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“The time has come, boys,” he says, smile widening enough to show off his capped teeth. “My work here is done.”
Nolan leans forward in his chair, obviously eager. “We’re getting Initiated?”
Brady casts him a condescending smile. “That’s right.”
“What about Olivia?” Cole asks, confusion in his voice. “I thought we couldn’t have our Initiation until we got rid of her?”
Brady glances at me. “She won’t be a problem anymore. Isn’t that right, Mr. President?”
“And they say you shouldn’t believe any rumor you hear.” Nolan lets out a guffaw that abruptly cuts off when he catches me glaring at him. “Good for you, man. I mean it. We’ve all seen how well she fucks.”
Cole slams an arm across my chest to hold me back until the red recedes from my gaze.
The look I level at Nolan must be full of murder, because he immediately recoils. “Say that again when no one is holding me back.”
Nolan snaps his mouth shut, attention returning to Brady.
“The alumni are convinced that the situation has been handled appropriately.” Brady frowns when none of his react. “This is good news, let’s see some fucking excitement.”
There are some weak sounds of agreement around the room. The Initiation has been hanging over our heads for so long that the excitement faded a long time ago. At this point, it’s just something we want to get done.
But even I’m surprised at how quickly things have progressed. Jack Deguerre told me we could go back to normal, but I hadn’t actually believed him.
“Why?” Vaughn asks, surprising me. I hadn’t even realized he’d been lingering in the back of the room. “What changed?”
Brady makes an exasperated noise, like he is already sick of talking about this. “Their assumption is that she would have moved against us already if she planned to do it. And how is that going to look, anyway? You can’t spend all your time around guys, joining their frat and going to strip clubs with them, then turn around and be like, oh yeah, one of them totally raped me last year. The girl would look ridiculous at this point. I think we’re good.”
Vaughn casts a skeptical look around the room. “So that’s it. All that shit is killed?”
“Well, she is still a pledge,” Brady replies with a malicious smile. “Everyone knows pledges are fair game for whatever torture you’d like to devise. I know I’ve got plans for our newest one.” His eyebrows waggle in a way that makes it seem like he is doing his best impression of Groucho Marx as a sex offender. “The alumni have no intention of interfering any more than they already have. We trust all of you to keep things under control. I’ll be leaving in a few days.”
Nolan eagerly leans forward. “So we have a date for the Initiation?”
“Your Initiation will take place two weeks from today, but that isn’t the most important part.” Brady deliberately pauses, drawing out the moment and making us wait for him to pull the damn rabbit out of his hat. “It won’t be happening here at St. Bart’s.”
He forces one of us to ask.
“Where is it gonna be?” Cole asks, sounding annoyed.
Brady spreads his arms wide, the magician performing his last trick. “Club Havoc.”
That announcement gets a reaction. The room fills with excited murmurs, but unease coils through me.
“And the Bacchanal?” Nolan asks, unfettered glee in his voice.
“Will take place immediately after the Initiation,” Brady confirms. “Of course, we’ll invite enough students from St. Bart’s that the event is high profile while still remaining exclusive. We have a reputation to maintain, after all. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, boys. I hope you appreciate it.”
Club Havoc is the oldest of all the Havoc House institutions. Part gentleman’s club and part repository of our fraternal history, access to it isn’t usually allowed until you’re a fully-Initiated member. I’ve visited my father there before, but even I have never seen what happens when they open the doors for something as decadent as the Bacchanal.
There has to be a reason that the alumni want our Initiation to be in a place where they’ll have total control over everything that happens.
And none of the reasons I can think of are good.
Chapter Sixteen
I find Gigi exactly where I expect, holed up in my room with the door locked. Knocking isn’t enough. I have to shout while banging on the wood before the door finally opens. She immediately peers into the hallway behind me to make sure I’m alone.
“What did Brady want?” she asks, backing away as I close the door behind me.
