He wears an expensive pinstripe suit that pulls at his broad shoulders, and his handsome face is serene, jovial. He looks like a man who loves every minute of his job, especially the minutes he gets to spend shaking down innocent high school teachers.
Through the crack in the door, I watch him stroll down the corridor. My blood boils as my gaze sweeps his face. I’ve never met this man in person, but I know him. He’s been in my father’s office many times, and he was a fixture at every Triumvirate event I attended in disguise. I’m surprised at myself that I didn’t recognize his voice, but it’s been so long since my father’s world invaded my own that I’d almost started to believe it was all a dream.
No dreams here, only nightmares.
My teacher is being blackmailed by Nero Lucian.
The same Nero Lucian who is determined to sink his paws into my Golden Boy. No, not mine, but that didn’t matter, not when the Lucians are involved. I think of what Noah told me about his talk with Eli, how Nero tried to give him a job. It’s obvious the stepson Nero spoke of is Eli.
I think of Eli reaching out to us today, and I wonder, I wonder, if Eli has enough darkness in his heart that he might consider Nero’s offer.
But I can’t believe Eli would be involved in extorting Ms. Drysdale. She is his favorite teacher, and there’s no way she’s done anything to deserve this. But I have to remember that I broke something vital inside Eli when I revealed my lies, and the ruined human I left behind might be capable of anything.
Have I driven the Golden Boy of Stonehurst Prep straight into my enemy’s arms?
I wait until I hear the door clang shut, then ease open the closet door and step outside. I debate knocking on Ms. Drysdale’s door, but I can’t say anything as Mackenzie Malloy that she wants to hear.
I remember when Ms. Drysdale took me to her office after Cleo stole my clothes. She lent me her own clothing, and I noticed the blanket under her desk, the takeout containers littering the room, the suitcase peeking out from behind the filing cabinet in the corner. Ms. Drysdale is the nicest teacher in this school, the only person who believed me. She clearly lives in her office, and someone was trying to shake her down for money she clearly doesn’t have.
Not if I have anything to say about it.
27
Claudia
By the time I reach the cafeteria, I’m a ball of nerves. Today’s menu is tofu-centric and I can’t stomach it, so Noah and I head to the library. I’m still hopelessly behind in all my classes, and he refuses to write my essays for me, even though that would be easier than trying to teach me four years of high school knowledge in thirty-minute intervals.
The Stonehurst Prep library is pretty cool. It’s a rabbit-warren of curving shelves occupying an L-shaped space between three of the oldest wings – an architectural masterpiece of the old and new, designed by a clever Turkish-American architect with a flair for the dramatic. Sunlight streams in from large skylights, and although we’re not supposed to talk in here beyond quiet study, there are plenty of hidden corners where Noah and I can set up camp.
Noah heads to his favorite one now, a little mezzanine behind the computer lab with only one narrow staircase for access. He drags me along behind him, muttering titles of the books he wants to collect for our history assignment. I think he’s grateful for something normal to think about. Pity, since I’m about to burst his bubble with the news of what I overheard in Ms. Drysdale’s office—
Wait a second.
What’s that?
I stop in my tracks, my whole body stiffening. I rub my eyes, but when I remove my hands I see that I’m not mistaken. It’s no mirage.
There, in front of me, is Eli Hart, looking hot as fuck with a blond curl falling over his eye and his mouth set in a serious line. This in itself is not unusual – Eli’s competing with Noah for brainiac of the school, so it’s totally normal to see him tucked up in a cozy corner with a pile of beanbags stacked around him like a fort. What is unusual is who he’s snuggled up with, their heads bent close together as if they’re sharing the secrets of the universe.