VIII
Tori
“N o… That can’t be right…” Something heavy settles into the pit of my stomach. “If he’s innocent, they’ll set him free. This is America.”
Gemini lets out a little cackle. “Sure, because there isn’t a single person in prison who claims they’re innocent.”
I’d just barely turned sixteen when my brother was sent to prison. Since then, all I’ve done is try to find proof that he didn’t do it. I knew it wasn’t going to be simple, and I’ve been saving every extra dollar that I could in case I needed a lawyer—but that was in case I couldn’t find any evidence. I’ve always just assumed that when I did find the evidence, they’d just let him go.
I am such an idiot.
Or… am I?
Maybe I’ve been focused on this task, but Penny—or even Payne—haven’t pointed this out to me before now, and they know what my plan is. Maybe this was just another cruel twist of the knife from Syn…?
I glance over at Royal, finding his unwavering gray eyes locked on me.
Syn and Royal.
As Gemini had pointed out, there were plenty of people in prison who claimed they were innocent. It might not be the quick and easy process that I was expecting, but there’s no reason to let the despair their words bring me take hold. There will be time to fact check them after .
“You’ve been through a lot. You should head upstairs and rest.” Syn offers.
The kindness is almost enough to disarm me.
Almost.
Even if he finally does believe me about my brother, there’s no way I buy his sincerity. “I’ve been through a lot because of you.”
“Mmmm.”
As I curl my hands into fists, I stand. “Syn, the last place I feel safe is anywhere near you. Someone already nearly succeeded in killing me because they got into this house without you knowing. But you’re also a part of the very group of people who wants me dead. How could you possibly think I could trust you?”
“Because you’re not the only one who wants to find out who really killed JP,” he tells me. “And I can’t do that without you.”
I scoff. “The great and powerful Synclair Keyingham can’t do something without me?”
“Are you not hearing me, Victoria? Your brother is in prison because he was forced to confess to killing my brother, James Patrick Keyingham. The person the XXXVII had planned to become president . Do you know how dangerous a situation has to be for a person to think lying to the XXXVII is the better alternative?”
“Then how the hell do you expect to be able to find out who that is?” I yell at him.
“Right now, we have the advantage,” he responds, calmly.
My throat hurts, but if I had anything left in my mug, I’d be using it to throw in Syn’s face instead of drinking it. “How the hell do you figure that?”
“Because no one else knows. For all your trying, you’ve found nothing to prove otherwise. To whoever is behind this, you’re nothing more than an annoying gnat buzzing around, but you’ve not found anything that’s worried them enough to kill you.” He shrugs. “Whether they’re behind Declan’s attack on you, or this comes back to du Pont, both would expect you to leave. Who would stay in a place where they nearly died? Salaway failing has made things more difficult to attempt anything again on campus so soon. Security is already being tightened, which will make it exceptionally difficult for anyone to come onto campus to finish the job.”
“What about the people already on campus? You made it so they hate me. Lissa is already vying for my blood.” After this morning, I’m sure she’s already scheming to get her revenge, despite my threats. “If I’m going to be watching my back wherever I go, I’d rather take my chances anywhere other than here.”
Somehow, Syn looks bored as he waves a hand dismissively. “They will be told you passed your initiation, and you’re a full member of the Elite. They will leave you alone. What’s more, you will be with us.”
“Fuck off. I’m not staying here and being your slave again.” I fold my arms and shake my head. “I don’t care what you say: that contract is null and void as far as I’m concerned.”
“You wouldn’t be our slave. You’d be…” Syn tilts his head, frowning.
“Your what? Your equal?” I let out a dry laugh.
“You’d be our queen,” Gemini declares. He jumps off the couch, only to drop down on one knee in front of me, grinning like a lunatic. “We’ll be your knights.”
I’m not sure I have the energy left to deal with Gemini’s crazy right now, so I ignore him and focus on Syn. “If I stay—and if I do, it won’t be like it was before—but if I do, then what? We have less than two weeks before we break for Christmas, and I’m forced to leave this place anyway. And how does staying here help us find answers when neither of us know anything?”
“Saturday night is the Guiding Light Annual Charity Christmas Gala,” Syn tells me, like that’s obvious.
I shrug. “And?”
“Guiding Light is the charity that my female parental unit so philanthropically runs.” Gemini is still on one knee in front of me, but his attention is now on Syn as he frowns at him. Then his eyes widen. “And du Ponce’s fiancée, Charlotte Windsor, is desperately trying to get herself a seat on the board.”
“And therefore, du Pont will also be there,” Syn finishes. “Not only will we be able inform him that you’re not going to release that video, but we can also ask him what he remembers.”
The sane part of me who was so happy when I’d decided I was leaving this morning still thinks I’d be better taking my chances and leaving.
But the stubborn part—the one that helped me make it this far because I truly believe there’s some form of evidence out there that will help my brother—seems to be taking control again.
“Preston du Pont,” I say, before I commit either way. “He was JP’s best friend. Do you really think he knows more about what happened?”
Syn stares at me in silence for an uncomfortably long time before he finally takes a breath deep enough to force his shoulders back. “If it’s possible that he knew JP was gay, it’s also possible he knows something else that’s he’s withheld to protect his friend.”
“If you think that will get us answers, then I’m in.” I suck in a deep breath, but before I say what I’m about to, I glance down at Gemini. “Will you get off the floor? It looks like you’re proposing.”
Gemini pouts. “I was pledging allegiance to my Vixen.” Then he proceeds to roll back towards the couch like a ninja.
I turn my attention back to Syn, who has been watching the interaction with narrowed eyes. Considering how Syn and Gemini seem to be polar opposite in personality, it does surprise me how good of friends they seem to be.
“Unless there’s any other bombshell you want to share with me, I’m done.”
“Where are you going?” Syn asks instantly.
Planting my hands on my hips, I glare at him. “I am staying only because of this stupid party. It’s not because of that stupid contract, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s null and void, so there will be no more of me following your orders or reporting to you. I am not your slave. I am not your prisoner. The only way you’re going to know where I am at all times is if you put a fucking tracker on me.”
“Where are you going?” he asks again like he hasn’t heard a single word I’ve just said.
“It’s none of your business.”
There’s not a great deal of distance between us, but Syn still closes it. “Considering less than forty-eight hours ago, someone tried to kill you, I’d say it’s very much my business.”
“In this house,” I say as I point at the floor.
“And had I known there was a threat to your life at that point, I would have increased security like we’ve already done.” The way Syn snaps back at me makes me feel like me being attacked was an inconvenience.
To him, it probably was.
“Only the four of us have access to this house now,” Gemini informs me. “If someone tries to use an unauthorized passcode, then we each get an alert on our phones.”
“Thank you. I feel so much better now,” I say, my voice dripping in sarcasm.
“Where are you going?” Syn asks as I start to leave again.
With a clenched jaw, I turn back to him. “Penny’s exam is finishing soon, and I’m going to meet her before she calls the police and S.W.A.T. storms the place looking for me.”
“Okay.” With a nod, Syn starts to follow me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask him.
“With you.”
“Like hell you are.” My loud objection reminds me that my throat is still sore.
“Then I’ll go,” Royal says, stepping in.
I ignore the burning sensation in my throat. “Has it occurred to either of you that I don’t want any of you near me, or that I might just need some time alone?”
The corners of Royal’s mouth seem to drop a little, but he doesn’t look away. “I understand that, but you were alone at breakfast, and look what happened? You might not want any of us near you, but at least until we have the opportunity to ensure everyone understands you’re off-limits, one of us should go with you. You can take Gemini, if you prefer?”
I’m exhausted, my throat is killing me, my body is aching, and all I really want is some quiet time while I process everything before I speak to Penny. No matter what I say, I know they’re going to ignore me.
If I’m being honest, I don’t want them near me just out of principle, but the truth is, even if I don’t feel completely safe around them, at least with Syn, Royal, and Gemini, I have a good idea of where I stand. After all this time with them, I might not completely trust them, but I trust them more than the unknown—which is the rest of the student body.
At breakfast, it was Lissa and a couple of her friends who covered me in blood, but when I grabbed Lissa, no one else joined in. Next time, it might not be one-on-one, and even if the presence of Syn, Royal, or Gemini is enough to stop anyone trying anything, I’d be crazy to turn that down.
Considering I’m planning on staying in this house for longer, my sanity already needs looking at…
“Then you can come,” I mutter at Royal.
At least with Royal, I’ll get some peace and quiet.
The coat I brought with me to James Keyingham University is probably in the trash by now. I’d worn it to breakfast and hung it up on the back of my chair as I ate, leaving the building without taking it with me. If it is still where I left it, it will be covered in blood.
Although I’d rather not wear any more of the clothes provided by Syn, there’s still several feet of snow on the ground. So I hurry upstairs to grab the long coat hanging in my closet and pull on my worn pair of ankle boots. When I get back downstairs, Royal is waiting for me, wearing a coat that looks like it was designed for skiing.
With his blond hair, grey eyes, and broad shoulders, he looks like he’s about to step out onto a photoshoot for a brochure for a Vermont ski resort, as the all-American boy next door athlete.
Hundreds of girls would be clawing at each other to have him walking beside them, but not me.
Instead of keeping a few paces behind me, which would feel a little too stalker-like anyway, he’s keeping the gap between us as large as the path with allow. If only I didn’t feel his stare burning a hole in the side of my face as I do my best to ignore him.
The campus is peaceful. I’m not sure if it’s because of Declan’s death or the fact that some students are sitting in exams, but as we walk through this area of the grounds where the Elite dorms are, we don’t pass anyone.
“Here.” Royal suddenly thrusts a hand out in front of me. He’s holding an unopened box of throat lozenges.
The cold air isn’t helping my throat, even as I breathe through my nose, and I was just thinking about how I was regretting not bringing a drink with me.
“They’re new,” Royal adds when I don’t take them. “I mean, they’re unopened. Moran keeps a cupboard stocked with medicine, but no one has tampered with them. I checked.”
The thought had never crossed my mind, but I take the box and extract one.
“Tori, I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I—”
I stop abruptly to glare at him. “You’re right. I don’t.”
Royal stops, gently nodding as he turns. “I know. But it’s important that you hear this.”
Of course, he’s going to tell me anyway…
“I’m sorry. Sincerely, I’m sorry. For everything. Syn is my best friend and practically my brother, like JP was—”
“Trying to justify your actions negates your apology, Royal.”
“Tori, please.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Say what you’re going to say.”
Royal hesitates, his lower lip caught between his teeth. But then he continues. “I was devastated when JP was killed, but that was only a fraction of what Syn felt—still feels. This darkness seemed to take over him, and he’s not been the same since. I did what I did because of him, but it doesn’t mean what either of us did was right. I’m sorry I didn’t see that at the time to stop this, and I’m even more sorry that when I did see it, I didn’t speak up sooner.”