Chapter 50
Nash
Two questions kept running circles in my mind. Who was in the school late at night, who would have seen or heard us, and who would have known to follow Ren? Who would want to scare her? I kept coming back to the same two assholes…Sabastian and Vicky.
Vicky certainly had motivation to hurt Ren, but she was an in-your-face personality, not the sneak-around-in-the-dark, sending cryptic messages type.
There was no one else with a motive. And despite what people thought, you needed a motive to want to kill, terrorize, or even just frighten someone else. There was always a core reason why a person would go to those lengths.
I’d sat down with Theo and Liam and pored over the list of every student and teacher in the school. Zigzag had even provided, with a little persuading, of course, bank account information for the tiny suspect pool. There were no unusual lumps of money or activity.
The only one who had proven to have a shady background time and time again was the asshole whose father had plotted against Ren’s family for years.
Someone who knew how to create willing worker bees to do his dirty work…
Christov. And I didn’t believe for one second that Sabastian didn’t know his father’s plans.
He could play the innocent card with Ren, and she might believe him because she had a good heart, but not me. My heart beat because of Princess, but it was still as black and cold as ever when it came to threats.
“So let me make sure I understand what you’re telling me,” Dean Henry said, pulling me from the dark thoughts swirling around faster than the snowflakes outside his window.
“You’ve received not one, but two threatening messages, and instead of coming to me, you stole a teacher’s keys and broke into his office because… why?”
Ren shrugged. “Mr. Sharpe has been acting really strange lately. He’s always been tough, but this seems personal.”
Dean Henry’s eyebrow rose, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll give you an example. He was upset that Blake wasn’t in class because he was at a doctor’s appointment with Ethan. I don’t know how to describe it, but he was condescending and rude. To the point that he—in a roundabout way—said that Blake was wasting his life.”
“Hmm.”
“I know it sounds crazy, and I’m sorry that I did what I did, but I didn’t want to come to you with this information until I had concrete evidence,” Ren said, taking the blame all on herself.
She’d told me ahead of time that she was going to, and forbade me from arguing. It really was hot when she ordered me around.
I glanced at the side of her face as very inappropriate thoughts shoved the dark ones aside. On a desk…I haven’t had her on a desk.
“Nash?”
I jerked and looked between Ren and Dean Henry.
“Sorry, what?”
Ren shook her head and narrowed her eyes at me. I smirked.
“Do you feel that Mr. Sharpe or Mr. Martelli is a threat,” Dean Henry asked.
“The assignment wasn’t exactly private information.
Anyone taking the class got handed the example.
And any student around those people could have seen it over someone’s shoulder and decided to use the idea.
Sharpe’s been peculiar since Ren started assisting last year.
I don’t think he can handle the dynamic of being in a truly authoritative role. ”
Ren arched an eyebrow at me.
“What? I’m not saying he’s not a threat. I’m just saying that there are too many possibilities, and that’s why we need Dean Henry’s help.”
“I’m surprised you used peculiar, dynamic, and authoritative in the same breath,” Ren said, and Dean Henry chuckled.
“You two are very funny,” I said, annoyed.
But I loved it when Princess poked at me. The teasing look she gave me got me going.
“Nash does have a point.”
Dean Henry picked up the paper that had been stuck to the door while Ren, Myles, and Blake were snooping.
“So, you went to his office, and this was left while you were inside?” Ren nodded. “Then why does it allude to there being three of you?”
Ren swallowed, and Dean Henry smirked. He held up his hand.
“Don’t tell me who it was. I don’t want to know.”
He stood from the desk and walked over to the coffee machine.
I’d been in here enough to figure out that he made coffee when he was thinking and needed to process.
We sat quietly and watched him work. I counted, and sure enough, he used exactly twenty stirs before taking a sip and turning back to us.
“Alright, I’ll look into this,” he said.
“That’s it? I will look into this. You don’t have any ideas as to who may be stalking Ren?”
My frustration with anything Curators was now palpable.
He hit me with a hard stare that would’ve made me squirm last year.
“Do I have an idea, or do you want me to confirm your suspicions, so you have carte blanche to do what you want to them?”
I shifted in my seat. His words were oddly close to the truth. I hated when he did that shit.
“I am very aware of your dislike for a certain person. But disliking someone and having proof of them doing this are two very different things,” Dean Henry said.
“You think it’s Sabastian too, just say it.”
“Nash…not this again,” Ren groaned.
“Don’t just dismiss the idea. He has a lot to gain by doing something like this,” I argued.
“Really, like what,” Ren asked.
“Payback for one. We all know he isn’t impressed with you or your mother.
And he isn’t exactly forthcoming about his life between now and then.
In fact, he is flat out refusing to talk to you.
Don’t you find that odd? Then there is the fact that he just found out that you’re not actually his blood sister.
If he had any reservations about hurting you because you were family, those were wiped away.
He has been in every location where a major tragedy occurred, including the night Owen shot up Volatile.
There are too many coincidences. And let’s not forget that you passed by his door on the way to the stairwell, which means he could’ve seen or heard you leave. ”
“Fine, he could have done it, but I don’t believe he did,” Ren argued, and I took a deep breath.
There was no winning this battle. She wanted so badly to see the good in him that it was like she had blinders on.
“Enough, both of you. I will dig into all avenues,” Dean Henry said, sitting down and holding out his hand toward Ren.
She looked at it for a moment, then blushed and dug into her bag before pulling out Sharpe’s keys.
“I assume this is the last I will learn of you snooping in places you’re not allowed?”
“Correct, I won’t snoop again. But I’m not going to stop looking into this myself,” she said, and Dean Henry looked as frustrated as I felt.
What was her obsession with putting herself in the line of fire? Why couldn’t she just…be not her for once? She was giving me a heart attack.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Genovese,” Dean Henry said, exasperated. “You can show yourselves out of my office. And…can you try to stay out of trouble until graduation?”
“I’m not trouble,” I said.
Dean Henry looked like his head was about to explode, but before he could say anything, the door opened, and one of the guards stuck their head inside.
“We have an issue,” he said.
The dean was out of his seat and through the door without another word.
Ren and I looked at one another, then quickly followed.
We reached the main entrance just as Ellis and four officers marched inside.
Liam pushed away from the wall where he was waiting for us and walked over.
Ellis glanced at me, but then away just as fast. I didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign.
“What’s going on,” Ren whispered, taking my hand.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen an officer allowed on Wayward property other than Morrison, and that was because of Ivy.”
“What is the meaning of this, Officer Ellis,” Dean Henry asked, his tone firm and unyielding.
“It’s Sheriff,” Ellis said.
“And?” Dean Henry quipped back. Go, Dean Henry. Ellis smirked and shook his head.
Wayward guards seemed to materialize out of the shadows and spread out, blocking the officers from proceeding any further. The men with Ellis honestly didn’t look happy to be here, and I didn’t blame them. People who crossed these families usually didn’t live very long.
“We have an arrest warrant. I’m aware of the student’s enrollment in this school, so I have a judge’s order, granting me permission to cross your precious gates,” Ellis said, mockingly as he held out the paperwork.
Dean Henry snatched it from Ellis and began reading.
Shit. Was he here for me? It could really be any of us. Most of the students in this school were far from innocent.
I glanced at Liam, but his expression remained frustratingly neutral.
“This is preposterous,” Dean Henry said.
“Maybe, but Mr. Gunnerson’s guardian signed off on it. It’s all legit,” Ellis said.
The cafeteria began to empty, and the crowd grew, Sabastian among them.
“Who is Gunnerson,” I asked Liam.
He turned his head and faced me, but then glanced at Ren, who was too focused on what was happening to notice us talking. That was his way of telling me this wasn’t going to go well.
“You’re not going any further until I make a call,” Dean Henry said.
“Do whatever you need to do.” Ellis smirked. “I have nowhere else to be.”
God, he was such an arrogant prick.
Dean Henry pulled out his cellphone, but just then the doors opened as classes finished and more students filled the foyer. They gave the officers a wide berth, standing off to the side, transfixed by the unusual sight.
Ivy and Zigzag came through the doors near the back of the group. Ellis snapped his fingers at the other officers and rushed across the hall.
“Michael Gunnerson, you’re under arrest for violation of probation, unauthorized access to a protected computer and obtaining classified or sensitive information,” Ellis said, stopping in front of Zigzag.
“Oh shit,” Ren mumbled.
Zigzag’s face fell, and his shoulders slumped. He didn’t try to run. He just held his backpack out to Ivy.
“No, there has to be some mistake,” Ivy said, trying to get between Zigzag and the cops.
“Move out of the way, Ms. Morrison, or you’ll be taken into custody as well,” Ellis said.
Ren tugged on my hand like she was going to run across the room, but I tightened my grip and pulled her back. She glared up at me.
“We cannot get involved. Do you want to be arrested, too?”
“No, but…”
“We can help in other ways. I can post bail or hire a lawyer. But we cannot jump in front of the moving truck,” I whispered.
“Fine,” she growled, but looked ready to kill.
Zigzag touched Ivy’s shoulder, and she looked up at him. He cupped her cheeks and kissed her. Whatever he said after was too low for anyone to hear, but then he stepped around Ivy and turned to the officers with his hands behind his back.
“No, you can’t do this,” Ivy said, but Zigzag ignored her.
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you,” Ellis said.
Zigzag looked around and spotted Sabastian by the cafeteria. His calm demeanor vanished, and before the cuffs clicked into place, he was running.
“You son of a bitch, you did this. I know you did this,” Zigzag yelled. “Fucking prick,” he growled.
Ren gasped as the cops tackled Zigzag to the ground, but it didn’t deter him. He fought to free himself and continued to call Sabastian names—all of which I agreed with. They hauled Zigzag to his feet, and he still tried to lunge at Sabastian.
“I’ll get you back for this. I promise you that. You and your father will pay. You hear me? This isn’t over,” Zigzag yelled as the officers marched him out of the school.
Sabastian just smirked.
Ivy, now hysterically crying, marched up to Sabastian.
“Is it true? Did you do this to him?”
Sabastian shrugged.
“He did this to himself. It’s what he deserves,” Sabastian said, which was as good as a confession to me.
Apparently, Ivy felt the same because she hauled off and slapped him hard enough that it echoed in the quiet entranceway.
“I hate you for this…” She backed up. “How could you?”
Ivy turned and sprinted in our direction as she fled for the elevators. This time, when Ren tugged on my hand, I let her go.
Dean Henry was still on the phone when I walked up to him, Liam by my side. He held up a finger.
“Yes…yes, I understand.”
Dean Henry sighed as he hung up.
“There is nothing I can do. Christov did indeed sign off on this with the judge. He is Michael’s legal guardian. It’s out of my control.”
He sounded dejected.
“I think Zigzag said it best. Son of a bitch,” I said, and then looked over at Sabastian.
He at least had the decency to appear embarrassed as everyone stared at him.
“Snitch,” a girl I didn’t know yelled.
“Snitch. Snitch. Snitch.” The chanting grew louder as more spectators joined.
“That is enough,” Dean Henry yelled, and everyone quickly shut up. “Mr. Nikitovich, you are with me. Everyone else, find somewhere to be. Now.”
“Asshole move,” I whispered as Sabastian walked by.
“Guess you’d know best,” he snarled back.
Once they were gone, I looked at my guys who had slowly joined me after the chaos. They all wore the same somber expression.
“He needs to be put down, and Ren can’t know about this,” I ordered.
They all nodded.
Now, I just needed to figure out how. No matter what…
Sabastian would not graduate with the rest of us.
My hand clenched into a fist. I’d see to it that everything in his life was reduced to nothing more than smoking rubble.
By the time I was done, he was going to wish he’d never transferred to this school or heard my name.