Page 3

I’m done.

I start limping toward the door, feeling Shade at my back.

I can barely walk. Running is out of the question.

‘This is a college campus, son. Someone might get the wrong idea,’ Officer One calls after us.

My jaw clenches so tightly my teeth hurt. They didn’t even check that Shade is who he says he is. He could literally be anyone.

I hobble outside, Shade’s hand at the small of my back, though luckily, he doesn’t actually touch me. I think that would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

He opens his car door for me, and I hesitate.

I glance up at him. ‘Am I going back tonight, or tomorrow?’

He stares at me blankly.

I close my eyes and take a slow breath, drawing on the last of my patience. ‘The Heath, Jack. Will I at least be able to sleep before they take me back?’

‘Daisy, they aren’t here,’ he says slowly, his forehead creasing. ‘At the party, it was just some of the guys dressed up in lab coats. It wasn’t The Heath.’

I let out a harsh breath as my body suddenly uncoils, forcing my tears back. I’ll cry later. Not now.

‘What about John? He’ll be sending me away, won’t he? He knows I was picked up by the campus police. He’ll be embarrassed. Angry.’

Shade watches me for a moment and when I move my gaze away, I can still feel his eyes on my face.

‘I wasn’t lying to those assholes in there,’ he says. ‘John really is on a work trip. They never got through to him. His secretary, Melissa, called me. Even if she bothers to tell him, which I doubt she will knowing her, I’ll play it down, let him know it wasn’t whatever he’s heard.’

I glance up with a frown and then run my eyes over his car. It gleams in the streetlights.

‘Why would you do that? You’ve been trying to get rid of me since I got here. If John finds out about this, don’t you get what you want?’

‘That’s not what I want, Daisy,’ he says, ‘not what we want.’

More lies.

Next, he’ll be trying to gaslight me into believing I didn’t see Laurie naked in his bed tonight. I let out a slow breath as I remember all the nasty things she said.

I thought perhaps Shade might see me as his equal now that he knows what I do in the lab. I thought I’d proven myself. But I haven’t and I never will, not to him. Not to the others. At best I’m a sideshow freak, one that Mav and Blake play with like a toy, a hollow, wooden toy that wants to be a real girl.

God, how pathetic is that?

I thought I was equipped for life out here, but I’m not. Not at all.

Tears come to my eyes at these horrible realizations, but I beat them back.

I get in the car, and he closes the door quietly.

At least he didn’t bang it, I think as we roll out of the lot.

SHADE

‘I’m getting you a phone.’

She side-eyes me. ‘Who would I call?’

I grit my teeth. After tonight, I feel like I’m fraying at the edges. But when I answer, I make sure I come across completely calm. I’m not angry with her, after all. Nothing that happened tonight was Daisy’s fault. Nothing.

‘Whoever you need to,’ I reply. ‘If not me, Mav, or Blake, then your friend, Lu.’

I glance over at her. She’s staring straight ahead at the road in front of us.

‘You were MIA for hours. Anything could have happened, and you need the means to contact someone in a situation like that. If you need help.’

‘For when you let me out of the house ?’ she spits. ‘You’re right. Anything could have happened to a girl like me .’

I wince. ‘I’m sorry for what those asshole fake cops said.’

I see her jaw tick. ‘They acted like I was…’

My hands tighten on the steering wheel. ‘I know. But I’ll make sure they can never do that again.’

She rolls her eyes as she turns her head to look out the passenger window.

‘I mean it. Why do you think I got their names, Daisy? They’ll be gone by Monday.’

She doesn’t say anything as we turn into the KIP house’s long driveway. The building comes into view a moment later. The lights are still on, but all is quiet. I don’t see anyone around.

As soon as I stop the car, I’m afraid she’s going to bolt, or at least try to. But she doesn’t. She just sits there, staring at the house. She doesn’t even take off the seatbelt.

I want to ask her what happened tonight. I want to hear everything in her words. But I think she’ll clam up and not tell me a thing if I push anymore.

She’s tired and covered in scratches and bruises. She was missing for half the night. Her bare feet look like they need actual medical attention. But I’m not going to subject her to a hospital tonight.

Mav can patch her up.

I’ll just make everything worse. She doesn’t trust me. And why should she?

I get out and walk around the car, opening the door for her. My phone buzzes and I see that, as I suspected, the guys have done what I asked. The route through the house is cleared all the way upstairs. No one’s going to be ogling her when she goes inside. At least we can made sure the night doesn’t get worse for her.

I check my watch and let out a breath. It’s three in the morning. The past few hours have been some of the worst of my life and that’s saying something.

‘Let’s get you upstairs,’ I murmur, but she makes no move to get out of the car.

She just stares at the house.

‘They’ll be dealt with, too’ I vow.

She looks up at me, her face showing nothing.

‘Marcus, Rob, and Pete. I’ll make sure they pay, Daisy. I promise.’

She winces at my promise and, somehow, that makes me feel even worse. She doesn’t say anything.

‘Mav and Blake are upstairs. Lu too. Are you coming up, or do you want me to take you somewhere else?’

‘Somewhere else?’

I barely hear her she’s so quiet.

‘A hotel, or something?’ I clarify.

She wrinkles her nose and finally takes off her seatbelt, swinging her legs out of the car slowly and holding onto the door to pull herself up.

I frown as she shuffles toward the door with her bare feet. Her limp is even more pronounced than it was when we left the rent-a-cops’ office. My hands clench into fists as I recall the way they talked about her, the tight cuffs they put on her. But I can’t focus on that now, nor on how much they’re going to suffer for how they handled Daisy tonight.

‘Daisy, stop.’

She freezes and turns to look back at me.

‘Can I...pick you up? I can take you upstairs. You can’t walk all the way up there like that.’

She looks back at the house and her shoulders sag.

‘Fine,’ she whispers.

I close the door and lock my car. I lift her into my arms carefully, trying to keep my touch impersonal, but finding it impossible once she’s next to my chest. I hold her to me, fighting the urge to tighten my arms around her.

I failed to keep her safe tonight and that’s only one of my many shortcomings where she’s concerned.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say quietly.

She doesn’t answer me.

The door opens as we approach the house and Mav is there, worried eyes moving over Daisy. He has an icepack on his knuckles from where he beat the shit out the juniors in the games room.

‘The others are upstairs,’ he says, closing the door with a click.

‘Are you hungry?’ he asks Daisy. ‘Thirsty?’

She nods her head against my chest. ‘Just water, please.’

I take her up the stairs, eyeing all the doors in case one of them should open without warning. I don’t want any of the other members to see her like this. So vulnerable.

When we get to the top floor, I see Blake’s room is open. He stares from his desk as I go past, his eyes concerned. Guilty.

‘There’s a bath ready,’ I hear him say.

I take her straight to the bathroom where Lu is waiting.

I put Daisy down and almost tell the other girl to get the fuck out. I want to make sure Daisy is okay myself.

Her friend sees it in my face, though, and her eyes narrow as she crosses her arms. ‘I think the fuck not.’

I open my mouth to argue, but it’s Daisy who speaks. ‘I want to be alone.’

My hands are still on her in case she falls. I try not to let them flex. I don’t want to let her go.

‘Let me help you into the tub,’ I say.

I look pointedly at her friend who, frustratingly, doesn’t seem scared of me or my family name.

‘Your ankle is swelling,’ I murmur to Daisy. ‘I’ll just make sure you’re situated. I won’t stay.’

Daisy nods once and I pick her up again, lowering her gently into the water. She’s still in her dress, and I leave it alone. Although I’ve seen her body before, I don’t want her feeling helpless any more tonight because of me.

I back away, watching Lu fuss a little, asking Daisy if the water’s okay and what fragrances she likes to use.

Her friend doesn’t touch her, I notice.

I leave quietly, closing the door softly after I make sure there are fresh towels on the rail.

I should grab something she can wear to bed.

I go into her room, noting the makeup that’s out and the clothes strewn around the floor from when she and Lu were getting ready, before the night turned into a shitshow.

I go to her bureau and open the drawers, my brow puckering when I find very little. There are a couple of pairs of greyish white underwear and a bra.

The next one down has a couple of shirts, and the next one has nothing at all.

Still frowning, I make my way across the room to the closet and find a pair of boots and some old sneakers in the bottom. On the hangers there are a couple pairs of jeans and three sweaters.

I wonder where all her stuff is. It should have come from the UK by now. I look around some more but find no pajamas, or even a bathrobe. So, I run across the hall and grab my robe from behind my door. I don’t wear PJs, so I pull one of my t-shirts out for her, too. I put them on her bed, and then another thought comes to me. I go back into my room, and I strip the covers from my bed, the tainted sheets that Laurie was on earlier tonight.

That fucking girl!

I remake my bed with some fresh ones quickly and throw the others in a pile in the corner to trash tomorrow. I don’t want them anywhere near me.

Trying to keep busy, I take out my phone and email my father’s exports guy to see if he’s heard where Daisy’s stuff might be. I’d have thought it would have come by air, but some moron might have put it on a ship.

After that, I pace, trying to think of something else to do to keep my mind occupied. I want to know what happened to Daisy tonight. I want to know everything. I need to see what the cameras saw.

I go to Blake’s room. He and Mav are already looking at his computer screen.

Mav turns when he hears me. ‘How is she?’

I shake my head. ‘She’s with Lu. I don’t know. She’s...overwhelmed. She needs rest. You need to bandage her up, though. She looks like she was ripped through a hedge backward. Her ankle is strained, too, I think.’

Mav nods grimly. ‘I’ll do it as soon as she’s cleaned up.’ He turns back to the computer. ‘We’re putting together her movements at the party from the cams.’

My jaw clenches as I look down at the screen. ‘Show me.’

‘This was after we saw her in the games room. She said she was going to the bathroom, remember? But she never came back. Looks like she played beer pong with David McAdams and then they were talking for a while. He gets kinda wasted, but she doesn’t really drink anything. Just a beer and it looks like it’s just to be social. She doesn’t seem like she enjoys it.’

‘She doesn’t like beer,’ Blake murmurs, not looking up.

I turn my attention to the feed from earlier. I watch McAdams stare after Daisy when she leaves him on the couch, his face a mixture of lust and alcohol haze.

‘And after that?’ I ask, adding McAdams’ name to the invisible and quickly growing list of people whose lives I might just destroy for her.

Officers Wilkes and Mullon are first for what I saw of their treatment of my...sister, and because they’re the easiest to deal with.

‘She goes back to the games room.’

‘But we weren’t there by then,’ I mutter, recalling that after pool, we got word that Sark was around and wanted to talk. We were trying to find him.

‘Marcus and the others were,’ Blake snarls.

Bile rises in my throat as I watch the screen. I see her freeze. They surround her. They’re touching her, pouring what looks like vodka from a square bottle down her throat while she chokes and sputters. They’re laughing, trying to get her on the pool table. She struggles. Rob hits her and she falls to the ground, and then Mav appears on the screen to beat the living shit out of them.

‘I didn’t know they’d done all that. No wonder she was freaking out,’ Mav says. ‘Those fuckers.’

‘Good thing you didn’t see everything,’ I remark, ‘or we’d be trying to get rid of their bodies instead of planning what we’re going to do to them.’

Mav grunts his assent.

‘What’s the plan?’ Blake says low. ‘I don’t care if Marcus’ dad is Joseph Banderville. They’re dead.’

His tone is devoid of emotion, but I don’t doubt it how serious he is. He thinks I don’t know exactly what he still gets called to do. But I know.

‘What happens after that?’

She runs through the party and that’s when the other guys show up. She takes one look at them and bolts up here.

‘She was trying to find you,’ Mav says, glancing at me.

‘But she found that bitch, Laurie, instead. Show me that. I want to know what she said to Daisy to make her run the way she did.’

Blake brings up the feed from my room during the party. I see Laurie come in. She walks around my room with a smile on her face, touching my shit. Then, she takes off her clothes and slides into my bed where she stretches and languishes with a low moan.

‘That girl is certifiable,’ Blake mutters. ‘Glad I didn’t fuck her.’

My eyes leave the screen just long enough for me to scowl at the back of his head even though I know he’s right.

Blake speeds everything up for a few seconds and slows it again when we see Daisy burst into my room. She’s looking around for me, needing me, I realize with a pang in my chest. But I’m not there. Instead of looking for her like I should have been when she never came back from the bathroom, I was downstairs putting business first just like my father always did.

I listen to Laurie’s grating voice coming through the speakers of Blake’s computer.

‘Are you coming back to bed, baby? I’ve been such a naughty girl. I think I need another spanking, don’t you?’

My lips twist in disgust.

‘Oh! This is awkward.’ She sits up and grips the sheet to her chest in practiced embarrassment.

‘You know, you shouldn’t just barge into your brother’s room. It’s kinda weird. Families should have boundaries, you know? There’s going to be some new rules around here, kid killer.’

I watch her smirk as she takes in Daisy’s shocked expression.

‘Even if he did tell everyone downstairs earlier that you’re too stupid to learn them.’

‘Jesus,’ I breathe.

Both my friends turn to look at me, their expressions so horrified it’s almost funny. Almost .

‘None of that happened,’ I say, putting my hands up. ‘None of it is true. I haven’t even done anything with her since the end of last year. Fuck!’

I run my hands through my hair. ‘That psychotic bitch.’

I glance out at the hallway, wondering how I’m going to fix things with Daisy, if I even can after everything that’s happened.

We let her down.

I let her down. And I keep letting her down.

‘She runs after that,’ Blake says quietly. ‘And she was gone for almost five hours. Where the fuck was she?’

‘The campus cops picked her up in Bressler, where Lu lives. They got a call. Find out who it was. I want to know who saw her.’

Blake nods and some things happen on the screen that I don’t understand, but I don’t worry about what he’s doing or how; it’s not my skillset. It doesn’t take him long to come up with a name.

‘Travis Carrigan. He’s got a room in that dorm with a guy named Michael Corner. Let me see what else I can get on him from his socials first. That’s quickest.’

He sucks in a sudden breath a moment later. ‘That sonofabitch.’

‘What?’

I look over his shoulder to see a photo of Daisy on a bed from tonight. She’s staring blankly in front of her, looking lost and alone. Her makeup is smeared, there’s blood on her lip, and her legs are grazed. Her cheek is red. Her dress is ripped.

I feel my fingernails digging into my palms. My list is getting longer.

‘The fucker put a pic of her online.’

Blake lets out a snarl. ‘#daddyslittlegirlisawhore #somebitchesdeserveit.’

‘Who is that motherfucker?’ Mav spits.

Blake types away for a few seconds before he replies. ‘A nobody. Economics major. No one special. On a bunch of forums for dudes who never get laid.’

I stare at the smirking face of his school ID. ‘I want that photo scrubbed and him expelled by Monday. What about the roommate?’

‘Can’t find anything bad. Let’s see what Daisy says about him and take it from there. I could get them both easily with the stash the rent-a-cops are going to get a tipoff about. I’ll have a little talk with him regardless, make sure he stays away from her.’

‘Fine.’ I mutter.

We hear the bathroom door open and stop talking. Blake minimizes all the windows on the screen, and I nod at him. I don’t want her finding out about that photo. She doesn’t like anyone seeing her weak and that picture screams it. Fuck that little shit for taking it, and double fuck him for sharing it.

We’re all trying not to make it obvious that we’re staring as Lu and Daisy get to her door. She doesn’t look at us, I notice. She barely looks up from the floor. The limp is even more pronounced, and I stifle the burst of anger that I want to let loose. It’ll probably just scare her and that’s the last thing I want to do.

Lu assists her into her room and closes the door with a quiet click.

Mav gives Blake a speaking glance and Blake nods, pulling up the cameras to Daisy’s room. We watch in silence as Daisy sits on her bed in the towel and stares out into space. She looks exhausted, bruised, and battered. Her ankle is swollen enough that I can see it easily on the feed.

Lu helps her up and into the shirt and the black, fluffy robe I left on the bed. Something inside my chest unclenches. She’s with us. She’s here. She’s safe.

I put my head in my hands for a moment, and let out the sigh of relief I’ve been holding in. When I look up, Mav is staring at me with a strange expression on his face.

‘What?’

‘Nothing. It’s just. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this. It’s like you care.’

It’s on the tip of my tongue to say, ‘she’s my sister, of course I care’, but I don’t.

It’s not true. I’ve never seen her as my sister. She was my best friend before she was taken from me, and now...I don’t know what she is, but I definitely don’t think of her as a sibling.

We watch as Lu cleans up the makeup and the clothes strewn around the room, putting everything away while Daisy stares at the wall.

My phone buzzes and I look at it. My dad’s guy got back to me. I frown at the screen.

‘That can’t be right.’

‘What?’ Blake asks, looking over his shoulder.

‘I– Her stuff hasn’t come. From the UK, I mean. I figured it was delayed, or something since it’s been a few weeks now, so I messaged my dad’s guy to ask him for an update, but he says he’s not waiting on anything.’

‘Maybe they haven’t sent it, or maybe John told them to keep it,’ Mav says with a shrug. ‘Does it matter? What does she need that she can’t get here?’

Blake rolls his eyes, and I give him a questioning look that has him turning around properly. ‘She told me nothing’s coming.’

‘Nothing?’

He snorts. ‘Look, I like the girl, but...if she didn’t bring her possessions with her, maybe it’s because she wants better stuff from the Novelles.’

‘You’re wrong,’ Mav mutters. ‘Not everyone is out for what they can get, dude.’

Blake snorts. ‘Sure they are. They’re just lying, they don’t know it, or they’re in denial.’

I look from Mav to Blake. I don’t think that Blake is right about Daisy, but what the fuck do I know? Laurie’s a nutjob and I had no clue when I was messing around with her last year.

‘Easy enough to find out for sure,’ I say. ‘I’ll just call the place she was in.’

I check my watch and chuckle, remembering Daisy’s first day here and her Ted Talk about the time difference. ‘Is it four hours or six?’

Mav smiles. ‘She’d know for sure, I’ll bet, but I think they’re five hours ahead right now, which would make it about nine a.m.’

‘Perfect.’

I find the number I got from my father’s phone once and call it. It takes a little longer to connect, but when it does, a British woman’s voice crackles over the line.

‘The Heath. Amy speaking. Can I ask who’s calling please?’

‘Morning. My name is Jack Novelle. I’m calling about Marguerite Novelle. She was in your facility until recently.’

There’s a pause. ‘Oh, um, yes. She was, of course. If you’d like to speak to someone about her returning, I’ll transfer you directly to Doctor Stoke, Mister Novelle.’

Returning?

She thinks I’m my father, I realize.

‘No, thanks, Amy,’ I reply easily, though my stomach is in my throat. ‘It’s just a general question. I wondered if Marguerite’s possessions would be sent soon.’

There’s another pause and the line crackles some more. ‘Do you mean the things she came with? I can check, sir, but I think there’s just one small box in storage with the clothes she arrived in. I can send it right away, of course.’

‘That would be great,’ I say with a frown. ‘But I also mean from her room. Clothes, shoes, keepsakes. That kind of thing.’

There’s silence for a beat too long. ‘I’m so sorry, Mister Novelle, but I’m not quite sure what you mean.’ The woman on the other end huffs out a breath. ‘This is a medical facility. Our residents don’t really have those kinds of things .’

‘I see,’ I murmur, a little confused. ‘Of course. Not a problem. Please do send that box. I’ll email you the address now.’

‘Of course. I’ll have it posted today, sir. Is there anything else I can help with?’

‘No, thank you. You’ve been very helpful. Enjoy the rest of your day.’

‘Um…you too, Mister Novelle,’ she says, and I’m pretty sure I hear her mutter, ‘Have a nice day! Bloody Americans ,’ before she hangs up the phone.

I stare down at my phone for a second. ‘They don’t have anything, they said.’

‘So, where’s all her stuff?’

‘Maybe she doesn’t have any.’

Blake snorts. ‘So, she turned up here with everything she has to her name in that little duffle bag? No way. She was in a private spa type of place, you said. Your dad must have been sending money for her. Maybe they wore fluffy bathrobes, slippers, and yoga pants all day, or something.’

Mav is in mid-shrug when Daisy’s door opens, and we fall silent again. Lu steps out, looking grim.

‘She’s exhausted. If you still wanna look at her ankle and stuff, you might want to do it soon. She’s struggling to stay awake.’

Mav grabs the first aid bag Blake keeps under his bed. ‘I’ll go in now. How is she besides tired?’

Lu shrugs. ‘She isn’t talking. She’s just... I don’t know. She’s going through the motions, but it’s like she’s not home right now.’

I nod, knowing exactly what she means. ‘She needs rest. She’ll be okay.’

‘No thanks to you,’ she sneers. ‘I’ll be back tomorrow. Tell your asshole members to let me in so I’m not standing out in the rain, would you, Novelle?’

I wince at the censure I deserve, and she turns to go.

‘Wait.’

She swings back giving me a look that tells me exactly what she thinks, that I’m shit on her shoe. This girl does not like me, and for good reason.

‘Look, for what it’s worth, I’m glad Daisy has you in her corner. She doesn’t make friends easily, so it’s a big deal. Thank you.’

‘You don’t need to thank me. Daisy is awesome. I’m not her friend because she’s a Novelle.’

‘I get it.’ I step closer and lower my voice. ‘I need to ask you something.’

‘What is it?’

‘You met Daisy when she first got here, right?’

‘I don’t know. It was the day of the rally by the science building. She said she’d only just moved here.’

‘Did she- What was she wearing?’

Lu frowns at me. ‘What? Uh, running gear, I think. Sneakers. Why?—’

Something passes over her face.

‘What is it?’ I ask.

‘I offered her a job at Grinder that day. She said she didn’t have any black pants to wear so we went to Second Love. You know, the consignment on Main Street. We got some stuff. She had like thirty bucks on her in cash. I remember because it looked wrinkled and sort of old .’ She regards me thoughtfully. ‘What is this about?’

‘What has she told you about before she came here?’

Lu regards me impassively, maybe a little suspiciously, folding her arms. ‘Just that she was in the UK, and she just came back because her mom died in a car accident. I didn’t ask to be honest. If she wants to tell me more, she will. Later, Novelle.’

I nod. ‘See you tomorrow, Lu...’

‘Garmett.’

‘ Garmett ? Like...’

‘ Sark Garmett? Yeah. He’s my cousin.’ She winks at me and smirks at my surprised face. ‘He says ‘hi’ by the way. Said he’ll catch up with you in a couple days since he couldn’t find you at the party.’

I glance at Daisy’s room and then at Lu, frowning. ‘Is this a strategic move?’

‘A Garmett making friends with your sister? No, Shade. I mean I knew. I’ll admit it, she told me her name when she joined Dagorhir.’

She steps closer. ‘Now, brace yourself. This might come as a real shock to you, but not everything that happens in Richmond is about you or your family.’

I snort. ‘See you, Garmett.’

‘Novelle.’

She turns to go and then hesitates. ‘The guys. The ones who attacked her. I don’t give a fuck who they are. They’re dead men walking, right?’

‘Yeah,’ I say low. ‘It’s only a matter of time.’

‘Good. I want to be there.’

I nod. ‘That can be arranged.’

She leaves without another word, and I stare after her. Trust Daisy to make friends with a member of a crime family on her first day here.

I hear low voices in her room, and I go back to Blake’s. He’s still at his computer.

‘Found anything else?’

‘Not really. Made sure those two campus cops really did lose her name. There’s no record of them picking her up. They’re getting fired come Monday. It’s done. I might also have made it look like they were receiving bribes from one of the other frats.’

I nod. ‘Good. That should ensure they can’t get work around here again in security. Maybe have the banks foreclose on their homes or something like that, too. Choose some life-destroying stuff. Whatever you want. Get creative.’

Blake’s smile is sinister. ‘Consider it done.’

‘Good.’

‘What do you want to do?’ he asks after a few taps of his trackpad.

‘About what?’

‘About Daisy?’

‘I think we keep her with us for now. Close.’

Blake nods. ‘Close,’ he echoes.

He starts tapping at the keys again.

‘What are you doing now?’

‘Making sure I have a plan in place for Marcus, Rob, and Pete. For when the time is right. And I want to find out about the spreadsheet her friend was talking about at the party. The only sheet I know of was the one I made for the pledges to log her movements for us, and it wasn’t points-based. Nothing of yours, right?’

‘I didn’t make any other sheets, and Mav hasn’t mentioned anything either.’

‘I want to find it.’

I nod as I stare at the picture that asshole took of Daisy on Blake’s screen, taking in her sad eyes, the split lip. They’re all going to wish they’d never set eyes on her by the time we’re done with them.