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Anya’s door is cracked slightly open, so I tiptoe to the thermostat and check the temperature. It’s been set high enough to make my jaw drop. No wonder I feel like I’ve been wandering the desert for a thousand years. Anya has been my roommate long enough to know that I like it cold when I sleep. Felicia doesn’t seem like the type to fiddle with the temperature without asking what everyone’s preferences are first.
I reach out to turn the dial when something makes me freeze in place. It’s hard to say what it is that raises the little hairs on the back of my neck. An awareness tickles along my senses like I’m being watched.
It’s almost enough to ruin the surprise when a powerful arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back against a chest so solid it might as well be made of rock.
A startled scream escapes just before a hand abruptly covers my mouth, stifling the sound.
Drake bends his head enough that I feel the heat of his breath across the sensitive shell of my ear.
“Felicia sleeps like the dead. She always has. Even if I let you scream, which I’m not going to do, she won’t wake up. Don’t worry, we’re going somewhere we can be alone and you can let it all out.”
With his hand covering my mouth, I can’t do much more than mumble. “Anya…”
“Won’t even realize you’re gone because she is otherwise occupied. She went into Cole’s room an hour ago.” Satisfaction is audible in his voice as his arm tightens around my waist. “Nobody is coming to save you, baby.”
A shiver of fear runs up my spine. It’s not genuine fear, not the kind I would feel if a stranger were dragging me into their panel van. This fear is more like a painful anticipation. As much as I want to fight him, I also want to know how the end of this game plays out.
I give a token struggle as Drake manhandles me out of the suite and into the deserted hallway. But when his hand slips from my mouth, I don’t let out the scream that I probably should as he hits the button for the elevator and pushes me inside.
Once the doors slide closed, he lets me go so abruptly that I stumble back against the mirrored wall of the elevator. “What the hell, Van Koch?”
“We need to have a little chat.”
He pushes a button, and the elevator gives a little jerk as it ascends. At least I know we aren’t leaving the hotel.
I already know that Drake is sharing the penthouse with the other Havoc House seniors. I really hope that isn’t where we’re headed. The last thing I want to deal with is any of the assholes that he calls friends.
And Anya’s inevitable walk of shame is not something I care to witness.
Although, calling it a walk of shame is more than a little insulting. Knowing her, it’ll look more like a warrior returning home from a tour of conquest. That girl has absolutely no shame in her game, which is the way it should be.
Still doesn’t mean I want to see it, though.
I point to a camera on the ceiling. “If I decide to have you charged with kidnapping, there’s going to be video proof.”
His gaze follows the direction I’m pointing, smile widening. “For some reason, I’m not worried.”
“Jail must have been fun if you’re so eager to go back.”
One of his hands wraps around my ponytail and pulls with just enough force to tip my head to the side. I tense when he presses closer, but he only places a gentle kiss on my neck, just above my racing pulse.
“You’d really send me back there?” His lips tickle against my skin as he speaks, and I can’t suppress a shiver of reaction. “That’s cold, baby.”
I’m more than a little proud when my voice doesn’t break. “Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere we can talk in private.”
I cross my arms over my chest, stifling a shiver of anticipation. “That isn’t an answer.”
He smirks as the doors open, and he hustles me out of the elevator. “Eventually, we’ll teach you patience.”
Surprised, I realize that he brought us to the rooftop pool. The same pool that the front desk made clear closes promptly at midnight. I feel the smallest spurt of satisfaction that whatever nefarious plans he laid are about to be foiled. “Nice try, Van Koch. The pool is closed.”
Drake swipes his keycard, and the door unlocks with a loud click. “Not for me.”
I don’t ask how he got access to the pool after hours because I’m sure it involves some sort of bribe or connection. Nothing is off-limits to the members of Havoc House, no matter how many rules are in place for the rest of us.
“Sometimes I really hate you,” I growl as he pulls the door shut behind me.
