“Fine,” I say. “But I’m going to need a refund of my unused tuition and rent.”
His shoulders sag a fraction. I might be imagining things, but he looks disappointed. Perhaps he really did need a capable finance manager for his organization.
“Now I understand why your professor sabotaged the abduction,” he says.
My stomach trembles. Did I say too much? “What do you mean?”
Without another word, he walks back to the elevator.
I step into my apartment and press my ear against the door. As soon as his footsteps disappear down the hallway, I tiptoe to the apartment next door.
Charlotte grills me about my ordeal. She doesn’t seem all that shocked that Odin wanted me to marry Veer. Maybe it’s because her father found out that she was messing around with boys affiliated with the Bestlassons and told her to stop associating with Axel.
I tell her as much as I can without mentioning Professor Segul. The mere thought of him makes the backs of my eyes burn hot. Odin and his people might know the professor’s secrets, but there’s still one that I can safeguard.
When the conversation runs dry, I turn to meet her sad eyes. “Could I ask you for a favor?”
“Anything.”
“I need to borrow your ID card and phone.”
“What for?”
“There’s something I must do in town.”
Charlotte’s brows pull together. It looks like she’s expecting me to rob the Bestlassons and leave her ID as a calling card. “I’m already in enough trouble as it is. My dad called me saying that today’s antics could have started a full-scale war.”
“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
She purses her lips. “Listen, I’m going to the bathroom to use the toilet and wash my hands. If you take my entire bag while I’m gone and make use of my stuff, then that’s not my fault.”
I fling my arms around her neck. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t get hurt.”
“It’s too late for that,” I murmur into her hair.
Thirty minutes later, my Uber takes me to Marina Promenade, where fire engines block both entrances to Sydney Crescent.
Plumes of gray smoke billow up from the tall, white buildings. I can already guess from their direction that the house that’s on fire belongs to Professor Segul.
My heart pounds hard enough to echo across the car’s interior.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
The driver drums his fingers on the top of his steering wheel. “Radio news says the fire started an hour ago but it spread so quickly, they’re already suspecting arson.”
I gulp. “Did anyone die?”
He glances at me through the rearview mirror. “One corpse that was broken and burned beyond recognition. They’ve taken it down to the City Mortuary.”
A cry escapes my lips.
What if Odin’s peculiar question about Professor Segul was him confirming a suspicion? What if he also pieced together that the professor sabotaged the abduction because he wanted to save me?
Shit. What if all that crap I said about blow jobs and spit roasts pissed him off? All it would take is a few minutes of skimming through the university intranet to see footage of me leaving the professor’s room and the petition to cancel Professor Segul for making that comment about the banana.
In the time it took to walk back to the elevator, Odin could have called Thor with an execution order.