Page 85 of Massacre Monday

“What happened? And whynow? I mean, it’s not like things will be safer in two weeks.”

“My brother says the guy who was massacred was someBetasophomore. It looked as if the murderer may have been going for his heart, but was scared away before he could finish the job. The cameras barely pick him up. That cloak was hiding almost everything. He vanished into the woods.”

As I ponder what I saw, I get curious. “Or she.”

Ryan’s eyes flash as he considers my words. “Yeah… Or she.”

“You mentioned President Harvey. Why?”

He sits across from me again and takes his time to answer. “Well, odd thing. I guess he told the student’s parents that there was a wild animal in the woods that got him.”

“That’s not typical for the university? Don’t they usually cover up these things?”

“They do…just not that poorly.”

I shrug as Ryan extends his hand for me to take. When I do, he tugs me over toward him so I sit on his lap. His fingers brush my hair back over my shoulder. “Why not? If the board and the president are above the law, why try to make it sound believable?”

“True. I don’t know. When I met with him, he seemed…like he knows more than he’s letting on.”

“I think he’s too old to be gallivanting in the woods for Massacre Monday and jumping fraternity boys.”

His lips press into my skin for a moment, sending tingles through my body. “I don’t think he did it. But he knows all our assignments. What if that kid was just someone’s target?”

“Ah. Could’ve been.” I lean back into him, and his arms surround me, the feeling so comfortable, I never want to leave. “Do you think Gwen and Mitch were assignments, too? Or me?”

“What happened with Gwen seemed to fit the bill of a ritual. But plastering her face on your door was personal. Maybe we’re dealing with two different killers.”

“One completing assignments and the other trying to get at me?”

“Exactly.”

“But how does Gwen fit into both pictures?”

He hitches me up higher on his lap. “That’s what concerns me.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know.”

His worry over me makes my insides all warm and fuzzy. Ryan wants to take care of me, and I think he’d do anything to make sure I’m safe. Despite desiring my independence, I know that having this man attached to me is enough to protect me from anyone. He’s right. I feel like we can be free together.

I brush my lips against his cheek and rub his arm. The side of his mouth curls into a grin. “We should go back. You need to get to hockey practice, and I can face whatever is out there with you next to me. Plus, I really don’t want Professor Hall’s wrath on me more than it already is.”

A wince crosses his eyes, then he squeezes them closed and places his forehead against the column of my neck. Warm breaths travel down my back as he whispers, “Okay. But we’re staying today, and I’ll have Victor drive us back Sunday night.”

Thinking about returning toSigmahouse, I get a heavy heart. Campus feels different now and taking this tiny break away has given me some perspective. It’s been nearly a week since Gwen’s body was discovered, and the silence she left hasn’t lifted. Not until we can figure out what has happened.

“Deal.”

Leaning to the side, his face looks so hopeful as he asks, “Will you come to my first hockey game on Friday night?”

“I’ve never been to one.”

“That’s not a requirement?—”

I interrupt with a stroke of my finger across his cheek. “Of course I’ll be there.”

“Good.” He stands and cleans up our dishes without me even saying a word. Adal and Oz never help out, the slobs. So seeing him bustle around the RV, straightening up, makes me smile. “What?” he asks.