31. Psycho in the Mask
PSYCHO IN THE MASK
Axel
I hunched over my dresser and ran my finger over the deep red spots staining the yellow leather of Susanna’s wallet. The chance of this being her blood was high. Damn near certain. And how it got there definitely had something to do with the brotherhood.
Bile oozed up my throat, thinking I could have been the reason this innocent girl vanished.
She was dead. No doubt about it. That was how the Serpents & Daggers handled problems, and if she’d seen something that night on the bluffs or afterward, she would be a major problem.
The door flew open, and just as Killian and Gage walked in, I slipped the wallet into my jeans pocket.
“Did you hear what happened to Micah?” Killian crossed the room with extra pep and fell onto his bed, leaning back on his hands.
I grabbed a Stonewall U Knights t-shirt from my drawer and unfolded it, avoiding his direct gaze. “I assume from your shit-eating grin it’s nothing good. Did he flunk a test or something?”
“He got his ass kicked.” Killian let out a twisted laugh. “He’s got a black eye, busted lip, and probably some bruised ribs.”
My best friend really hated Micah.
Killian got the girl, though. Lexi chose him. Would he ever let his anger for the guy go?
“Who beat him up?” I yanked the shirt over my head. “Don’t tell me it was you.”
He scoffed. “Preston would be in the hospital if I’d done it.”
“And Lexi would dump your ass.” Gage yanked up the white and navy covers on my unmade bed and perched on the edge. “That guy is off-limits to you.”
“Which is why I’m happy someone else got to him.” Killian slipped his phone out of his pocket, checking the screen. “Karma’s a bitch.”
“I’m so sick of hearing you whine about Micah and his friendship with your girlfriend. Get over it.” Gage chucked a pillow at him. “He’s not that bad of a guy.”
Killian easily caught the pillow with one hand while texting with the other and tossed it back to Gage. “I’ll get over it when he’s a million miles away from Lexi.”
“If it wasn’t you, then who beat him up?” I asked, fastening a watch around my wrist. “He’s not the type of guy with a bunch of enemies.”
“He said it was a mugging.” Killian laughed at something on his phone. “Outside the library.”
My head jerked back. “A mugging? In Copper Cove?”
“My thoughts exactly.” Gage’s dark eyes roamed over me. I could practically feel him trying to peel back all my defenses and find the lies swirling around me. “Rough practice?” He jerked his chin to the healing bruise on my mouth.
I took my time picking out cologne from the top of my chaotic dresser. “Yep.”
Just like Lorelei pointed out, it wasn’t uncommon for players to get a little banged up.
Her scent still sifted through the room, or maybe it was just all over me. More than twenty-four hours had passed since I had her coming all over my fingers and still. Those sweet little whimpers and moans of hers went straight to my dick, and then she had to grab it with her soft hand.
If I came that hard from a hand job, what would it be like to bury myself in her pussy?
Damn it to hell!
We shouldn’t have done that. What was I thinking? I’d been in a dark place, and blondie seemed like a light drawing me back to myself.
I couldn’t have stopped even if I’d wanted to.
Would things be awkward between us?
“Did you get into a fight with one of your team members too?” Gage asked.
His suspicious tone yanked me back to the present to find him and Killian scrutinizing me. I swallowed hard and turned my back on them to open my closet.
“Things just got a little heated. That’s all.” I grabbed the first pair of shoes in my reach, needing to get out of this room before I confessed everything. Getting them involved in this mess was the last thing I wanted to do. “It happens.”
Not to me. My teammates were too scared to antagonize me, and it took a lot for me to lose my cool. I usually broke up any brawls between us or other teams.
“You never fight with the players, Ax.” Killian decided to finally drop his phone and focus his full attention on me. “What’s up with you?”
I sat in the cushy leather chair at my desk and shoved my feet into my sneakers. “Nothing. Can’t a guy lose his temper?” A forced chuckle fell from my lips. “I’d skipped my midmorning snack, and I was hangry. Someone should have given me a Snickers.”
Killian opened his mouth to grill me more, but thankfully his phone vibrated with a text. Probably from Lexi.
Gage, on the other hand, wasn’t buying my bullshit. “Micah said his attacker was fairly large, like a pro athlete or something.”
A string of curses raced through my mind, and I stood, averting my gaze to the dark hardwoods.
“That would explain the ass-kicking he got. The guy must have been strong. Micah’s not a little wimp.” I snatched my phone off my desk and hurried to the door. “I’m off to get a snack before I lose my cool again. Later, boys.”
I darted down the hall like fire nipped at my heels. Gage was too damn perceptive for his own good. Killian would have noticed my crap too if he wasn’t so obsessed with Lexi.
Instead of going to the kitchen, I made a detour to the second floor and took a few turns deeper into the massive house, stopping at a familiar door. As I knocked, it creaked open, revealing Micah’s demolished room. Thanks to yours truly.
He cursed as he bent to pick up books I’d tossed off the shelf.
“I’ll get them.” I hurried in, guilt swirling in my gut. “I heard you got mugged. Damn, someone trashed your room, too? Did you break a mirror or something?” I gave a dry chuckle.
Micah held his ribs and breathed through gritted teeth. “You can drop the bullshit, Ax.”
Dread tightened my throat as I positioned the books on the shelf. “What are you talking about?”
Shit. Did he figure out I was the psycho in the mask?
He limped to the door and closed it before spinning on me.
“Another Lord kicked my ass and destroyed my room.” Micah yanked his glasses off, a wire-rimmed pair instead of the black ones I broke, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You told me Vaughn was having me followed. Apparently, he decided to scare me and steal Susanna’s wallet.”
“These are not people you want to fuck with.” I plucked another few books from the ground and slid them back on the shelf. “So, I guess you’re done with this whole investigation thing.”
He eased onto his bed, wincing. “I can’t give this up, Axel.”
“You can’t be serious. If you don’t heed their warning, the next step is going to be a bullet in your head.” And Vaughn would probably force me to do it.
“What kind of a friend would I be if I just let this go?”
“One still with a heartbeat.” I marched over and sat on his bed, Susanna’s wallet burning a hole in my pocket.
“What’s the endgame for you, Preston? If you find out the society killed this girl, then what?
You can’t go to the cops. Plenty of Ascended pepper the judicial system, and you would be the only one to suffer any consequences. ”
Micah slumped over and dragged his hand through his short blond hair.
“Maybe just knowing the truth will be enough.” As he turned to me, the deep purple and blue bruises around one of his hazel eyes punched me in the chest. “Wouldn’t you want to know if it was your friend?”
Was it possible to feel even worse for this guy? “This organization is dangerous, Micah. You never should have gotten involved.”
“Yeah, well, it’s too late.”
Could Micah really drop this thing if he simply knew the truth? Would it satisfy his obsession and allow him to stop putting himself in harm’s way?
After leaving Micah’s room, I hurried down the stairs and used the secret entrance in the hallway to the catacombs. Obviously, I’d lost my mind because the next thing I knew, I was in the archives, searching for Susanna Michaels’ file in one of the many slick black cabinets.
There were enough skeletons in this room to ruin the wealthiest men.
If the wrong person stumbled on these secrets, the ripple effects would probably cause this whole damn country to crumble.
The brotherhood only stored this treacherous intel on its members to hold over our heads in case we stepped out of line.
So here I was, sticking my neck out there to save Micah’s ass.
Instead of getting Gage involved to shut off the cameras, I pretended to simply return the wallet while attempting to glean some pertinent information that I could pass to Micah to satisfy his deadly curiosity.
Unfortunately, everything was in the smallest fucking print ever, and I couldn’t read shit sideways.
The slamming of a door echoed, and my pulse shot through the roof.
Son of a bitch!
Someone was down here.
I reached inside, snagged a jump drive, and dropped it in my pocket. Blood thundered in my ears as I headed toward the door and yanked it open, coming face to face with fucking Vaughn.
“Vanderhart, what the hell are you doing in the archives?” His brows crashed together as he scrutinized me like I was a bug he wanted to crush.
I resisted the urge to wipe the sweat forming across my forehead. “Returning the wallet you asked me to retrieve.”
“I didn’t tell you to break into the archives.”
A crooked smile pulled at my lips. “I didn’t break in. I have the clearance to be here. Did you forget I’m a senior with legacy privileges? And my father’s in the Inner Circle.”
His jaw clenched so hard I could hear his teeth grinding. “You’re really pressing your luck with me. I should make you turn out your pockets and—”
A broad figure behind him caught my attention, and I pushed Vaughn aside.
Speak of the devil…
“Dad? What are you doing here?”
“Can’t I just visit my youngest for no reason?” He grabbed me in a bear hug and then nodded at Vaughn. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything serious.”
Vaughn gave my dad a polite smile. “Of course not, Mr. Vanderhart. We’re finished.” As he passed by, he narrowed his eyes at me as if to say this wasn’t over.
I wiggled out of my dad’s hold. “I’m always happy to see you, but I sense an agenda. That mischievous twinkle in your eye is too bright.”
Even though Conrad Vanderhart was a serious and well-respected businessman, he could never pass up having fun and stirring up a little harmless trouble.
“You caught me.” He punched my arm with a fist almost as big as mine. We looked so much alike, except he had thick chestnut hair while I’d inherited my mother’s blond coloring. “I heard you were in a serious relationship and wanted to meet the lucky lady.”
“You’ve met Lorelei.” The Zetas always organized the football banquet for the team and alumni at the end of the season.
“How could I forget that adorable, bossy blond.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and towed me away from the archives. “But she’s your girlfriend now so I want to get to know her better. Let’s go find her.”
Just great. This would be the first time Lorelei and I had seen each other since that hot hookup in my room. Now, we had to convince my father, the man who knew me almost better than anyone, that we were a real couple.