“Rio lost his shit on me. Yelling and raging about drugs You know that guy I told you about? The one they picked up on Rainer Street asking for Maurice. They had another talk with him and he gave up the friend that sent him into the OB. He said his name was Royal.”
My jaw unhinged. “I’m sorry. What?”
Royal paced back and forth, puffing and baring his teeth like a caged tiger.
“You heard me. Royal. That’s not a coincidence. I doubt there’s another guy with that name in this tiny piss-stain of a town. Someone out there is using my name to cover themselves. I got Rio to stop shouting long enough to hear that, and he admitted it’s a common trick. Give someone else’s name to everyone you do business with, and if they give you up to the police, the cops will waste their time asking people about the wrong person.”
“But who? Why?” I cried.
“Their new friend said Royal used to supply his cocaine, but he’s getting out of the business. He directed him to Maurice who’ll give him what he wants.”
“I can’t believe this,” I said, shaking my head. “Do you think it has to do with what’s going on here?”
“I hate to agree with Rio after everything, but it’s looking like he’s right about the main dealer being one of us. A Horseman would know my name was a perfect cover. It’d be a direct hit to me if Rio believed it, and it undermines us both if the police hauled me in.”
“It makes sense. Second-in-command and a traitor. While Rio is running around wondering if he can trust you, the real dealer is a phantom, laughing behind the scenes. What are you going to do about it?”
Royal locked my gaze, anger fading under sobering seriousness. “Not me, Ember. Rio’s not playing around anymore. He’s ditched his marked bills plan and he’s using another approach to find the main dealer once and for all, because it’s not a kid locked in this school twenty-four seven. They flooded the OB with their shit and now they’ve dragged my name into it. It’s personal.”
“What is he going to do?”
Royal gave me a look. “I don’t ask those questions.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Find who’s selling on this campus. He and I have some shit to discuss.”
Discuss it while the police are carting him off. When he’s locked up and spilling his guts about the main dealer, the cops can get to the guy before Rio does what he’s planning to do. This is why I need to be involved to pull you back from the brink, I thought as I stopped Royal’s pacing and laid him in bed with me. I’m your guardian angel.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, the cafeteria lady served me up breakfast quesadillas, muffins, and yogurt with granola. I carried it up to the loft with Royal by my side. He fell asleep in my room the night before, head resting on my stomach and my fingers still tangled in his hair.
Camila tossed me knowing looks all morning even though she walked in on us fully dressed. I gathered it was a rarity to see Royal snuggled up with a girl.
Our table was packed with the usual assortment of people. Camila and Brandon had their heads together talking. Clay and Cassius bent over Gabriel’s textbook discussing the homework.
“Where’s Hiro?” I asked.
“Don’t know.” Clay gifted me a kiss too searing for public but I wasn’t about to scold him. “He hasn’t come down yet.”
He’s avoiding me. Hiro tells me about my name, calls me beautiful, sets my face on fire with his touch, and then retreats into his Angry Boy shell. What am I supposed to do with that? My feelings for him are too new to know if they’ll grow into something strong, but I’d like the chance to find out.
I dug into my quesadilla, forcing myself not to think about long-haired bilingual boys with calloused hands.
Royal brushed my arm fishing his phone out of his pocket. A frown crossed his features as he read the message.
“Cas. Clay.”
Royal tapped the screen and then the triplets glanced down at their own phones. They nodded to him and went back to homework.
“What is it?” I whispered to Royal.
He showed me the message rather than answer.
Hiro: Random dorm and locker search. They’re already through the first floor.
Good ole Mallory, I thought.
Maybe that was the real reason. Hiro couldn’t be with me while he and Mallory had their arrangement. If