Sherrilyn Kenyon - Infamous

Giggling, Jill turned as red as her blouse.

“Most people do think the world of my Nicky … Dad. He’s a good kid. Honor student. Here on a full scholarship. Was one of the best football players they had until he was benched with an injury. And he’s already working, saving up money for college. Not to mention, he does a lot of charity work. Every morning, he gets up early and goes down to Ms. Liza’s doll store so that he can wash off her sidewalks and balcony before she gets to work and he gues to school. He doesn’t even charge her for it.”

Nick wasn’t sure what stunned him most. His mother’s bragging on him or the fact that he was standing in front of his real grandparents.

No wonder they’d seemed familiar. Some part of him must have remembered them from the one time he’d seen them passing by in the mall.

And now that he knew, he definitely saw how much his mother favored hers.

Rising to her feet, his mother moved to stand beside him. “Nick, meet your grandparents. You’ve always been curious about them. Here they are.”

Jill’s jaw dropped while Joey went bug-eyed. “I thought you said you didn’t have any children, Mr. Gautier?”

His grandparents drew up like two swollen cantaloupes. It was obvious they weren’t happy with Jill remembering that.

Mr. Gautier looked down his nose at Nick. “I’ve heard he cheated to get into school here.”

His mom cast a scornful glare at her father. “That’s jealousy talking. But they did make him take the test twice, because they were so stunned by his superior performance. And he had the same score both times on two entirely different tests. One hundred percent. He missed nothing and even got the bonuses. Apparently in all the one hundred and thirty years the school’s been operating, my Nicky is the only one to make a perfect score. He’s been courted by some of the best Ivy League schools in the country ever since.”

Wow, his mom never bragged about anything. She disdained it. Be humble in thought and humble in action. Most of all be humble in tongue. She’d harped on that as much as she did “honor thy mother” and the Golden Rule, et cetera.

It was Mrs. Gautier’s turn to be snotty. “You still working in that henhouse, selling yourself for money?”

His mother curled her lip. “I never did that.”

“Not what I was told.”

“Then someone lied, and no, I don’t work there. I’m a day manager for a restaurant. Have been for over a year now.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Her father raked Nick with a sneer. “Anymore than I believe what you’re saying about him. Good grief, look at him. How many fights has he been in?”

His mother opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Kyrian came into the office to pick him up for work.

Dressed in a black Armani suit with a black shirt and black-and-white tie, he looked every bit the rich businessman and prince he’d once been. His blond hair was perfectly styled and if Nick didn’t miss his guess, those were two-thousand-dollar-a-pair loafers on his feet.

And for once, he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses inside.

He stopped gallantly in front of them. “Cherise, ma petite, am I early?”

She smiled up at him. “No … Kyrian.” She no doubt had to force herself to say his name since she always insisted they call him Mr. Hunter. “Perfect timing.”

He returned her smile. “Nick, I had to put the Bentley and Aston Martin in the shop for oil changes. I’m afraid I was stuck with only two-seaters to drive tonight so I’m in the Lamborghini. But since I don’t want you walking home after that vicious mugging, so Ash said he’d be here in a few minutes to pick you up in his Jag. Is that all right?”

Nick was even more stunned.

Kyrian never threw his cars out like that. In that moment, he could kiss his boss for his mind-reading abilities.

“Sure.” Nick smiled. “He’s already promised me I get to drive it.”

“Oh hey, Kyrian. Cherise … Nick, how you feeling, son?” Madaug’s father, Dr. St. James, came into the office and put a kind hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Madaug told me what happened. You poor thing. And on your way to help Ms. Liza close her store. She’s so heartbroken.”

“Yes, sir, and I feel terrible about that. I keep telling her it wasn’t her fault, but she won’t listen.”

“Yeah, Liza’s bad that way.” Dr. St. James jumped then reached into his pocket. “Work as always. And I better answer this. Y’all take care. I’ll see you later.”

“Good night,” Nick called after him.

His grandfather scowled. “How do you know Dr. St. James’s son?”

Nick shrugged. “We became friends while I was tutoring him.” Kind of true. But if he told them that they had bonded due to a mind-control game that had turned players into zombies that Madaug had unleashed on the school, it might not go over well.

“Tutor? Madaug?” his grandfather asked incredulously, as if he couldn’t believe Nick could read, never mind help someone else. “But Madaug’s a genius.”

“In computers and science. He reeks in English and social studies.”

Yeah, they didn’t want anything to do with him and his mom. It was obvious by the revulsion on their faces, and disdain in their eyes.

“C’mon, Jill and Joey, we need to leave.”

His mother didn’t say a word until they were gone, then she turned around and hugged Kyrian. “Thank you so much for that, Mr. Hunter! You are the best.”

Kyrian shrugged her hold away. “No problem. I live to please.”

“And that you definitely did tonight. Thank you so much.” She ruffled Nick’s hair. “And you be careful and I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as the secretary handed her the papers, they all went outside, where Kyrian had his car parked on the street in front of the school.

Nick slowed down as he saw a parked police car and the officers walking around with a picture they were showing to his classmates. Police at his school was never a good thing.

When they got to Stone, he pointed to Nick. “He’s right there!”

Nick went cold. What the heck was going on?

The police made a beeline right to him. The biggest of the two narrowed his eyes. “Are you Nicholas Gautier?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you’re coming with us.”

Nick laughed nervously. “I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, well, we do.”

“No,” his mother said sharply. “My son isn’t going anywhere.”

“Yes, ma’am, he is. We have a warrant for his arrest.”

“For what?” he and his mother asked simultaneously.

“Rape and theft.”

The look on his mother’s face would haunt him forever as the cop grabbed him and shoved him against the hood of his squad car, right in front of the school for everyone to see. Nick grimaced as the cops rudely frisked him, then cuffed his hands behind his back. Once he was secured, the biggest officer grabbed him by the hair and wrenched him off the car.

“Mama, I didn’t do it. I didn’t. I swear to God!”

“That’s what they all say.” The cop looked over at his partner. “Wouldn’t it be nice if, just once, they confessed and made our job easier?”

Tears glistened in his mother’s eyes. He could tell she wanted to believe him, but the doubt there …

How could she even think he’d do something like that? Even for a nanosecond. She’d been with him for fifteen years. How could she not know him better?

He did his best not to look at any of his classmates or the smirking faculty members who had no doubt he was guilty. That thought sickened him.

The only one who wasn’t judging him guilty was Kyrian. “Don’t worry, Nick. I’ll have you out of there as soon as you’re booked.”