Forty-seven hours.
Two club gatherings.
And nothing.
The whole place has dulled to a point where I’m itching to go back to Craven Ridge. Every time I’ve had to return the advance to my students’ parents, I get this dreadful, sinking feeling. A feeling this stupid club war has no end in sight, and I’ll be stuck here forever.
I’ve also stopped messaging Ezra. Given that we’d only been on three dates over the last two months, it seemed like he wouldn’t understand the weird circumstances of my disappearance. I can’t obviously tell him the real reason, so ghosting it is.
Another major change is that it’s Ruin who’s been my guard for the past two days. Ever since Sarah came around, Wolf put Ryder on some top secret task apparently even Ruin doesn’t know anything about.
How do I know this? Because he wouldn’t shut up about it.
It’s almost as though his brain suddenly thinks I’m his best bud, always up for venting and chatting. He barely spoke to me when I was in the club. And now that I’m not, I’m getting a play-by-play on random club whispers.
I mostly remain silent and pretend to focus on my course work. That’s usually my go-to excuse whenever Wolf tries to approach me. Or Ruin gets a little too chatty.
But my semester is ending in less than a week. I’m ahead in all of my assignments, so it’s only a matter of a few days that the excuse will run out.
Then again, I’ll also be able to give my hundred percent to this danger hanging over my head.
The moment I step outside the spare room I’ve been given, I see him. Freshly showered, wearing his VP cut over a black henley. His boots clacking against the limestone flooring as he paces—almost impatiently.
He spins around like he’s been doing it for a while and freezes the moment his gaze lands on me. A lopsided grin taking over his face. I think he’s trying to go for flirty, but it comes off as… boyish.
Now, there are many expressions my face could’ve chosen from. A scowl, a smile, even reluctant amusement. But I couldn’t stop my face from contorting into a confused, almost sneering, grimace. Wiping that almost-smirk right off his face.
He clears his throat, hesitation coming off of him in waves. “I’m uh… can I take you somewhere after breakfast today?”
Another bizarre change. He fumbles all the freaking time.
“Where?” I ask absently, stepping into the hallway as I turn and lock my temporary room.
He’s been doing that a lot. Since I can’t step out of the club grounds, he arranges for us to visit different places within the massive compound, pointing enthusiastically at the changes they’ve made in the last two years. It’s a shame there aren’t many good sunset spots nearby.
“It’s a surprise,” he says.
But I jump because I notice he has stepped closer. His voice—rough and gravelly—is directly behind my ear. Not too close he’s invading my space, but enough to make me flinch.
I hear his boots scrape as he takes a step back.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
Another change, he apologizes at the drop of a hat.
My eyes narrow as I cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t want surprises. Tell me the location and the purpose, and I’ll think about it.”
He raises his brows at my clipped tone, slowly dragging his hand over his beardless jaw like he’s recalibrating.
“It’s just a cottage-style house,” he says carefully. “It was an empty lot when you left. Now it’s fenced in. Built out. It’s a nice house.”
“Okay,” I drawl. “And why am I being shown a random house?”
There it is. That flicker in his expression. Hesitation. Almost nerves. And I think I know what’s coming.
“It’s yours,” he says finally. “Wolf transferred the title to you.”
I have to physically stop myself from rolling my eyes. Yesterday, it was an email about a ‘trust fund’ I didn’t know existed. Today, it’s real estate.
