Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
She frowned, brows drawing together.
“Everleigh is determined to get revenge for her father any way she can. She’ll hurt whoever gets in her way. She’ll keep knocking down the people Alistair cares about until she finally gets to him. This doesn’t end unless we end it, Saylor. You and me.” I forced out the last word. “Together.”
She glared at me through slitted lids, but she was listening.
“So?” I asked. “What do you say?”
Saylor punched me dead in the face.
I snapped back, knocked off my feet. I dropped flat on my back—my head bouncing off the earth.
“I’m getting a restraining order, you crazy bitch. Don’t ever come near me again.”
Pushing up, I swiped the blood from my weeping lip. I didn’t try going after her. I knew what was coming. I had a feeling that in the end, Saylor would come to me.
I got up and made for the café. Victor promised to meet me there after rugby practice.
He waved me over when I walked in. My man already had my favorite foods laid out on the table, waiting for me.
“Hey.” I leaned in for a kiss and plucked the bacon from his fingertips while I was at it.
“How did it go with Saylor?”
I just shook my head.
“I’m not surprised she didn’t listen to you. She and Everleigh have been friends since diapers. She won’t believe it... until the knife is in her back.” Victor gave up on eating and shoved the rest of the bacon away. “I’m saying that, but she can’t really do this, can she? No one in the decades we’ve lived in Regalia has pulled off what she’s planning to do, and believe me, they tried.”
“I’ve seen her plans,” I said, teeth gritted. “It’ll work, Victor. It’ll work all too well.”
I grabbed his hands, gripping too tight by his raised brows. “Did— Did anything happen last night? We didn’t come back because I got a cryptic message from Wilder’s brother that made him think a SWAT team was waiting for us back at the beach house.”
I breathed a little easier when Victor shook his head no.
“Nah. Last night was quiet. No one busted in the door or anything,” he replied. “But if they were watching the place, they wouldn’t have. None of the guys they wanted to arrest were there.”
Fear filled my bones again. Of course Victor was right. Why would they bust in and give themselves away until they knew for sure the terrorists were inside and clueless?
“Although that’s weird, isn’t it?”
I pulled out of my thoughts. “Huh? What’s weird?”
Victor focused on something over my shoulder. “It’s weird that his brother sent you that message,” he said somewhat distractedly. “You figured it out and got ahead of the cops. Why say anything at all if he wants to fuck with his brother? He could’ve just hid out in the woods and filmed the cops hauling his ass to the squad car.”
My lips parted, but nothing came out. Why didn’t I notice that? It was because of that p.s. that we didn’t walk into an ambush. “Now that I think about it, why did he crawl out of his cyberhole and risk himself by taking over the dean’s office? He said he wanted to make a deal with me over the laptop, but he could’ve done that with another mocking email.
“I can tell he wasn’t lying when he said he wanted nothing to do with Everleigh, but it’s almost like—”
“Luna, look.”
I followed his line of sight, twisting around. Saylor strolled into the café—nose up higher in the air if that was possible. It was obvious she was putting on a you-can’t-break-me front, but the fact that she was in the café at all proved she’d been knocked down.
Saylor never came into the café. She always had one of her minions fetch her food and bring it to her at the music hall. The queen didn’t dare mix with the peasants.
She’s mixing today.
She grabbed a tray and stepped up to the line. A hush slowly fell over the café. Saylor didn’t need to draw attention to herself. She was getting it without any help.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” someone said loudly. “How dare you show your face in here, Burkhardt! After what you did to my brother, you don’t belong on campus unless you’re getting your transfer papers.”
Saylor didn’t so much as twitch. She grabbed a raspberry scone off the pile and continued to the drinks station.
“Hey! I’m talking to you, bitch!”
Without a lick of rush, Saylor poured herself some coffee, sweetened it with creamer, took a sip, dabbed her mouth with a napkin, went back to grab a knife, then—and only then—did she face the staring crowd.
“I’m happy you’re all here.”
I exchanged looks with Victor. Why was she talking like we were all sitting here at her invitation?