Chapter 23
23
KILLIAN
R aine spends an hour working on her schedule changes. She’s gotta make a couple of calls, too, so I grab her phone and give it to her. That’s the princess treatment, right? Another hour of this, and I’ll be ready to play the monarch with his slave girl again. That game was a lot more fun.
“Finished,” she says triumphantly. “That was easier than I thought. The program director had already made some calls, so easy peasy lemon squeezy.”
If anyone else said “easy peasy lemon squeezy,” I might punch them in the fucking mouth. But from her delicious lips, it sounds cute.
I still arch a skeptical brow, which makes her laugh.
“That’s from my favorite sports movie of all time,” she says with a wink as she turns on the barstool.
I turn too, so her knees are between mine. Then, I smooth her hair down in a made-to-look-casual move. It’s silky soft despite its wild state.
“We did a number on your hair last night. ”
“Did we?” She holds up her phone and uses the camera to check herself out. “Oh, my God. Wow.” Then she laughs, sets her phone back on the counter, and finger combs her hair. “Good thing it’s just us.”
I’m working out my next move, but she’s apparently doing the same because she pushes down on my knee so she can swing hers around and hop down.
“I need a shower, and then I have to go to Columbus Tower to meet Owen.”
Owen. I don’t want her on a first-name basis with her fucking idol.
“I’ll come along.”
“Not this time,” she says. “It’s a closed meeting for Owen and the assistant director that I get to sit in on.”
“If he sees me, he might let me in. After all, I’ve got the exact face he’s looking for. And I’m your boyfriend.”
Halfway to the back hall, she freezes and turns around. “Yeah, about that…”
“Uh-huh?”
“Why did you lie?”
“So word will get around, and assholes won’t hit on you and end up on my hit list.”
Her brows furrow. “When you say end up on your hit list, that’s a figure of speech, right?”
I shake my head.
“Killian, don’t start this. This isn’t high school where being the toughest guy in school makes you cool, and you can get away with things because everyone knows who your family is. If you start behaving like a thug here, you’ll ruin both our futures. I’m not going to let that happen.”
Raine trying to set me straight on things is a good sign. Negotiations. Compromises. Futures being tied together. From what I’ve been forced to casually observe, that’s the bread and butter of intimate relationships.
Raine folds her arms across her chest. “Killian, you’re hearing me, right? No violence. That’s not happening.”
“Out of curiosity, how do you think you would stop me? ”
“Don’t push me.”
Her tone isn’t sweet or friendly now. And I don’t like the change. Unless she’s going to shoot me in the head while I sleep, there’s no scenario where she’ll have the ability to stop me from doing anything I decide to do. It’s silly for her to assert otherwise.
The urge to push her to see the obvious truth is right beneath the surface. It would take nothing to unleash the beast that would force her to back down. But there’s something in her eyes I recognize, something she’s never directed at me in this way. It’s angry defiance.
Operation Stockholm Syndrome , I remind myself. Lie and be smooth about it.
“You don’t need to worry.” I don’t manage to make my voice sound friendly, but it sounds neutral at least. “Things are going to be different. I promised, remember?”
Her gaze does a slow perusal of me. “I hope that’s true.”
She starts to turn away, and I add, “But Malenus is your mentor and teacher, so if he propositions you, that’s an abuse of power. That would make him a bad guy.”
Her gaze locks with mine. “You and I have to agree on that, right? On whether someone is a bad guy? That’s what you said.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, it is. ” Her small hands fist at her sides. I’m not even sure she knows she’s doing it.
Deep down, I like the fire and want to smother it at the same time. I could spend all week having a good time doing both.
“And, Killian, don’t tell that lie again.”
“What lie?”
“That you’re my boyfriend.” She turns and walks away, missing the look I give her retreating back.
I’ll say whatever I want, especially that, if I think it’ll keep guys from overstepping. If Raine was being logical, she would agree to it, since keeping guys from trying to get with her would keep them from becoming targets.
RAINE
On the campus tour, we were told Columbus Tower basically belongs to the Granthorpe Daily Dispatch. As one of the oldest college newspapers in the country, it’s an institution within the institution and has recently won prestigious awards for reporting. In addition to the Dispatch’s newsroom on the top floor, there are a few small classrooms, offices, and meeting rooms in the tower, along with a sandwich shop and lounge area on the main floor.
Film studies, theatre studies, and literature are all in other buildings, which is why it surprises me that Owen Malenus has decided to borrow a conference room in Columbus Tower for the production meeting.
Killian insists on walking me inside. There’s a lineup for sandwiches at the first floor deli and couches and chairs full of students who are eating or studying between classes. I like the energy immediately.
My knee-high black boots barely make a sound as we cross the tile, which I also prefer. The clickety-clack of my Mary Janes is so conspicuous. I’m glad we stopped at Meredith Hall so I could grab some more of my clothes. The long burgundy skirt and short black sweater give me a boost of confidence.
Getting into the elevator, I say, “Okay, I’ll text when I’m finished. But if you’re busy, don’t worry. I can always take the bus back.”
“No buses. Text me.”
I nod as the door closes.
As I exit the elevator upstairs, Leighton Miller is coming out of the designated conference room. When he sees me, he stops walking and waits for me to reach him.
“Hey,” I say, raising a hand in greeting.
“No Callahan today?”
My pace slows to a stop. When Killian and I met Leighton and Owen, I’m pretty sure we never mentioned Killian’s last name.
“Nope.”
Leighton glances around as if confirming he won’t be overheard. “A word to the wise? Sooner or later, a guy like that will blow up your career. He might have been the best you could do in high school, but with a degree from GU and Owen Malenus’s stamp of approval, you could be golden. Don’t saddle yourself with a liability.”
My eyes widen. “You don’t even know Killian.”
“I know of him. He’s a sex scandal waiting to happen. The way he uses desperate, trashy young women and prostitutes? Indulging his deviance? It’s only a matter of time before someone blackmails him or pictures get leaked, with all that that entails. You don’t want your life tarnished by his taint, do you? Take it from someone who knows the way reputations can get smeared by association.”
Before I even have time to process what he’s saying, he charges on as though he’s been dying to rant to someone, and this is his first chance. “My fraternity had one of the most powerful alumni networks in the country. Being a Lambda Delta stood for greatness in law, finance, and technology. Then, violence and sexual deviance derailed the entire chapter, and it’s rippled outward exponentially because of the media. Now those of us who never engaged in any of it are having to clean things up.” Leighton clenches his jaw.
My head is still reeling from one of the first things he said. Killian with prostitutes? And what does Leighton mean by “indulging his deviance?” The chains on War’s wall come to mind. Has Killian gotten deep into something because of War and Jamie?
“Your background is as clean as your name, Raine, and you’re a pretty girl with a lot of talent. Choose a guy from a good family who will be an asset to you.”
The conference room door opens, and Owen Malenus smiles when he sees me. “You are here. Come in, Raine.”
Without a word, Leighton turns and strides to the elevator.
“The fraternity watchdog,” Owen says with a roll of his eyes as he ushers me into the room.
There’s a long table with ten chairs around it. Owen’s notebook, electronic tablet, and coffee cup are in front of the end chair. There’s a full glass of ice water at the place next to his.
“Is that where you want me?”
“Yes. Would you like coffee ?
“No, I’m fully caffeinated.” My forced smile is bright as I try to switch my focus from Leighton’s tirade to this meeting.
When I open the notes app on my phone, though, Owen asks me to power my phone completely off. It takes me a minute to figure out how to force it to power down. As I do, he slides some papers toward me.
“Because I can always count on the press to steal my thunder, the world will find out soon enough that I’m shooting a film on the Granthorpe campus. But until the media starts squawking, I want to keep things under wraps.”
After reading through the non-disclosure agreements, I sign.
“I have a misdirect plan for the press. And for campus administration, who are already trying to insert themselves into the creative process, after claiming they wouldn’t.” He shakes his head and then scratches his stubble. He seems to be growing a beard. “Here’s the thing about Granthorpe. Fantastic pedigree. Fantastic educators. But also prone to episodes of such darkness and deviance it would make 8 Mile look like Disney World.”
Deviance … there’s that word again. What is going on?
“8 Mile,” I murmur, recalling the film about a white rapper. Semi-autobiographical, maybe? It came out a few years before I was born and isn’t one I’ve watched for research.
I must look like I’m trying to puzzle things out because he grins.
“Yes, the area around 8 Mile Road in Detroit is infamously rough. Like Compton in LA.” He nods and continues to smile. “You’re going to bring such a fresh prospective to this project. I’ve had my own experiences here, and I’ve done some preliminary interviews with older alumni, but I want someone who’s new to GU, too. That’s valuable.”
“Happy to help.”
“Good. Your first assignment is to go to a party at Beta House tonight. They’ve been in support of reinstating Lambda Delta Kappa to full status. Probably because when Beta had scandals that came under review of the Greek council, Lambda supported them. One thing you can say about the Lambda guys, they’re not hypocrites.” He takes a swig of coffee .
“I’ll go to the party and keep my eyes open. I’ll ask some girls from my dorm?—”
“No, this is an invitation-only party. I’ve secured you an invite. Who they really want is the blond rower. That’s all they called him. I guess there’s only one?”
Jamie?
“Anyway, my assistant implied he’d be bringing you. It won’t matter once you’re there. Just be vague if anyone asks about him.”
“I might know who they’re talking about.”
“Oh, yes? Can you take him along?”
“Oh, no.” Killian’s reaction to that would not be good.
“Well…” He shrugs as if he can’t fathom why I would mention having knowledge of the guy if we couldn’t use him as my party cover. He has a point.
Owen scratches his face. “So, use whatever cover story you want. As I said we’ve got the invitations. Individual QR codes were issued. You’ll find yours in your inbox along with details about the party.”
“Sounds good. Is there anyone you’d like me to talk to when I’m there?”
“No, but if you can steer the conversation to the Lambda House scandal, do it. I’m interested in what they know about the guys that are being investigated.”
“Investigated about the Casanova scandal?”
“Yes.”
“Is the film about that?”
“Not in a made-for-TV movie sort of way,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “The vultures have already picked the bones of that carcass bare. And that’s not my style of drama anyway, as you know.”
He raises his cup and takes a swallow. I feel like he might be stalling.
“This is a deeper look at the Granthorpe culture and some of its secrets and urban legends. The scope goes well beyond Casanova and student reactions to his crime spree.”
Crime spree… that phrase sounds so minor—or like it belongs in an action adventure movie about a bank-robbing couple in the nineties. Casanova was a serial killer, and not the kind who went on a murder sp ree, per se. The articles I read called him organized and noted his genius intelligence. When I read that paragraph, it made me think of Killian.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll try to chat with upperclassmen.”
“Perfect. We’re going to set up a shared file folder for you to drop your recorded notes and conversations into. This state requires two-party consent for conversation recording, so you can’t sit in a corner having a one-on-one conversation that you secretly record. These would be conversations between other people that you happen to pick up in another way…”
My brows rise. Is he asking me to spy on people? After tricking them into recalling last year? Before Casanova was caught, I’m sure everyone talked a lot about how campus life was being affected by his crimes. Now though, I’ll probably need to steer people into talking about him and his ties to Lambda Delta. Recording conversations would make it even more intrusive. It seems unnecessary and wrong.
“So, for example,” Owen says. “If you’re taking video of the house and no one tells you to stop, you could do that. And if you happen to capture a conversation…” He shrugs.
I stare at him silently. There is no way I’m doing what he’s suggesting, but I’m not sure I need to escalate this into an argument.
Still, my expression must convey something because he says, “I can tell you have a moral objection, and I don’t want you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. But ask yourself, should men making racist or deeply misogynistic statements at a party have a right to privacy? Think about what these men do. They’re bringing incoming freshmen into their fold, creating a cult-like environment designed to break new members down so they’ll adopt the group’s values, and then perpetuating an environment that celebrates sexual predation and more. They normalize Casanova’s opinions.”
“It sounds like you think the members of the Beta fraternity are dangerous? And you want me to go into their house alone to try to deceive them? I think that might end badly… for me.”
“No, no.” His response is so fast my stomach tightens and feels upset .
It’s not that he hasn’t considered how it might play out. He has considered it and decided to suggest it anyway.
“These guys would never do anything physical to you in that setting, where they know your invitation came through us and that we know where you are. That’s not the way these guys operate.”
No? They would what? Wait to catch me alone?
That’s the way Killian goes after people. He didn’t smash his way into Alicia’s house and drag her dad out in front of witnesses. He waited until he caught him alone.
“I’m not going to record anyone,” I say. “I wouldn’t feel comfortable. And if I go, I need to take a friend with me.”
“If you mean your boyfriend?—”
I almost say Killian’s not my boyfriend, but mentioning that would lead to explanations I don’t want to get into. “No. I don’t think any fraternity members would get a chance to talk to me with Killian around. I was thinking a friend from my dorm.”
“Actually, they might be more likely to talk to him. He’s an athlete who’s not in a fraternity already, right? If we go with a woman, instead, we need someone attractive.”
I stare at him. “Why?”
“Because they already proved that’s what they want. They checked your picture before they decided whether to issue an invitation.”
I feel stunned again. “What?”
He nods. “See what I mean? These men aren’t interested in creating a diverse group of friends, Raine. What they care about is having hot women at their party. Check out the score-keeping game that got them in trouble a few years back. Then tell me you want to protect their privacy.”
A sense of dread washes over me. My student film was considered gritty for its subject matter and the way I shot it, but there were no bad people in it. Just the heart-breaking reality of drug addiction.
It feels like this project is personal to Owen Malenus and that the underlying intent is to punish the university and its fraternities. I even wonder if he picked me not because of Carpet, but because he thought I would appeal to male students and not seem threatening. Am I an unwitting honey trap ?
And if the Beta House guys are as bad as Owen’s implying, there is no way I’m taking another woman to the party with me.
For the rest of the meeting, I don’t say much. Owen moves on to location-scouting. The cinematographer is arriving in a few days, and one of my jobs is to create a folder of Foxgrove images for him. That’s an assignment I’m happy to undertake.
As I leave the meeting, though, I still feel dejected. My big opportunity isn’t what it seemed.