AS SOON AS the sun kisses my skin, guilt hits me like a tidal wave. I meant what I said to Maddox, I do love him. If there was any other way, I wouldn’t be out here alone right now. Lord knows, I don’t want to be alone. In fact, I’m downright petrified.
Dry leaves coated in flakes of snow crunch beneath my boots. Fortunately, it’s nothing but a light dusting, although the scenery is deceiving. I have no doubt the temperature is below freezing. My footprints trail behind me as I walk, making my anxiety skyrocket as I try to think up a plan. Thankfully, when I look up at the mountains, a thick haze covers the peak, a sure sign more snow is coming. Soon my tracks will be covered. I just need to get word out so someone will come for Maddox, while I put space between us.
Reaching into the inside pocket of the coat I’m wearing, I retrieve the phone Scar gave me. My feet don’t stop moving as I power it on.
No service is centered across the screen and I sigh heavily. I should’ve known I wouldn’t have a signal out here.
It’s okay. Everything is fine. I just need to get within reach of a tower.
And I know just where to go.
There’s strength deep inside me,
Though it hides itself well.
Refusing to be conquered,
I’ll give them all hell.
It’s been a while since I’ve walked the path I’m on, but if memory serves me right, it should take me straight to Boulder Cove Academy—the place where it all began.
Chills skate down my spine, and it’s not due to the chill in the air. Memories of when Scar’s guys had Jude—who actually turned out to be Scar’s brother—tied up in the same room I just escaped from. During his short stay down there, I’d bring him food and water, and just keep him company. I was convinced he was innocent, and I was correct.
Turns out, Jude wasn’t the one terrorizing the students at BCA. It was the governor all along. The day he died plays in my head like a movie set in slow motion. Not as much as it used to, but every now and then, it rewinds and plays again.
I thought those were the worst days of my life, but I was wrong. I’m currently living my worst days and I have an awful feeling there is still more room to fall before it starts to get better.
As I trek farther into the deep forest, I can’t shake the sense that someone is watching me. Every few seconds, a branch snaps, a leaf crunches, or an animal scurries away, but the looming presence never seems to fade.
Suddenly, the air is chillingly still. Goosebumps prick at the back of my neck, and I move slower, straining to hear any sound that’s not my own.
The unexpected pop of a branch, or something like it, has my movements freezing. I hold my breath, until I can’t hold it any longer, and I’m forced to exhale. My heart gallops in my chest and I fear the sound of it rattling against my rib cage is going to draw attention to me.
When silence engulfs me, I stretch my neck out, peering around the tree I’m standing behind.
My entire body jolts and I press my back firmly to the bark, while locking all of my limbs in fear.
I should’ve just stayed with Maddox. Why the hell am I so damn stubborn all the time? I’m not built for this shit. I’m afraid of my own damn shadow, yet I embark on a journey through the woods when I know the sun will likely set before I even make it to my destination.
The phone!
I’ve only made it about a hundred and twenty yards, but it’s closer than I was when I last checked.
A quick glance at the phone shows that I’m still too far out. I stick it back in my pocket and take a deep breath before walking again, very slowly. Practically tiptoeing.
If I want to get out of these woods before the sun sets, I need to move faster.
I’m fine. No one is out here. It was probably just a squirrel.
Yeah. That’s what it was. No one even knows I’m out here, so there’s no reason for anyone to come looking.
A few minutes later, I’m feeling hopeful. I’m already a quarter of the way there. I take the phone back out and squeal when I see that I’ve got one bar. But more than that, a swarm of messages flood through. All from the same person…
Your Bestie: Girl! Where the hell are you?
Your Bestie: I’m literally freaking out, Ry. This shit is getting scary. You better call me as soon as you can. If you can and you’re not, then I hate you.
Your Bestie: I don’t really hate you. I could never hate you. But I really am freaking out.
Your Bestie: OMG! Cade’s dad is DEAD!
I stop there. My feet. My thoughts. My movements. Possibly even my heart.
Cade’s dad is dead?
It’s probably safe to assume he didn’t die of natural causes. And if I had to think of one person who would want Cade dead, it would be his nephew, Lev.
My heart splinters at the thought of Lev, not only doing such a heinous thing, but more so getting caught.
I’m mad at him. Beyond livid. But there’s still that small part of me holding on to hope that there’s an explanation for every cruel thing he’s done.
Who am I kidding? He killed Zeke. He killed Cade. He killed three strangers. And he framed me for all of it. Never once attempting to clean up his mess and clear my name. Nope. He just took off and ran to save his own ass, while leaving me to burn.
Karma is a fucking bitch and she’s gunning for him.
I just hope she isn’t too cruel.
Stop it, Riley! Stop empathizing with that asshole!
Okay. I’m getting delirious. I need food and water and sleep because I’m literally having a conversation with myself in my head.
I close my eyes and shake away the thoughts then I keep reading Scar’s messages.
Your Bestie: I’m scared for you. This is bad. Very bad. The President of The Society is on his way here. Not one of the Chapter Presidents. THE PRESIDENT of the whole thing. Please be safe.
Your Bestie: He’s here. Neo snuck out and listened to a couple of The Elders gossip and they have no suspects.
One final message…
Your Bestie: Seems no one really gives a damn about Cade’s dad. They are still too concerned with finding you. I’m deleting all these messages. Please respond when you can.
My heart sinks into my stomach. What if they think it was me who killed Cade’s dad? They already think I killed Cade. Why wouldn’t they assume I would just keep going?
I quickly type her a response before continuing on my way to BCA.
Me: I’m safe! I’ll tell you where I’m at soon. But please send one of the guys to your parents’ cabin. Maddox is tied up in the basement. I suggest Crew or Jagger. Neo would probably just leave him there. I promise I’ll explain later.
I hit Send. We’re only about thirty minutes from the university, so they shouldn’t take long.
I glance back at the phone to make sure it sent, but it’s going too slow.
A minute later, still sending.
“Dammit!” I blurt out, and at the same time, I hear footsteps.
Not animal steps. Actual human footsteps heading straight for me.
I hurry over to a nearby bush and crouch down, remaining as still as possible.
“I think it was this way,” I hear someone say. A man’s voice, one I don’t recognize.
“Probably just that fucking freak girl who comes out here and takes pictures of birds,” another guy says.
“One can only hope,” another says. “I wouldn’t mind getting a piece from her again.”
My jaw drops open, while my heart pounds like a jackhammer. So far, I know there are three of them. I have no idea who these guys are, but they don’t sound like anyone I want to cross paths with.
“A piece of what?” One of the guys laughs. “The girl practically dismembered your dick.”
“Fuck that. She wanted it. Just got cold feet. Besides, she barely skimmed the surface. Three weeks of healing and I was good to go. She owes me a blow job, actually.”
The footsteps come closer, and closer, and…
“Found her.”
I pinch my eyes shut and tuck my head between my knees, pretending that if I don’t see him, he won’t see me.
“Who the fuck is she?”
One of them kicks at my boot. “Hey. Show us your fucking face, or we’ll have to make you show us.” One of the guys growls the demand.
Slowly, I lift my head with a fake smile plastered on my face. “Heyyyy,” I drag out the word as I lift my hand to wave. I stand up nonchalantly and point at the space between two of the guys. “I was just…passing through. So if you don’t mind.” I attempt to squeeze through them, but I’m halted by an arm around my waist.
“Not so fast,” a guy with sleek black hair says. I lift my head to look at him and I’m dumbstruck by his piercing blue eyes. They are literally the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. What’s even more unique is the tattoo underneath his eye. Written in cursive, is the word Savage.
I point at his eye, hoping small talk will ease the tension. “I like your tattoo. Did it hurt?”
His lip curls up in a mischievous grin. “Probably about as much as it did for you when you fell from heaven.”
“Smooth.” I chuckle. “No. Really. Did it hurt?”
“Who the hell are you, and why are you in our woods?” another guy barks, and I spin around to face him. He’s more cowardly than the other because his face isn’t sporting ink. But on his neck in big letters, is the word Vicious. This one has longer hair with waves and natural blond highlights—sort of a sexy surfer appeal—and his eyes are as dark as I imagine his soul is.
“Umm. I can’t tell you that. You see, I’m wanted for multiple murders, and if I tell you my name, well, I’ll have to kill you.”
Vicious’s eyebrows cave in. “Are you fucking high?”
I look at the last guy. The quiet one. There’s a cigarette perched on his ear and a lighter in his hand that he flicks open and closed over and over again. Bringing the flame back to life, he holds it up to his mouth and I watch him intently, curious what he’s going to do. He looks like he’s going to eat the flame, but he can’t be that fucking dumb.
Suddenly, he blows the flame out in one forceful breath, making it dance toward me. I startle back and he bursts out in laughter before he reaches to grab the cigarette from his ear. That’s when I notice the tattoo on his wrist. It’s in the same cursive writing as the others’, but this one has the word Twisted.
My fingers snap as my eyes dance from one face to the next. “I know you guys. Not personally, or at all really. But I know your type. You’re Crew, Jagger, and Neo. You’re also Ridge, Maddox, and Lev.” I laugh under my breath at the realization and say more to myself than them, “I’ve survived them all. I’m not scared of you.” I shove my way through them and continue on my path, fully aware that they are following closely behind me.
“She’s cute,” I hear Vicious say.
“Even cuter that she thinks she’s getting away from us that easily.” Savage snarls.
My eyes nearly pop out of my sockets and my heart jumps back into a frenzy of rapid beats.
I pick up my pace, and immediately notice them doing the same.
Before I know it, I’m full-on sprinting through the woods. I dodge branches and jump over logs, and a quick glance over my shoulder shows them doing the same.
The next thing I know, my chest is crashing into the ground and the wind is knocked out of me. Once I refill my lungs, I’m able to get a roaring scream out before a hand is slapped over my mouth. I squirm and kick and try to break free, but I’m no match for one of them, much less three.
My defensive instincts kick into gear and I square my jaw, then sink my teeth into the meaty flesh of the hand silencing me. The metallic taste of iron seeps onto my tongue, but I ignore it, knowing I have two more guys to fend off.
“She fucking bit me!” Savage howls as he cradles his injured hand. “The whore fucking bit me!”
Suddenly, I’m flipped over onto my back, face to face with Twisted. “You know what we do to whores who don’t know how to behave?”
“No,” I answer, lifting an eyebrow at him because I’m a glutton for punishment. My own worst enemy, as Scar would say.
“We treat them like dirty whores,” Twisted grits out, and each word will now be permanently etched in my memory. But what’s worse, what will really stick with me, is the sound of my shoes thrashing against the tree, one after the other because the wrenching of my gut tells me my pants are next.
I press my legs together so tightly, it would take all three of these guys to pry them apart.
“Hold her hands,” Twisted barks to Vicious.
My fearful eyes land on Vicious and I mouth the word, “Please.”
He’s hesitant. It’s possible he has half a heart and isn’t as cruel as the other two. He’s the one I need to get through to.
His shoulders shrug and when he kneels at my head and pins my wrists to the ground, I know exactly who I’m peering up at. It’s the Maddox of the group, the softy. The one who does what everyone says because he wants to be liked. Yet, even Maddox broke free from the chains that bound him. He’s different now, I can see it. I have to pray that there’s hope for this vicious guy hovering over me, too.
“This is a big mistake,” I tell him, ignoring the other two because anything I say to them is a waste of air. “I wasn’t kidding when I said there’s a manhunt for me. I’m wanted for the murder of, like…five people.” I had to think about it because I’m not really sure how many guys were murdered in total. Obviously, seeing as I didn’t do it.
“Yeah, fucking right,” Vicious says with an airy chuckle. “You? Murder someone?”
“You have no idea who I am, do you?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Twisted snaps. “We don’t know, and don’t care.”
One of them fights to pry my legs apart, but I don’t make it easy on them.
I clench every muscle in my body, making it clear I’m not going down without a fight. My eyes pinch together tightly and I search for my own inner strength.
All of a sudden, my wrists are freed and the guys around me begin cursing. “You fucking bitch!”
“Get the hell outta here.” This voice is a new one. One I haven’t heard before. A girl’s voice. “Now!” she snaps. “Or I’ll call the headmaster and tell them exactly what you guys are up to!”
The sound of footsteps scurrying away has my eyes popping open and I immediately see continuous flashes of light that are nearly blinding.
The girl comes behind me and helps me sit up. “Are you okay?” she asks, now crouched at my side. “Did they hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No. They tried, but they didn’t, thanks to you.”
I look down at her hand and see a large camera. One of those fancy ones with a long lens. She reaches her hand out and a smile creeps across her face. “I’m Temper.”
My shaky hand rests on hers and my voice cracks as I say, “Riley.”
I can’t believe I just said my name, but for some reason, I’m not worried. Something tells me Temper is on my side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Riley.”
I watch her as she stands up and wanders through the nearby woods, collecting my shoes.
She’s a tiny little thing. Probably only five-two at best. Jet-black hair, and eyes that match. Her skin is as pale as the snow falling around us. She’s dressed head to toe in black and in a way, she reminds me of Scar, but more gothic-like.
“Here you go.” She hands me my shoes. “I take it you’re not a student here?”
“Umm. No.” It’s all I say; I don’t have the emotional capability to explain myself at all right now. I’m still too shaken up and working on accepting the reality that I’m no longer under the hands of those men.
“Thank you for helping me. I have no idea what those guys would have done if you hadn’t.”
“I do,” she says. “They’re notorious for doing whatever the fuck they want, to whomever they want. Tonight, they must have decided they wanted you.”
I lace one boot up then shift to the other. “You know them well?”
“Everyone knows them. They’re The Lawless. But, you probably have no idea what that means.”
“I do.” Feeling a bit more levelheaded, I say, “I’m a former student here, and a Blue Blood.”
“Oh, so you know that those guys can practically do whatever the hell they want and get away with it?”
“I guess so, but our Lawless were never that cruel. I mean, they were bad. Just not that bad.”
“Guess some get it bad, and some get it really bad.”
I gulp, a question weighing heavily on my mind. “Did they…did they ever—”
Her eyebrows flex. “Assault me? Hurt me? Fuck no! Tried once.” She tilts her head slightly to the left. “But I practically chewed off one of Arlo’s nuts. They’ve left me alone ever since.”
“Which one is Arlo?”
“Ugly-ass eye tattoo. Walks with a limp.”
I smile. “I take it the limp is your doing?”
“I mean, I like to think so.” She waves her hand through the air as she starts walking. “Walk with me. I’ll take you back to campus so you can call your friends, or whoever the hell you’re out here with.”
“Actually,” I say, “I’m all alone.”
It’s a partial truth. Technically, I wasn’t alone, but the minute I left Maddox, I was on this venture by myself.
My body jolts when the phone in my pocket buzzes. Quickly, I reach inside and pull it out.
Temper leans in and glances at the phone in my hand. “Please tell me that you time traveled here from the nineties and plan to return to your time with the news of our technological advancements.”
“Oh,” I laugh, holding up the old flip phone, “it’s not mine.”
“Annnnd, you have it, why?”
I laugh under my breath at her questions, loving how bold she is with someone she doesn’t know from Adam. “So I can’t be traced.”
“Right. Right. Because you’re on the run as a serial killer and all?”
My eyes widen in surprise. “You heard that?”
“The ass end of the conversation. But, yeah. So is it true?”
My lips roll together and I steal a quick glance at her to read her expression. She’s so calm about the situation that I doubt she’d believe me even if I told her. “Maybe.”
“That’s cool as hell.” She stares blankly ahead of her, moving her hands through the air as if she’s framing a picture. “A life on the run as a wanted killer. Sounds like an adventure I want to go on.”
“It’s…definitely an adventure. But, I didn’t do what I’m being accused of.”
“Don’t burst my bubble, college girl. Let me dream that I’m walking with a real Thelma.”
“Thelma?”
“Thelma and Louise?” She huffs. “You are definitely not from the nineties. Quite possibly, not this world at all, for that matter. Can I be your Louise?” She folds her hands in prayer. “Please say yes.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Eh, that’s probably for the best. They die in the end.”
Side-eyeing Temper, I quickly read the text from Scar, while trying to keep my new friend from seeing it.
Your Bestie: Where the hell are you!? And if it’s away from BCU, stay there, because this place is swimming with The Elders. Please text me again so I know you’re safe.
Your Bestie: PS. We’re all going to get Maddox.
Thank God, they’re getting him.
A smile spreads across my face, and Temper takes notice. “Boyfriend?”
“Uh. No,” I say. “My best friend.”
“Of course. Your Louise. Should’ve known you had one.” She flips her hair and keeps walking, making me smile.
“Actually,” I inhale deeply as I contemplate how to say this without sounding like I’m guilty of murder. “How would you feel about being an accomplice, just for a little bit?”
“Accomplice to murder?”
“No.” I chuckle. “An accomplice to possibly hiding me out in your dorm, while feeding me food and giving me warmth.” My mouth draws back, teeth bared in a wide smile. “Just until I figure out my next move.”
She stops walking to face me, so I do the same. “On one condition.”
“You name it.”
“If you ever write a book about your adventure on the run as a wanted woman, you mention that I saved you from three big bad wolves and kept you from starving to death.”
“That’s your condition?”
“Too much?”
“No.” I begin walking again. “Not too much at all. It’s a deal.”
She claps her hands together gleefully and I follow her lead as we take a sharp left, straight toward the Falcons’ Nest—the same dormitory Scar and I stayed in during our attendance at BCA.
“Oh,” I blurt. “No one can know about this. So your roommate—”
“Don’t have one,” she says.
“You don’t have a roommate?”
“Nope. Loner through and through, until now, I guess.” Her eyebrows waggle.
“Doesn’t that get…lonely?”
“I love being alone. I’m your typical bookworm, tree-hugging, nature-loving introvert.”
Yep. She’s Scar in a different body.
“So where are you from?” I ask her, hoping to get to know the girl who’s helping me a little better.
“Annex. About six hours away from Boulder Cove.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Not many people have. Our town is so small, we have to travel two hours for our Chapter meetings.”
“Small towns are nice. Have you lived there your whole life?”
“Pretty much. I almost didn’t come here at all. My mom was insistent, but I snuck behind her back and got approval from our Chapter President. To say she was pissed is an understatement. I wanted the full experience as a member and had to get out of that one-street town. Plan to go to BCU when I graduate, too.”
“My best advice to you, stay in your lane and don’t piss off the wrong people. But if you do, you seem like a girl who can take care of herself. You must have brothers.”
“Actually, no. I’m an only child.”
“Me, too. It has its perks, but it does get lonely sometimes.” I smile at her. “But you like being alone, so I guess it’s great for you.”
Before I know it, the dorm comes into view. I flip the hood of my coat up in an attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible, though I doubt anyone here is looking for me.
“This way,” Temper says, as if I may have forgotten where to go.
Nope. This place is just as I remember it. Dark and gloomy. It seems no one took my advice on planting some pretty pink flowers around the girls’ dorms. I’m not the least bit surprised.
We step through the front doors and the smell alone has dozens of memories swimming through my mind. It was just last year, but it feels like it was ages ago. I can’t believe how much has happened since my stay here. I can’t believe how much I have changed.
“Second floor,” Temper says as she begins up the stairs. I follow behind her, my palms skimming along the rail, while taking it all in. This place holds a lot of awful memories, but it also has so many good ones.
Scar and I were in the double rooms on the top floor and it wasn’t often we visited the second floor, if at all.
We take the turn off and walk down the long stretch of hallway. One of the lights on the wall flickers in an almost mocking pattern. It casts an eerie glare over the area and my chest suddenly feels heavy again.
I’m taken aback when Temper stops in front of a door with three different locks on it. I look beside us at the neighboring door and notice it only has one.
Using three different keys on a ring full of them, she unlocks one at a time.
“Um. What’s up with all the locks? A little cautious, are we?” My words come out in a joking manner, but I’m not really joking at all. This feels weird and for a moment, I wonder if trusting the strange girl dressed in black in the middle of the woods was the right thing to do.
Once they are all unlocked, she turns the handle and pushes the door open. “Let’s just say the girls, and boys, here don’t make it easy on me.”
My heart pangs with remorse for her. “You poor thing,” I say, immediately regretting my words. I’m sure the last thing she wants is pity.
“Trust me.” She grins. “I don’t make it easy for them either.”
Walking into Temper’s room is much like crossing over into an alternate universe. Though, it’s pretty much what I expected. There’s a skull on an oak desk with green and purple worms coming out of the mouth, and a stack of tarot cards piled beside it. It’s cringeworthy, to say the least, but nothing I’m not used to. Scar’s side of the dorm we shared here was a similar style—aside from the tarot cards, and yeah, okay, she definitely didn’t have any decaying body parts as decor.
I walk over to the tarot cards and pick one up, curious to know what it says. I’ve never had a tarot reading done, or even seen the cards in real life for that matter.
“It’s just something I do for fun,” Temper says, joining my side.
I shake the card in my hand. “Death. That’s a little freaky.”
She chuckles. “Good thing it wasn’t meant for you.”
My eyes catch a math worksheet on the other side of the skull with her name on it.
“Temper Rose,” I say. “That’s a pretty last name.”
“Yeah, it is. Even though it’s not my real last name.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yup. It’s my mom’s maiden name. I’ve had it since birth, but my real last name—my father’s last name—is Foster.”
I gasp, feeling as if all the air has been vacuumed out of my lungs. “Did you say…Foster?”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “Yes. Why? Do you know any Fosters? Please tell me you do. Ever since I learned of my father two years ago, I’ve searched high and low for any information on him, but they seal everything so damn tight in The Society. I’ve found nothing. All I know is that he was once a member, and now he’s not, and his last name is Foster.”
The idea of Ridge having a living family member would be amazing. And a sister! He’d be ecstatic. For years, he’s been alone. No. It can’t be. That would be far too much of a coincidence.
“I know a Foster who is a member.” I shake my head, feeling silly for even thinking it’s possible. “But his dad left him and The Society when he was very young.”
Her eyes soften, and a gentle smile spreads across her lips. “Who?”
“My boyfriend. Ridge Foster.”
