Chapter 3

My appearance ruined Nico’s plan.

His bandmates shouted variations of “Bro!” and “Nico!” while staring at the knife.

Nico turned slowly.

He tried to recover his dignity.

“And who the hell are you?”

Before I could tell him his pants were ripped, a girl’s angry voice rang through the alley.

“Nico Moretti! Are you bullying someone again?”

This was supposed to be Nico’s first real encounter with Sophie Carter.

In the original story, it was summarized in one sentence:

Sophie stopped Nico from bullying a student, and Nico noticed her.

Reality was messier.

Rachel Hayes, student council president, rushed over and immediately started lecturing him.

Nico rolled his eyes.

“Rachel, you being student council president doesn’t make you my parole officer. My own father doesn’t control me. Why the hell would I listen to you?”

Rachel’s face tightened.

I frowned.

Then I noticed movement beside me.

The skinny boy Nico had cornered was trying to slip behind me.

I turned and kicked him away.

He screamed.

Nico immediately understood.

“You sick bastard!”

He lunged.

His fist connected with the boy’s face.

Hard.

His movements were quick and clean.

Unfortunately, the hole in the back of his jeans got bigger.

Nobody spoke.

Rachel was the first to recover.

“I’m reporting you!”

Then she snapped,

“No wonder the Morettis don’t want you.”

Nico froze.

His fists clenched.

Rachel kept going.

“When your dad marries Ms. Reed, maybe she’ll finally teach you how to behave.”

Nico’s face went cold.

He stepped toward her.

I reached up and patted his head.

“He’ll probably be insufferable for a while.”

Nico turned sharply.

I smiled.

“His father having terrible judgment wouldn’t exactly be new.”

Then I pushed Nico behind me.

“Stay there.”

He stared at me.

“You—”

“You’re all the same,” Rachel said. “Rich criminals acting like you can do whatever you want.”

“Then maybe look at what your innocent victim was doing first.”

I crouched and took the boy’s phone.

Locked.

I held up the knife.

He gave me the passcode.

I opened the hidden album.

Sophie took the phone from me.

Her face changed.

“You disgusting creep.”

The gallery was full of secretly taken photos of girls at school.

Locker rooms.

Under desks.

Changing areas backstage.

Nico hadn’t cornered a victim.

He had cornered a predator.