Finally, he takes a long breath. “I can’t,” he answers, and I tentatively rule out the university itself. If it were them, it would be easy enough to pull up the footage proving what I did. If she’s actually as hurt as they say she is, I think it would be well worth it in this situation. They’re so sneaky, though, I can’t entirely rule out the possibility that there’s some benefit I can’t see in keeping it hidden.
“Then I don’t know what you think I can do for you. Am I free to go?” I start to stand.
“Not quite, Miss Briarwick. There’s something else, and this I do believe you should sit down for.”
“Okay,” I say as I sit back down, my chest refilling with genuine anxiety. I truly have no idea what else he could want to talk about, and all of that was just bravado, based on already knowing what he planned to ask me.
“Your Uncle Carl has also been reported missing. Have you heard from him?”
My heart jumps into my throat like it wants to escape more than anything. I don’t take a deep breath or do anything that might reveal my fear. Confusion twists my expression. If I wereactually innocent, a change of topic like that would confuse me. “Uncle Carl travels all the time. They have to be wrong, but no, I haven’t heard from him since the day I left for Bellthorn.”
“You aren’t close?” he asks.
“Are any of us?” I laugh. “My nanny raised me,” I lie. My parents were very hands-on for people of our lifestyle. “I will make an effort to get in touch with him now, though.”
“No one has been able to, Miss Briarwick. His phone has been disconnected, and there haven’t been any sign-ins on any of his accounts that might indicate where he is.”
“Oh my, did he make it for his trip to Andalucia?” I pull the name out of a distant memory. He told me about his planned trip this winter way back in the spring.
“I have no idea. At the moment, the police are treating him as missing and have no leads or suspects. I thought you ought to know.” His words sound innocent enough, but there’s a distinct fakeness to them that feels like table syrup, thick, sticky, far too much. He watches me for a reaction, and I wonder what he’s trying to learn.
“Thanks, I guess,” I say. What’s becoming quickly apparent to me is that the truth doesn’t matter and neither does law enforcement. Whoever holds the purse strings makes the rules, and that’s just the natural order of things. “I’m leaving,” I tell him, not waiting this time for his approval or anything else. I walk out first, and my five guys follow me.
CHAPTER 61
SABLE
The dean’sdisturbing accusations are still loud in my head, and I know I’m not the only one. I look around at all the guys, and it’s obvious that despite the bravado they showed, they never expected to be called out like that. They are the Founders’ heirs. My first month here forced me to accept these five men had complete control over everything and everyone inside this castle. How did that change so quickly? One minute, they are kings, and the next, we need to watch our backs? Soren was right, and it was always a hoax.
“We have always had to watch our backs since we were kids,” Hadrian says as we put some distance between us and the offices. The stone walls might as well have eyes, and apparently, my quiet musings aren’t so quiet. “But this means something bigger is coming.” Fear slithers down my spine at the accusation, and suddenly, the dim lights seem especially sinister.
“We are the heirs,” Lex says with authority. “The four families don’t want their line to end. I’m still not entirely convinced this is them.” He keeps his voice pitched low, looking over his shoulder. I’ve never seen them act this way before, and I wonder if coming here wasn’t a far worse mistake than I ever realized.
“Some of us are just a spare son,” Parker says.
“Still, that’s not how it’s done. There aren’t dead Founders packed under the floorboards,” Lex says.
“That you know of,” I say, realizing all sorts of people can be murderers, and this place has always seemed a little haunted.
“Fucking finally!” Nina interrupts our dooming. She barrels toward us, forcing our entire party to a stop. Her long brown hair is tied up in a loose and falling bun, her light eyes scrub us like she’s searching for something very important. Cold hands take mine, and her anxiety oozes into me.Damn, she looks like shit.
“What happened to you?” I shake my head, wondering where my popcorn-eating friend went.
“Hey! Hands off!” Parker tries to get between Nina and me, but I wave him off.
“Nothing, everything is perfect.” She looks over her shoulder as if she’s trying to see beyond the walls and tugs me forward, making me follow her.
“Leave her alone! What the fuck?” Orion starts, but I wave him off as well.
My eyes are on Nina, and the fear I felt a minute ago doubles when I really take her in. She’s a con artist, a fucking bitch. Whatever has a tough bitch like her shaking is something I’m not ready to face. I follow her to a small passage, the secret tunnel of the east wing. I’m rarely around here now that I made my own schedule, but I’ve followed Orion through this one before. Nina leads me up the stairs and down the hall, and only then does she turn to me, breathless as if we were being chased.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Shit is going down,” she tells me. “You need to go.” She runs her hands through her hair, worsening the state of her bun, but whatever she’s discovered must be huge.
“Go where?” I insist. Isn’t that the whole damn problem, that I have nowhere to go?
“I don’t know! Anywhere but here. It won’t end well, Sable. They fucked the Briarwicks over enough times before, and you think you’re the one who’s going to be able to take them down?” Her eyes redden, and for a moment, I think she might actually cry. Why the hell would she care so much about what happened to my family?
