Once he’s occupied again, pouring water back and forth from one cup to another, Echo turns to face us. “That’s great, I guess.” She glances at Chase. “Not that I’d be staying there, right?”
I think she’s referring to living with us at SIN, but she could just as easily be referring to remaining home with Chase. The problem being that we can’t all stay here for the entire year. And I can’t imagine any of us wanting to be without her. Returning my focus to my phone, I open my texts. The first one, is indeed from the dean.
Sigma Iota Nu has reopened.
Please return at your convenience.
Picking up my bottle of water, I take a long swallow. I guess we’ll go back, but I’m in no damn hurry. I can bet Beckham feels the same, especially since his belongings are caught up in the murder room. I shift my gaze back to my phone screen and click into the next message. Fuck me. I can practically feel my blood pressure begin to rise. It’s Brian. What the hell does this prick want? I grit my teeth. Tell me he doesn’t know where River is. I turn and glance up to the window I think is Davis’s room.I’m worried about her. Drawing in a careful breath, I turn back toward the happy toddler noises and splashing water. The sound of my friends talking about what we should have for dinner. Everything grows hazy as my face heats. He knows I have River with me. And I’m going to have to break that news to her. The thought of it makes me want to hurl.
I found out something interesting today.
Bet you’re going to want to know about it.
Or maybe not.
Any guesses what it is?
I glance at the time stamp, realizing that somewhere out there, this bastard is on the other end of a phone, goading me. I hastily hammer out a response.
No, Bri, why would I?
Fucker hates when I call him Bri, therefore I do it as much as I possibly can.
Oh, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.
I fucking don’t.
I’ll give you a hint.
I looked into your father’s death.
The tests on his blood?
They were mishandled.
We’ll never know what happened.
My palms sweat as I stare blankly ahead of me, waiting for my phone to vibrate again, and at the same time hoping it never does.
I believe we do know what happened.
And I know what you used to do it.
My blood runs cold. The vial that was given to me with my first Sin Keeper card. I’m not stupid. I knew what sort of thing was likely in it.
Flashes of memories roll through my mind. My head spins with it, ears buzzing incessantly like I’m surrounded by a swarm of bees. The roar of a crowd on the television set. The clink of ice in his glass. A belligerent shout at players running around on the screen. My palms clammy with confusion. Sweat pouring down my back as I waited. Waited. Waited.
I blink hard, clearing my vision of the horrific recollections of what seems like another lifetime. Inhaling through my nose, I lower my gaze as my heart pounds a furious beat, my eyes locking on the screen again as other messages pop up. My heart lodges in my throat, and I have a death grip on my phone.
And you want to know what’s really interesting?
The couple who was killed at your frat...
They each had a drug in their system.
The toxicology reports were enlightening.
Each second passes in a ridiculous, agonizingly slow manner. My throat grows thick, like there’s something expanding inside, but there’s no way to swallow it down, no getting rid of it. It’s permanently lodged there while I wait for Brian to confirm what I’m already certain he knows.
