I frowned. "Ems…"

  "No, I'm not saying anything. I promise. It’s just… You're right here in his legacy spot and doing, you know, all the things. Becoming everything he wants you to become. And I just don't want to lose my brother."

  "I hear you. And you won't, okay? I swear it on my soul; you will not lose me. And I'm not going to get caught up in him. I'm going to do what I came to do. Create a better future for you, me, and Mom. He can feel free to fuck right off."

  She smiled at that. "I do like that idea. It's just... I know what it's like. How he can seem. We've both seen him before."

  "I know. I know, Ems. I've got it handled."

  "Well, you're more sensitive than I am. What if he manages to trick you? You know, trick you into being his son."

  I laughed. "Really, Ems?"

  "I don't know. It just sucks."

  "I hear you. But come on, let's get you back to school. Do you want me to drive you back?"

  "Then how would you get back here?"

  "I could take the train."

  "No, you stay where you're supposed to be. Katy will drive me back. We'll get there before curfew, I promise."

  "You only have two more days until break, Ems, okay? And I promise, I'll fine you a replacement escort."

  She wrinkled her nose. "Oh God, please, not Drew."

  I laughed. "What's wrong with Drew?"

  "Nothing's wrong with Drew. He's just so... I don't know..."

  "It's not Drew."

  "Okay, fine. East or Ben would be great."

  I smiled at her. "I see you're making your picks on the two pretty boys."

  "They're very nice to look at. I have eyeballs that work."

  I rolled my eyes. "That's gross. Those are my mates."

  "Yeah. Either of those two. Not Bridge."

  I laughed. "You two are like oil and water. I don't know what's the matter with you."

  "Well, he's a dick. So, there's that."

  "Yeah, he can be a bit of a tosser. But he's a good bloke."

  My sister gave me another tight squeeze. "Well, I’d better get out of here. My brother insists that I have to go and be a good citizen or some such nonsense."

  I grinned. "I love you, Ems."

  "I love you too, Tobes."

  I watched as she hustled back up the hill. She was not going to be thrilled when she found out her escort for the night was Bridge. Ben was off on a vacation with his family, and East couldn't make it. So Bridge had to be the one. But she would find out soon enough, and Bridge would look after her.

  I just hoped he'd be able to handle my sister. These days, Emma was unpredictable at best, so he'd have to have a firm hand and make sure she didn't run all over him. But I could trust him to look after her while I blew up my life.

  Chapter 2

  Bridge

  "Mate, would you hold up?"

  I knew what was coming. I’d taken steps to avoid it, but I hadn’t been quick enough.

  Hearing Toby’s voice was enough of a warning. Hell, seeing Emma this afternoon had been my warning. She’d been hell bent on seeing her brother and getting some answers about why he was ditching her for the holiday.

  Call it a premonition, a foreshadowing, or just bad luck. Either way, one of my best mates was going to ask for the one favor I couldn’t give. To look out for his little sister over the holiday. Sadly, I knew I was the only choice. I was the only one going home for the holiday. Our other mates were going off on family vacations.

  I loved Toby. He was the best mate a bloke could ask for. But this favor? Just no. It couldn’t be done. For starters, Emma was a giant pain in the arse, and everyone knew it. She was just on the cusp of wild child, and I knew for a fact she was a handful. Secondly, she had daddy issues, which meant she wanted to take them out on every bloke who dared to look at her cross-eyed.

  Third, and perhaps the most pressing issue of all…

  I wanted her.

  More than I’d probably ever wanted anything in my life. Hence, why me being anywhere near her was a terrible idea.

  Toby was looking for someone upstanding to look out for her, and that wasn’t me.

  "Sorry, mate, I’ve got to catch the train home."

  Unlike the rest of my classmates, I didn't have a parent there to pick me up at Eton. Toby was staying for the holiday because he had a project going that he needed to keep an eye on. He’d tried to explain it to me, but once the science nerd part of him came out, I’d stopped listening.

  Toby was the kind of mate that everyone needed. Affable, kind at the core. I’d never met anyone like him. "Tobes, you have that look on your face. I’ve got to go, or I'll miss my train. Ben's car is giving me a lift to the station."

  He frowned then. "You're not going home with Ben?"

  "They offered to drive me, but for them to go all the way to East London with traffic, you know how it is. Besides, they have a late flight to catch to St. somewhere or other."

  Toby frowned. He knew how it was. Neither one of us particularly liked taking charity from our mates. It was almost better to be left to it than to be driven all the way back to London in a Rolls Royce, knowing full well that our fathers could provide but chose not to.

  "Yeah, mate, I get it. Okay look, it's just a small favor. Why do you have that look on your face?"

  All around us, in the cobblestones and stone parapets of Eton, stood hundreds of years of tradition and power, all contained in these walls. A sea of gray and navy blue floated around as students hustled to head home for the holiday. There were a few students who changed into their street clothes before going home, but even those were versions of the Eton uniform.

  Suit. Trousers. A watch that would have fed my family for months.

  I rolled my eyes. Money.

  I hadn't changed, simply because it would have required more time. I just wanted out of the prison. I was in a hurry to put distance between the place that promised me a future with strings and my past.

  Also, I wasn't too eager to stick around on the off chance my father did show, which was extremely unlikely. But still, he'd come before, and it hadn't been pleasant. I knew Toby was going to stand there until I gave in, so I sped up the process. "What do you need, mate?"

  His grin flashed, warming up his dark eyes. "It's not so bad. Will you chill? I only need you to keep an eye on Ems for one night."

  She was possibly the hottest girl I had ever seen in my life. All dark hair, dark brown skin, melting enormous topaz eyes that looked like a banked fire. The kind of things that give you months of dreams that you shouldn't have about your best mate's sister.

  He continued pushing me into agreeing. "Look, I wouldn't ask, but I'm not going home. She’s supposed to go to some concert. Some hip-hopper, pop star, whatever. I have a ticket. Would you just go keep an eye on her and keep her out of trouble? She's got some new friends, and I don’t know what they're like. She's been looking forward to this, and I was supposed to go with her. If you could just do me this favor, I’d be a mate for life."

  I shook my head. "Toby, no. Your sister, she's trouble. Pure fucking mischief. Do you remember that last time I stayed with you? She got into her mum's knickers with that friend of hers. What was her name again?"

  Toby sighed. "Katy. You see why I'm worried? She's heading off to this concert with Katy. Come on, mate. I wouldn't ask if I didn’t have to. I was supposed to go and keep an eye on them, and now that I'm staying here, I can’t. So please, be a mate."

  I couldn't say, Mate, every time I'm near your sister, I keep picturing sliding my tongue into her mouth and feeling her tits that are far too big for such a skinny little thing and making her purr my name.

  Nope, those were not things you said to your best mate.

  Behind us, I could hear Ben's low mumble. "What's the holdup, princess?"

  I rolled my eyes. "Me and you, who's the princess?"

  Ben grinned then. Ben Covington, the fair-haired Viking, except more English than the lot of us. He was all bleach-blond waves, broad smile, big shoulders. I was as tall as he was, but I was leaner. And I was the dark-haired devil to his sun-licked Viking god. But he was another one of my best mates. And behind him came East Hale. Broad smile, laptop bag strapped over his shoulder, clutching on to it like it was his passport to the good life. "What the fuck is the holdup, mate?"

  I rolled my eyes. "Nothing's the holdup. Time to go."

  But Toby wasn't letting me go that easily. "I'm just trying to get Bridge here to agree to do me a favor when he's at home."

  East rolled his eyes, ribbing him gently. "Mate, I'm not sure why you like the dirty magazines, there's porn on the internet. It's free. You don’t have to make Bridge buy them for you."

  A flush crept over Toby's face even as he flipped East off. East, the twat, just grinned. He may have been all geeked out, but somehow he managed to give off a lad's-lad vibe. And he was actually all right. I'd never really expected to like him that much. But these three and Drew Wilcox, they were my best mates. The ones that stuck around when the shit went haywire. Drew had already left for home. He had also offered to drive me, but again, I didn't like handouts. And his father had actually come to pick him up, and the last thing I needed was all sorts of questions on where my father was and what our family was doing for the holiday and if I was going to be at a ball or a gala or a society function. Questions that he already knew the answers to. My father was a friend of his. Why didn’t he just ask the old man?

  Nope, better to avoid questions. Better to avoid too many entanglements.

  Unfortunately, no one told Toby this.

  "I'm just taking a shot at Bridge here to agree to look out for Emma at the concert she’s going to."

  East perked up. "I could go to the concert."

  Toby shook his head. "No, you are not to touch my fucking sister."

  East held his hands up. "Mate, I'm wounded. I wouldn't touch your sister."

  This was a lie of course. Toby rolled his eyes. "Not with your hands. You'd use your mouth. No fucking way."

  East just smirked, because as nerdy as he was, he'd researched a hundred ways to make a girl come with nothing more than his mouth. It was worrisome to think about if you had a sister.

  Ben shrugged. "I'll do it."

  All three of us laughed then.

  Toby rolled his eyes. "What, you, pretty boy? No. When Emma was here last time, all she was talking about was how insanely pretty you are. Nope, you're not going anywhere near my sister."

  Ben frowned. "I wouldn't touch her."

  Toby's laugh was a low chuckle. "I'm not worried about you touching her. Emma would eat you alive. You're not ready for that. You're still a virgin."

  Ben scowled at him.

  "It's all right, mate, it's true. But Bridge… Bridge can handle himself. And he is the least affected by anything out of all of us.” Toby turned back to me. “Just do it," he begged.

  "Why the fuck won't you just say you’ll do it so we can get on the road? I don't want to stay at school any longer than necessary," Ben growled.

  The way they were watching me expectantly, I knew what I was going to have to say, and none of it was going to be appropriate. And whatever I said was going to piss Toby the fuck off. Normally, I didn't care about pissing people off, but this was Tobes. He never asked for anything as a general rule. So I was in no kind of mood.

  "Fuck me. Fine. Text me the ticket info, but honest to fucking God, I'm not partying afterward. I'm just getting her out of there and making sure she gets home all right, yeah?"

  Toby nodded.

  Chapter 3

  Bridge

  "You know, sooner or later he's going to figure it out."

  I slid my gaze over to Ben as we rolled toward the train station. "Figure what out?"

  His chuckle was low, even as he rolled his eyes. "That you have the hots for Emma."

  How the fuck did he know? My brow furrowed. "I don't have the hots for Emma. She's Toby's little sister. Nothing is going to happen there."

  "Oh come on, you know Toby wouldn't be like that. You're his mate. He'd be happy if you're the one that goes out with Emma."

  "Something tells me that isn't true."

  His grin flashed. "What, you would rather East date her?"

  "If East puts his fucking hands on her, mate or no mate, I will kill him."

  "Oh right, and you don't feel anything for her at all."

  He has a point there, you wanker.

  I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter what I feel. Nothing's going to happen."

  "Look, I saw it the last time we all went home with Toby on holiday. It's only a matter of time until he sees it too. All I'm saying is that it will be better if you tell him than if he sees it for himself. Which he will."

  I was in no mood for rationality as the car lulled us back and forth. "Nah, mate, I got it."

  "If you say so, but it's written all over your face. Do you know what you're going to do when you see her?"

  "Nothing. She's annoying. A total pain in the arse. Plus, she's spoiled. A total princess who thinks the world revolves around her, or that it should. And sorry, but I don't deal with princesses."

  "Right. You don't deal with princesses. Mate, this whole taking you to the train station thing, it's ridiculous. Let me drive you home. I know that you get sensitive about this, but really, be reasonable. Besides, your mum won't like it if you take the train. I honestly don't like it that you're on your own."

  "Have you already talked to her?"

  Ben shrugged. "I might have reached out and extended an invitation for you to come with me on holiday."

  I was going to kill him. "What the fuck, mate? Didn't I tell you no already?"

  "Yeah, yeah. You told me that you need to go look in on her. But I happen to know that she doesn't need looking in on. She'll be working anyway, so what are you going to do?"

  Ben's car smelled of newly polished leather, and the heat in the back sunk into my bones, making me loosen up a little bit. It was so tempting to let him just drive me home, to accept the olive branch, to accept the friendship. But while I didn’t really have to look in on my mum, there were other things I had to do. I didn't want Ben seeing any of that, so I held fast. "Mate, I appreciate it, but you know how it is. Sometimes I just need to tend to myself."

  Ben's ice-blue gaze met mine, and there was a wisdom about his eyes that I didn't always pay attention to. While Ben seemed, on occasion, like the impulsive one among us, like the one most likely to say the wrong thing or to fuck up, he was also, next to Toby, the heart of the group. He somehow understood things way beyond his years, and he just nodded at me. "All right, I'll do what you want, but one of these days, you'll realize you don't have to do everything by yourself."

  Yeah, I knew he believed that. I knew that deep down Ben believed the words he said. But while he was the son of a lord and had grown up around all the wealth and trappings that came with the title, I was only a bastard son.

  I grew up on the wrong side of town and worked hard to shed my East London accent when I started going to school at Eton, where the crowd mostly thought I didn't belong. God knew my fucking father didn't think I belonged anywhere. Especially not anywhere he might run in to me or see me or have to deal with me. Ben and I had completely different upbringings. Toby wouldn't want someone like me for his sister. Emma Varma smelled clean and fresh, like linens off the line. Her eyes always held a glint of mischief, as if she knew what I was thinking, what I was so desperate to have from her, and she wanted to tease me with it. But she was forever out of reach. And she would remain that way, because while my mates knew what friendships meant, they didn't know that they were how you survived. At least where I was from.

  "I appreciate it, mate. How about this… We'll compromise. You can drive me all the way back to Eton after the holiday. I'll ring you, and you can pick me up."

  I was always surprised at the simple joy Ben got in doing something to help. As much as he seemed like the-devil-may-care one of the group, if it came down to one of us needing something, he was the first one to call. Because if he said he was going to do something, you could damn well guarantee he was going to make it happen.

  "Mate, that's good news. Fine, then I won't take it so personally that you won't let me drive you home. Whatever you do, take care. You do that, then I'll pick you up and we'll go back to school together. Besides, you know what we're waiting on."

  The pit of my stomach balled.

  Oh yes, the summons from the Elite. There were the Pops, and then there were the Elite, the secret societies of Eton. If were called up from the Pops for the Elite, our lives would change. Ben, East, and Drew were already chosen. Their fathers were Elite. Toby and I were different. Our fathers were Elite, but we were their bastard children that they didn't want to see or look at or acknowledge. So it was a question whether or not we would get our summons.

  Being in the Elite meant seeing my father. Which would be an issue. Why my father would deny me, God only knew. But he could certainly try to stop me from getting in. He might not stop me though. He might just make it so uncomfortable that I didn’t want to be there. But I knew what the Elite could afford me. The money to look after my mum, the freedom and the power so that no one could look down on me again, and I could actually help people. No offense to my lads, but most of them had never had to struggle a day in their lives except for Toby.

  "We’ll see what happens."

  As the driver pulled over at the train station, I popped the latch of the door and Ben leveled a gaze on me. "If you don't want to be Elite, you don't have to be. But no matter what, we’re mates for life. But if all of us were in it together? Imagine what we could do, who we could be. Not who our fathers want us to be, but who we want to be. Just think about it."

  "You know, when you say it with that kind of confidence, I believe you. We could be our own lords."

  His smile was quick on that one. "We could be the London Lords. A new generation who doesn’t give a fuck. We don't have to follow their fucking rules. You just think about it, and text me when you're ready to go back to Eton. Our future awaits."