Soren agrees, and we move quickly, leaving the journalism department and closing the door behind us. I take the boards under my arm, making sure the plain wood is showing for the rest of the school. We walk with importance around the halls, and I reserve my meanest face for any student who dares to snicker around Soren. My brother has been through a lot, and this school is a nightmare for him now. Soon, we’ll be out. I’ll convince them all.
We arrive at our exclusive corridor, and instead of going to our apartment, I go straight to Sable’s door. Before we reach it, she and Parker come from the other side. I smile when I lay eyes on her. My body recognizes who I belong to, but she doesn’t look happy.
I’m on alert right away, jogging toward her with Soren at my heels. “What happened?”
“Police,” Parker replies. “They came to question her about Carl Briarwick’s disappearance. That cop is with the four families.”
“What did he say?” Soren wants to know.
“Let’s not talk about this in the open,” Parker says, putting a hand on the small of Sable’s back.
She nods and takes the key from around her neck, but she stops midair with it in her hand. In the place of the ancient Gothic keyhole is a brand new palm scanner.
“What the fuck?” she asks.
“Assholes!” Soren curses.
If this was done for the four families, maybe my hand can open the door. I lay my palm on it, and to no one’s surprise, it doesn’t open. A little sob leaves Sable, and tears spill down her cheeks. We all know this is about so much more than access to the room. Once again, we’re sitting ducks as they take her freedom away. I push the boards against Parker’s chest and separate from our group. My eyes scan every crevice of the hall,trying to find the camera. I want to smash everything. I’m done being a willing puppet for these fuckers. They pissed off the most loyal of the heirs, and now I’m ready to burn everything.
“Oh my God!” Her voice calls me back from my rage, and I turn to find what has her so surprised. Sable’s eyes are fixated on the fifth family’s board, eyes shining from her tears. Her hand covers her mouth, and I glance at each of the other guys, finding them just as confused.
“Do you know something about the fifth family, Sable?” Soren asks softly.
Parker looks down at the board he holds. His face morphs to understanding as his eyes scan the name Colefax at the top. The two of them already understand, while the rest of us are missing something.
“What is it?” I ask them.
“That’s my family.” Sable turns to me, her hands wiping her eyes. “My mother’s family, to be exact.I’mthe fifth heir, and they locked me out of my damn room.”
CHAPTER 66
SABLE
Arms embrace me from behind,bringing me away from the door I was just locked out of. The irony of finding out that the room belongs to me right as someone decided to keep me out of it burns through my entire body. I’m shaking, confused, and cold all over. The guys talk around me, but I can barely understand what they’re saying. My heart pounds, my pulse in my ears louder than their angry murmurs. The hands at my back tug me, leading me down the hall even though my legs don’t want to respond. Finally, I give up fighting them and let them lead me to the twins' room, which is nearest mine.
The door closes behind us, and the atmosphere immediately changes, the anger morphing into a palpable undertone of fear. The hands touching me keep pushing until we reach an armchair. “Sable,” Hadrian says as he presses my shoulders, gently insisting I sit down. “We need you to look at the Colefax family tree so we know what’s happening. That’s what Nina said, and she hasn’t been wrong yet.” Resentment sits thick in his tone as he mentions the woman who very well may be my sister.
I blink twice, shaking my head. “Why would they get rid of the Colefax? Why has the door been closed for so long if my mom was at school here?”
The questions pop into my head one after the other, not even giving me time to pay them each proper attention. The unknowing propels me, leaving me hungry and dissatisfied. Scrambling away from the comfortable seat, my eyes stick to the family trees now lying on the dinner table.
Colefaxsays the top in fancy Gothic letters. Many of the names are familiar to me, giving me further proof that it’s all real. It’s hard to believe that Nina would lead me here, that she knew first, but it all seems terribly real. My mom loved her family very much and liked to tell me about them. Heart beating fast, my fingers trace every name.Georgina Colefax.
“I was named after her,” I tell them about my mom’s great-aunt.
Orion makes a face, likely to point out that my nameisn’tGeorgina.
“Georgina Sable Briarwick,” Parker explains before I get the chance, and I laugh softly.
Of course my stalker knows. Standing in front of it properly, I trace each and every line with my fingers, looking for the pieces of a family I thought I knew pretty well. It’s clear now that all of these people are a mystery to me, including my mother, who is not here. My eyebrows push together, trying to make sense of it. It could mean that this was created before she attended, but she was in her fifties when she died. I’m just not sure.
“How many kids did they have?” Soren asks, pointing at my grandparents.
“Three girls. Mary and Margot were the eldest by a lot. Mom is a miracle baby.”
“Three girls?”
I nod. Soren doesn’t say anything, but he moves to my side, his eyes scan the names. He points at Auntie Georgina and her husband. “What about them?”
