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But I’m counting on Anya not to know that.
“Maybe.” Suspicion narrows her eyes as she stares at me. “But I’d feel better if the authorities got involved. It isn’t as if anyone else acts like they give a shit about what happens to Olivia.”
I take a step closer to her, using my size as an intimidation tactic even if it makes me feel a little sick to see the flash of fear in her eyes. “You really want to be responsible for bringing the police to campus on what will probably turn out to be a false alarm? If you do, then I hope you’ve got your bags packed. You know how Havoc House reacts when the cops get into our business.”
Anya’s face turns white, but I’m more than a little impressed when she stands her ground. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Havoc House.”
“And when you feed them some story about Olivia disappearing after her sextape got played for everyone at one of our parties, you think we won’t end up involved? Especially after what happened last year? You can bring that down on yourself if you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Fine, whatever.” Anya deflates, shoulders hunching as if all the air has gone out of her. “Sorry to bother you. I’m sure you’re busy picking out your next victim.”
I ignore the righteous indignation in her voice. “Something like that.”
Anya makes a rude sound as I turn away, and I force myself not to look back at her expression. I’ve committed myself to figuring out what the hell is happening here, but pretended to be the devil-may-care asshole is already grating on my nerves.
* * *
I sleep until the afternoon, a consequence of staying up for most of the night. Then I realize that the only thing that woke me up was the low hum of voices coming from downstairs.
All the senior guys are gathered in the formal dining room that we rarely ever use. Cole sees me first and nods in greeting before returning his attention to the suit-clad man with his back to me that is addressing them all as they listen in rapt silence.
“The exact details of the Initiation are going to remain a secret until the ceremony, but the fact that I’m here means it will happen soon.” The voice is vaguely recognizable. Younger than I expected, but I still can’t quite place it. My gaze moves over the tailored suit and up to the haircut that probably costs the same as a middle-class family spends on a nice dinner for four. “Does anyone have any questions—”
The voice abruptly cuts off when the speaker realizes that some of the guys are looking over his shoulder at me. He turns and I’m met with one of the last faces I expected to see.
“Brady?”
Brady Caldwell only graduated last year. He gives me a wide smile as he reaches forward and slaps me on the back.
“Drake, or should I say Mr. President. Power looks good on you, buddy.”
Brady is not who I thought the alumni would pick to represent them. He is barely older than we are and never seemed to approach his time on campus with anything like the pomp and circumstance you’d expect from the seasoned alumni I’d thought they’d send.
I’d been expecting a stuffy blowhard who graduated sometime in the previous century and expected us to have thirty-year-old brandy on the shelf with our peppermint schnapps.
Clearly things have changed.
I return Brady’s greeting with as much enthusiasm as I can muster while he goes back to talking about the Initiation. The last time I saw him was in an Ed Hardy t-shirt while doing a keg stand in the middle of our living room. Now, he’s in a custom-fitted, Givenchy suit and Italian leather loafers. The corporate shill look that he’s sporting now doesn’t exactly jibe with the Brady I used to know.
And if he is here to represent the alumni, then he definitely isn’t the Brady that I used to know.
Brady stops talking, and the guys break into their own conversations. It doesn’t take long for him to corner me.
“Hope you don’t mind that I started the meeting without you,” he says, sounding anything but repentant. “Where have you been, man?”
I study him for a long moment. Brady was no criminal mastermind when I knew him last year, but the timing of his arrival is more than suspicious. I decide to keep Vaughn’s accident to myself, at least while Evangeline is still at the same hospital.
Taking them out now would be easy if somebody wanted another shot.
“Just hanging around.”
“Senior year, boyo.” He punches me on the shoulder a little harder than I would consider entirely friendly. “I hear things have gotten off to a bit of a rocky start.”
“Not sure what you mean by that.”
“This whole thing with Olivia Pratt, or whatever her name is. Some of the other alumni were worried you boys wouldn’t come through for us. But it sounds like she might just be gone for good. Well done.”
Something about his tone annoys the hell out of me. “How much do you know about it?”
