Five

by JA Huss

  I sit back in my seat and sigh. Because he’s right. My power comes from the Triads. From my grandfather. The only way to keep Rory out of this is to become the man I was always meant to be.

  That’s the whole reason I walked out last summer, right? That’s the whole reason I put this plan together in the first place, right? I need to trust Rory to keep herself safe until I can stabilize my position.

  “She’s smart,” Chen says.

  “I know that,” I say, still annoyed. “She got into Princeton. Everyone knows she’s smart.”

  “And she’s tough too,” Chen adds.

  This makes me smile. Because the princess is tough. Tougher than most men, that’s for sure. She learned from the best.

  “She’ll handle herself just fine without you.”

  “I know,” I say again. And I even sorta believe it. “But I don’t want her to handle it alone. You don’t understand, Chen. I should be the one to keep her safe. She shouldn’t have to handle anything on her own. And the fact that this is happening now and I’m so far away… Well, it’s fucking killing me, man. It’s killing me not to be with her.”

  Chen frowns. “Maybe one day it will work out.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” I say. “That doesn’t make me feel any better, ya know.”

  “I’m just being… pragmatic. I’m not the most optimistic person so that’s the best I can do.”

  “No, you’re the most paranoid motherfucker I know.” Chen… optimist? Never. But his pessimism has served my grandfather almost his whole life.

  But Damian Li is dead.

  “I didn’t see it coming,” Chen adds, reading my thoughts.

  “Poison,” I say. “You never see it coming.”

  “Which is why they use it.”

  “Yeah.” They. But I don’t ask who “they” is.

  I already know.

  These are the same people who went after my sister Sasha. The same people who had my uncle James on the run for more than a decade before they took them down. Down but not out, right? They never really go away, do they? They just have a different name these days. They have a pretty new logo. And a brand-new group of delusional motherfuckers willing to do whatever it takes to preserve the status quo and call it global stabilization.

  “I’m gonna get them for this,” I say.

  Chen shakes his head. “No, Five. We’re gonna get them for this.”

  Right. Me and my people.

  Fuck ’em. They remade themselves over the years into something new. But I’ve remade myself into something new as well. They knew me once. They knew who I was and what I could do. They sent their emissaries to recruit me into their delusional fantasy under that assumption.

  But I walked away from Rory Shrike six years ago for a reason. I gave her up, followed my grandfather’s lead, and became this man I am now.

  I remade myself, too. And I don’t need a fancy new logo or a pretty new name to get that point across.

  They’re gonna see what kind of retribution I’m capable of.

  But…

  There’s always a fucking but, right?

  But what if they get to Rory first? Then what do I do?

  I look at Chen and read his mind just like he did mine a few seconds ago.

  Your job, Five Aston. You do your job.

  What does that even mean?

  Chapter Eighteen - Rory

  I take a deep breath and pull into the Palladium House parking lot, whispering my mantra under my breath. “I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.”

  Five Aston became something new to me when he walked out of my childhood bedroom and every single thing I was sure of in this life became a lie.

  I am not a princess. He is not my prince. We are never—ever—gonna get that happily ever after.

  But… and this is a huge but… I am Rory Shrike, oldest daughter of Ron the Bomb and Spencer motherfucking Shrike. So I will deal like the woman they raised me to be.

  I take another deep breath as I pull into the parking spot that says ‘Sister Rory’ on a pink and gray sign near the entrance, and do that.

  Full-fledged senior member of the Palladium Eating Club House, bitches.

  Only forty people are included on that short list. Twenty lucky bitches and twenty lucky bros. Palladium House is the most exclusive eating club here at Princeton, and I’m in.

  I square my shoulders and lift my chin, getting ready for all the questions coming my way the second I walk into that building. And then I get out of my car and walk around to open up the back to grab my shit.

  Tera has ignored me all summer up until this morning when she texted to say she was here and when was I arriving.

  I texted her once, back when I was still adjusting to my new normal, just to feel her out after that whole thing with Cliff. But she never texted back. So I withdrew. It’s not like I wanted to talk about what happened with Five and Cliff, anyway. Not like I even could, either.

  She’s not in the parking lot, thank God. I need a moment to gather myself. Ravel up all those unraveling threads and be normal.

  As normal as one can be after a girl’s fantasy is shattered.

  “Rory!” some of the other girls start calling near the back entrance to the house.

  I wave and smile as I approach. All fake, of course. But they don’t need to know that.

  And then I see him. The one man I don’t want to see.

  “Cliff,” I say, unable to hide my surprise. “What are you doing here?” What is he doing here? I mean, come on, buddy. Don’t you have a law school to attend or something? I really don’t need this kind of confrontation on the very first day back.

  “I was just dropping Tera off,” he says, taking both my hands once he’s close enough to pull me into a hug. “I’m sorry about the way I left things in Colorado,” he whispers in my ear.

  “It’s… OK,” I say, pushing him off me as gently as I can. “I think.”

  “Did you have a nice summer?” Cliff asks, still holding my hands as he gazes down at me.

  Nice? No. I would not call it a nice summer. “Yes,” I say. “It was perfect, actually.” I’m so not in the mood to—

  “Rory!” Tera is dashing across the parking lot screaming my name. “Rory! Oh, my God! I thought I’d never see you again!”

  She crashes into me, almost knocking me down—if Cliff hadn’t conveniently been there to catch us both—and wraps her arms tightly around me.

  “Holy Jesus motherfucking fuck, Rory Shrike!” Tera squeals. “I’ve missed you so much. I have so much to tell you about this summer. Why didn’t you call me…”

  I look over my shoulder at Cliff to find him smiling and waving. “I’ve got your bags,” he calls, as Tera continues to lead me towards the house, talking a mile a minute.

  “You’re so lucky you stayed home this summer. The Hamptons, OMG, Rory. It was all drama. Jason Blumenthal—remember him from last year? Well, he got together with Sylvia P. Not Sylvia R. I know they’re easy to confuse since they both have that ridiculous platinum hair and big tits, but Sylvia P. And you remember what her dad does?”

  I don’t need to answer. Tera fills me in on all the details of Sylvia P and Jason B’s summer fling. And by the time we get up to my room on the second floor of the house, I’ve learned all I need to know.

  Drama.

  I’m so glad I stayed away this summer as well. There’s no way I was ready to come back to this. I’m not even sure I’m ready now.

  But I do like that she just blew past all the awkwardness of beginning of summer and jumped right into the new awkwardness of back to school.

  “So what do you think of the room?” Tera opens her arms up wide in a ta-da gesture. “I had all your stuff brought over from storage this morning.”

  It’s a nice room, I have to admit. Large and exquisitely decorated in muted tan and pale blue. The furniture is all high-end designer. And there’s even a make-up vanity in one corner with a beautiful antique mirror. The perfect place for a p
rincess to get ready for a night out.

  “It’s… great,” I say, forcing myself to act excited. I don’t give one fancy fuck about this room. I’m here on autopilot. That’s all.

  “I picked out the color scheme. I told Nancy that you like pastels. But pink?” She wrinkles her nose. “No pink. So I chose blue.”

  I’m still smiling my fake smile. Trying to think of something clever and witty to say. Something Princess Rory would say.

  Tera frowns. “You can redecorate if you don’t like it.”

  “No!” I say. “No, no, no. I love it, Tera. Really, I do.” I hug her tight and enjoy her familiarity for a moment. “Thank you,” I say, still embracing her.

  She pats my back and holds me an extra second before pushing me away to hold me at arm’s length. “Are you OK?” Her smile is gone now. Her face is nothing but the serious expression of a concerned friend. “I know what happened last June was… weird, but Rory, I’m your best friend. I’m here for you. You know that right?”

  “I know.” I sigh, letting my sadness and disappointment through for a second. But then I ravel up those loose ends and paint on a bright smile. “Let’s just forget about this summer, OK? I just want to concentrate on what’s next, ya know?”

  Tera nods her head, her smile back in place. “OK,” she says, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear in a tender gesture that makes me ache for her. We have been tight friends for years now.

  “I’ve missed you,” I say, meaning it.

  She make a pouty face. “It’s OK,” she says. “New year, new rules, new everything, right?”

  I nod. “Right.”

  “And we’re going out tonight—”

  “No,” I say. God, not yet. I’m not ready.

  But Tera stomps her foot. “Yes,” she insists. “We’re going out tonight. I know you don’t want to hear about the Hamptons, but I do have a few delicious details to fill you in on. One of which is my new man.”

  Now this is interesting. So my ears perk up. “OK, I do want to know that.” I laugh. “Who is it?”

  But Tera just hooks her arm in mine and walks me further into the room, kicking the door closed behind her. “You’re gonna have to show up tonight to find out. It’s secret,” she says. “Even to me. Did you talk to anyone else yet? About our secret party?”

  “No. What kind of secret party?” I ask. “Is this the big Palladium House reveal?”

  “I think so,” she says, dropping her voice into a low whisper. And then she shrugs and flops down on my new bed. “I’m not sure. But it’s by invitation only.”

  “And we have to bring a date?” I ask.

  “No,” Tera says “It’s our… pairing.”

  What the fuck?

  “Knock, knock?” Cliff is opening the door with my luggage. It’s not much, since I went home last spring with… well, nothing but one hastily-packed backpack. I did pick up some new clothes. So I have a couple extra cases, but they’re small, so Cliff manages all three of them with ease.

  “Where do you want this, Rory?”

  I look around the room and nod to the closet. “Just over there is fine. Thanks, Cliff.” He sets each case down and then pauses before turning back to us. The expression on his face is one of sadness. I’ve known him long enough as just a friend to read the disappointment.

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Tera says, backing away. “But be ready by eight, Ror. We can’t be late for this, OK?”

  I nod, doing my best to silently assure her that I will, but my eyes are stuck on Cliff as she exits, closing the door to give us privacy. “I’m sorry,” I say.

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” he says, shrugging. “Shit happens for a reason, right?”

  “I suppose.” I sigh, sitting down on my bed. “Did you tell her what happened?”

  “No,” Cliff says. “Not much, anyway. Just that you broke up with me and…” But his words trail off. So… all that stuff that happened afterward goes unsaid. “She knows something is wrong though. She’s gonna relentlessly bug you about it all year until you give in and spill the details.”

  I nod. Not knowing what to say to that. “Are you staying for the party tonight?”

  “Not invited,” Cliff says. He pauses. Looks away, then back at me. “You know, they asked me to be part of this.” He pans his hands wide, indicating this means Palladium House.

  “But… you were a member of the Locke House Eating Club.”

  “I know. They didn’t like that much.”

  “Who?” I ask.

  “Palladium.”

  “What didn’t they like?”

  “That I turned them down, Rory. I never wanted Tera to be part of Palladium, but she was so excited. And you got accepted too, so…” He shrugs. “I never thought it would be like this.”

  “Like what?” I ask, my curiosity in overdrive now.

  “I gotta get going,” he says, changing the subject. “Law school, remember?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I remember.”

  That awkward silence between two people who were in a relationship, but are no longer, sets in.

  “So…” Cliff says.

  “Yeah,” I say back.

  “OK, then,” he says. “I guess I’ll leave you to it. But Rory,” he says, lowering his voice. “Call me if you need anything, OK? And I do mean anything.”

  Normally, when one hears those words from an ex-boyfriend, one might assume he’s hinting at some kind of friends-with-benefits arrangement. But Cliff and I never got past the friends part. There have never been, nor will there ever be, benefits. So that’s not what he means.

  “I will,” I say, forcing a smile.

  He gives me one more long look, then turns away and walks out, leaving the door open.

  There’s a lot of commotion outside in the hallway and I recognize Kallie’s and Mia’s voices as they talk loudly to Cliff. This house isn’t too big and only the senior officers get to live in the house, and that’s only four people on this side of the mansion—me, Tera, the President, Kallie, and her VP, Mia. I was voted secretary this year and Tera is the treasurer, so we get senior officer privileges.

  But all I want right now is my little apartment back. Hell, if I’m being honest, all I really want is my childhood bedroom back at the farm.

  “One more year,” I whisper. And then, with any luck, I will move far away and live somewhere quiet and boring.

  “Knock, knock!”

  I look over at the door to find Kallie beaming one of those obnoxious eating-club-president smiles at me from the hallway.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Of course,” I say, patting the bed next to me. I’ve known Kallie since freshman year. We were Palladium Pledge Partners. You can’t be a member of Palladium Eating Club until junior year, but if you don’t make your interest known at the beginning of freshman year, your chances of getting in are slim to none. And if you had asked me back then who would end up being my BFF in college, I’d have said her. But then Tera and I just… clicked. And Kallie migrated towards Mia so she didn’t have to be third wheel.

  “One more year,” Kallie says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “So sad, right?”

  Shit. I really need to keep my mutterings to myself from now on. So many ears in this place. “Yeah,” I say, smiling at her. Kallie is a ginger. But not the orange-y kind of ginger. The deep, auburn kind that barely qualifies. She’s tall, thin and exudes sex appeal in every way. And she has the most striking green eyes to boot.

  I’m no wallflower. I look just like my bombshell of a mother. But Kallie’s sex appeal puts mine to shame. She is designer labels and diamond rings. She owns two-hundred-dollar push-up bras and she actually wears lingerie to bed. Like… every night. When she told me that back in freshman year I didn’t believe her. But then she showed me her dorm-room dresser. Yup. Drawers and drawers filled with lingerie. She had to move out of the dorms sophomore year. She needed more closet space.

  “Don’t be sad, Rory. We’re gonna
be friends for life. That’s the whole point of joining the Palladium family, right?”

  “Right,” I say. “I know that.” Believe me, I know that. It’s the whole reason I came back.

  “Anyway,” Kallie says. “I just wanted to stop by to drop off your invitation.” She thrusts an envelope at me. It’s silver and has my name on it in pretty script writing. “The party tonight is formal. I wasn’t sure how much Tera told you about it, so I just wanted to make that clear.” And then she glances over at my empty closet and boxes of unpacked stuff with a worried look other face. “Do you have something silver to wear? All us girls went out shopping last week to get our dresses. But, of course,” she says, slight clip to her words, “you weren’t here.”

  “I know,” I say. “It was a weird summer.”

  “I’ve heard,” she says, her smile turning into a frown of sympathy. “But you’ll have to fill me in on the details. Tera didn’t give up too much information.”

  “I didn’t tell her. And if you don’t mind, I’m not going to talk about it anymore. So it’ll have to remain a mystery.”

  “Don’t do that, Rory. Don’t shut us out. We are your sisters now. We’re going to be here for you for the rest of your life. All of us. So don’t bottle up your problems. Let us help you.” She rubs my shoulder to illustrate her level of concern.

  “I know, Kallie. But this is about love. And no one can help you get over something like that.”

  “Wrong,” Mia says from my open doorway—I really need to keep that thing closed. “We have the perfect answer for love troubles, don’t we, Kal?” Mia is exotic-looking. You can’t tell what race she is just by looking at her. She appears Asian at times, with her striking almost almond-shaped eyes. But she’s very fair. And curvy. And her long wavy hair is light brown and her eyes are a blue-green hazel.

  “That’s right,” Kallie says.

  “Open your invitation,” Mia squeals. “I’m dying to see who you got.”

  “Who I got?” I say.

  “Your date,” Kallie says. “The answer to all your problems.”

  “I got Jeremy Warren,” Mia says. “And OMG, he’s so fucking hot. I cannot wait to be paired up tonight.”