Brendan blanches, not realizing I found the photos hidden in the book.
“And maybe when my mom found out about your mother and her boyfriend, she cut him out of her life and mine. So tell me, who’s really to blame for ruining everyone’s lives?”
“Lana,” Grant cuts me off before I can say more.
Brendan and I stare at each other, fire in our eyes, daring the other to cross the line.
“Maybe we should get some fresh air,” Grant coaxes, offering me his hand. “It’s been a long day. Let’s not do this anymore today. Take some space. Concentrate on finals.”
“And what about Vic?” I ask, knowing he won’t give us a time-out so we can study.
“Stay on campus,” Grant suggests. “Don’t go anywhere alone. If you can stand to be around one another, maybe you should stick together.”
His words strike me, bringing similar words to the surface.
“Niall knows.” I can’t bring myself to look at Brendan again. “He’s worse than you are, setting this all up. Protecting this secret. Orchestrating our admittance to Blackwood. Telling us to look out for each other. He knows you’re my brother and who our father is. And he’s protecting him.”
“Or he’s protecting your mother because she killed him,” Brendan goads.
I kick his thigh, and he curses incoherently. “Asshole.”
Grant sighs loudly. “Pick this up, Brendan. C’mon, Lana.”
He holds out his hand. I take it, muttering under my breath.
When we step onto the porch, he says, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but he is your brother. You look alike, and, well … no one can infuriate you like he can. And that’s the sibling gift. Sorry.”
I close my eyes, breathing through my nose to temper my racing pulse. “I know. He just … makes me so mad.”
“But you care about him,” Grant adds. “I saw your reaction when it hit you that he could’ve died in that fire.”
“He is my curse,” I groan, leaning against the railing with my arms crossed. “So now what do we do? I know I have to get through finals somehow. But Vic is tormenting us. Hell, he’s trying to kill Brendan. So … really, how are we supposed to pretend like we’re fine?”
“I’ll help you survive finals. I’ll come over every day after conditioning to study with you. As far as Vic … let’s hope Blackwood’s security earns their paychecks. And you said Brendan has video cameras everywhere, right?” I nod. “Then Vic won’t be able to set foot on campus without you two knowing.”
Brendan opens the door. “Uh … sorry to interrupt, but … my phone’s gone.”
“Which phone?” I ask, knowing he has multiple.
“My Blackwood phone. Which means, he took it.”
“I thought you told me not to bring it to the barn.”
“Yeah, because I thought Vic would track you, not me. We need to get back to Blackwood—now.”
Brendan’s room is torn to shreds. I thought Lily had done a psycho job, destroying my room, but Vic can teach her a few things. Pages from books are strewn like confetti on every surface. Shelves are busted out of the bookcase. His bed looks like a troll hacked it to pieces. Nothing is left intact, not even the bottles of scotch in the hidden compartment.
The only thing keeping Brendan from collapsing to his knees is seeing the bookcases still lined up against the wall.
“Stay here,” he tells us when he pops the secret door open and disappears into the wall.
Grant scans the room, shaking his head. “Was Lily this cruel to you?”
“She respected the books,” I say, “but everything else was fair game.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, setting a hand on my back. “I never told you that, but I am. For what she did.”
“Not your fault. You can’t blame yourself for her insecurities any more than I can blame myself for Nina’s.”
Grant nods.
“Have you spoken with her since the dinner?” I realize this is kind of a weird time to ask, but he brought her up.
“No,” he replies. “I’ve needed some space to process everything. She told me how she still feels … and, uh, it kind of took me off guard.”
My stomach twists. “Do you … still have feel—”
“No,” he cuts me off before I can ask. “I’m not in love with her. I don’t even know how I feel about her right now. I’m in love with you, and that’s not changing anytime soon. Narcissistic brother or not.”
I wrap my arms around his chest and hug him. “If Brendan ruins us, I will kill him.”
“Not going to happen,” Grant assures me, angling my head up to kiss me.
“Really? I’m gone for all of thirty seconds. Stop molesting my sister.”
I pick up the spine of a book and chuck it at Brendan. He bats it away easily.
“Did he find your evil lair?”
“No.”
“Where’s the video?”
“I’m not telling you. It’s not where you found it last time. And I know you had help, so whoever—”
“Is none of your business.”
“Yes, they are because whoever it is, is a loose cannon. If they’re capable of getting into my files, then we’re all in trouble.”
“I trust them.”
“Don’t be stupid, Lana.”
I balk at him. “Screw you!”
“I’m serious. Someone with that much power is dangerous. To all of us.”
I dismiss him, knowing Sophia would never … but then I remember how strung out she appeared the last time I saw her. She ran away from me. Maybe she was embarrassed to be seen all rumpled. We all have bad days. I could fill a trophy case with mine.
Except I can’t find Sophia after Grant walks me back to my dorm. I go directly to her room, but she doesn’t answer. I ask every girl I see in the hall, but no one’s seen her.
I knock on Ashton’s door.
“Where have you been?” she demands, pulling me in by my, well, Grant’s sister’s T-shirt. Arden is seated on the couch with her legs crossed, wearing a hot-pink tutu with black fishnet stockings and silver booty shorts. “We’ve been freaking out. I tried texting you all day.”
“Crap,” I exclaim, rushing out of the room. Ashton follows after me. “I forgot my phone in Grant’s car.”
My heart is racing when I reach the foyer, knowing I won’t catch him in time. We snuck back onto campus through the woods along the edge of the lawn since Brendan didn’t have his phone. I completely forgot to check back in with security. And I can’t get trapped on campus for another month. I will lose my mind.
“Lana, what’s going on?” Ashton asks, jogging alongside me as I cut through the Court. “Did you have anything to do with the fire?”
I stumble in my steps.
“Oh shit,” she mutters. “Please tell me you didn’t try to burn Brendan alive.”
“Uh, not me,” I reply evasively.
“Is he okay?” she asks in a panic, reading between my truths.
“He’s alive,” I say without enthusiasm. “But he’s not even close to my favorite person right now. I’d prefer a piece of chewing gum plucked off the sole of a shoe over him.”