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Christoph laughed. “What money?” He released Aislinn’s father before turning his back. “You have two hours to vacate these rooms and leave this state. If you’re not gone by then, I have people who will do whatever I ask of them, and you will disappear.” A bluff, but his parents and Aislinn’s didn’t need to know that. He pulled out his phone to let Jackson know he was on the way home. “Oh, and one more thing. If I find out you are looking for Aislinn at any point, I will make you suffer. Slowly and painfully.” Physical violence wasn’t his thing, but he understood how to hit his father where it hurt most. “Goodbye, Mother.” He closed the door behind them and sagged.

The whoosh of his blood filled his ears, while his body shook from the adrenaline rush. He needed to get out of there and find Bell. Finally free. He hurried down the hall to the bank of elevators and Facetime’d Jackson.

When he answered, Jackson laughed. “Man, you look like warmed-over shit.”

“I bet I do. That was fucking crazy.” He sagged against the wall of the elevator. “I’ll be there shortly. Be ready.”

“You know it, mate.”

10

The day of the trial...

Requesting a meeting and actually getting one were two different things. Even with as much evidence as she had, Dean Ames was a slippery fellow. However, that morning, his office called. They had two hours to arrive at the meeting hall with all of their documentation and their pledges.

It hadn’t been long since Tate and Victor had gone to Dean Ames’ office with Nico in tow, but whatever happened sure lit a fire under his ass. Then, when she saw Winston and Hill escorted off of the school’s property by security, she’d become even more curious about the situation. It wasn’t until they were at dinner together that Victor told them about Kalkin’s threat. She bet anything Dean Ames didn’t want to deal with any of the Raferty or Dryer family members. Which, after thinking about it, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor with all that pacing.” Christoph teased, coming up beside her along with Hayden and Jackson.

Bell stopped mid-stride. “Force of habit.” She’d chew her nails, but her mother would kill her for picking up the nasty habit. When she’d been little, especially right after she’d been kidnapped by Raymond Quincy, she made her fingers bleed from all the chewing she did. It took several months of reassurance and therapy for her to stop. She used other coping mechanisms to combat the need, allowing her to heal properly.

Until today.

“It’s going to work out, Bell. Don’t worry so much.” Hayden stood beside her. “We have all the evidence we need, plus we have more than enough pledges to keep the house.”

She took a deep breath. Bell wasn’t so much worried about herself. It was the other plans in motion that had her on edge. She thought she would have relaxed a little more after hearing from her mom that Isaac and Aislinn were safe in Window Rock, yet dread still wriggled through her. “Yes, we do. I think it’s the idea of having to defend ourselves in front of Dean Ames. I’ve never been called to the principal’s office, let alone had to deal with this kind of pressure.”

Her cousin laughed. “It’s no biggie. Let the proof do the talking, and don’t allow any of the other sororities rattle you.”

“You’ve got this, blondie,” Jackson said, joining them. “I’m sure if you don’t, Kalkin will be ready to throw down for you.”

There was that. She knew if she went to her family for help, they’d drop everything and come back. Hadn’t they already done so when her father inspected the house? But this was about her and her fight. She wouldn’t allow a bunch of bitchy girls to dictate how she’d live her day-to-day life, not after everything they’d been through. Not after all the evidence Raquel found against them. No, Bell had to put her foot down and fight fire with fire.

Last night, while they put the last touches on their appeal, an email arrived in her inbox. Initially, when the letter arrived from the Dean, she thought it would be a request for all her evidence. Instead, it detailed who’d be in the meeting, and, if asked, she would be required to answer all questions from the sorority sisters. The email made little sense. Why would anyone want to question her? She was a small sorority who’d been tricked and duped for the last month. None of it made any sense. Bell printed out the email to add to their growing pile of bullshit Laney and Reagan were responsible for. “You’re right.”

“Of course, I am,” Hayden teased. “There’s no denying the evidence. This isn’t a criminal court. If Dean Ames wants to pursue anything against Laney and Reagan, let him do it. All of this shit happened under his nose. So he is just as much responsible.” The doors opened moments later, and they stepped inside. “You’ve got this, Bell. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

Bell turned to Christoph and Jackson, her mates. The warmth of her mark radiated across her chest. It seemed like so long ago she’d not only met them, but realized they were hers forever. She blew out a breath, releasing some of the tension filling her. “Well, here we go.”

“You’ve got this, kitten.” Christoph pressed his mouth to her forehead. “Be brave for us.”

Warmth and acceptance filled her. “I will.”

“That’s our girl.” Jackson turned her toward the door. “Go get ’em.”

She lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders, then took the first step into the conference room. Per the email, every sorority had made an appearance. Well, at least that part of the email was correct. Maybe it came from Dean Ames after all. Terri, Emma, and Zoe sat together with Hayden, while Laney, Lacy, and Reagan sat near the head of the table. The disdain oozed from them. Their cruel smirks and haughty dispositions had her second-guessing all of her confidence.

Don’t let them get to you. The minute you do is the minute you lose. Besides, you have the evidence in your corner.It sat in the envelope she’d tucked away in her satchel—thank you, Raquel. Laney might be feeling a little too smug, but after Bell got done with her, she’d never harm another person again. She had a feeling Laney would never grow up and never stop trying to hurt people just because she could.

Taking her seat beside Hayden, Bell laid her bag on the table and waited. A few moments later, the door opened, and Dean Ames walked into the room. He took his seat at the head of the table and opened his folder. She took in his appearance. If he was nervous, he didn’t show it. The dressing down Kalkin gave the man should have made him leery of them. Instead, he seemed nonplussed about the situation.

“Good morning, ladies. I am glad you could all make it on such short notice. I’ve been informed there have been some changes… Recent developments within the last few days.”

“Recent developments?” Hayden glanced at Bell, who shrugged. About the only thing she knew of was the fact they had the pledges and the evidence. Could it be he hadn’t emailed them after all, and security made it known? Curiosity filled her. All of her questions sat on the tip of her tongue. Instead of giving them voice, she waited.

“Why don’t we begin with the initial issue, then we’ll move on to the more delicate items.” He glanced around the room at all of them, then stopped at Bell. “Miss Dryer, you are here because of the lack of pledges for your sorority. I have the stack of new applications along with your proposal. Though you have made the cut-off number and then some, there are some serious issues with your new roster. Care to explain your solution to the rest of the sisters?”

Bell flinched, startled by the question. Lack of pledges? They had more than enough. Even if she didn’t count the co-ed portion of her presentation with the girls who signed up in the last few days, she’d be able to save her charter. Not wanting to start a pissing match, she swallowed hard as nodded while grabbing her things out of her bag. She wouldn’t allow him to dictate how the meeting went. She would do it her way. Because, it seemed, he hadn’t learned his lesson from her uncle Kalkin. “A few weeks ago, I received two notices. One for not having enough pledges, and the second was a condemned property notice for our house.” She handed out a copy of the notices to everyone at the table. “The first one, I’ll admit, we had a hard time fulfilling. The second was much easier. My father owns a construction company and volunteered to help renovate the house. I am happy to say the place is 90 percent renovated, and the other 10 percent will be finished within the next two weeks.”