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“Was that Kota again?” I asked.
“It was Mr. Blackbourne,” he said, tucking the phone into his pocket again.
I stiffened. My hand tucked into my bra, feeling for my phone, as if Mr. Blackbourne was right there. “Is he where we’re going to?”
“No,” he said. “He’s over at Middleton Place and wants you to join him and a few of the others over there. I’m to drop you off before I go.”
My heart thundered as I looked over my clothes. I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and felt underdressed, again, for going to see Mr. Blackbourne. He’d mentioned shopping, but I wasn’t prepared for it yet. And why meet at Middleton? I smoothed my hands over my shirt. “I wish they gave warnings.”
Silas smirked and dropped his foot on the gas as we headed out. “And proper weekends off.”
Flirting
Silas did stop quickly at a Starbucks to buy a couple of egg sandwiches and coffees. We finished them on the way before we got to Middleton Place.
Once we turned into the property, we were on a winding road. Near the end, there was a big estate home, set amid gardens, a still pond, and stables. It was like stepping back in time, seeing a bit of an old, almost forgotten life. Since it was late in October, many of the flowers had finished blooming, leaving a rich expanse of greens and tiny bursts of color here and there from late-blooming flowers.
It was such a beautiful spot. I leaned against the door, trying to take in everything around us. Would the homecoming dance happen inside the building? The school had over two thousand students, but even if only half of them attended, the building didn’t appear big enough. Out in the distance was a set of blocky, modern glass buildings, and there was a sign that said it was an inn. The buildings were modern in comparison to the rest of the estate. I couldn’t imagine the dance would be held there, either.
I recognized Kota’s and Mr. Blackbourne’s cars next to each other near the entry of the building. There was another vehicle, too, parked further down the lane, closer to the stables that I didn’t recognize. I had to imagine it belonged to someone who worked here.
Silas pulled up to the curb, stopping the car and then hopping out to open the door.
“I can go find them inside,” I said, “if you have to go.”
“Can’t do that,” he said. He held my hand as I stepped out of the car, and continued to hold it as he closed up and we headed toward the building. “I’ll make sure you’re with one of the others before I leave.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to protest, to suggest that I didn’t need a babysitter, but he was right. There had been a few close calls with Volto and too many other people, and this was a new place.
Silas continued to hold my hand as we walked through the doors. I held on, and my heart thundered, wondering what the others would say. A tremble swept through me, wondering if Kota was inside and if he’d learn that Silas considered me his girlfriend now. I wondered what it meant for the others. Silas didn’t talk about it, and I didn’t ask anything, but now I wish I’d done so.
While the outside had smelled like fresh cut grass and sweet flowers, the inside of Middleton Place was a mix of old wood, aged leather and fabrics. The floor creaked as we entered. The space was smaller than I expected, but I imagined the home had been built for family use, so it would have been practical at the time.
Victor stood in the hallway. His head was bent over his phone as he tapped the screen with his thumb. He stood facing one of the antique tables with a flower arrangement in a pretty vase. He tapped again at his phone, and a light flashed as he snapped a picture of the vase and flowers.
I was drawn to how his lips were curved in a pleasant smile. His brown wavy hair was brushed back from his face, and the fire eyes were set to an amused flicker. The shirt he wore, today an off-white with a hint of blue, had the sleeves rolled back to his elbows and the top button was undone. It suited his trim body, and I thought it was handsome the way he looked comfortable and casual in what was probably a very expensive ensemble.
I tried to recall the car in the parking lot, wondering if I got the coloring mixed up but I was pretty sure Mr. Blackbourne’s car was gray and Victor’s was more a silver color. Mr. Blackbourne must have picked him up.
Victor turned and his gaze settled on me first, his fire eyes coming to life with a gentle smolder. He turned to Silas and nodded, but then looked down at our joined hands.
My cheeks burned. I’d held hands with the guys before, but for some reason, this felt so different. I thought Victor could see right through me and know how different this was.
Victor made no reaction, and simply waited until we were closer before he stepped forward, holding out his arms toward me. “Good morning, princess,” he said.
Before I could think of something else, Silas released me, and Victor wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me.
I returned the hug, feeling Silas behind me and sensing his gaze. I wanted to enjoy Victor’s hug, but I was a mess of feelings. What about Victor? I cared about Silas, but my heart felt divided. I cared about Victor, too. Would caring about one mean splitting myself off from the others? It wasn’t normal, but I couldn’t help but feel the guilt of wanting to please them both, because I cared about them both.
I buried my thoughts and tried to stay calm. I had to trust them to know what to do.
Victor released me and then gave a short wave to Silas. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
Silas nodded. “Just look out for her. I’ll be back.”
“Call if you need anything,” Victor said. “I mean it.”
“I know,” he said. Silas stepped toward me, holding out his arms. He gave me a short hug and then a kiss on the forehead. “Behave.”
My heart did a flip at his kiss. “Come back soon,” I said quietly.
He grunted and squeezed me tighter until my feet were off the ground. “As soon as I can,” he said. He released me to the floor and then turned, walking off.
I watched as he left, my fingertips touching the dip at my neck. It was hard to see him go. I wanted to ask him a million questions. I bit my tongue to stop them from rolling from my lips, and stilled my feet to stop myself from running after him. I wanted to go with him. I wanted Victor to go with him to make sure he was okay. Secrets within the Academy often meant danger, and I could only hope this wasn’t one of those instances.
Victor grasped my hand, his fingers interlocking with mine. “Sweetie,” he said quietly. “You okay?”
I smiled softly and nodded, unable to find my voice to answer. I needed to trust. Victor wouldn’t have let Silas go off alone if he didn’t trust him to come back.
Victor’s fire eyes glowed. His thumb traced gently over the back of my hand, tickling my skin. “Come on,” he said. “You should see this place. It’s pretty nice.”
I let him guide me deeper into the building. We followed a hallway, our shoes making echoes around us. “What are we doing here?” I asked in a quiet voice. I’d recalled Mr. Blackbourne mentioning we were going out to get ready for homecoming today, but he didn’t mention coming here.
“We need to get to know the building,” he said. “And the grounds outside. Luke’s here, scoping things out and getting an idea of the layout. Mr. Blackbourne and Kota are talking about security issues.”
“And you’re here rigging up cameras?” I asked.
The fire in his eyes lit up to a roar. “You know me too well.”
Victor tugged on my hand, and I followed him out to the back of the estate onto a terrace overlooking a massive landscaped lawn. The lawn was tiered at the far end, gently lowering itself to a waterway at the bottom, like a canal. The space was lined on left and right by gardens with manicured bushes and roses and other flowers I didn’t know the names of.
Out on the lawn stood Mr. Blackbourne and Kota. They were looking out toward the waterway. Kota was pointing to the water, talking. Mr. Blackbourne had his hands on his hips, listening. Mr. Blackbourne was in his suit,
and looking polished. Kota was wearing jeans, and a collared shirt. With Victor in his Armani shirt and black slacks, I was the one out of place wearing shorts and a well-worn T-shirt.
Kota was the first to redirect his attention to us. His expression shifted from serious to something much lighter. He adjusted his glasses with a touch of his finger and his green eyes lit up as he smiled. “Good morning,” he said.
Mr. Blackbourne turned at the same time I was saying hello to Kota. The gray eyes focused on me, and started to drift down to what I was wearing but snapped back up to my face. “Miss Sorenson,” he said.
“Mr. Blackbourne,” I said, my heart racing. Part of me was waiting for him to comment on my clothes, but he never did.
“Where are we at?” Victor asked.
“This place is impossible!” A voice echoed from the house behind us. Everyone turned.
Above our heads, leaning out one of the windows, was Luke. Some of his long blond hair hung loose as he peered down at us. He addressed Kota and Mr. Blackbourne. “There’s hidey holes and exits all over this place. These blueprints of the original construction don’t include all the new additions and where walls were moved. And the grounds are just expansive. Then there’s that inn they’ve built on down the way. This will take more cameras than we’ve got at the school. It’s going to take more than ten of us to handle security.”
“We may need to reconsider our position here,” Kota said. He raised a hand and motioned to Luke. “Come on down.”
