one
BetaKappa Etasthink power comes from grades and last names. I know it’s from the kind of man you become when nobody expects anything of you.
Ice crunches under my boots as Nicky and I head up the brick path to their fancy house. Not as nice asDelta’s, but it has decorative wooden slats over the windows. And roof shingles dangling like loose teeth. Red and yellow hues strobe through the stained glass, lighting up the night like a carnival.
“If he causes you problems, I’m shooting. Beenwaitingto take that kid out.” Nicky Sorvino,Delta’ssecretary and professional pain in my ass, licks his bottom lip and tugs his nubby wool beanie down over his ears.
“Act cool. It’ll be worse if we show irritation.”
“Don’t know how to hide it around him.”
Luxury cars clutter their driveway, parked haphazardly in front of the carriage house around the back.Carriagehouse. That’s a term I never knew until I started attending Northview University.
With a nod toward a Range Rover humping a log, I say, “Too good to park their hundred-thousand-dollar toys in rows, I suppose.”
“At least it’s not as bad as atTheta Rho Zeta. They have their own fleet of valets for their airplane hangar filled with customs. Have youseentheir president’s new Porsche? Ridiculous.”
My throat tightens.Fucker. Aiden Cardell probably doesn’t even know how to drive it. Not the way a car like that’s begging to be driven.
We tap our boots off on the edge of the red brick porch. Flurries float past the yellow wall lamp.
“God, this place reeks even from the outside,” he says, and I nod in agreement.
“Like onions and Old Spice.”
I rap on the door with a knuckle. Nicky hitches his Carhartt jacket higher as I give him a knowing glance. “There’s a reason we say?—”
“‘Beta Kap, no fap,’” we finish together. Campus gospel for geeks who think not jerking off makes them superior.
The snow melts under our shoes as we wait. Cold blows off the siding, threading its way beneath my coat. I rub my hands together and hit the wood again. The door shudders and the weight of my gun feels imminent. A threat unspoken.
Still no answer—except the bass from a stereo deep inside.
“Think they’re having a party,” Nicky says with an eye roll.
“Then why the fuck did Ayan want me here? I’m missing Thursday Night Football for this. You could have come here alone.”
He shrugs like a man who’s broken better locks. Then tries the door with force.
“You know Ayan. Wants everyone to jump through hoops. Well…” he trails off, and I know what he’s going to say. “Youspecifically.”
My neck grows tight. Fucking Ayan Dutta. The new president ofBetatreats me like his lesser when I’m his equal.
Our only task is to grab aBetaheadcount for the Thriller Thursday Greek event coming up next week. That’s it. A simple email or secretary exchange could have handled it. But no. AyaninsistedI come personally, and he’d have a “talk” with me about the numbers. They have to be even. It’s how the game works.
If the president of the fraternity wants to discuss which of myDelta Pi Alpha’sare attending, then he wants insider info.
He’s playing some angle. I’m not smart enough to spot it. And neither is Nicky.
As we walk in, we’re greeted with high-pitched wailing from large TVs. In the living room, a racing game flashes on the screens in front of a roaring crowd of students, all chanting and shouting randomly. Why they aren’t watching football is beyond me.
On the opposite side of the long hall in front of us is a separate gathering room where some sorority sisters mingle, chatting over red Solo cups. As if this isn’t even a co-ed party.
“Where do we go?” Nicky asks, glancing at theIotawomen with a sneer. “Hopefully notthatway. They can’t even get decent women here.”
No one pays us much attention. A few students enter behind us and aim for the swinging door leading to a kitchen where kegs line the wall.
“Not sure. I’ll head straight to the back. Looks like there’s an office.” Nicky nods as I step away. “Grab me a beer, would you? Or something better.”
