“Close. He was supposedly carjacked. The guy who did it dragged him out of the car, beat the living shit out of him, and shot him twice. A bullet in each kneecap.”
“Did he survive?”
“Yes. It seemed like they intentionally kept him alive to watch him suffer,” Jeremiah replied. “And suffer he did. He was a D1 athlete, but with injuries like that… even after you’ve recovered, you’ll never be at the same level again. So he lost everything. His scholarship, sponsorships, his whole future.”
“Basically, if you cross anyone in the Dionysus Club inanyway, things aren’t going to turn out well for you,” Ginny said. “We all grew up hearing that.”
“I’m actually really worried they’re going to recruit my brother,” Jeremiah said. “He’s a great kid. Just started hisfreshman year here. But if they get to him…” He shook his head. “God, I don’t even know what kind of monster he might turn into.”
“Is that why you were yelling at that Julian guy on Sunday?” I asked, brows rising.
His eyes widened. “You heard that?”
“Um… yeah. Sorry.”
Dylan’s eyes were even wider than Jeremiah’s now. “You yelled atJulian Valcourt?” he asked, staring at his boyfriend. “Do you have a death wish or something?”
Jeremiah sighed. “It wasn’t my finest moment, I’ll admit. But I was totally wired that day, and then I ran into him. Then I just snapped, I guess, because I’ve had all this Daniel stuff on my mind for a while now.” He grimaced. “But you’re right. I’ll probably wind up regretting it.”
“Why are you worried about your brother getting recruited?” I asked. “I thought you said they only go after guys from super-rich backgrounds.”
Jeremiah rubbed his neck and sighed. “Daniel’s actually my stepbrother,” he replied. “My parents and I are what most Dionysus Club members probably view as nobodies. But when I was ten, my dad left, and my mom remarried two years later.”
“And somehow, she managed to nab Cliff Northmont,” Cherry blurted out before Jeremiah could continue.
“I’m guessing the Northmonts are one of the old-money families around these parts?”
“Yup. Daniel is Cliff’s son from his previous marriage to Janine Vandenberg. That’s another old-money family. So yeah, I can only assume that he’s prime Dionysus Club material, given that double-barreled background.”
“And they never tried to recruityouwhen you started here?” I asked, tilting my chin. “Given your connection to the Northmont family?”
“No. Like I said, I’m a nobody to them. Doesn’t matter who my stepfather is,” he said, shrugging. “Besides, I’ve never taken a dime from that man. I love Daniel, and I really do consider him to be my brother. But Cliff…” He exhaled through his nose. “I just never got along with him. I really don’t know what my mother sees in him, aside from all the money.”
“Money is enough of a draw for a lot of people,” Cherry said, arching a brow.
“True,” Jeremiah muttered.
“I still can’t believe you attacked Julian Valcourt,” Ginny said to him in an acid tone, shaking her head. “That wasnota good idea.”
“I didn’tattackhim. I just gave him a piece of my mind. And he barely seemed to care,” he replied. “But don’t worry, I won’t be risking it again.”
“I’m assuming the Valcourt family is also part of the secret society?” I cut in, brows rising.
Dylan let out a sardonic laugh. “Oh, honey, they aren’t just part of it. Theyarethe society, if all the stories are true,” he said. “Supposedly, a bunch of men from the Valcourt family were the ones who came up with the idea for it in the first place. Then they convinced the other founders to join them. But they were always the ones in charge.”
“Like we said before, there’s no solid proof of this,” Ginny said. “But a while ago, someone found the original property records for the Dionysus estate in the local library, and it showed that the land and house was owned by the Valcourt family way back in the day. And I sincerely doubt they ever gave it up. That’s proof enough for me.”
“Is the Dionysus estate their headquarters?”
“Bingo.” Cherry arched a brow. “It’s actually really close to here. You know the woods bordering the west side of BHU?”
“Yup.”
“Those woods only stretch out for half a mile, and the Dionysus estate is right on the other side. Of course, it’s all fenced off, so you can’t go in. But you can still see part of it if you go on a quick hike through the woods.”
“Oh, wow.”
There was a pregnant pause, and then Jeremiah leaned forward again. “There’s one thing that wedoknow for sure about the society. And that’s the Selection.”
