“That was insanely dangerous!” I hiss to Lucca, “What the fuck were Mariya and Tati thinking?”
“They were taking your lead,” he points out as we sort through one of the weapon stashes on our list. Professor MacTavish has everyone in the Leader’s division checking the weapon caches placed all over campus, making sure the inventory is accurate and everything is in working order.
The caches are not all in comfortable locations. We’re crouched in one of Larry the gardener’s tool sheds. The weapons are hidden behind a sliding door and while the inventory is dry and clean, the shed is damp and the wind is tearing through the cracks in the wood.
When they’d told us about confronting Jamilla and Günter earlier, I’m pretty sure I burst a blood vessel in my eye. I nowknow what it means to be so mad you’re “seeing red.” When the two joined us for breakfast, there was a lot of staring, our friends were startled, but Willow and Meiying both offered them a chair.
Lucca groans, “My phone’s vibrating, watch the door.” He pulls it out of his jacket.“Stanno tutti bene Giovanni?Is everyone all right?”
“SÌ,”It’s Don Giovanni, Lucca’s oldest brother. I can hear the strain in his voice when he speaks to the Don. “We’re more worried about you,” Giovanni says, “I’ve been in contact with Alexi and Maksim, and we are thinking it might be wise to fly a team to the island. We can keep watch from Kilronan Village, but from everything you’ve reported, it feels like this is ready to blow apart.”
“We’re more concerned with who else might be flying in,” Lucca says. He’s stiff and uncomfortable, I know he’s still working through their estrangement.
“Don Giovanni? Kon here,” I said, “Professor Fukumoto said something interesting in the Leader’s meeting yesterday. The problem is while every family is expected to come to defend the Academy, that means you have highly volatile organizations here. All together.”
“Heavily armed,” Lucca adds.
“I see the problem,” Giovanni says. “I’ll send in a couple of men for surveillance, and keep the team on one of the other islands, ready to go but out of sight.”
“That should avoid tipping off whoever’s behind this,” Lucca agrees.
“Are you all right, brother? Is Tatiana safe?” I hear the strain in Giovanni’s voice, too. He wants to make things right. All the Toscano men are proud and stubborn.
“We’re fine,” Lucca said, “we’re finding our allies, and…” he hesitates, “uncovering those who are not.”
“I’m sorry,” Giovanni says, and I can tell he means it. “This is a hard thing to face.”
“We have to go, someone’s walking close to us,” Lucca lies.
“Understood,” his brother says. “Keep in contact.”
“Of course.” Lucca turns the phone off, slipping it back into his jacket. “Hand me the inventory list,” he said, his jaw tight.
Night falls earlier than ever with an oppressive cloud cover over the campus. The dining hall is packed since the Dean suspended room service, but it’s uncomfortably quiet.
“How’s everyone doing?” Mariya asks, her exhaustion clear.
“Professor Zimmerman suspended sparring after one of the juniors ‘accidentally’ stabbed a freshman,” Willow grumbled, “it was lucky it was a practice knife, the flaming galah.”
“What’s a galah?” Meiying asks.
“Stupidest fuckin’ bird in Australia,” Willow said, “constantly flying into windows and knocking itself out.” She looked around the table. “Where’s Liam? Has anyone seen him today?”
“Knowing Professor MacTavish, he’s probably been sent halfway around the island to do something horrible,” Lucca lies smoothly.
Despite Mariya’s attempts to keep the conversation going, the table goes quiet, we’re all checking the rest of the room and barely eating. Just like all the other students are doing.
That’s why I hear the faint‘thump-thump-thump’of helicopter blades before an explosion tears half the Dean’s building apart.
Chapter Thirty-Two
In which everything goes straight to hell.
American Idiot - Green Day
Konstantin…
I’ve been expecting this, we all have.
