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“That’s enough,” he snaps. “I want to know what’s happening with Olivia.”
I give a careless shrug that he can’t see, hoping that my voice sounds just as unconcerned. “You should probably ask Brady about that.”
“The alumni have every confidence in Brady’s ability to manage this mess you all have made.”
I scoff at that, amusement finally winning out over annoyance. “Brady is the one who decided to let her pledge.”
“And you had absolutely nothing to do with that?”
My heartbeat picks up, but I keep my voice bland. “She hates me, remember? I’m the one who humiliated her in front of the entire school. We’ve barely spoken since she came back.”
The ring of truth in my own words sends a pang of guilt through me. God only knows what made Evangeline decide to overlook the past. I’m prepared for her to change her mind basically any day now.
My father scoffs. “Has your legendary charm finally failed you? How disappointing. I promised the alumni that my son could handle this. It’s a shame, but I shouldn’t be surprised that you’ve failed to live up to my expectations. Again. Your failure is going to get that girl killed. If we’re lucky, no one else will go down with her. Olivia Pratt is dangerous for all of us.”
“You keep saying that, but you haven’t told me why.” My heart is still going fast, but this time it’s from anticipation. “Tell me why everyone is so worried about this girl.”
“That isn’t any of your concern. You’ve been told what you need to know.”
There was a time when I would have felt loyalty to this man, when I would have done almost anything to hear him praise me. He had never felt the same way about me. The love I thought I had for him has never been reciprocated, I know that.
My own father had no problem destroying the life of an innocent girl. And I’m sure he is well aware that Vaughn could have died in the alumni’s attempts to get to her.
Blood isn’t any thicker than water when it runs this thin. I owe him nothing.
Sitting up, I slide out of bed and go to the far side of the room so I’m further from the door. I keep my voice even when I finally speak, like I’m not thinking very malevolent thoughts.
“It would help if you finally just told me what the hell is up with the hard-on you all have for Olivia Pratt. You want me motivated, so bring me in. I can’t help if I’m kept in the dark. I’ve already proved to you that I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
I expect my father to tell me to mind my own business, just like he’s done every other time I’ve asked. I expect him to use righteous anger as a shield to hide whatever truth he doesn’t want to share with me.
Instead, he sighs. Even over the phone, the sound is heavy, like there is a weight on his shoulders. “I don’t understand how this thing got so out of control. The same rules have applied for two hundred years, and they’ve never been a problem until now. We have to do something about that girl before she destroys everything we’ve built.”
“I want to help, you know that.” I keep my voice cajoling, even though I’m inwardly seething. It’s almost offensive that my father thinks I would ever sympathize with him. “But I can’t do anything without all the information, that’s why I keep failing you. I need to know the entire truth if I’m going to have any hope of finishing this. Tell me what you know about Olivia.”
“I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” my father responds quickly.
But I can sense him weakening and press my advantage. “I won’t say anything to anyone. This is just between you and me.”
“I don’t think…”
I play the only advantage that he gives a shit about. “The Van Koch name is on the line.”
My father sharply inhales. I hear the bang as a door slam shuts and the click of a lock. “We have to fix this.”
I stare out the window into the peaceful winter scene outside. A thin layer of snow blankets the ground with no hint of footprints to mar its beauty. Nothing moves out there and there is no trace of wind, as if the whole world is holding its breath.
“Tell me,” I insist.
He does.
And it is so much worse than I could have imagined.
Chapter Seventeen
I can’t stop thinking about Drake.
The only logical thing to blame is how much time I’ve been spending alone, bumming around my dorm room. Quiet and stillness have my mind working on overdrive.
