“Oh my God, I feel terrible,” Brooke says as she pops another pill.
“You sure you wanna be here?” I ask. “You could go lie in bed.”
“No, I’ve got a test today,” she replies, groaning in pain.
“Still hungover?” Irina muses as she sits down on the picnic bench.
“I thought this shit would be over in a day, but I guess that’s only for people whose bodies are normal,” Brooke laments, huddled over her bottle of water. “Remind me not to drink that much ever again.”
I giggle and take a bite out of my sandwich. “I’m sorry. If I’d stayed around, I could’ve plucked the drinks out of your hand.”
“You missed out on a whole lot of fun, Lana,” Irina says. “Some dude even came to ask us about you.”
I can barely swallow my sandwich. “What?”
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know what his name was, but man, he looked sexy in that suit of his. And my hands were all over that.” Brooke holds her hand up high for Irina to clap. “Fuck yeah. I should’ve gotten his number.”
“What did he ask you?” I casually take another bite from my sandwich to avoid appearing too invested.
“Oh, just if we were friends, if we were from the same sorority, and if he could see me more often,” Brooke muses, smiling like crazy.
But I know better.
That guy was trying to find out where I lived.
“What did you tell him?” I ask.
“Well, the truth, what else?” She shrugs.
“But what if he’s a Phantom guy?” I ask.
“So?” She takes a sip of her drink. “I don’t care as long as he’s hot.”
“He was hot, though,” Irina concurs.
“Hey, babe.” A kiss on the hair alerts me to Jason’s presence. “How have your classes been going?”
“Fine,” I reply as he sits down beside me. “Yours?”
“Fantastic. Couldn’t be better.”
“Sounds sarcastic,” Irina says.
“You got any extra sandwiches?” Jason asks, avoiding the topic entirely. “I’m starving.”
“So are you two dating now?” Brooke says, pointing at us both.
“Dating?” Jason snorts. “Well, I mean, I would, but …” He tilts his head in my direction.
“What?” I scoff. “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t the one sucking off this clitty the other day.” I point at my crotch.
Brooke and Irina burst out into high shrieks and laughter.
“Oh my God!” Brooke cheers.
“What?” Jason’s brows furrow as he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “When?”
Now I make a face too. “After the party, when you tried to kiss me, half drunk, and we went upstairs.”
He keeps eyeing me like he has no clue what I’m talking about.
“After you finished your shower,” I mutter.
Everyone’s looking at me like they’re waiting for the clue, but there is none.
“Whatever.” I take another bite of my sandwich. “You were too drunk to remember anyway.”
“Well, if I got some pussy … I consider that a win regardless,” Jason says, throwing out an arrogant laugh. “Friends with benefits is cool too.”
I finish my sandwich and get up. “Time for more classes. See you guys later.”
“Bye, Lana!” Irina waves as I walk off.
I wave at everyone too, but when I turn around, the smile instantly disappears off my face. Something about that whole exchange just doesn’t sit right with me. Why wouldn’t Jason remember how he finally didn’t just think of his own pleasure but mine too? He’s always been a sex-obsessed maniac, and now he suddenly denies eating me out right after the party?
I shiver as a cold draft flows across campus, and I tie my scarf tighter around my neck.
But it’s not just the chill of the looming winter that makes me feel frigid.
Because I feel like, wherever I go, I’m being watched.
Milo
I clutch the tree and glance at the girl walking closer and closer. My heart rate picks up with each step she takes.
God, if she is really that girl we met in that dirty house …
That vicious murderer …
This is going to be out-of-this-world amazing.
A grin spreads from ear to ear.
I can’t believe it’s really her, that she’s here out of all places. Crescent Vale City is huge, and to have her be a student here at Spine Ridge University is almost too good to be true.
But it is true.
She’s wearing that same red ribbon that girl was, and she walks with the same kind of swagger. Like she knows no one can touch her. And that kind of arrogance only comes with being a killer.
How many men has she destroyed before we met?
It’s the kind of violence unusual in a girl, and it’s riling me up to no end.
“So … that’s the girl who’s been keeping you busy, huh?”
I glance over my shoulder. “Blaine … Sneaking up on me again, I see.”
He folds his arms, a wicked smirk forming on his perfectly chiseled face. “I’m just doing the Lord’s work by keeping an eye on you.”
“I already regret telling you about her,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Too late to take it back, Milo,” he says.
“How do you always rope me into spilling all my secrets every time we drink?” I groan in dismay.
“Tartarus trade secret,” he muses, planting a firm hand on my shoulder. “But don’t be a creep.”
“Me? A creep?” I laugh.
But he just stares at me with a lifted brow. “We both know how you latch onto things.”
I frown. “Nah, I never stalk people. That’s Kai’s thing.”
“I’m not talking about stalking. I mean, clamping down on something and becoming thoroughly fixated.” He suddenly reaches into my pocket and fishes out my nunchucks. “Like these, for example.”
“Hey, give those back!”
I try to snatch them away, but he holds them up high. That motherfucker is using his height against me.
“You learn how to use nunchucks, and now you’re carrying them around everywhere,” he muses. “You latch onto things … only now it’s a girl.”
“You’re the one who taught me,” I retort, and I jump up to steal back my nunchucks. “And this girl is not just a fun side project.”
“All I’m saying is … be careful.” He grabs both my shoulders, leaning down to look me in the eyes. “I’m not your enemy, Milo. I’m a friend who cares. Don’t forget that.”
I nod. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“What kind of a friend would tattle?” He winks. “Anyway, I have to go to class. Talk to you later?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“And if you really want her that badly, why not just go talk to her?”
He turns and walks away with a casual wave, always with that same flair that makes me snort.
Well, if he gave me the go-ahead, maybe I should go for it.
The cold, crispy air waving through the leaves above me is my signal. But right as I step out from behind the tree, my shirt is pulled up to my neck. My fingers scratch at my neck as the fabric is choking me.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
Kai pulls me behind the tree and shoves me into the trunk, and I groan with both pain and excitement. Because good God, he knows how to pack a punch. Too bad for him he doesn’t swing that way, or I would’ve let him get some.
“You almost got me hard,” I groan, laughing.
He smacks the bark behind me. “This isn’t a joke, Milo.”
“I wasn’t joking,” I muse.
He looks around for a moment to check if anyone is watching us.
“What were you thinking?” he asks. “Heading right for her?”
I shrug. That’s my problem. I usually don’t think. At all.
Sometimes it’s a curse; sometimes it’s a blessing.
“What was your plan, anyway?” he scoffs, pointing at her. “Just walk up to her and be like ‘I know what you did’?”
I smile. “You make it sound like that movie. What was that name again…?” I snap my fingers when it hits me. “I Know What You Did Las—”
“Shut up.” He grabs me by my collar and plants a hand over my mouth as his eyes leer beyond the tree at the girl walking by.
“You’re already in that deep?” I muse when he finally removes his hand.
Kai rarely crushes on anyone. He normally shies away from human contact unless it’s to beat someone up for messing with his friends. Especially since the incident where he lost part of his sight.
“Look, she already knows we found her. It’d be stupid to out ourselves now that we have the upper hand,” Kai says.
My brows furrow. “You told her about us?”
“No, she doesn’t know our names.”
“But she knows we’re on this campus,” I say.
“Doesn’t matter,” he replies.
“Yes, it does. And if she’s a killer just like us, I want to get to know her.”
His face contorts. “What? Why? Fuck no.”
“What else do you want to do?” I ask, raising a brow. “Kill her?”
“I’ve thought about it,” he says through gritted teeth.
“But instead, you licked her pussy raw. Got it.”
“Hey, what I do is none of your business,” he says, pointing at me like it adds weight to his words.
But I see through him right away. “Wrong. She’s seen all three of us there, and if she finds out you’re the one who’s been paying her visits, she’ll know about me and Nathan. We’re all in this together.”
He seems pissed that I mention it, but we both know I’m right.
“You want her,” I say. “And if you’re going to get some killer pussy, I want some too.”
His nostrils flare, rage firing up in his eyes. “Fuck no.”
“What?”
He shakes his head. “You can’t have her.”
I snort. “She’s not yours either. She has a boyfriend. I just saw him sit on that same bench.”
He squints, annoyed I’d point it out. “Like I don’t fucking know that.”
“I’m just saying … if you’re gonna enjoy something that ain’t yours, then let me feast too. Otherwise, what’s the point? Where’s the fun in me keeping a secret without having the benefits too?”
He mulls it over for a second as if it finally dawns on him that he’s put himself in a difficult position before he releases me again. “Fine.”
I pat his chest. “Good choice, partner in crime.” A broad smile forms on my face. “So when are you planning on ravaging her again?”
“What are you guys talking about?”
Kai’s eyes widen at Nathan’s voice, and he casually tucks his hands into his pocket before turning around to face him. “Class. Money. The usual.”
“Speaking of money …” he repeats, tucking his hands into his pockets. “We still don’t have enough.”
“What do you mean? We stole loads of stuff,” I say.
Kai smacks his hand in front of my mouth. “Do you have to be so loud all the time?”
Nathan lifts his mobile phone and shows us another text he got.
“Another threat?” Kai asks.
“They want more,” Nathan replies, the nerves on his face bulging. “It’s never gonna be enough.” He runs his fingers through his crisp blond hair. “What the fuck am I going to do?”
“We’ll fix this,” Kai says. “Don’t give up.”
“You know, we’re here for you,” I say.
“If my fucking parents could have just done their job correctly,” Nathan grits, “I wouldn’t be in this shit.” His fist balls. “I have to protect her. I don’t fucking care what it takes. If I have to shoot a million more men, I’ll do it.”
“Okay, let’s do it, then,” I say.
Kai sighs, but he eventually agrees and nods.
“You got any more of those targets from that site you were on?” Nathan asks.
“Let’s talk about it after class,” Kai replies. “We might be able to do another hit tonight.”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about,” I say, grinning from ear to ear.
