Potentially worse. Saint Parras has all the trappings of a normal college, but it’s so far from normal it’s obscene. There is more money and power floating around his island than in almost any other place, and the stakes are incredibly high. Dean Wotherspoon is weak and afraid, but terrified people can do dangerous things, and he has access to funds and support from a variety of extremely deadly sources.
One phone call, and I might find everyone I care about in the ground.
At this point, I’ve come too far, and I can’t turn back. I have to protect my friends from the terrible choices that I’ve made.
“I trust that you’ll handle it.” Walt sounds nervous, but firm.
I nod once. “You don’t have to worry.”
“If she heard that recording—”
“Walt, I suggest you turn the fuck around and go back inside. Remember, you’re still mine, you little weasel shit, and I won’t hesitate to destroy you.” I need to keep him thinking I have the upper hand here, even if I feel like I’m losing control.
He’s silent for a minute. Then he clears his throat. “The deal stands, then.”
“You’re fucking right it does.”
I walk off without a word. The spineless bastard’s a speck in my memory now. All I can think about is Kaye and what she must be feeling, and I can barely stand to be in my own head right now.
She heard that recording. There’s no doubt about it. She heard Dean Wotherspoon admit to killing her sister in all its gory details. She must realize that I’ve known all along, and that I’ve been actively trying to hide it from the world.
I’ve been protecting the man that killed her sister for my own benefit.
All Kaye wants is the truth, and I could’ve given it to her from the start.
But the truth is too dangerous. If I let her in on what the dean did and what happened that night, she’d be a target for the rest of her life. The dean may be a coward, but that also means he’s coward enough to hurt a young girl if it might spare himself some pain. There’s no way I could’ve risked that, let alone risked the safety of all my friends if Dean Wotherspoon decided to go complete scorched earth.
I kept my mouth shut. I steered her away from what really happened. I used my power and influence to keep the dean under control and on my team.
Because it doesn’t really matter how Lucy fell.
She fell and she’s gone.
“Fucking fuck,” I growl to myself and head back to Calico House. Lesley’s sitting on the front porch still and frowns at me as I approach.
“Everything okay?”
“Looking for Kaye. Is she back?”
She shakes her head. “I haven’t seen her since she left. I thought she’d be with you.”
I grunt and head inside. Kaye’s nowhere, not in her room, not in the basement, not in my room. Nowhere. I find Dom and Nathan out back. “You boys seen Kaye?”
“Nope, not since this morning,” Dom says, stretching. “I’m still hungover from last night. That fucking party was insane.”
“I could go for a drink right now, honestly,” Nathan says. “Anything to make this damn headache go away.”
I glare at them. “I need you two to find Kaye. Get off your asses and move.”
“Right now?” Dom sighs and stands. “Seriously, cousin, I’m struggling.”
“Go. Now. This is important.”
He groans and gestures for Nathan to follow. My brother frowns at me, head tilted to the side. “Everything okay? You don’t look good.”
“I just need Kaye found.” I hesitate, a mess of emotions. “Please. Find her.”
Nathan nods and bumps my shoulder with his fist. “I got you.” He follows after Dom without another word and I watch them go.