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Ian rubs the back of his head. “I haven’t seen the tape, you know. I just heard about it.”
“Enough to run your damn mouth and get us all in trouble,” Alex huffs.
“Seriously, man.” Brayden looks up at the sky like he hopes some divine help is forthcoming. “You never know when to shut the fuck up.”
“Don’t act like I’m the bad guy.” Ian glares around the circle, obviously put out that no one is defending his inalienable right to talk shit. “I’m not the one who flipped up my skirt while a camera was rolling.”
“The fuck you just say?” Drake asks from behind me, absolute murder in his voice.
Everyone jumps, even me. I turn so suddenly that I almost crash right into him as Drake grabs my upper arm with one hand to steady me. His other hand balls into a fist that he clearly intends on putting to good use.
I hold on to him as Drake takes a menacing step forward. “Don’t hit anyone. They’re only talking about it because I asked.”
He watches me for a long moment as I sway on my feet. “Are you drunk?”
“Don’t be silly.”
Drake gives the pledges a narrow look. Jayden is the only who meets his gaze, while the others do everything they can to avoid making direct eye contact.
“We tried to warn him,” Jayden says with a shrug. “You know how it is.”
“I see exactly how it is.” Drake takes the bottle out of my hand and brings it up to his nose. His nose scrunches in distaste after only a single sniff. The glare he passes around the group includes me. “Vagrants drink better shit than this.”
“We already emptied our minibar. That was the best thing they had at the convenience store.” Jayden’s face falls as Drake dumps out what’s left of the liquor. “It is a party weekend, you know.”
“We’re here for Brady’s funeral,” Drake replies coldly as the last of the liquor forms of a puddle at his feet.
They just stare at him, like the distinction isn’t one they can understand.
“It’s not our fault we have to stand out here and freeze our nuts off,” Ian huffs. “Getting drunk shouldn’t be too much to ask.”
“EMS gave the all-clear about five minutes ago. All of you need to go back to your rooms and sleep this shit off.” His exasperated tone makes Drake sound like an annoyed father who is chastising his sons after they snuck out to get drunk. Considering the dynamics at play, the impression isn’t that far off from reality. The pledges look at him like he has the power of life or death over them.
If Havoc House works the way I think it does, he just might.
Drake watches with a narrowed gaze as the pledges hustle back across the street. Once they’ve disappeared into the crowd, his attention returns to me. Then he glances down at my feet and his scowl deepens.
“Jesus. You don’t even have shoes on.”
I let out an embarrassing shriek of surprise as he swings me up into the air. My arms come up around his shoulders and wrap frantically around his neck, but he doesn’t come close to dropping me. His easy strides give the illusion that carrying me is as easy as hefting a sack of flour when I know for a fact I weigh significantly more than that.
“Put me down,” I hiss, even though his arms are comfortably solid as he cradles me, one arm tucked under my knees while the other wraps around my back. It makes me feel like a baby. An annoyed baby with the beginnings of a raging headache. “You’re going to drop me.”
He huffs out a dry laugh that reverberates through the ear I have pressed to his chest. “I’m only going to drop you if you keep squirming like that.”
“People are going to think there’s something wrong with me.”
“There are a lot of things wrong with you.” His arms tighten before I can slap at him. “You wouldn’t be with me, otherwise.”
“That’s probably true,” I reply sourly.
He catches the smile I try to hide, and jiggles me playfully in his arms. “You’re too drunk to lie. Tell me the truth. You can’t get enough of me.”
“I’m too drunk to stroke your ego.”
“It’s not my ego that needs stroking. We can talk about that after I’ve slept for the next ten hours, at least.”
His mood is practically jovial. I know it isn’t alcohol talking, so it has to be sleep deprivation. “Did you find Felicia?”
