Page 43 of Revere

“It was Paul.”

“Paul has been in prison for months.” My teeth clench.

Bellamy’s eyes widen, and it’s the first sign of truth. He didn’t know about Paul Donovan’s downfall when Declan overturned his father, Teal’s father, and the rest of the sitting Sigma House Council.

“It had to be Paul.” Fear swims in Bellamy’s eyes. “I got the message from his phone. He texted.”

“You trusted a text?” Even Kole shakes his head. “It’s no wonder you’re strung up while the man who helped take you down is still out there.”

“I thought it was Paul.”

“I’m sure you did.” Unfortunately for him, that’s not a lie, and it means he’s of no more help to me. “And I believe you.”

“So what now?” Kole asks, turning to me. “We know it’s not Teal’s dad.”

“Trace the text. Someone has a target on Declan.” I set the torch down, dropping into a chair at the edge of the room.

“And in the meantime?” Kole smirks.

I wave a hand to the table in front of us. “We have a little fun.”

Bellamy starts screaming. He expected this to end quickly, but it was never going to. No one betrays the House and gets away with it. We all give our pound of flesh, and in the case of betrayal, we offer them all.

For the House we live. We die.

All of us, in one way or another.

The apartment is quiet as I use the key to step inside. Even if Kole and Violet live here, all I smell is the lotion Patience wears hanging in the air. I feel her through the walls. Sleeping.

Dreaming.

She doesn’t know the apartment Kole rented for the summer is one of mine. Or that it sits directly across the hallway from the apartment I live in.

She doesn’t know that one of the arrangements I made when renting it to Kole this summer was that I would continue to come and go as I please, and he would not ask questions.

When I made that deal with him, it was a contingency in case Patience’s father needed a reminder to stay in line while she is here for the summer. I didn’t intend to actually use my access so brazenly. To tap into the cameras and wait for Kole and Violet to be away at night so Patience would be alone. To watch Patience until she fell asleep, and then to cross the hallway and let myself into her apartment.

I can’t help it.

Curiosity.

Need.

I crawl out of my skin when I’m not around her.

It’s a dangerous game I’m playing. One that doesn’t end well, no matter how I look at it. She’s too young and innocent to be dragged into this mess, even if her father is Gideon Lancaster.

Pausing at Patience’s bedroom door, I listen for any movement. She’s been sleeping for almost an hour, but I have to be sure. Finally trying the handle, I find it unlocked, which pisses me off. Just because Kole wouldn’t bother her doesn’t mean I like anyone having access to this girl.

Stepping into her room, I’m overwhelmed by the scent of her lotion. By the smell of her sweat from the nightmare that almost woke her ten minutes ago. She tossed and turned and cried but managed to finally relax on her back and settle.

I’d like to know what monsters she slays when she sleeps because I doubt they end with her father.

When Patience was in my office, she seemed surprised when I asked for her consent, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that. Make no mistake, once she hands herself over to me, she will take what I give her. But the thought of someone else touching her without permission—hurting her for any reason—has me ready to rip them apart, toenails to eyelids.

Patience’s room is impossibly neat. Her empty suitcase is in the corner, and everything has been put away. I like that she’s at ease in my space, even if I never stay here. I like seeing her things comfortably displayed between walls I own.

She’s sprawled out on the bed with her blonde hair unbound, and for the first time since I met her, I get a look at it loose and wild. It fans over her pillow, creating a halo of golden hair. A stray piece rests on her gentle neck, which is one of the only parts of her that is bare.