Dirty Wicked Prince (Court Legacy Book 1)

Dorian

I was in and out of my cell in under an hour.

Wolf must have come through.

I told Sloane to contact him because he’d be able to post bail without getting my parents involved, and my parents did not need to know about this. At least, not right now and with everything that was going on. They’d find out eventually in this town, but not right away.

Murder.

I hadn’t killed that woman. She’d been alive when the other guys and I left her.

It’d been on purpose.

I wanted her to live with what she’d done, thrived on that shit. That would be penance for what she’d done, and though I wasn’t sure she’d keep her mouth shut about me being the one to take her, I hadn’t cared. My family and my family’s friends literally owned this town. They could make anything I did go away.

The guys and I broke off just in case of heat. We’d figured it’d be better to be apart and at remote locations until our families caught up with us. If any of us did receive a backlash, it’d be best for our families to find us first and we moved from there.

So, what’s this about a murder, then?

I didn’t know. Like stated, we’d left Mayberry very much alive in that warehouse. She had not one bruise, not even a damn paper cut. We untied her, then left her.

I expected to see Wolf the moment I was let out of my cell. I figured he’d be standing there right in the waiting area when I got out, and though I saw a familiar face, it wasn’t his.

Sloane.

She’d been pacing, and I had no idea if it’d been her to rat my location out or not. I mean, I told her, and she could have told someone.

For some reason, I didn’t believe she did.

For some reason, I was trusting her now when I didn’t trust anyone outside of my family and friends.

She couldn’t have heard me. I made no noise when I came out, but she still turned around when the officer brought me down the hallway. It was like something compelled her.

Like we were linked.

I had a tether to this girl, and I had no idea what it was, but if it hadn’t been Wolf, my family, or my friends here today, I was glad it was her next.

“Dorian.” She appeared to be glad to see me too and ran to me. She threw herself in my arms, and I did something crazy back.

I hugged her.

I drank all of her in and would have let myself bleed into her if I had the knife. I leached off her warmth and basked in how good it fucking felt.

“You swear,” I said, realizing I was fucking shaking. I held her, but I was still goddamn rattled at her showing up of all people. “You swear you didn’t say anything.”

I needed to know. I knew I’d already asked her, but I just…

“I didn’t. I didn’t,” she said, the relief flooding me. She looked at me, and I couldn’t even believe she was here. She hadn’t even changed out of her school clothes, still in them. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I just about pinched her to confirm she was real but settled for her hand. I wouldn’t question why I needed it. I just took it. “Where’s Wolf?”

“I…” she started, but then another appeared out of nowhere. He came in and stopped beside her.

And I stopped breathing.

I stopped fucking feeling anything. A ghost literally walked right up on us…

And put a hand on my girl.

He placed his aged-as-fuck hand right there on her shoulder. He did this like he had a right and none of this made sense. This wasn’t possible, him standing there.

But there he was, an older man. Upon gaining Sloane’s attention, he placed a quaint smile on his face, and I watched in horror at what happened next.

She took his arm, cuffing his jacket sleeve with a broad smile on her face.

“Dorian, I want you to meet Callum,” she said, really and truly smiling. She did this like she was happy he was here.

Like he was something to her.

Her grin widened. “He’s my and Bru’s guardian. Well, Bru’s guardian. He’s still a minor so…”

I lost what she said, lost all thought as she was literally introducing me to a ghost. He was one in the finest of suits, his hand on the jeweled top of a long cane.

Sloane placed a hand out toward him. “Callum, this is Dorian.”

Only then did the man’s attention fall on me, so much knowing in his aged eyes. He lifted a large hand in my direction, so subtle in the move. “Dorian.”

I did nothing, simply standing there, and Sloane laughed, taking my arm.

“I think he’s still in shock,” she said, then nudged me. “Dorian, Callum helped. He worked it out. Got you out today.”

Got me out?

I faced the man, my jaw clenched.

Swallowing, I didn’t know what Sloane was trying to play. She’d just introduced me to a man I not only met before but was quite well acquainted with.

I mean, how could I not be?

He was old as fuck but the guy still had my dad’s eyes, hell, my fucking nose if one stared hard enough.

“Dorian,” I said to him, but I didn’t give this old fuck my hand. I honestly thought it’d go through his, my sight having a play at my expense. The last time I’d seen this man, my grandfather, he’d been keeled over.

I’d left his ass for dead.