Vicious Secret: A Dark College Romance

Chapter 15

“What did I tell you?” Raven holds her hands to her chest and sighs. “Brewed Awakenings is the absolute best.”

I nod. “I believe you now. If the coffee is anything like the decorations, I’ll be blown away.”

Vintage lamp lights hang from the ceiling like floating lanterns, casting a glow over the black velvet chairs and crimson settees strategically placed in the room. A huge marble fireplace boasts a roaring fire, its crackling threaded into the soft alternative music playing in the background.

Raven grins at my astonishment. “Told you. This place is a mix between punk rock and aristocratic aesthetic, drowning in goth.”

I breathe in the familiar notes of coffee, chocolate, and sugar as I follow my friend to the counter. An employee with aquamarine hair smiles at us.

“Raven! Good to see you,” she says. “Do you want your usual ‘death in a cup?’”

“You know it, Misty.” Raven winks at the girl. “And for my friend, a rainbow rose latte.”

I browse the elaborate menu with wide eyes, impressed by the options. “Edgar Allen Mocha” and “Nightingale Nitro Cold Brew” are among my favorite names. The time and creativity that went into every detail of this place isn’t lost on me.

When I open my purse and reach for my wallet, Raven places her hand over mine. “I’ve got you, boo.”

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Absolutely.”

My cheeks burn at her generosity. It might be just a coffee to her, but to me it’s a frivolous spend that I can’t indulge in too often. “Thanks.”

We make our way over to an empty corner, drinks in hand. I take a sip of mine and groan loudly. It’s like cotton candy coffee. Or some other sugar-infested concoction that takes like happiness. Either that or I’m about to get into a diabetic coma.

June arrives a few minutes later, manicured nails drumming against her cup. “You baited me, and I’m here.” She gives Raven a pointed look. “You can’t just text me ‘Dick detectives’ without any explanation. So spill.”

Raven laughs. “Don’t be mad because it worked. Anyway, long story short: Delilah hasn’t heard from her friend Ben, who joined the Obsidian Order. We’re not sure if the social club is the reason he’s been MIA or if it’s a girl who got his balls in a vise. I figured we’d start with the fraternity because that’s where he lives.”

The math genius tucks a curl behind her ear. “I don’t know how much help I’m going to be. Those guys stay locked up tighter than a chastity belt.” A sly smile works its way onto her pink lips. “Not that they don’t get around, but you know what I mean.”

“You dated one of them for a while,” Raven says. “Faithfully, I might add. You have to know something useful that’ll help Delilah get in touch with Ben.”

June drops her gaze to her coffee cup, her bottom lip trembling slightly. “Yeah, Declan and I were together for a long time. Then at the beginning of summer he dumped me. No warning, no indicators, nothing. One day I’m happy and in love and the next he tells me he’s done.”

“I’m so sorry.” I reach across the table to cover her hand with mine. After giving her a squeeze to show my support, I withdraw my arm. “I can’t imagine how hurtful and confusing that was.”

She snaps her head up and her eyes flash. “Yeah, well, fuck him.”

“Just for the sake of research,” Raven says slowly, as though carefully choosing her words, “Declan did wear a gold signet ring with the first letter of his last name on it, right?”

“Yeah. He said every male in his family gets one made the day they’re born, but they can only wear it when they join the fraternity. Something about tradition that goes back to the fucking pilgrims or whatever.”

“Am I right to assume you’ve never been inside the castle?” When June nods, Raven taps her chin in thought. “I wonder what’s in there? Besides a bunch of entitled douchebags.”

“Every other fraternity holds parties in their buildings, but not them.” June takes a drink of her coffee and sets it down. A little more forcefully than usual. “They don’t allow anyone in their inner sanctum. Dicks.”

My shoulders slump with disappointment. I thought the mysterious fraternity would lead me to Ben, but after this conversation, it could actually be preventing me from finding him. The idea of waiting for my foster brother to contact me for an indeterminate period of time is unbearable.

“So now what?” I ask. “I feel like I’ve wasted your time with this. Other than storming the gates and demanding an answer from Ben, it seems like there’s nothing I can do except wait for him to reach out.”

Raven’s eyes light up with a mischievous glint that has me squirming in my seat. “I say we do exactly that, my dear Watson,” she says, adopting a British accent.

I raise a brow at her dramatics. “Seriously?”

“But of course!” She grins, steepling her fingers. “A little bit of sleuthing never hurt anyone.”

“First of all, Sherlock almost died during his adventures. Several times. Second, lurking around at night sounds a lot like stalking.”

Raven waves a dismissive hand. “Pish posh! All I’m suggesting is we take an evening stroll and enjoy the night air. If we happen to spot something through the window or find anything suspicious, that’s a bonus. But not illegal.” Her voice drops conspiratorially low. “But if you want to break in, I’m game.”

“Trespassing is illegal,” I say.

“Semantics. The fraternity is on university property, and we attend said university.”

“Your logic is sound,” June says dryly.

I bite my lip. My need for answers battles with the risks and potential ramifications if I take this operation further than the school’s administration allows. I may not have read the student code of conduct, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t allow good old fashion B and Es.

As if to soothe my reservations, Raven lightly touches my wrist. “We can turn around and go back to the dorm room whenever you want,” she says without an accent, her tone serious. “No man is worth losing your mind over.”

I exhale, letting my good sense flow from me. “Let’s do it, but just a little recon from the outside. And if I say it’s time to leave, we go.”

Raven gives me a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat’s. “Deal. The game is afoot, Watson!”

“What about me?”

My roommate and I turn to look at June, who stares at us with raised brows. Raven is the first to recover.

“Do you fancy a little midnight stroll?”

June rolls her eyes. “Nothing like a little trespassing to get the school year going.”

“Is that a ‘yes?’” I ask.

“It’s a definite yes. If possible, I want to find out what Declan’s up to nowadays.”

“Hell hath no fury…” I mumble against my coffee cup.

“Right you are, my dear Watson.” Raven gets to her feet. “Would you look at the time? I must leave for my next class. Be at the dorm tonight a little after eight. Cheerio, darlings.”

I stand. “I have a class starting here shortly. I’ll walk with you.” I turn to June. “You coming?”

She shakes her head. “We’re going to do a lot of walking tonight, so I’ll just wait until then. Oh, and don’t forget to dress completely in black.” When I frown at the idea of my limited wardrobe, she says. “Just borrow from Raven. She has more black clothes than a grieving widow.”

My roommate scoffs. “What I grieve is your lack of appreciation for gothic attire, my fair lady.”

June’s tinkling laugh follows Raven and I from the coffee shop and into the brisk autumn afternoon. Other pedestrians walk by on their way to classes or jobs, each of them lost in their own agenda.

Raven links her arm through mine. “Don’t worry so much. This is going to be fun. I didn’t take you for a goody-two-shoes.”

“I’m not,” I say, thinking of how I stabbed two men in one night back when I was fifteen. “I just have a lot to lose now, and it makes me more cautious.”

My friend nods. “I wish I could say that I understand, but I don’t really. If I fuck up, my parents will bail me out, make a generous donation to the dean, and I’ll be back in class the next day.”

“That’s so far removed from my circumstances that I can’t even imagine having that much security.”

“I promise I won’t even let things escalate that high. Okay?”

“Sure, but what about June?” I giggle at the expression on her face when she spoke about her ex. “She sounds like she’s one espresso away from blowing up the whole place.”

Raven smirks. “All I know is this is going to be more fun than some stupid frat party.”

I make a noncommittal noise. “We’ll see. But first, Human Growth and Development starts in twenty minutes.”

“I know you’re a psych major, but when they say ‘human growth,’ could they be talking about the male anatomy by chance?”

I playfully shove Raven. “It’s too early for that subject.”