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“He gave me your phone,” Penny says before holding it out to me.
I shake my head. “Hang onto it. If he comes back, and you don’t have it, they’ll know you’ve spoken to me.” I move over to my desk and find a pen and a scrap of paper, quickly writing my mom’s address down. “I’m going to get what I need and leave. If Syn does have something planned, it’s a distraction. And if not, I don’t want to come back here. Will you ship everything to this address for me? I’ll transfer the money when I get my phone back.”
Penny walks over and throws her arms around me. “I’ll deliver them in person, and you can pay me back with drinks. Be careful, Tori. If they work out what you’re doing, Syn will kill you.”
While I know Penny doesn’t actually think Syn will end my life, there’s a small voice in the back of my head telling me she’s closer to the truth than she realizes.
“That camera is still up outside your room,” Penny tells me, pulling away. “From the sounds of things, Royal didn’t think to check it before he came to you, but he might now considering I told him to.”
I’d heard that, but I still sigh. “Penny…”
She shrugs. “It wouldn’t be long before one of them thinks about it anyway. I figured I’d call their bluff, and it might buy you a bit more time. Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell them anything.”
Despite what I said to Penny, I’m not sure I’m going to go back to my mom’s apartment. That feels like the first place they’d check. If I can get their videos, I want to be able to lay low somewhere until I can work out what to do next.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of being able to think that far ahead. Right now, I’ve got to get back into Denali House, check the feed from the camera I put in Syn’s room, get onto his laptop, and then get out of there without anyone noticing.
Penny checks that the halls are clear before ushering me out. Outside, the snow is starting to come down a little thicker, which might work in my favor for keeping the other students inside, but it could also be problematic when it comes to getting into Denali House without being seen.
Right now, my plan is to get into the building and hide in one of the spare rooms. Maybe the cleaning closet since I doubt any of them knows that’s even a thing that exists… then, when they’re out, I can do what I need to, then go.
My theory about the snow keeping people inside is strangely disproven. As I round a corner, there’s a group of people, huddled together wearing designer winter coats—the kind made for people moving between a car and a building rather than walking through a snowstorm. I spot Lenora, one of the sophomore members of the Elite, and I’m not the least bit surprised to see the flash of red from her Louboutin’s as she tries to keep her balance.
I duck my head as I flatten myself back against the wall. Before they’ve gone, another two juniors hurry after them.
“You have any idea what this is about?” Ross Lynch asks, the guy who almost caught me when Syn sent the Elite chasing after them.
“The only thing I care about right now is this damn hangover,” his friend, Quentin says with a groan. “It’s going to be the same thing as always. Syn pissed at something.”
“Spoilers, it’s me,” I mutter under my breath.
From the direction everyone is heading, they’re going to the church. There is at least one meeting room in there, and from memory, there’s a big enough screen for comfortable viewing.
Fighting back the wave of nausea with a deep breath, I back away from this path, heading back on myself until I can take the long route and avoid the one most people will follow to the church.
If people are already heading up, I’m assuming Syn is going to kick things off on the hour. The chances are that if he, Royal, and Gemini haven’t already left, they’re about to, and if the whole video was about forty minutes long, I might just have about an hour to get into the house and do what I need to.
The detour I’ve taken leads me to the far side of Denali house. From here, I can see the golf cart still parked up under the elaborate porch on the side of the house from where I left it last night. I’m not sure if that means no one has left, or if the golf cart won’t make it up the sloping campus to the church.
Tempted as I am to stay hidden behind another building a little longer, there’s an Elite apartment a little further down the path, as well as the one I’m peering around. Going past Denali House to get to the church isn’t the quickest route, but there’s still a chance someone could walk past—or even see me from a window.
I dart across to the house, running in a wide loop, hoping I’ve given a large enough distance that if someone was to come out and go to the cart, my footprints wouldn’t be noticeable in the snow. Then I squeeze through the bushes, fighting the bare branches as they try to do Syn’s bidding and capture me, until I’ve made my way into the back garden.
Back here, the snow is deep, covering everything from the immaculate lawn and decking to the rose bushes at the bottom of the garden. There’s no option to get to the back door without leaving footprints, so I keep as close to the walls as possible.
I key in the door code, relieved when it unlocks, and then enter as quietly as possible. To get to the kitchen from the front door, you’d have to go down a long hallway and pass through two doors that are usually kept closed. If anyone is in the house and about to leave, they’re not going to be able to see me, but if anyone comes into the kitchen, there’s nowhere to hide.
Before I go further, I take my shoes off. The rubber soles squeak over most of the flooring, and they’re also drenched from the deep snow. I tuck them into a cupboard, never more grateful for the high-end kitchen units with doors and drawers that close silently.
The clock on the oven says 11:42.
If they take the golf cart, it’s five minutes to the church. If they walk, it’s double that. Given how anal Syn is, I’m sure he’s already there, but I creep through the house and to the foot of the stairs. Holding my breath, I close my eyes and listen, trying to hear if anyone is still in the house.
“Up the stairs, to Syn’s room, grab the camera, go to my room, watch the footage, hope he uses his laptop, get the password, head back to his room, check his laptop, gather the evidence, get the hell out,” I tell myself, all in one breath.
Then, on my tip toes, I charge up the stairs as quickly and as quietly as I can, but at the last minute, despite my plan, I pivot and head to my own room instead. Just in case, I want to take a moment to listen once more.
I’m not sure what happened to me as I ran up the stairs, but right now, I feel wired. Adrenaline is pouring into me. The last thing I need now is to get overconfident and make a mistake.
