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I took a deep breath and straightened my spine. “I think Rosie told Julian her plan about getting him a deal in return for talking about the society’s criminal aspects. He thought it was a good idea, and in return, he told her everything he knew about the society. I’m guessing he heard it all from his parents. Like how Ali and Zara have told Piper everything.”
Jensen nodded slowly. “I think there’s quite a few loose-lipped high-ranking members, especially when it comes to their kids who are first or second-degree members. They probably think there’s no issue with telling them everything because they’re already in the society and will definitely graduate to the third degree at some point,” he said. “It’s hubris, too. They’ve always gotten away with everything, so they think they always will.”
“Yeah.” I frowned and scratched my head. “Anyway, I think Julian actually betrayed Rosie after that. I think he went behind her back and called his family lawyer instead of getting Rosie’s mom to represent him for the deal.”
“And unbeknownst to him, that family lawyer was probably a Rosmerta member,” Jensen interjected, catching onto my train of thought. “Which is why his parents hired them in the first place.”
“Yes. Exactly.” I leaned closer, heart pounding. “So, Julian told the lawyer about his plan to make a deal and get out of prison by informing on the Rosmerta Society. The lawyer immediately told the society, and they sent someone there to kill Julian.”
“While making it look like he killed himself,” Jensen said, lips tugging downward.
I nodded. “That must be why he frantically called Rosie that day, like Addy said. At some point he must’ve realized the lawyer had betrayed him, and he knew he was going to die because he was basically a sitting duck in that prison. So he called Rosie to warn her.”
“Fuck. It all makes sense now.” Jensen scrubbed a hand over his face and took another deep breath. “The lawyer would’ve told the society that Julian had been meeting with a person who gave him the deal idea. They could’ve looked at visitor logs and CCTV to find out who that person was. So even if Addy didn’t inadvertently tell her family, the society would’ve found Rosie anyway.”
“Exactly. It wasn’t Addy’s fault at all.”
“God.” Jensen let out a deep breath, shaking his head. “This shit is insane.”
“Yeah, it is,” I said grimly. “It tells us something new, too.”
Jensen cocked his head. “What?”
“The Rosmerta Society is even more dangerous than we initially thought. They’re not just willing to kill random outsiders who threaten to expose them, like Rosie. They’re willing to kill their own members to stop the truth from getting out.” I paused and sucked in a deep, shaky breath. “If they find out you’re helping me… they’ll probably kill you too.”
“That’s true.” Jensen looked at the ground and slowly rubbed his jaw, lips twisting in contemplation. Then he looked up at me again. “But you know what? That actually gives me an idea.”
Jensen
“It’s official.” Amerie groaned and leaned back on her bedhead, pushing her notes away with her feet. “I’m never going to be a mathematician.”
I grinned. “You’ll be fine. The test is only on one chapter.”
“One too many,” she said, letting out a frustrated sigh.
“Here. Look at my notes. They might help.” I handed her a piece of lined paper from my notebook. I’d scrawled a message below an equation in pencil. Are you sure they’re going out?
Amerie looked over the page with pursed lips. When she saw my message, she nodded. “I think you got the fourth equation wrong,” she said, leaning down to scribble something next to it. “Shouldn’t it be like this?”
She handed the page back to me, and I scanned her response. Yes. They go out for lunch every Sunday. Any minute now.
Right on cue, Zara and Ali appeared in the doorway. “How’s the exam study going?” Ali asked, flashing us a genial grin.
Amerie sighed again. “I was just saying to Jensen… I’ve decided I’ll never be a mathematician.”
Zara let out a light, tinkling laugh. “I always hated math too,” she said. “Anyway, we just came to let you know we’re heading out. Are you two okay here? Anything we can get you before we go?”
I shook my head. “I’m all good, Mrs. Prescott.”
“I’m okay too,” Amerie said, fixing a fake smile on her pretty face. “But thanks.”
She was a good actress. Anyone else would think it was a genuine smile, but I knew her well enough to know that a little crinkle appeared on the corner of her right eyelid when she was genuinely happy.
“Well, have fun,” Zara said, casting an amused glance at the spread of papers and textbooks on Amerie’s duvet. “Remember, if you go over to Jensen’s place later, keep your phone on you in case we need to reach you.”
“Uh-huh.” Amerie pointed to her bedside table. “It’s right there, so I won’t forget it.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from telling Ali and Zara how fucking obvious they were being with all their spy bugs. It wasn’t just Amerie’s phone that was bugged with a secret listening and tracking app—I’d noticed a tiny surveillance camera on the chandelier above her bed, a recording device on the side of her desk lamp, and another camera on the far side of the bedroom, barely concealed by the wallpaper pattern.
