Page 148 of Ruthless Chaos

Save for the moon’s rays, there are no lights down by the lake tonight. I turn to the sounds. All I can see are silhouettes, no distinct faces.

Judging from the size of their shadows, they are definitely guys.

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath.

If these are Chaos House guys, I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this.

As a matter of fact, even if these guys are from Kingmaker House, they have plausible deniability. It’s late and dark out, they would simply need to lie that they didn’t know it was me.

I need to call Alexander.

I fish my phone out of my pocket, but my hands come up empty. My heart stutters when I remember that I left it charging on my nightstand because I didn’t want to feel forced to answer another call from Uncle Laurent.

I’m so fucking stupid.

I have to leave before they see me.

Hopefully, they can’t make me out either and mistake me for someone less vulnerable. I straighten quickly and start hurrying towards the path I came from.

My footsteps crunch loudly against the sand.

Did I always walk this loud? I clench my fists. If it comes down to it, I’ll fight. The chance of me overpowering them is slim, but I won’t go down without a fight.

Yes, that’s what I’ll do.

I’m halfway to the pathway when their voices stop. I’m too scared to look in their direction to see if it’s because they noticed me, so I speed up my steps. If I run, it would make them chase, but maybe if I walk briskly, I can slip away.

“Allie?” I hear my name come from the group. I freeze.

Panic blooms in my chest. My legs and hands feel weightless.

I should just run away right now, as fast as I can. I already have a bit of a head start, that should be enough to take me back to The Pastry Shop.

The lady there wouldn’t let them hurt me, right?

“Allie!”

Wait. I know that voice.

The shadow approaching me has a familiar shape to it. When he gets closer, the tension leaves my body.

“What the fuck are you doing out here, Allie?” The sharp edge to Alexander’s voice cuts me deep. He’s seething.

I just stare at him, gaping like a stunned fish.

In the wan light, I make out that he’s dressed in all white—a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and white slacks. He’s scowling, alright.

He folds his hands across his chest.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?”

I finally find my voice. “I was just taking a walk.”

Alexander pauses ever so minutely, leaning down so his face is closer to mine.

“A walk?” he says in a low voice that I’ve come to realize is deceptively calm for what’s going on in his head. “You just decided to take a walk this late, in one of the most secluded places on campus?”

He runs a hand through his hair and turns away from me, facing the lake. He chuckles humorlessly, shaking his head. “You like it when I get angry, don’t you?”