Chapter 13 #2
I sign it anyway and hand the tablet back to the kid. “So, what did you do to deserve this duty?”
He gives me a wry smile. “I was late for a house meeting because I slept in.”
“Relatable.” I shoot him a quick peace sign. “Keep fighting the good fight, kid.”
He chuckles. “I’ll try. Enjoy the party.”
“We’ll try.”
“Is there anyone you can’t charm?” Shane asks as we head down the hall and toward the faint sounds of music.
“Probably, but I have yet to meet them.”
The inside of the house looks exactly like you’d expect it to, with stone accents, medieval-style chandeliers, massive fireplaces that are big enough to walk into, and random castle decor like coats of arms, hanging tapestries, and actual suits of armor scattered throughout the place.
But just like our dorm, underneath all of the historical artifacts and medieval charm is state-of-the-art technology that’s automated almost every aspect of the house, which makes it perfect for hacking into.
“It’s going to look weird if we spend too much time together,” he says in a low voice. “It’s not like our rivalry or whatever you want to call it is a secret. The last thing we need is for people to get suspicious.”
“You’re not wrong. You go in first and do whatever you normally do at these things, and I’ll keep an eye on you. You’ll know it’s time when I turn your earpiece on.”
“Okay.” He swallows hard. “Don’t get me killed or I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt your ass.”
“Duly noted.” I leave him with a smirk and slow my pace so he can pull ahead of me.
Shane squares his shoulders and keeps his head high as he walks up to a massive set of wooden doors and pulls one open.
I drop my eyes to his ass and try not to grin. I was right; his pants make his ass look spectacular.
I wait a few seconds, then slip inside after him.
The room is the same one they usually host parties in, and it’s basically a giant stone ballroom that they convert into different spaces as they need them.
Right now it’s set up so there’s a DJ booth and dance area off to one side, a cluster of furniture like couches and loveseats in the far corner, and a bar off to the other side.
And through the open door at the back is the entrance to the party favor room, where they keep the good stuff.
The party is already in full swing, and the room is filled with people who are dancing and drinking, and all of the furniture is taken up by couples in various stages of getting it on.
Keeping Shane in my line of sight, I go to the bar and pour some iced tea into a highball glass so it looks like I’m drinking, then start wandering around to get a feel for the vibe and scope out where everyone is.
A few people wave and call out their greetings to me, but most keep their distance, which suits me just fine.
Shane, on the other hand, is almost immediately surrounded by a group of Belmont girls he hangs out with, and I don’t like the flare of angry heat that settles in my stomach as he laughs and starts flirting with them.
Ignoring whatever the fuck that was, I sip my drink and angle myself so I can keep Ben, who’s standing near the dance area with a few other members of the Kings, and Shane in my line of sight.
“Hey, handsome,” a soft voice at my side says, pulling my attention from the two men.
I give Courtney one of my signature smirk smiles. “Hello, beautiful.”
I’ve known Courtney since we were in boarding school, and we hooked up once back in the day, but we’ve been cool since. She’s one of the few people on campus I can actually stand, and I appreciate her unapologetic way of going after what she wants.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be here,” she says, leaning closer so I can hear her over the music. “Is Jax around?”
“Nope, and he’s still very much with Myles,” I remind her.
“Too bad. I’ve always wanted to collect the set.” She grins and gives my arm a little bump with hers.
I laugh. “Understandable, but it looks like that ship has sailed.”
“Looks like.” She takes a sip of her drink. “Still have your one and done rule?”
“You know it. What about you?”
“Oh yeah. Although I might take a page out of your book and open my options to the ladies because I’m getting tired of dealing with men.”
“Men are exhausting.”
“They really are. Did you hear about Sarah and Derek?”
“No, what happened?” I ask, feigning interest.
She launches into a convoluted story about how her roommate and whoever the fuck Derek is got together after cheating on their respective partners, but I only half listen as I keep an eye on Shane, Ben, and the time while she talks.
“That’s crazy,” I say when she finishes. “He’s cooked.”
“So cooked.” She lifts her glass and finishes her drink. “I need a refill. You need one too, or are you good?”
I shake my half-full glass. “All good.”
She gives me a little wave and heads over to the bar.
I take a sip of my drink, and when I check on Shane, I find him staring at me with a decidedly unhappy look on his face.
Our eyes lock for a few beats before he quickly looks away and goes back to flirting with the petite blonde who’s practically hanging off him.
More of that dark heat fills me, and I casually press on my earpiece to turn it on.
“Act normal,” I say, keeping my voice low.
Shane immediately whips his head toward me.
“That’s not what I’d call acting normal,” I say dryly.
He looks back at the blonde and laughs at something she says.
“I’ve got your mic on mute, so just act natural while I’m talking.
Keep your eye on Ben and the other leaders while I go let Jax in and we do what we need to do.
If one of them leaves or anything out of the ordinary happens, let me know by gently pressing on your earpiece.
That will send out a signal only I can hear.
Run your hand through your hair if you understand. ”
He slicks his hand through his hair, his eyes still on the blonde.
“Good. Now you’re going to practice using the signal. It’s incredibly sensitive, so you only need a little bit of pressure to activate it. If you feel the piece move in your ear, you’re pushing too hard. Give it a try if you understand.”
Another blonde comes to stand with the crowd of girls around him, and he gives her a big, flirty smile as he lifts his hand and does what I say.
A low whine, like soft feedback from a speaker, fills my ear.
“Perfect,” I tell him. “I’m going to do a quick perimeter check to clock anything that could complicate things, then we’ll figure out how you’re going to get the card. Do you remember our signal for yes? Use that if you understand.”
He rubs his right hand on his thigh.
Keeping to the shadows, I head over to the back wall and into the party favor room.
The Kings might be some of the most incompetent nepo babies on the planet and are the living embodiments of the Dunning-Kruger effect, but they get their hands on good shit, and they’re not stingy when it comes to sharing with their guests.
The room looks like a police evidence locker if it were transported into a medieval-themed restaurant with a massive wood table in the center of the space that’s covered with their offerings.
On one end of the table is the softer stuff like prerolled joints, bags of loose flower, packets of rolling papers, and a few bongs.
In the middle of the table is where they’ve put the different pharmaceutical options, all in neatly labeled containers.
And on the other end is the harder stuff, complete with the tools needed to cook, cut, and consume the offerings.
It’s a literal smorgasbord of bad decisions and regrets, but the four massive private security guards dressed in all black watching the table and making sure that no one takes more than they can consume are the reason I came in here in the first place.
Last time I was at one of these parties, they only had two guards, and they weren’t armed. Now there are four, and all of them are visibly packing.
That could complicate things, but as long as we get in and out without anyone knowing, then they won’t be a problem.
One guard fixes his attention on me and gently rests his hand on his sidearm, his message clear: pick something or get the fuck out.
I pretend to scope out the weed choices, then pluck a preroll off the table and tuck it over my ear. And just because I can, I grab another joint from the stack and hold it between two fingers like I’m going to spark it up the second I leave.
The guard drops his hand from his weapon, and I turn away from the table and head back out into the main room.
Instead of lighting up, I slip the joints into a slender metal cigarette case I tucked into my pocket when I was getting dressed and head back over to the bar, sticking close to the walls and shadows as I do.
Shane does a good job of ignoring me as he laughs and flirts with the gaggle of women still surrounding him, and I do my best to ignore the dark, ugly heat that once again settles in my stomach at the sight.
It’s time to focus on the mission, not on whatever the fuck is going on with me.
“Ready for your part?” I ask quietly.
He rubs his right hand against his thigh.
“Good.” I take a sip of my drink and lean against the wall behind me. “You’ve got this. Just remember to breathe and you’ll be fine.”
His shoulders drop a bit and his posture relaxes.
“Do you see an opening?” I ask quietly.
Ben is still standing near the dance area, but now the group around him is bigger and includes several randoms I don’t care to place.
He touches his left ear, our signal for no.
“Do you want to implement plan B?” I ask.
He rubs his thigh.
“Okay. Give me a minute or so to get them distracted. And remember, you’ve got this.”
He keeps his attention on the girls he’s talking to, but flicks his gaze over to me as I cross the room and walk over to where Ben is standing.
“Hawthorne,” Ben greets, giving me a quick nod.
“Hey.” I swirl what’s left of my drink in my glass. “How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain.” He looks between me and Shane. “So what’s going on with you and Matheson?”
“Nothing.”
He raises one eyebrow. “Really? Your supposed rival texts me out of the blue asking for an invite for you, and that’s nothing?”
“Let’s just say he knows I appreciate a good spread.” I point to the favor room. “And you always have the best spreads on campus.”
He grins. “You’re trying to hit that, aren’t you?”
“I would, but unfortunately, he’s too straight to be swayed over to the dark side.”
“So why are you all buddy-buddy and he’s getting you party invites all of a sudden?”
“Because he owes me a favor and I cashed it in.”
Shane glances over at us, then breaks away from the group of women.
“Speak of the devil,” Ben says loudly as he comes to stand with us. “Hawthorne was just telling us about how he had to cash in a favor to get you to hang out with him.”
“Yeah, he’s annoying like that.” Shane flicks his gaze to me. “Just can’t catch a hint.”
The guys all guffaw like Shane just said the funniest thing ever, and I don’t miss how Shane slips his hand into his back pocket and creeps closer to Ben.
“So, who saw that coming?” I ask the group and point to where Sarah and Derek are currently attached at the pelvis and dry humping each other in the dance area.
Everyone turns to look, and I watch as Shane slips the fake ID card he pulled out of his pocket under his shirt sleeve.
A couple of the guys weigh in on the situation as they turn their attention back to the group, and I wait until they change the subject to something equally stupid to drain what’s left in my glass.
“I need a refill,” I tell the group and hold up my now-empty drink. “And I think it’s about time I find my new friend for the evening.”
The guys laugh, and I deliberately bump into Shane as I pass him, knocking him off balance so he gently bumps into Ben.
“Sorry, I’m annoying like that,” I tell him as he levels a convincing glare at me.
The guys laugh again as I give Shane a wink and a long, heated stare, and I can hear them ribbing him about my flirting as I walk toward the bar.
When I get there, I put my glass on the counter and pretend to look over my choices.
Shane laughs and chats with the guys for a few minutes, then tosses them a wave and heads back over to the group of girls he left behind.
Instead of getting another drink, I unmute my earpiece. “I’m heading to the bathroom now.”
He rubs his thigh to let me know he heard me, and I mute our earpieces again as I quietly slip out of the main room and head for the small bathroom a few doors down from the party room.
The bathroom is empty when I get there, and unlike the one on the other side of the party room that has multiple urinals and stalls, this one is just a single toilet and sink. It’s usually off-limits during parties, but the unlocked door makes it fair game in my book.
I lean against the wall to wait, and about a minute later, Shane slips into the room.
“Holy shit,” he says incredulously.
I take in his flushed cheeks and wide, bright eyes. He’s not scared, he’s pumped up.
“I really just did that.” He shakes his head and pulls the card out of his pocket. “Like, I really just did that.”
“You did,” I tell him as he hands me the card. “Good job. That was slick as hell.”
“I’m literally shaking.” He holds up his hand to show me it’s trembling. “That was a fucking rush. Now I know why you and Jax like doing this kind of shit.”
“It definitely gets the blood pumping.”
“Am I too excited? Is it weird that I’m so… I don’t even know what I am.”
“It’s not weird, and you’re fine,” I assure him. “That first taste of a felony is extra sweet if you ask me.”
“This definitely isn’t my first felony,” he laughs. “But it’s the first in a long ass time.”
“You good to go back?” I ask. “Jax will be getting into position soon, and it’s best if we get this over with before Benny boy realizes there’s a blank ID card in his back pocket.”
“Yeah.” He wipes his hands on his pants. “I’m good.”
“Do you remember the rest of the plan?”
“Keep Ben and the other leaders in my sight, watch for anything out of the ordinary, and let you know if they leave or things get weird.”
“Right. And?”
“And…don’t fuck up?”
“That too.” I grin. “But I was thinking more along the lines of act natural and remember that I’ll be able to see you when I tap into the security cams, so you won’t be alone even when I’m not around. Got it?”
He nods. “Got it.”
“Good. Now get out there and make me proud.”
He rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning as he slips out of the bathroom.