Wicked (Somerset University #2) - Ruby Vincent Page 0,7
giving all he had in their race.
I glanced down at the newest addition to my lap. I brought the boys out to run around in the sun, but after plopping down on the patio chair, Cole climbed on top of me without a word. He tugged on my earlobe while he contentedly drank from his sippy cup.
“Don’t you want to play with your friends?” I asked.
“No. I’m sleepy.” He rested his head on my bosom. “I take a nap.”
I bit back a smile. If only Adam went down this easily. I’ve got to lure him into running around the yard knowing he’ll pass out afterward no matter how much he complains about his nap.
Cole soon drifted off to sleep. I relaxed, watching the boys play.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Carefully, I shifted Cole and fished it out.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Val. Whatcha doing?”
“Adam has a playdate. What about you?”
“Getting ready for a date of my own,” said Sofia. “Hudson is taking me to a reading of one of his favorite writers. What do you wear to those?”
“Whatever gives you an excuse to snuggle into him all night.”
“The grumpy ass would probably throw his jacket at me and say to occupy my own personal space,” she muttered.
“At least he’d give you his jacket.”
“It’s like I’m a princess.”
I laughed. Sofia grumbled about her sarcastic, opinionated Brit, but he’d proven a thousand times over he was the best of men.
“That’s not the only reason I called,” she said. “The girls have been all over me since Leighton’s death. Reagan and Pat are gone and they don’t want us to leave too. I don’t know what to tell them.”
I chewed my lip. I didn’t know what to tell Sofia. How do I explain my decision to stay in the Sally house after all?
“You want to stay, don’t you?”
There was a pause on the other end. “Not if it isn’t safe for us,” she said after a beat. “But if it truly isn’t, I don’t feel right about Palmer, Keily, Mai, and Blair being left in the dark.”
“I don’t feel right about it either,” I admitted.
One thing I was sure of is they were normal college girls looking to have fun, get good grades, and snag nice internships. I could only assume Leighton, Reagan, and Patricia started that way too. There must have been a series of events that changed those women into what they were now. If left alone in that house, would Keily, Palmer, and the girls be forced through those events?
Not possible. My mind rebelled against the thought. Whatever is going on, I can’t believe all of the Sallys are in on it or they recruit every sister into their sinister web. It wouldn’t have stayed secret for so long if that was the case.
“Val?”
I blinked back to the conversation. “I honestly don’t know if we’re safe. I believe Leighton, Pat, and Reagan were involved, but if it ends now that they’re gone, there’s no way to be sure. Which is why... I’m not dropping out.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I can’t if I’m ever going to find out what’s truly happening in Zeta Rho Sigma and Nu Alpha Theta.”
“You realize this means I’m not dropping out either. I won’t let you deal with whatever this shit is alone.”
“I do realize that but I’m hoping I can persuade you otherwise.”
“Nope.”
I sighed. “It wasn’t a strong hope.”
“I’ll call Keily back and tell her we’re not going anywhere,” she chirped. “Love you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go get some off your hot British dude.”
She laughed. “I intend to.”
I hung up, not feeling nearly as chill as she sounded.
“Hello,” a sweet voice said. “I see my little one took his nap early.”
A woman the spitting image of Cole stepped out onto the porch. On her heels was a guy who quickly adjusted my image of the most well-dressed man I knew. A tailored gray plaid suit and cream overcoat matched his shockingly silver hair so perfectly, I understood why it was the only thing he could have worn that day. Nothing else would have made sense.
“I’m Mrs. Reed.” She held out her hand. “You must be Valentina. Sorry we missed each other earlier.”
“Completely my fault,” I said. “I had a meeting.”
The man shook my hand next. “Declan. Nice to meet you.”
“Did the boys give you any trouble?” asked Mrs. Reed. She gathered Cole in her arms and dropped kisses on his face as it scrunched up in sleep.
“They were angels. We should do this again sometime.”