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It didn't take long to find Texas and Grayson. Both were sequestered in a small shoebox of a room upstairs not far from the guest bedroom I had napped in. At least, I hoped it was a guest bedroom. It would have felt weird sleeping in someone else's bed. Hearing their low toned voices, I knocked quietly on the door and let myself in. Texas smiled when he saw me, and Grayson turned his head. I stopped. I hadn't realized how much he would have changed in the few weeks since I had last seen him in the dance club Erika had dragged meto.
Since the last time I saw him, Grayson had filled out even more. As a high school football jock, he had been slender but built. Made for speed more than defense. He had been the quarterback, I thought. But now, he was much wider, built for strength more than speed. His hair had been cut shorter, closer to his scalp, and there was a light dusting of a beard coming in on his jaw. Like a five o’ clock shadow, except it was mid-day, and that shadow was darker than a mere day of noshaving.
"Hey, Princess," Texas called tome.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked, smiling and peeking at the laptop he had propped on hislap.
“I’m just—” His answer was cut off as Knix’s deep baritone echoed up from the bottom of the staircase. Grayson glanced towards the open door and stood up, heading for the call. Texas and I exchanged a glance—one that I couldn’t quite read—and followed afterhim.
“Meeting’s starting,” Knix said solemnly as we descended the staircase. Up. Down. Up. Down. Me and those staircases were getting well acquainted. I sighed as we reached the livingroom.
It was a decent-sized, quaint little room with wood flooring that neither creaked nor groaned despite how old the house appeared from the outside. Texas and Grayson moved across the room—Texas to the couch and Grayson to his own chair. Bellamy and Marv were already waiting. Clarissa came out with sandwiches and chips for all of us. Alex took position at the front of the room as we got our food, thanking her gently as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. I eyeballed them curiously. I hadn’t known Alex was dating anyone seriously. But the guys seemed to recognize her and were comfortable around her, so I supposed I was, perhaps, the only one who hadn’t known. I scarfed mine down so that we could hurry this process along. I wanted to know what we were going to do aboutErika.
Grayson was chomping at the bit to get ready as well. Before Alex could speak, Grayson leaned forward, crumpling his bag of chips and setting it down on the coffee table. "So, what are we doing?" he asked. “What’s the plan?” All eyes turned toward him—Marv with irritation, Alex and Texas and Knix with patience, and Bellamy with an unreadable mask. I watched him as we waited for the answer. Alex and Grayson made eye contact and held their gaze for several tensemoments.
Lifting a brow at their silence, I sighed heavily and finally glanced away, only to drag my gaze back. Curiosity killed the cat and all, but curiosity was only natural when watching Grayson do anything. Working with Alex, I could say for sure I’d never seen him do that. But Ihadseen him throw out an unruly customer a time or two. I waited to see what he would do orsay.
Finally, Alex sighed and turned his gaze towards the rest of the group. "The plan, right now, is to send a few of you to the campus to find out where Erika was last seen, if anyone knew her plans, if she confided in anyone. She was there for two months before she disappeared. Someone has to know something and you’re going to find outwhat."
I sat up straighter. "Who’s going?" I asked sharply. Alex met my gaze the same way he did Grayson's, with patience as well asauthority.
"Don't worry, Harlow, you're going." I relaxed only marginally. There was a deeply rooted anxiety about this case. I hadn’t been left behind in previous missions, but in the back of my mind, there was a fear that I’d wake up the next day and find that I’d been left behind—either because they decided that I was too close or that it was too dangerous. Now, I needed to know who was going with me. I gripped the cushions of the couch and waited for the information that felt like it was taking forever to comeout.
"Knix and Bellamy will be falling back on this one," Alex announced. “They’re going to stay behind and follow up on any leadshere.”
My gaze flicked to them. They did not look happy about that, but neither did they voice any protest. “What leads?” I asked. “Did you find somethingalready?”
Alex shifted in his seat, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ve made some inquiries in Charleston,” he said. “I won’t be able to tell you anything conclusive as ofyet.”
“Why in Charleston and not in Greenwood, where Lander is?” Grayson pointedout.
Alex pulled a hand free and held it up placatingly. "Lander University isn't all that far away, and we have a few connections there as well.” He dropped his hand and leveled me with a look. “Don’t worry, Harlow. We’re doing everything we can to find your friend,” Alex’s eyes moved to Grayson, “and your brother.” After a beat of silence, Grayson nodded. I sighed and then sat back in my seat, waiting for Alex tocontinue.
He nodded to Texas and then to Marv. "Y'all will be going with her." Then his eyes settled back on me. "Get ready to pack, kiddo," he said, "you're going tocollege."
I blinked, confused. "Wait,” I said, “I'menrolled?"
Alex nodded. "As of yesterday, you, Marv, and Texas start school in exactly twoweeks."
Even Marv's eyes widened as he sat forward. "We’re doing this legitimately?" heasked.
Alex lowered his brows. "Everything we do is legitimate," hesaid.
Texas shook his head. "That's not what hemeans."
"I mean, are we actual students? Full-term? Dorms and everything?" Marv asked. That was something I wanted to know aswell.
Alex nodded. "For the paperwork, you are full-term students. I've taken the liberty to select your classes for you when I signed you up. Technically, you're auditing the classes. No grades will be applied." Alex shot me a look. "Unless you decide that you'd like to take a grade, then let me know as soon aspossible."
As much as I had once wanted to go to college, it seemed almost wrong now, what with everything going on with Erika and Josh missing. I just had to remind myself that it wasn’t for real. It was a cover, nothing more. Clarissa strode from the room and came back moments later, with a stack of papers. She handed them out and Marv was the first to respond when she handed a set to Grayson. "He'sgoing?"
"Yes, Marv, Grayson is going. He has just as much stake in this as Harlow does. We wouldn’t have even considered him for Iris training if he couldn’t be trusted," Alex said. Though, to me, his tone brooked no argument, argue is just what Marvdid.
"He dropped out," Marv snapped. "It doesn't countanymore."
"Marvin!" It wasn't Alex this time that gave the reprimand, it was Clarissa. Marv looked over at the woman's dark eyes as she stared him down with a deep frown curling her lips. "If you don't have anything nice to say, you don't say it in my house," she saidcoolly.
Marv pursed his lips but grumbled a, "Yes, ma'am” before glaring at Grayson, who, for his part, didn't say a thing in response. He simply looked down at his papers and startedreading.
