In which an underground fighter in desperate need of anger management and a snarky mafia boss make a deal with an explosive reaction. ... Some people were born lucky with silver spoons in their mouths and trust funds established long before they were born; others were born with dirt underneath their fingernails, barely scraping by. Twenty-three-year-old underground fighter Linus Ward was used to the latter. Raised in the foster system and bounced from one bad situation to another, Linus learned early on that surviving wasn't a simple task but having his foster siblings did make it a lot easier. However, when Linus' foster sister got caught up in a con gone wrong, what should've been a routine identity switch and a clean getaway ended with spilled blood on her hands and a target on her back. To guarantee his sister's safety, Linus was forced to make a deal with someone as dangerous as the people hunting him: recently-named mafia boss Teodoro Raymond. A paid bodyguard position with guaranteed safety should have been a good thing. Yet, when sparks started to fly and the lines between protection and obsession blur, Linus was left to decide if he was clawing his way out of the world that's always tried to chew him up, or falling even deeper into it.

"You're scared of me," he accused. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation kicking in, but I shook my head. "No, I'm scared your blood will stain my couch." He blinked a few times and then a shadow of a smile broke out on his face. "I'll buy you a new one." ... A wife who died a mysterious death and a "my way or the highway" attitude, Manolo Raymond was not to be trusted. Anyone with ties to the underworld knew that, which was why Wesley did what he could to stay out of the mafia prince's path. He had one goal: to finish paying off his debt to Manolo's older brother and then never see their faces again. However, his plans were thrown out the window when he returned home one night to find his house broken into and an injured Manolo Raymond bleeding on his couch, demanding refuge.

After an accident leaves him crippled, Kai Humphrey finds himself at Constance Academy. The Academy is divided into two sections: the Blues, who are the gifted students that rule the school, and the Maroons, who are the trouble making delinquents. Kai is enrolled into the Peer Program, where he's stuck with Jin Amano and his eccentric group of friends. But Jin's group has a dangerous goal: they want to take down Adam Constance, the powerful, abusive man who will take over the Academy. Kai never meant to get involved in any of it, but that doesn't stop him from getting helplessly tangled with Jin and his rebellious plans.