop and holler, enjoying Sophie’s fear and sadness.

I want to go out there and console her—tell her she will be fine. I made it, she can too. Even without the bodyguards. But I hesitate. Because the only reason Dante didn’t make my life a living hell was because Meat and Chatter had their eye on me every second of the past two weeks.

Then he’s there. Dante is standing in the doorway to the Glass House. “Fugling,” he barks. “I need you to massage my feet. Get your ass out here. Now!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE - COOPER

“Calm down!”

But Michael isn’t capable of listening right now. “Don’t you tell me to calm down, Cooper! When your girlfriend gets bought by a sadistic asshole, you send in bodyguards. When mine gets the same sentence, you send them home!”

“You’re overreacting,” Lars says.

“Am I? Am I really?” Michael swings his gaze to me. “Then why did you feel the need to send in thugs to protect Cadee? And why aren’t you doing the same thing for Sophie?”

I let out a long breath. “Michael, it’s not my call. Dante’s father called the Chairman and he put an end to the bodyguards. Otherwise—”

“And you don’t care! You do not care! That stunt you pulled to help your nobody girlfriend? That just made things worse! You! Made things worse!”

I can’t say he’s wrong. Dante is gloating like a fox who just got handed the keys to the hen house. And he is bad. I knew that from the beginning. Then I went and put him in charge. Which was a stupid thing to do because Dante took that shit seriously and used it against me when he had his father talk to mine. If he’s such a bad guy, Cooper, why did you put him in charge?

“Michael, Sophie is going to be fine.”

“She’s not going to be fine! She has no protection because she knows she can’t walk out! You made sure of that too!”

“I didn’t have anything to do with that! Don’t you get it? I’m just following orders!”

“Then you’re worse.” We all turn to find Isabella standing a few feet off with her arms crossed over her chest and a deep frown. “Or at the