Angela giggles. “I wager she lost it then. A quickie in the closet to do the deed. Then they could have fucked her all weekend. The real question is which horseman did it first. There’s a bonus for the person who finds out the details.”
“What’s the bonus?” I ask like I’m genuinely interested.
She perks up like I’m going to spill everything. She practically wiggles in her seat. “A hundred dollars. The pot is almost a thousand dollars for whoever guesses everything.”
“Who’s in charge of this betting pool?” I glance over at Harper working on her drawings while Tanner does the same.
“It’s schoolwide, but the guy banking the money is Grant Perkins.”
I have no idea who that is, but I’m sure the guys do.
CHAPTER 51
The Mess Hall
Harper
Tanner leaves as soon as the bell rings. I can breathe easy again, but I hang back to wait for Nico.
“Come on.” Nico jerks his head toward the hallway as he grabs my backpack.
“Nico, wait.” I need him to not tell the others about Tanner.
I catch Nico’s sleeve and tug him to the side of the hallway, out of the main traffic heading to lunch. Students turn to look at us as they walk by.
A muscle in Nico’s jaw ticks as he looks down at me. His eyes are heated. I’m not sure if it’s because of Tanner or because of Angela.
“Promise me you won’t tell the others about Tanner being my art partner.”
He opens his mouth to protest, but I press my fingertips over his lips and plead with him with my eyes. This is important.
“It will only cause trouble, and there’s nothing we can do to change it.” I let him see my worry for Caden and the guys if they do something and it backfires. Tanner is a wealthy guy who has nothing to lose. He’s dangerous.
I might have wanted the guys to back off in the beginning, but I don’t want them to actually get hurt.
“You need to tell me what he said to you.” Nico glances down the hallway, keeping his voice low.
I look down at the floor before meeting his eyes.
“It surprised him the guys told me what happened with Caden’s sister. He’s bitter and wants revenge and will use anyone to get it.” No need to sugarcoat it. “But that also means he wants a fight. He wants the guys to target him. With Caden’s rage, that will only lead to bad things. Let’s deal with this and keep them out of it.”
“Harper—” He shakes his head.
Dammit, I’m losing him. Time to pull out the big gun.
“You and I were best friends long before they came into our lives.” I press my hand over his heart, meeting his dark eyes. A reminder that if he’d stayed, we might have been more, and the horsemen would have never claimed me. We both feel it, but I won’t press that button if I don’t have to. It’s wishful thinking and not realistic. “You owe your loyalty to me as much if not more than to them.”
His hand covers mine on his chest. His gaze softens as he searches mine. Warmth fills me. “If it gets to be too much, I’ll decide when to bring them in.”
That just means I’ll need to keep anything Tanner says to myself or Kenz. This can’t ever get to the others. They promised to protect me, but I can protect them from themselves. Tanner won’t actually do anything to me, so I nod.
“Show me the cafeteria.” He takes my hand and squeezes it before we head down the almost empty hallway.
The cafeteria is packed as we enter hand-in-hand. A silence falls over everyone as we head to where the horsemen sit. The hair stands on the back of my neck from all the eyes on us.
I’m sure the gossip mill has done its job of spreading the arrival of the fifth horsemen. But they might not have caught on that Nico gets all the benefits. Including me.
Their eyes watch, waiting for the blowup, eager to watch my punishment at the hands of the horsemen. My anxiety wells inside me, even though I know nothing will happen. But I’m still nervous as hell in this cafeteria after years of avoiding it.
