Page 85 of Beta Team-The Saviors: Part One

“Good.” He finishes up class, telling us what to do for the coming week’s class. I linger in my seat until everyone’s gone and then stand from my chair, throwing my backpack over my shoulder. He smiles when I walk toward his desk. “I have something for you.” He gestures for me to follow him, and he goes into his office. He waves toward the chair. “Have a seat.” Hesits in his chair and pushes a book toward me once I’m seated. I pick it up and can’t help but smile.

“This is amazing.” It was Rose Madder by Stephen King, which was my favorite of his.

Professor North clears his throat and leans back in his chair. “It’s signed.”

“What?” I gasp, flipping it open. “That’s so cool.” I try to hand it back to him, and he waves his hand.

“It’s yours.”

“Oh. I can’t possibly take this.”

“I remember you saying it was one of your favorites. He was at a signing event when I went to visit friends this weekend. Please take it, Kira.”

“I just…wow. Thank you.” I have no idea what else to say. It was such a generous gift. I didn’t even think he remembered when I said that I loved this book.

“No thanks needed. I’ve enjoyed our talks over the last several weeks.”

“So have I.”

He clears his throat and crosses his arms on his desk, leaning forward. “Do you want to talk about what happened in class today?”

Embarrassment floods through me. I can feel my cheeks getting hot and have to fight the urge to cover them up with my hands. “I went to a party a couple of weeks ago. Viv was less than kind.”

He nods. “Viv is a spoiled brat.”

I choke on a laugh, some of the tension leaving me. “Yeah. I could tell.”

“Her family funnels a lot of money into the university, giving her a sense of entitlement. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t tolerate her treating you like that in my class.”

Something settles in my gut. It’s not really uneasy; it’s more of a warning, one I know I should listen to. “Thank you, but it’s fine.”

“It’s not.” His voice is hard, and then his face eases into that easy smile. “Do you have any plans for this coming weekend?”

“I’m not sure.” If it consisted of hanging out with the guys, I wouldn’t complain. They have such a tight bond and are easy to be around.

“You don’t have any plans with your boyfriends?” My eyes widen, and he chuckles. “I’ve seen you around campus with them. You won’t get any judgment from me.” I do from other people. They see me with Tyler and Gavin all the time, both of them usually touching me in some way at the same time, either with their arms around my shoulders or waist or holding my hand. We’ve fallen into such an easy relationship.Is that what this is?A relationship? I have no idea. I just know it works for my cover with them.

“I’m sure they’ll come up with something.” I check the time on my phone and stand up. “I need to get going. Thank you for the book.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

We chat all the way to the front doors of the building, and he pushes them open for me when we get there. I expect to see Tyler and Gavin waiting for me so I’m surprised when I see Ari leaning against the side of his shiny black truck. He stands up when he sees me, and his eyes focus on Professor North. I turn to say goodbye to him, and he’s staring at Ari, something in his gaze that I can’t decipher. It clears, and he looks at me with a smile. “See you later, then?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer and slips back into the building.

Ari meets me halfway down the sidewalk, taking my backpack from me and slinging it over his shoulder. “Who was that?”

“Professor North.”

Ari settles his hand on the small of my back and leads me to his truck. He opens the door, helps me in, and hands me my backpack. I watch him walk to his side of the truck, casting glances toward the building the whole time. When he slides in, I can tell he’s deep in thought. “What’s wrong?”

He grunts and starts the truck. “Nothing. He just looked familiar at first.”

“He’s the one you guys ran the check on.” Which keeps coming back clean no matter how often Ari tells his computer guy to run it.

“That’s probably it.” I can tell he still doesn’t look convinced as he backs out of the spot and heads toward the main road.

“Where’s Tyler and Gavin?”

“I figured they could use a break.” He chuckles and pulls out of the parking lot. “And some time alone.”