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AFTER SPENDING MOST of Sunday with Archer, I’d gone to Serena’s that night to have “the talk”—the one I hadn’t expected for us to have anytime soon, but the one she’d known was coming. Maybe Archer and I both leaving the Winter Ball early had tipped her off to how serious things had gotten so quickly, but she took the news in stride. Hell, she was smiling at seeing me so happy, and even though it was still strange, she was glad that her dad had found someone she knew would treat him well. Even if it meant she was losing her “boyfriend.”
“So, where’d you disappear to Saturday?” West said from where he sat across from me in the Sprinter van Monday morning. “You missed an epic afterparty.”
Travis smirked as he scrolled through his phone. “No, he didn’t.”
West narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?” When Travis didn’t answer, West kicked my foot. “Hello? What did you end up doing?”
“You mean whom,” Travis corrected him, and I rolled my eyes.
Gavin shot up in his seat like something had burned his ass. “No way. Is that why Mr. Carrington left so early? Everyone was talking about it.”
Now that had my attention. “People noticed?”
“Uh, yeah,” Gavin said. “He was supposed to do a speech, and one of the other board members ended up going up there and talking out of his ass.”
I shrugged. “Well, maybe he got food poisoning and wasn’t feeling well.”
“Or maybe he ended up naked in a certain someone’s apartment that he shares withmoi,” Travis said. When everyone’s attention turned his way, he added, “What? If he didn’t want me to see his hot ass, he shouldn’t have been walking around without clothes.”
“You didn’t see his hot ass. He had pants on,” I pointed out. “You only wish you saw him naked.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, I did ask if you two wanted a third.”
My eyes went wide. “You did what?”
“Hellooo.” Donovan moved up to his knee on the seat, rising above us so he could get our attention. “You’re all missing a very important point right now. Which is Mr. Carringtonleft his eventand his dateto be with Preston.”
There was a brief moment of silence before the entire van broke out into catcalls and whistles, and I couldn’t help but laugh as West reached over and mussed up my hair.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, shoving him off and smoothing my hair back into place.
“Does that mean he’s willing to risk it all for you?” East said mockingly, like he’d believe it when he saw it.
I didn’t have to tell him to fuck off with that, because Daire did it for me.
My lap buzzed once, then twice, then a third time, and when I saw the texts that had just come through, I frowned. “Huh.”
Travis leaned over to peek at my screen. “What’s wrong?”
“Something’s up with Serena. She just sent an SOS and said for us to meet her in our spot.”
“Us?” East arched a brow.
“Apparently all of us.”
“Guys,” West said, his voice wary, “why is Harry the Hacker messaging me asking if we need his help?”
“His help?” I repeated. Shit, did this have anything to do with Serena sending an SOS? “Tell him to meet us in our spot. Just in case.”
West nodded. “On it.”
I called Serena, but it went straight to voicemail. In all the years I’d known her, I couldn’t remember a time that had happened.
A wave of anxiety rolled through me, but I didn’t have time to focus on it as the Sprinter pulled up to Astor. The guys filed out ahead of me as I pocketed my phone and grabbed my bag.
The second I stepped into the courtyard, I noticed something was…different.
The dozens of groupings scattered around all stopped talking and turned in our direction the second we walked past the gates. It didn’t feel like the usual stares of admiration, though.
