Mercy (Somerset University #3) - Ruby Vincent Page 0,25

guys,” Sawyer said. “I’ll dig up the beers. Rick, there’s a decent Chinese restaurant that delivers here. Mr. Lee throws in free egg rolls if we spend more than fifty dollars.”

“Good tip.” I raised my voice. “Guys, want Chinese?”

“Yes!”

“Hunan chicken, please.”

“Give me pork fried rice.”

“Chinese it is,” I said to myself.

I ventured deeper into the fraternity, on the heels of Sawyer. I’d been here before. A lifetime ago for the Halloween party that arrived early. The very night Sawyer was taken.

Nu Alpha Theta was exactly how I remembered it. Spotlessly clean not just for a house full of college dudes. It bordered on germaphobe-sterile. An oppressive silence clung to me as I left the crowded living room behind, and turning for the kitchen, I spotted the door that led to the basement.

If Aiden was holding a few frat guys against their will, no one would hear their calls for help down there. Not in this big, empty house.

I shook the thought loose. Valentina and Ezra have been down there. As far as we knew, the locked basement was exactly what he said it was, as well as the hidden file revealing nothing we could use.

Every door we kicked down turned up little on the other side. When will Aiden Connelly run out of lives?

“Rick? Rick.”

I had stopped in the entrance to the kitchen, staring off down the hall.

“You okay, man?”

“Yep. Just flicking through the endless possibilities for summer vacation now that I have my life back.” I stepped into their equally pristine kitchen and pulled up a stool at the island. “My girlfriend left for Costa Rica this morning. I might tackle a few other projects that’ve been sitting on my desk.”

“Nah, Rick.” Sawyer snagged a menu off the fridge. Grabbing the chair next to me, he handed it over. “Your first thought can’t be to do more work. I won’t allow it.”

“You won’t allow it?” I repeated, amused.

“You’re so serious all the time. I get it. You’re in a relationship. You’ve got a kid and a company to take over. But you are allowed to have fun.” A slow grin spread across his face, revealing a chipped canine I hadn’t noticed before. “Don’t tell anyone about this, but the guys and I host a poker night most weekends.” He nudged my arm. “We’ve got one on tonight. You should come.”

“Who is we?”

“Me, Aiden, Rowen, Winston, Nasir, and Hayes. We’re stuck on campus for the summer. Might as well make the most of it.”

“I don’t know.”

“Just come and check it out.” His smile was easy and open. “It’s a friendly game. We don’t play for high stakes. Eight o’clock. Join us.”

“I’ve got a dog and seven puppies I’m looking after.”

“Will something happen to them if you’re gone for a few hours?” He laughed. “Stop making excuses and live a little. Hang out with some cool guys. Listen to music. Smoke a cigar. Lose a little money. It’ll be good for you.”

“Cigars and poker. Just what I’ve been missing from my life.” My voice was laced with sarcasm. A fine performance if I said so myself. It wouldn’t do to seem too eager. Val was spot-on that Aiden was on to us. My only option left was to pretend we’d given up on solving the mystery. Sawyer and Teagan were back. Case closed.

“Think about it,” he said.

I bobbed my head. “I’ll see if I can. Have to check with Ezra, Jaxson, and Caroline. I have a kid and seven dogs. Can’t dip out whenever I feel like it.”

“Let me know.”

He pushed back from the island and headed out. I sat there a minute, considering my next move with a Chinese menu gripped in my palm.

Val wouldn’t want me to be alone with these guys. Not with so many questions still unanswered and the look in Aiden’s eyes like the truth will wreck our lives.

I shifted in my seat, casting an eye for the doorway concealed behind a fridge, paint, and plaster.

But I’m going anyway. I was always good at poker.

NALA EYED US WITHOUT lifting head or paw. I couldn’t be sure, but I imagined she was thinking “Help!” Seven incredibly eager puppies climbed, wriggled, and burrowed through their siblings for their dinner.

“You’re doing great, Nala,” I said.

“You’re a good mommy,” Adam threw in.

The two of us huddled over her in the closet that was now her domain. She and the puppies were comfortable in there. Fortunate because her true owner wasn’t interested in cutting her vacation short and my mother was