“It is done.” I nod at him. “You shake me down. Don’t expect me to be cordial about it.” I grab the document and turn away from him, walking toward the door. If I don’t get a move on, I’ll be late for law class. I can’t wait to see Nat’s face when I hand her the document and tell her I sorted it. Perhaps it will be the first step in the right direction for us.
I get to class with not a minute to spare. When I glance at Nat’s seat at the front, my stomach dips to find it empty. Eva is sitting in the seat next to it, but she’s not there.
As Principal Byrne starts the class, I watch the door, expecting her to appear at any moment. After ten minutes, I’m convinced she’s not coming, so I write out a text.
Where are you? I’ve got some important news.
The lesson crawls by as I stare at my phone, waiting for a response.After another twenty minutes, I send another text.
Seriously. I need to speak with you after law class. Why aren’t you here?
The rest of the class passes by in a blur, and I can’t focus. This nagging sensation that she’s in trouble claws at my insides, as I know how dangerous the information I dug up on her is for both her and her family.
The bell finally sounds the end of class and I jump up and rush into the corridor, dialing Nat’s number. It rings five times and then goes to her messaging.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath before trying again.
It rings and then again goes to her messaging, her beautiful voice ringing in my ears. I wait this time so that I can leave her a message.
“Stop ignoring me, Nat.” I cancel the call and March down the corridor toward anatomy class, when I spot Eva at her locker. She will know where Nat is.
I slam my hand in front of Eva, so she can’t move away from her locker. “Where is Natalya?”
Her brows pull together. “Sorry?”
“She wasn’t in law class. Where is she?” I hate how desperate my voice sounds.
Eva rolls her eyes. “Why don’t you text her and find out?”
I don’t tell her I’ve already sent her three texts this morning and tried to call her twice, with no luck. The girl is driving me crazy, especially since I have news to give her regarding our Finn problem. “Eva,” I growl her name in warning. “Stop messing around.”
She glares at me, and I realize this girl isn’t a girl I can push around. “When are you going to grow up?”
My eyes narrow as I flex my jaw. “What do you mean?”
“Stop acting like a fucking child and tell Natalya how you feel.” She shakes her head. “Maybe she might feel exactly the same fucking way, ending the bullshit back and forth for everyone.”
I swallow hard, knowing that Eva is right. Although I’ve told her I want to make amends, I haven’t told her those three words. Words that scare me more than anything. If I was acting like an adult, I wouldn’t be accosting her friend, demanding to know where she is. However, Nat isn’t exactly giving me much of a choice with her radio silence. “I have tried to contact her, but she won’t respond.” I narrow my eyes at her. “I will tell her the truth,” I say, removing my hand from Eva’s locker door. “But first I need to know where she is.”
“She got leave to attend her brother’s wedding back in Boston.” Eva shrugs. “She should be back in a few days.”
Wedding.
I grind my teeth together, realizing she didn’t tell me because right now the tables have turned. She’s acting like a brat, and if I want her to forgive me, there’s nothing I can do to change her behavior.
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’m late for anatomy with Nitkin, and so are you.” She gives me a pointed look.
I nod in response, and watch as she walks away, but my mind is racing. The need to see her is desperate and clawing, and it feels like it’s tearing me in two. Instead of following her down the corridor toward anatomy class, I head the opposite way to The Principal’s office.
Finn has his payment after I asked for the money from my uncle. Two million dollars is like a drop in the ocean to him, and I said it was important for the good of the Cartel. He didn’t even question me, no doubt trying to make amends for what he did to my mother.
I stop outside of the door to Byrne’s office, swallowing hard. There’s no way I can just demand that he let me out of the academy without a good reason. Instead of knocking, I head to an empty classroom next door and grab a piece of paper and pen out of the desk.
I write a letter in my best imitation of my uncle’s handwriting, signing it off as him. I perfected his signature years ago for permission slips and more when I didn’t want to ask him or my father for anything.
I dig around in the desk and find an envelope with a stamp on, folding the note inside, and writing the syndicate academy address on the front, along with Principal Byrne’s name. I seal it, knowing the mail has normally arrived by now and it will just look like my uncle posted it. I add my uncle’s address on the back as the sender and hope it’s convincing enough.
The staff has mailboxes around the corner from Byrne’s office. I turn down the corridor and slip the envelope on top of the ones already in his box, and then I head toward the office.