I can’t let that happen.
A muffled buzzing hits the shell of my ear. My phone.
I’m tempted to ignore it, my frazzled nerves making me jittery.
The buzzing doesn’t stop, and my sister bends over to retrieve the device from where I left it in my clutch purse last night. Her face blanches when she sees the screen. “It’s your mom.”
My heart freefalls with a clang into my feet. I cannot talk to my mom right now. She’ll know the second she hears my voice that something is wrong. But if I don’t answer… She’d be arriving at the school as quickly as it takes to dress and put on her makeup-free makeup look.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I take a deep breath. When I put out a hand, Adrienne drops the phone into my palm. My eyes snap open. “Here I go. Hi, Mom.”
“Charlotte! How dare you keep me waiting when something so horrible has happened. I was afraid something had happened to you too. First Na, and now that cute young professor. Are you and your siblings all right? Want me to send a car for you?”
I wince at her words. If she only knew what Professor Rook was really like. Steeling myself, I go into damage control mode. “We’re fine, Mom. Adrienne is right here with me. You don’t have to send a car.”
Adrienne’s eyebrows wing upward.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to think about that school. When your father talked me into enrolling the both of you, he assured me that you’d get a first-rate education. That you’d be safe. What with his political aspirations on the horizon, I agreed. But now…” My mom goes on as if she didn’t even hear me a minute ago. She’s so wound up, it might be that my words aren’t penetrating her scared mom adrenaline haze. “It’s a good thing you three were still with us at dinner, far away from that mess. That reminds me. You didn’t say goodbye before you left. What time was that, exactly?”
My throat goes dry. “Um, you’re right. We were definitely still at the event when the professor was… hurt. I don’t know what time exactly.” Great. Now I’m a murderer and a liar.
Adrienne’s eyes narrow. I can almost see the wheels turning in her brain, as if she’s trying to figure out what time it was when I left the event. I’m banking on her preoccupation with Mikhail making it impossible. I do not want to have to explain to her what happened.
One look into those wide doe eyes of hers and I’d be marching my cute little butt into the police station to confess.
Mom’s voice lowers an octave. “I missed you. Say goodbye next time. And be careful. I swear, if anyone else gets hurt I’m pulling all three of you out and hiring a private tutor. No amount of prestige is worth your safety. Are you sure you’re all right? You’re not just putting on a brave face?”
My teeth grind together. That’s exactly what I’m doing.
“We’re fine. Really. If we need anything, we’ll call you. Okay?”
Her hesitation rings through the line. She’s going to pull us out, right now.
I’m formulating arguments, gearing up for a battle of logic, when she relents. After five more minutes of reassurances, from me to her, she ends the call.
“She sounded pretty worried.” Adrienne pulls her gaze away from the scene outside to meet my eyes.
“She’ll calm down.” I hope. But I can’t worry about that now. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.
Swallowing, I choose a course of action. Professor Rook was not a nice guy. He sold drugs to a bunch of his students, and he was probably sleeping with some of them too. His death isn’t a huge loss for our school, or our society at large. In fact, his death is kind of like accidental justice. An act of God, if you will. I didn’t mean to kill him—didn’t even see him, in fact—but I did everyone a favor. Now he won’t be around to prey on more impressionable teenagers. Not that I’m impressionable. I’m definitely not. But still.
Yeah, that’s it. It was justice. Inadvertent, but effective.
A slow exhale loosens the space in my chest. I flash my best smile at my sister. “Why don’t you go on down to breakfast? I’ll meet you there as soon as I’m dressed.”
Adrienne watches me for a minute, clearly doubtful, but nods. “Okay, so I’ll see you downstairs?”
“I’ll be down in a bit.”
I hide behind my door and peek around it as Adrienne swings it wide. I’m still not willing to risk anyone else seeing me in my pilly robe.
Mikhail is standing in the hallway waiting for my sister. She smiles up at him, and he does the same before his eyes flick to me. “Are you all right, Miss Cavendish-Holt?”
I pull my robe tighter around my neck. “Really? How many times do I have to ask you—” I cut myself off when I see the glint of amusement in his eyes. He’s just calling me that to get a rise out of me. We’ve trod that ground enough that he knows I prefer to be called by my first name.
Mikhail’s low chuckle confirms my suspicions.
“You’re impossible.”
Catching the slight upturn of my mouth, Mikhail’s face flashes a hint of a smile. “It is not the first time you have said that to me.”
“Probably won’t be the last, either. Go on. I’ll catch up.”
Adrienne meets my determined look with a nod.
Seemingly satisfied, they leave, with Mikhail putting a hand on the small of Adrienne’s back.
I close the door behind them, shaking my head. They are super cute together, but if they aren’t careful, they’ll be fodder for school gossip for weeks. Frankly, I was floored when Adrienne confessed they intended to date and Daddy actually agreed. Mikhail’s military general father must be more important than I realized, or there’s no way Daddy would allow it.
I peek out the window again, checking the progress of the investigation in the street. That section of pavement is roped off, but the markers have been removed. In the parking lot, several police officers are talking near their vehicles, but at the wave of a third officer, the crowd begins to disperse.
They thread through the lot, passing by Cal’s car.
Cal’s car.
My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I press my face to the window, trying in vain to get a look at the front of my brother’s car.
If I hit Professor Rook, there’s probably blood and guts on the front of it. My stomach lurches again, and I press my hand to my abdomen to will it to stop.
If anyone sees it…
Panic rises in my chest as I scramble to get dressed, checking out the window every few seconds. The police are standing two rows over from where Cal’s car is parked, but if they decide to check the cars in the lot, they’ll see it.
Crap.
I pull a thick, cable-knit sweater dress over my head, add fleece-lined leggings, and thick socks before shoving my feet into my chunky, vegan leather boots. Ordinarily I’d relish this last day of apparel freedom before I’m required to don my uniform, but I’m too rushed to enjoy the sensation of the soft fabric against my skin.
I slide one of my signature thin metallic headbands into my blond hair; the pressure behind my ears helps me focus. Grabbing my purse, I bolt toward the stairs. I pass another of my would-be nemeses, Gul Abidi, on the way down. Daughter of the Pakistani ambassador, she’s talking to Grady Houser, the son of one of the senators from Texas.