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He shakes his head. “I know of them. I don’t know them.” He looks away, probably regretting his little outburst.
Celeste is still looking like a deer in headlights, so I’ll just put that in my ‘something to talk to Taylor about later’ file.
“Anyway… we decided to take our coffees back to the dorms when we were pretty much jumped by Ryan and his friends. At least, I think they were his friends because I’ve never seen them before. He got upset and just started shooting. He shot at Micah, tried to shoot me, and ran away like the little bitch he is.”
Taylor places his elbows on the table and puts his head in his hands. “I don’t understand, Evie. Why were they there? Why get the jump on Micah? Why blame you?”
I let out a long breath. This part is going to suck…
“Here’s what I know. Ryan and his friends have some sort of vendetta against the Knights. They enlisted the help of some really bad people to take the Knights out of power.”
“That’s interesting actually since he’s just spent the last twenty-four hours convincing the Knights that he’s an ally,” Taylor ponders aloud, rubbing his chin in contemplation. “I wonder what he’s playing at.”
Celeste shivers before joining the conversation. “What do you think we should do, Taylor? Do we go to the police?”
He shakes his head. “Can’t. It’s already been decided that this is going to be handled by the Knights.”
“What the actual fuck?” I ask, a little louder than I intended. A few of the bar patrons turn in our direction. I lean my head closer to the table and lower my voice. “What the fuck do you mean that we can’t go to the police?”
“I mean that the Union Point PD is owned and is only enlisted for help when the Knights deem it appropriate. At the moment, their loyalty to us is sketchy, so the council decided that they weren’t going to be needed. If Micah doesn’t make it, the council will convene again to determine if a different decision needs to be made,” he explains, like we’re talking about a junior sports team.
I sit back in our booth, letting that little piece of information settle in my bones. These people are no different from the rats that roam the streets of New York City. Only they do it at any time of day with better clothes and deeper pockets.
“So what’s the plan?” Cele asks.
“Everyone at this table knows Evie didn’t do anything wrong. So we’re going to let this play out. I got the janitor to let me in your room and brought some of your stuff so you can change, but you guys both need to head back to school. Once Micah wakes up, he’ll be able to tell everyone that Evie is innocent and that solves at least the first issue.”
“Do you think it’s smart to go back before we can clear Evie?”
Taylor rubs the back of his neck, looking older than he did a few days ago. “Well, I can’t protect you from out here, and since I don’t fully understand what’s happening, my gut is telling me that I need you guys to be at school.”
We finish eating and head out to go back to Celeste’s, but there’s a niggle of a thought that I can’t seem to let go of and it crawls down my spine. I don’t want to ask the question, but I know that I need to know.
“Taylor, why was Elijah’s dad at the hospital?”
“We were all at the gala,” he answers.
“Okay, yea, but why washeat the gala?”
He turns to look at me, squishing his eyebrows together. “Because he’s a Knight.”
Fuck.
3
Celeste grabs my hand, giving it a small squeeze as we step out of the Uber in front of Sugar & Spice Cafe. I can feel my insides at war with each other while the memories of the last time I was here replay in my mind.
It’s been over six weeks since I was sitting at my favorite booth, smiling like a nervous schoolgirl in front of her childhood crush.He was my childhood crush.I close my eyes, still holding onto Celeste like a lifeline and steel my nerves.
“Are you sure you want to go back to Stratham, Evie?” The concern in Cele’s voice has me wondering if this is a good idea for her.
This will be her first time back since the night before spring break, so I know I’m not the only one whose nerves are dancing around like snapped electric wires.
Thanks to Dr. Lewis, I was able to complete the last two weeks of spring term at Celeste’s, and since she was already set up to finish online, we were both able to register for summer term. The only problem is that Stratham won’t allow us to be permanent remote students like the majority of public universities. Something about the integrity of the school being at risk if they allowed it.
What-the-fuck-ever.
I turn to face her, letting her see the depths of my violet-blue eyes. “I didn’t do anything wrong. WE didn’t do anything wrong.”
