70. Cassian
70
Cassian
T hea had been ignoring my messages. She arrived for our joint classes at the last minute and then darted out before I could talk to her. It hadn’t escaped my notice that Eden Kelly was missing from campus, either.
Landon and Kyril were still in her favor, or so it seemed. I caught them sitting with Thea in the cafeteria at lunch, heads together, deep in conversation.
I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Dario Peretti, the grumpiest bastard on campus bar none, had also taken notice. But for once, he’d kept his mouth shut.
Thank God.
Trying to stop him and Kyril from killing each other was becoming a major pain in my ass. I’d tried requesting a room reassignment on Dario’s behalf, but the college accommodation officer wasn’t playing ball. Not even the promise of a hefty donation freed up any rooms.
Honestly, it was ridiculous. The whole point of me reserving an apartment was so I could enjoy privacy with my friends. None of us anticipated sharing with a random student. Especially not one as openly hostile as Dario Peretti.
It wouldn’t have mattered if he didn’t have a vendetta against Thea. Although, if she didn’t start cooperating on this joint project, he wouldn’t be the only one with a vendetta.
I’d kill her myself if she messed up my final grade. While I didn’t have a problem doing the lion’s share of the work, she needed to contribute something, or the professor would mark us both down.
I strode into the library looking for her. This was where she usually spent her evenings. Like me, she enjoyed reading, but whereas I preferred classic literature, she seemed to like smutty romances.
The library was mostly empty apart from a small group of third years sitting at a table near the window. They all looked up when they saw me enter, but quickly returned to their books.
Everyone here knew who I was. While some students were powerful individuals thanks to their family ties, I was in the public eye, which meant alliances with me could be useful. Since my very first day on campus, there had been a constant stream of people trying to curry favor, hoping I’d help them in the future.
Everyone believed I’d follow in my father’s footsteps. Take over his mantle of power. Become a force to be reckoned with in the hallowed halls of Westminster.
Maybe I would. Or maybe I’d choose my own path.
I hadn’t decided yet.
All I did know was that I would not be doing things my father’s way. All he cared about was acquiring more power. On the surface, his machinations were designed to help build a stronger country, but what most people - including his government colleagues - didn’t realize was that my father only cared about himself.
He ran his side businesses for profit. Any decision he took in his role as a security adviser benefited him first. And my father’s businesses were not all legitimate.
I brushed my fingers over the spines of old, dusty books. The library was a curious mix of old and new. The more valuable books were stored in a temperature-controlled room, with access to them strictly controlled. Other tomes, including the latest textbooks in both paper and e-book form, were freely available.
The business section was one of the biggest in the library. Abernethy College had a world-renowned business faculty, with many of the shadier criminal families choosing to send their children here.
It made sense. Criminal empires these days relied on the latest technology, and mafia dons needed to understand principles like data analysis and fintech. Those that stuck to the old ways risked becoming obsolete.
My father understood this. He’d enthusiastically embraced the wonders of technology in recent years, using it to build his criminal network while staying well out of reach of the authorities. Although the people who worked for him within the security agencies made that job a bit easier.
Considering Thea was on the same business course as me, I hadn’t seen her in this section once. In fact, judging by the way she spent most of our joint classes barely awake, I’d hazard a guess that she wasn’t studying business because she cared about the subject.
It was also odd that she’d skipped the first year. Unless she’d come here with credits from another university, which was possible.
I walked between the tall stacks, searching for a book I needed while keeping an eye out for Thea. She was in here somewhere. I’d caught a hint of her vanilla perfume when I entered.
The book wasn’t where it was supposed to be, which made me mutter a few choice words. Someone must have borrowed it and not put it back in the right place. I’d have to file a request and ask a librarian to find it for me.
The fiction section was on the mezzanine floor. Most of the books were classics so students could cut their teeth on authors like George Orwell, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway. But there was also a small section of pulp fiction for people who wanted some light reading. Additionally, the library provided access to a catalog of e-books for those with a taste for romance and women’s fiction.
I knew damn well I’d find Thea up here, in the smutty book section, engrossed in a novel of questionable literary value. What I didn’t expect to find was Milo tucked away in a corner, watching her like a creeper.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed, careful to keep my voice low so Thea didn’t hear. Not that she was aware of anything in her immediate vicinity. Whatever she was reading seemed to be thoroughly entertaining.
It was strange.
Thea was usually a blank sheet of paper, skilled at hiding her emotions, just like I was. Yet when reading a crappy novel, her face became far more expressive.
“Watching Thea,” he said like it was obvious and I was a moron for even asking. I noted how he didn’t even bother looking at me, making it clear she was more important.
“I realize that,” I gritted out, fighting the urge to punch him in the face. “What I’d like to know is why you are watching her.”
That got his attention. He blinked at me for a moment, trying to read my face. He must have picked up something, because he frowned.
“It bothers you?”
Did it bother me? I decided not to go there.
“Don’t you have work to do? Like finding out who she really is?”
From the way he flinched, that barb hit home. It was a bone of contention that he hadn’t been able to determine her true identity. Not even with the bits of information she’d let slip. Or the fact Dario Peretti clearly knew her.
Naturally, he wasn’t talking. I’d tried asking him why he hated her and he told me to go fuck myself. At least, I think he did. It was hard to know for sure because I wasn’t fluent in Italian. The only word I recognized was vaffanculo .
We’d not spoken since.
“I’m working on it,” he muttered before turning back to watch Thea. Yeah. He wasn’t working on anything. Like Kyril and Landon, the idiot was obsessed. Only when Milo became obsessed with a girl it was more concerning.
I hadn’t forgotten the fallout from the Haley affair.
“I’m about to disturb her little idyll, so you may wish to fuck off and do something useful. Like find out who she is.”
His blue-gray eyes narrowed. “She’s tired and stressed. Leave her alone, Cass.”
Thea was tired and stressed? How did he know this? I didn’t like the way my chest pinched at the thought she was in some kind of emotional pain, which was odd. I never usually cared about anyone but my friends.
“And you’d know this how?” We both watched as Thea smiled at whatever was happening in her story. The way her face lit up was astounding. She looked like a different girl and I wondered what awful things had happened to her to make her so guarded all the time.
The moment the thought entered my head, I shoved it away. I didn’t need to add another wounded pet to the list of people I cared for. It was already a full-time job making sure Landon and Milo didn’t get into trouble with their parents.
Kyril could look after himself, but I still had to keep his worst impulses in check. The lunatic was feral at times. His reaction to Dario Peretti being a good example of how bad things could get.
“We have a joint project to work on and she’s been ignoring my messages.”
Milo looked thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe if you brought her a hot drink and a cake, she might be more amenable to cooperating with you.”
I couldn’t decide what concerned me more: the fact he knew what she liked, or that I was actively considering his suggestion.