Each step he took farther down the line pulled tighter in my chest, but even though it hurt, I watched his progress until he reached the end, lifted his head, and met my gaze.
His onyx eyes bore into mine, his expression unreadable, before he looked to his father on the other side of the room, nodded once, and left Camelot Courtyard.
Izzy whispered beside me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded weakly. Taking one more breath before steeling myself, I turned and faced Merle.
His beady brown eyes scanned the room before finding me.
“The tradition of creating Pledge Paddles is time-honored, and today, you’ll join in the history of Camelot Court. On the table in front of you, you’ll find all the tools you’ll need to decorate your paddle.”
Merle circled the room, explaining as he walked behind each girl the way the Knights had done.
“You can make it fancy or simple, but keep in mind you’ll want to leave space to mark up the paddle as you work through your clues.” Clapping his hands together, he smiled broadly. “Alright, Ladies. You may begin.”
While we worked, Merle continued to circle like a vulture. Occasionally, he perused one of the girls’ paddles, making suggestions I couldn’t wait for him to bring my way.
When he paused behind my workstation, I straightened my spine, keeping my attention on the first girl I laid eyes on.
Vivian watched me from across the room. Half turned away with her hair shielding her face, she was less discreet than she thought. She narrowed her eyes on Merle behind me. Her focus shifted the longer he stood there, torn between him, me, and a spot on the floor.
“Are you happy, Miss Everly?”
His whispered question pulled my attention back to him, and I eyed him over my shoulder, unsure what he’d meant.
“A great family mourns their son today.”
“Ben didn’t survive?”
“No,” he snarled quietly, drawing a gasp from me and similar reactions from the girls closest to me at the table. “Because of your presence here, the Devereaux family’s lives will never be the same. They’ve lost what cannot be replaced.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “A would-be rapist of a son. Excuse me if I’m not heartbroken for them, givenI’mthe most recent girl he attacked.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Merle grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around to face him. “A young mandied,Miss Everly. I understand you lack the proper breeding to grasp this concept, but whatever faults he may have had, now isn’t the time for outlandish and false accusations.”
I stared at where he still gripped my bicep. “Let go of me.”
“Apologize.”
“Absolutely not!” I snapped my eyes to his, incredulous and outraged. As my voice rose, Izzy stepped closer. But every eye in the room was on me and Merle. “Dead or not—Ben Devereaux was a lecherous creep, who overpowered me, forced me into a bedroom, and would’verapedme if I hadn’t been able to defend myself. He admitted to doing it before, admitted he preferred when the girl struggled. Right before he unbuckled his pants.”
Gasps rang out amongst the girls.
Morgan and Angela stepped up beside Izzy, their horrified stares pinned directly on Merle.
“I didn’t lie. And Iwon’tapologize for speaking the truth just because you feel the real tragedy here is a good ol’ Camelot Court family losing their son. Now, let mefuckinggo, Merle!”
“Dad!”
Merle whipped his gaze to the arched entrance of Camelot Courtyard, and I wrenched my arm from his grip. Spinning around, I found Morty Dread staring down his father.
I tore away from Merle, leaving him seething over the latest spectacle between him and me.
As I approached Morty, he flicked his eyes briefly to mine, nodding so slightly I only caught it at close distance.
He pinned his gaze back on his father while I took off down the hall. I had no idea where Kingston and Landon were, but I needed to find one of them.
