CHAPTER NINETEEN
Hannah hated this place.
She’d agreed to help Finn’s friend, but that didn’t mean she had to like being here. The Omega Sigma fraternity house, a massive, antiseptic-looking three-story complex that took up nearly half a block, reeked of stale beer even before she walked in the door.
She glanced over at Finn to see how he was doing. He was sweating and breathing hard. That wasn’t a surprise, considering that the frat house was a half mile walk from the campus apartments, over sometimes hilly paths. He really looked to be struggling, leaning heavily on his cane.
“Give me a minute,” she said, not wanting to embarrass him. “I think I have a pebble in my shoe.”
She took her time removing her sneaker, pretending to find a small rock, and then replacing the shoe and re-lacing it. By the time she stood up again, he seemed to have found his second wind.
Some small part of her wondered why she was even offering him such grace. Even if he didn’t want to, he was kowtowing to his parents’ demands. And only when one of his frat buddies needed help was he willing to cross the line. She swallowed hard, hoping to gulp down her resentment.
“Okay, I’m ready now,” she told him.
Finn nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow as he opened the door. Hannah noted that her initial impression upon seeing the house last fall still held a year later. It looked like it might have once been quite a nice place to live. But it was in rough shape now, with paint peeling off walls that had dents in them and a stairwell that was missing so many balusters that she was worried it might topple over at any moment.
When they stepped inside, it took Hannah a second to regroup. The stench of beer was so pronounced that her eyes started to water a bit. The huge main room looked like it had been hit by a tornado.
One of the four couches was turned on its side. A kiddie pool sitting in the corner was likely responsible, at least in part, for the smell. It was half filled with what appeared to be beer. There were more cans and Solo cups strewn on the floor than she could possibly count.
A half dozen fraternity members sat on the remaining upright couches, watching a football game. She glanced at the screen and saw that the score was close. But the guys looked too hung over to get excited about it.
“We had a party last night,” Finn said.
"I would hope so," Hannah said, "because if this is what it's like on a normal Sunday evening, I weep for all of you. Did you have fun?"
“I didn’t come,” he admitted. “It felt a little ambitious for me at this point. I didn’t want to slip on a slick floor and break a leg before classes even start.”
“Smart move,” she said, taking another step inside. It required a bit of extra effort, as the sticky floor clung to the bottom of her shoe and made an unpleasant squelching sound as it peeled away. “Maybe you would have been fine. The surface is pretty grippy.”
“I doubt it was like that last night,” Finn said. “Shall we go up? I texted Jennings so he’s expecting us.”
“He’s not coming down to greet his guest?” Hannah asked, feigning offense. “What kind of host is he?”
“Hannah, I know you’re not a fan of fraternity life but I’m hoping you can rein in the vitriol just a little when we talk to him. For me?”
“I’ll do the best I can,” she said, following him toward the stairs. The last time she was here, it was to help the basketball player, Reggie. But something told her that Jennings Casterly wasn’t going to end up being the pleasant surprise that his brother was.
They moved slowly up the stairwell, as Finn took periodic pauses to rest. By the time they reached Casterly's door, halfway down the second-floor hallway, it had been a full five minutes. Finn allowed himself another thirty seconds to catch his breath before knocking.
“Who is it?” someone shouted from inside before the door opened and they were face to face with Jennings Casterly. “Just kidding. I knew who it was, although you took your sweet time.”
Hannah gave the guy a once-over. She acknowledged that he was good-looking in a cookie-cutter way. His brown hair was cut short but was somehow still messy. His grin was wide, but with a nastiness to it that she couldn't quite define. He clearly liked to work out, with a barrel chest and muscled, veiny arms. He was dressed in athletic shorts and a gray Omega Sigma t-shirt.
“Jennings, this is Hannah Dorsey,” Finn said. “Hannah, meet Jennings Casterly.”
“Nice to meet you,” Casterly said, extending his hand. “I have to say, you’re hotter than I expected for the collegiate Nancy Drew.”
Hannah dropped the hand she’d started to lift in greeting. She was tempted to just turn around and walk back down the stairs without a word. But that would reflect poorly on Finn and he was having a rough enough go of it already. So she fixed her gaze on Casterly.
“So, let’s get a few things straight,” she said evenly. “My understanding is that you specifically asked for my help because you wanted to keep this low profile and not involve the authorities. Is that right?”
“Yeah,” Casterly said, his hand still hanging in the air.
“Then you need to dial back the asshole factor. Finn put himself on the line coming to me. And I don’t know you or care about you. I’m happy to go back to my apartment and throw on a movie. In fact, I prefer it. So if you want me to stick around, cut out the Big Man on Campus B.S. and the sexist, backhanded compliments. Can you do that?”
“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hands as if in surrender, just as Hannah had done with Finn this morning at his apartment. “I didn’t know you were going to be so sensitive.”
