Alstone College, rather than my previous university, was to investigate my dad’s death. And unfortunately, that also meant reconnecting with my mother. We hadn’t spoken in person for years, but after my dad had died, my hand had been forced. I didn’t, for one minute, believe the accident report regarding his death, and there were too many coincidences surrounding my mother to ignore.
Until I got a chance to investigate everything, I’d throw myself into university life. My dad wouldn’t have wanted anything to distract me from getting my degree. He’d been so proud when I’d been accepted to study business—he’d spent hours touring different universities with me and going through the pros and cons of different degree courses and career paths.
Sinking down onto Kinslee’s bed, I blinked rapidly as my eyes filled with tears. Fuck. I missed him so much. Not being able to pick up the phone and call or text him…it was like a piece of me was missing. Throughout my life, he’d been my one constant. The person who’d loved me, who had been there for me unconditionally. And now he was gone.
I willed the impending tears to go, concentrating on slowing my breathing. I couldn’t afford to fall apart, especially not in front of my new friend. I wasn’t at the point where I wanted to, or even felt able to, explain what had happened.
With an effort, I focused my mind on the present.
We changed for the party, Kinslee wearing black booty shorts and a tight red top that made her boobs look amazing, and as for me—I had no fucking clue, so I let Kinslee choose my outfit, ending up in a tight electric-blue minidress which somehow highlighted and emphasised my minimal curves and long legs. She straightened my dark hair and gave me a smoky eye that made my blue eyes pop. Arranging her tawny corkscrew curls around her shoulders, she blew her reflection a kiss and proclaimed us ready.
“Party time! Let’s go.” She threw open the door and we headed out of the apartment to the waiting Uber, and what seemed like no time later, we were pulling up in front of a house, music and light spilling out from the open door and windows.
“House” was barely an adequate description for this monstrous residence. A sprawling, two-storey modern brick building, it was all sharp angles and huge black-framed glass doors and windows, the glass-fronted doorway extending the full height of the house, showing a glimpse of the upstairs area and a huge skull-shaped pendant light suspended from the upper-floor ceiling, descending all the way down to the entrance hallway. I sucked in a nervous breath. You’re strong. You can do this. Squaring my shoulders, I linked my arm through Kinslee’s, and we strutted up the pathway and in through the open door like we owned the place.
Kinslee led us through the wide tiled hallway, past a large curving staircase, into a kitchen teeming with people that was easily twice the size of Kinslee’s entire apartment. “Drinks first?” She turned to me with a grin.
I nodded, returning her smile, and she made a beeline for the paddling pool in the corner of the room, effortlessly weaving through the clusters of people in her way.
“Paddling pool?” I murmured to myself. Stepping closer, I saw it had been filled to the brim with ice and bottles of beer, cider, and cans of premixed cocktails. Genius idea. Kinslee reached in and grabbed us two cans of premixed mojitos, and pushing through the crowds, she led me into a cavernous room, where the sound system was set up and playing thumping dance music. I let her pull me into the area where the dancing was concentrated, and I lost myself in the music.
Until I felt the weight of four sets of eyes, trained on me.
As I subtly turned my head to look, tingles of awareness spread through my entire body, and I gasped. Carefully, I leaned closer to Kinslee, knowing the answer before I even asked the question.
“Kins, don’t be obvious about it, but who the fuck are those guys? The four on the sofas?”
Kinslee peered around me, her eyes widening and her whole body stiffening.
“They’re the Four. They own this place. They pretty much run the campus.”
They own this place? “The Four?” I echoed. “What lame kind of name is that?”
Kinslee shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just what people call them. From left to right you have Cassius, Weston, Zayde, and Caiden. They’re all sexy as fuck,