by L V Chase
But all I can think about is that Grayson is watching out for me. It shouldn’t make me happy, but it does.
4
Grayson
It's late Sunday, and I'm still hanging around at home. After a workout in the basement and a quick shower, I'm back sitting at the dining table by myself, poking at a chicken salad for lunch.
The doorbell rings. It's probably Eric. He was on his way out and wanted to drop by for a quick update. After all the shit with having my phone stolen and my texts released, we're both a bit more paranoid about sending messages.
"It's unlocked!" I yell.
I hear the sound of the door opening and closing, then the heavy footsteps as Eric makes his way through the house.
"In the dining room," I call out.
Eric arrives in the dining room. He's in casual jeans and a black polo. He pulls up an empty chair and sits himself down on it sideways. I stab my salad with my fork, keeping one eye on him. He doesn't say anything, just watches me, so I nod to him.
"You saw something?" I say after I swallow my mouthful of lunch.
"Yeah," Eric replies. "I saw him. Brady."
I frown, and Eric shifts uncomfortably, looking away like I'm mad at him. Brady, that fat fuck, is like a festering sore that just gets worse and worse. He's been nothing but a pain this whole time, the source of nearly everything gone wrong.
"What happened?" I ask. "Where?"
"A pizzeria," Eric says. "I was following Cin, keeping tabs on her. So, it ends up that Brady's at that same damn place."
"He talk to her? Do anything?"
Eric shakes his head. "They saw each other. Waved, like they knew each other."
"Was she scared? Angry?"
Eric makes a face. "Not at Brady. They seemed okay with each other." He pauses. "I mean, she was a bit…you know how she is."
I raise an eyebrow. "I do?" I wait for him to explain himself.
"She saw me watching her. Came over trying to cause a fuss. So, yeah, she might have been a bit mad, but more at me." He shrugs. "Or you, and I was the closest thing to you. But she didn't seem mad or scared with Brady."
I set my fork down and lean back in my chair. Fuck, Brady. He's too powerful to scare off. He knows too much. And it seems like he's still got his eyes on Cin. I pound the armrest once. Eric doesn't even blink.
"I don't like it. Brady's trying to get to her. He has to be." And she has no idea how dangerous he is, does she? I think I mentioned Brady to her before, but she must have forgotten or not made the connection. It wasn't like she was in the best frame of mind when I brought it up to her. Fuck.
"Why didn't you make her leave?" I look up at Eric, scowling. "You should have made her leave as soon as Brady showed up."
Eric scowls back at me for a second before smoothing his face. "I tried to talk some sense into her. But she's..." He waves a hand in the air. "You know how stubborn she gets. She barely listens to you. She sure as hell doesn't listen to me."
Eric looks away, then back to me. His dark eyes meet mine. "I can watch her," he says. "I can keep an eye on her. Don't worry. I got this."
There's an intensity in his words and gaze that's rare for him. Eric usually doesn't give a damn about anything. But the way he said that just now makes it seem like he's trying to prove something. Like he's trying to earn my trust or approval again.
I know he wants to take care of this, but no one's going to keep Cin safe like I can. I might trust Eric again to have my back, but I don't trust him or anyone else to take care of Cin. I'm the one that has to do that.
And I'm stuck at home with that shitty tutor. It's obvious that I have to get back to school as soon as I can, to where Cin is.
Dad's already working with the DA, Frank Crocker, despite the whole thing with his kid Hayden not panning out. He's working with Crocker's donors and the police chief for leverage. He thinks the case will be dropped. I know it's going to happen soon, but I hate waiting while Brady's lurking out there with free reign.
"Eric!" a high-pitched voice calls out.
Aurora waltzes into the dining room in little more than a long white cami that barely goes past her butt. She doesn't seem to be wearing any pants, but she marches up to Eric and gives him a big hug.
Eric stiffens as he awkwardly returns the embrace. He knows how I feel about him and Aurora, despite whatever jokes he might crack. While Aurora's hugging him, she's bent over, and her ass, barely covered by a little black G-string, points in my direction. I swear she's jiggling her butt at me.
Aurora stands up and leans against Eric's chair, one hand on his shoulder. But her eyes keep flicking over to me even as she talks.
"What're you doing here, Eric?" Aurora asks. "Shouldn't you be out and playing with whatever it is boys play with." She laughs as she leans in towards him, but she's still watching me. "Or whoever they play with."
Aurora raises one leg as she laughs. The cami's hem rises, baring all of her thigh. A hint of her black underwear peeks out from beneath.
I glare at her. "Get the fuck out of here."
"Why?" Aurora says with a smile. "Can't you share Eric just a little? He's not all yours."
Eric grins, then frowns as he looks towards me.
I've had enough of Aurora's shit. I don't want to know, and I don't care what the two of them do or don't do. I get up, leaving my half-eaten salad on the table.
"Gray?" Eric asks as I leave the room.
I shake my head. "Whatever."
I walk down the hallway, then make my way to Dad's home office. I need to talk to him about Cin, or rather about getting back to school so that I can keep track of her more easily.
His door is half-open when I arrive. I peek inside. Dad's sitting at his desk, both hands in fists below his chin as he stares off into the space in front of him. He's brows are furrowed, and his mouth is turned downwards in a tight frown.
I step inside. "Bad time?"
Dad doesn't reply for a few seconds. Then, he blinks. "Shit," he mutters.
I head over to the empty chair opposite him and sit. I wait. He'll tell me what this is about if he wants to. We sit in silence for another minute before he swears again and sits back in his chair.
"I sent someone to Nathan White," he says.
Nathan White? It takes me a moment to place the name. Damian's brother, the owner and founder of Writing on the Wall. But I don't know what kind of person he sent. A thug to rough him up? A lawyer? A hitman?
"Who'd you send?" I ask.
Dad shrugs. "No one important. A woman. She was supposed to seduce him, find out anything I can use against him." He's quiet for a moment. "Damn it," he mutters.
If Nathan White is as much of an idiot as his brother, I can only assume that the woman was successful. "What'd she find?" I ask.
"They know about Trisha and Aurora." Dad grunts. "A fucking embarrassment."
I can't hear Aurora and Eric's voice in the distance, but I lean backwards anyways and shut the office door before asking my question. "That you're going to ditch them?"
Dad lets out a dark laugh. "No. White and his crew were talking to some of Trisha's old friends. They found out that she was having an affair back before she had Aurora."
Oh. That's what he meant. "They know that Aurora's not your daughter."
"Not yet. But they'll find out soon. There's a trail of evidence. Photos." Dad wipes at his face. "Christ. One of the photos has Trisha sitting on another man's lap. The dress is the same one I bought her after we got engaged. Do you understand, Grayson? Do you see now?"
"Yeah. Writing on the Wall has to go down. They're too dangerous."
Dad gives me a strange look. "Yes, but not that. You see with Trisha, and how it comes back to haunt us? Poor women will never be anything but whores, no matter how well they're treated. No matter how much they have, it won't ever be enough. They're never satisfied."
I don't reply immediately. I know what Dad thinks about Cin, and there's probably nothing I can do to change his mind. Hell, I'm not qui
te sure what I think about her all the time. But then I remember Brady, and I remember why I came here in the first place.
"I need to get back to school," I say.
"What?" Dad looks, frowning, as he's still clearly lost in thought over the other shit.
I have to tread carefully when it comes to Cin and Dad. Brady's already enough of a clusterfuck.
"To keep an eye on Damian," I say. "Nathan White's brother."
"No. You stay here. It's safer. Simpler. I don't want you getting further tangled up with them. It's bad enough as it is. If you had been stronger—"
"I'm not running from them."
Dad eyes me warily. "And the murder charges?"
"Yeah, yeah. After they're dropped. It'll be soon, right?"
"I suppose."
"If I hide at home, it'll be more suspicious. I should go out. Show them that I have nothing to hide."
Dad doesn't look convinced yet.
"Since when did we Voss hide in our homes like scared little shits? The Whites dug up some dirt about Trisha—so what? We're not going to let them win while we sulk around the edges of town. Fuck that. If I'm supposed to take over the company some day, I can't act like a sniveling coward, can I?"
Dad is still quiet. His eyes don't give anything away as he holds my gaze.
"Fine," he says. "But don't embarrass me again."
5
Cin
When I walk into AP Psychology, Eric is rolling his cigarette between his fingers, pushing the tobacco out onto his desk. For the last month, I sat in front of him, but the classroom doesn’t have assigned seats. Since our discussion, it feels like I’d be surrendering to what Grayson wants if I sat near him.
I turn to the desk I used to sit at. Sitting at the desk beside it, Damian is scribbling notes in his planner. He looks up, catching me staring. He forces a smile, but from the rest of his expression, I can imagine that war drums are playing in his head.
I turn toward the front of the class. Aurora is sitting on top of her desk. She’s playing with her pleated skirt while talking to Marcus Whittaker. Marcus is a little chubby, but he carries it with a confidence that doesn’t make him a target for bullying. But I can’t imagine his confidence is drawing Aurora to him. Maybe it’s his father, who’s a district court judge.
I sit down beside Eric. My choices are between a scorpion, a viper, and a sociopath. I don’t know which is which, but I’ll take my chances with the one who’s preparing to roll a blunt and isn’t smart enough to just use rolling paper.
“Good morning, class,” Mr. Welch says as he rushes in. He sets his computer bag on his desk. “Today, we’re conducting Marcus’ experiment. It’s a highly interesting one, so please give him your complete attention. Marcus, take the floor.”
Marcus nearly bounces to the front of the room. He grins at all of us, his white button-up shirt contrasting with his pajama bottoms. I don’t know him well, but from what I’ve seen, I assume that he’s going to be an eccentric millionaire that only eats fast food and talks about how the world would be a better place if we threw out antidepressants and invested in chicken-blood therapy.
“Hello, my fellow homo sapiens,” he says, sweeping his hand in front of him to gesture to all of us. “My experiment is on environmental effects. The details of it are a secret and the crux of the experiment. Not all of you are going to be involved, but eight of you are going to be divided into two groups. After I’ve announced the two groups—"
The door opens.
When Grayson steps into the room, the earth cracks open. It should swallow me whole, which would be a blessing, but it lets me dangle above the fissure instead. I bow my head, scribbling down the first thought in my head: godfuckingdammit.
“Oh, my God, Grayson!” Lisa Richter squeals, jumping out of her chair and throwing her arms around him. She barely beats Aurora to him.
Aurora glares at Lisa from behind.
“We’ve missed you so much!” Lisa cries.
My other classmates fawn over Grayson like they hadn’t been talking shit about him yesterday. Even Mika Lowe, who’d I’d overheard calling Grayson a sex-crazed lunatic this morning, is effusing how happy she is that he’s back at school. She tries to fix his dark, messy hair. A flicker of mean-spirited joy rises in me as he knocks her hand away.
We’re all on a stage, acting, but I’m a backstage worker who only wants to blend in with the background.
After he manages to untangle himself from his devotees, Grayson doesn’t look at me as he sits down at his desk. Mr. Welch glares at all of us, but his lips are pressed tightly together. He points to Marcus as the excited crowd falls back into their chairs.
“This is great!” Marcus says, his grin wide enough that I can see his gums. “Works perfectly for my experiment. When I originally wrote it up, it was before—well, it included Grayson. I—"
“But after Grayson was arrested, you had to change the experiment,” Damian cuts in. Everyone turns around to see Damian, angrily clicking his pen. “But you shouldn’t have worried about it, Marcus. We all know how money and media influence makes a joke out of the justice system. There’s nothing but inconveniences for the Voss family and their kindred perverts.”
He’s glaring at Grayson. Grayson gazes back at him, apathy smoothing over his face.
“How much did daddy pay the DA, Grayson?” Damian sneers. “How much was Diana’s life worth?”
“Definitely more than yours,” Grayson says.
The classroom laughs, some of them loudly and some of them nervously.
“Marcus,” Mr. Welch cuts in. “We should start your experiment. We don’t know how long it will take.”
“Yes, yes.” Marcus nods several times. “Let’s not let petty or, uh, less petty conflicts distract us from our aspirations. So, two groups. The first group is just three souls: Mika, Krystal, and Stephen. The second group is Grayson, Aurora, Eric, Cinnamon, and Damian.”
Only my worst nightmare. I raise my hand to cover my eyes, hoping the panic isn’t visible on my face. I wouldn’t want to participate in any psychological experiment with one of these people, much less all four of them.
“We’re going to separate the groups and put them in different rooms.” Marcus points towards the door. “Your job is to figure out specifically what the experiment is testing.”
Mika, Krystal, and Stephen excitedly talk with each other. The lucky bastards all like each other. It must be nice to be in a group where everyone involved isn’t psychotic.
“Stephen, Mika, Krystal—follow Marcus to the old geology room,” Mr. Welch says. “The other group—follow me.”
As we all trudge out of the room, I find myself walking between Damian and Aurora. Mr. Welch leads us to an empty classroom next door. As we step in, he flicks on the light.
“Knock on the door when you’ve figured out what the experiment is testing,” he says. “Once you’ve guessed correctly, you all can leave.” He steps out, closing the door behind him.
Damian crosses his arms, leaning against the wall. “Marcus must have given us the group of five because he thinks we’re a lot dumber than the other group,” he says. “Maybe that’s the test.”
Aurora bounces to the other side of the classroom. “Look at all of this stuff. Why would they leave a dumbbell in here? Or lipstick? Do you think this is Blood Red?”
I walk over toward her but keep a few feet of distance between us. A row of four desks are pushed within a couple of inches of each other with various objects covering the top of them.
“Maybe we’re supposed to figure out how these objects are related,” Grayson says.
I flinch, not realizing he was so close behind me. He doesn’t react to it. He picks up the bottle of soda, placing it beside the bowl of paper clips.
“Before you got to class,” I say, my voice coming out more raspy than usual. I clear my throat. “Before you came in, Marcus said the experiment was about environmental effects. So, how do these objects affect us?”
“They can all be thrown at someone’s head,” Eric says, picking up the dumbbell and doing a bicep curl with it.
“Is it hard being that stupid?” Damian asks him, joining us. He tips the small hourglass over. “Or has Grayson raised you to be dumber than him?”
“Maybe it’s related to what classroom we’re in,” I say, looking around us. “Does anybody know what class is taught in here?”
“Listen, fucker,” Eric growls at Damian, his finger jabbing at him. “You know the last motherfucker who came at me ended up in the hospital. You—"
“Jay is a wimp, and he wasn’t fighting back,” Damian sneers. “Try fighting someone who actually wants to fight.”
“It used to be the German room,” Aurora says to me. “Did nobody tell you about the German teacher? It must be sad to be friendless.”
“Bring it on, then,” Eric says, opening his arms wide and approaching Damian. “Throw the first hit, you little sissy bitch.”
“Can you two stop your pissing contest?” I ask Eric and Damian. “We’re here to—"
“Of course, you’re afraid of a pissing contest,” Aurora interjects. “And real men. Let them fight. It’s how real women determine the best mate.”
“How about I shove that lipstick up your ass, and when you shit it out, we’ll find out if it’s blood red?” I snarl.
“I know what the experiment is about.”
We all turn to Grayson, who’s twisting off the cap of the soda bottle. He takes a sip of it. His cold blue eyes pass over us.
“What?” Aurora asks.
“We’re all connected by our issues with each other,” he says. “Or most of us are. Most of us have publicly shown we don’t like each other. Eric, Damian, and I were involved in the fight at the talent show, Aurora spilled her coffee on Cin during class and spread the video of her drunk and—"
“I wasn’t the one who spread that video,” Aurora says. “But, even if I was, Cinnamon’s actions and words aren’t my responsibility.”
“—And I humiliated Cin with my experiment,” Grayson says.
