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They talked for a few more minutes while Evan arranged our luggage and pulled out into the airport traffic.
"I understand I'm taking you to the Stratum," he said after Lowell had hung up. "Have you stayed there before?"
"No," Lowell and I said in unison.
He smiled at us in the rearview mirror. "You're in for a treat. It's impressive."
I turned to Lo and smiled. "See? Impressive. I'm all about the impressing."
"You and Tori better watch it," she said through gritted teeth. "Or you're both gonna get voted off the island."
"You'd miss me," I said, making sure my dimples were on full display. "Admit it."
"I admit nothing," she said under her breath.
I watched her face as she examined the unfamiliar skyline of Boston. We drove through what appeared to be the financial district, and a few minutes later, Evan maneuvered the SUV down Newbury Street and pulled up in front of a massive, opulent building. I looked at the Stratum, impressed, and let out a low whistle.
Just then my phone vibrated. I pulled it out, a pit of dread in my stomach.
You just landed, correct?
Please come see me at my office. Immediately.
The address for an office building located within MIT followed shortly thereafter.
Evan looked back at us expectantly, but Lowell must have seen the pure dread on my face.
"I think there's been a change in plans," she said. "What is it?" she asked me quietly.
"My father wants to see me. Now." I turned to her. "I'm going to have Evan take you upstairs. I'll be back soon."
Lowell shook her head. "I'm coming with you. If Pierce doesn't want to see me, I can wait for you outside or in the car. But you're in trouble because of me. I'll be there even if it's just for moral support." She squeezed my hand, and the despair I felt was somewhat eclipsed by her warmth and the fact that she was standing by me.
I nodded. "Okay. But you might wanna stay out of sight, at least for now." I gave Evan the address in Cambridge then leaned back, preparing for what would surely be an ugly family reunion.
* * *
Unfortunately, MIT was right across the Massachusetts Avenue bridge, close to Newbury Street. I was sitting outside his office sooner than expected and certainly sooner than I was ready for.
In spite of her objections, I'd deposited Lowell at a coffee shop nearby, filled with students getting their caffeine fix and solving math theorems.
"I need to do this alone," I'd said as I grabbed her hand. "At least I know you're here."
She'd nodded, but her eyes told me she felt guilty and worried.
"It's gonna be okay," I'd said, sounding much more confident than I felt.
I was pretty sure that the MIT campus was lovely, but I couldn't concentrate on my surroundings. All I could feel was the throb of my nerves. It'd been almost a year since I'd seen my father. A year since he'd cut me off from our family fortune. Months since I'd started hooking. I hung my head, waves of nausea rolling through me.
The fact that I was about to see my father made my job seem more real and more horrible.
He poked his head out of his office door.
"Hey, Dad."
"Come in." His voice was all business, which did nothing to quell my rising dread. He closed the door behind me.
Pierce looked different. His hair was sparser, and he looked more rumpled. In California, he'd always taken time to hit the gym and hike in the canyon. The Boston version of Pierce looked haggard and a little thin, his usual tan faded, as if he'd been working non-stop.
