by Sofia Daniel
Henry wrapped both arms around Blake’s middle and hauled him into his seat. “Don’t do it.”
Blake twisted himself around in Henry’s grip and met his eyes. “But you should have seen—”
“I know,” he said in a soft, soothing tone. “But hitting Charlotte isn’t the answer.”
Her eyes roved over the pair. “You’re a couple.” Wonder filled her voice. “Those pictures weren’t a drunken one-off. You love each other!”
“Don’t change the subject.” I kicked her in the shin, making her shriek. “Where’s Mr. Carbuncle hiding?”
She clamped her lips together.
“Right.” I slammed my fist into my palm. “When I’ve finished with you, someone else will have to pay for a new nose job, because you’ll look like Coates.”
Edward placed a hand on my arm. “Emil—”
“Don’t stop me.” I shook him off. “If Fredrickson hadn’t been there with the gun, Mr. Carbuncle would have raped and murdered me by now.”
His hand dropped away. Because he knew I was right.
The limo sped along the freeway, and the roar of the air conditioning matched the roar of blood between my ears. Charlotte was the queen of setting people up. If she had done it to her brother, I had no doubt that she was the driver behind Mr. Carbuncle’s latest attack. If she didn’t give us something, I would take out all my anger on her face and see how Rudolph liked her the next time he wanted an online booty call.
Ducking her head, Charlotte clapped both hands over her nose. “I don’t know where he is,” she wailed. “I swear on my brother’s life.”
“Considering you got him embroiled in an abduction plot where he would take the fall, I doubt that you value his anything,” muttered Blake.
She raised her head to reveal tear-streaked, hazel eyes. “He lives with his mother in Estermere village. A-a-and I have his number.”
“Where’s his basement?” I pictured an abandoned bunker, deep underground. The type psychopaths and serial killers converted into their lairs.
“At his mother’s house,” she snapped. “Where else?”
Leaning forward, Edward held out his hand. “I suggest you give me Mr. Carbuncle’s phone number and his mother’s address.”
Charlotte reached into the pocket of her blazer and then hesitated.
“It looks like you want the National Health Service to perform your facial reconstructive surgery,” Blake muttered.
With a pout, Charlotte pulled out her smartphone. “I suppose you want his mother’s phone number, too?”
“I’ll take it myself,” said Edward.
She handed it to Edward.
“Security code?”
“Six-six-sixty-nine.”
“Typical,” muttered Blake.
Edward tapped the security code and texted the numbers onto his own phone. After pressing the home button, he swiped through the screens and looked through her apps. “Is that all the information you have on Carbuncle?”
“Yes.”
Blake sneered. “Where do you meet him to get your pussy licked?”
“Blake!” she screeched.
“You have to be getting it somewhere.”
Her face twisted with faux-disgust. “Like you’re getting it from Henry?”
He smirked. “And Emilia.”
“Answer his question,” said Edward. “Where are you meeting him for trysts?”
Charlotte’s lips pressed together in a tight line. If she hadn’t been in the limo that was doing seventy miles per hour on the freeway, she would probably have stormed out with her nose in the air. I’d seen her do it every time she had felt cornered in the dining hall. But she was trapped without her doppelgängers and without her rugby boys for moral support. And I was furious enough to break her nose. And this time, I wouldn’t need a hockey stick.
After several tense moments, her shoulders fell. “He still has his key to the caretaker’s lodge.”
“Thank you.” Edward slipped the phone into his pocket.
“That’s mine,” she screeched. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t arrange any more attacks.”
A huge breath of relief whooshed out of my lungs. With Charlotte unable to contact Mr. Carbuncle, a layer of stress fell off my shoulders. I wasn’t completely safe by any measure, but at least the former caretaker wouldn’t have the advantage of advance knowledge of my whereabouts.
The best part of having Charlotte’s phone was that we could now impersonate her and lure Mr. Carbuncle out of his hiding-place. I thanked Rudolph for teaching me that sneaky trick.
It was late evening by the time we reached Mercia Academy, and a warm, forest-scented breeze meandered around the campus, carrying with it the faint scent of wildflowers. Charlotte stormed into Elder House, presumably to sulk about her confiscated phone, and we walked across the lawn for a change in scenery. As it was dinnertime, only a few people strolled around the campus.
As we approached the music block, the scent of lavender filled the warm, evening air and instantly calmed my frayed nerves. Henry placed an arm around my shoulder, while Blake and Edward strolled at my side. I almost wished Mr. Carbuncle would ambush me here with the triumvirate around me. The three boys would give him a pummeling he would never forget.
The garden behind the music block was a riot of fragrances and colors. Pink roses, orange echinacea flowers, and ornamental onion grew among the lavender shrubs. We walked along the meandering gravel path crunching stones underfoot.
Blake rubbed his chin. “We should pay Carbuncle’s mother a visit and see if he’s hiding in the basement.”
“The police will have visited his family home to check on his whereabouts,” said Edward. “Carbuncle is probably sleeping in his pickup truck.”
“Are there lots of places he could hide it?” I asked.
“Countless,” replied Edward. “The entire South Downs is larger than the entire landmass of Greater London, and there are numerous farms, estates, garages, and warehouses where he could hide. The only way to catch him is by luring him out.”
“Or taking something he considers precious,” said Blake.
My brows drew together. “The only thing he seemed to value was his job.”
Edward sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “All those bribes we paid him over the years to facilitate our pranks. He probably has the funds to do anything.”
There wasn’t much I could say to a statement like that, considering I had suffered the brunt of some of those pranks in my first term. Blowing out a long breath, I stared ahead at a drinking fountain styled to look like a cast-iron podium and tried to think of something else.
Live-in staff at Mercia Academy, such as caretakers and housemasters, were given food and accommodation. Anyone with a frugal mindset could save most of their salary. If they took bribes or sold illicit items to students, they could amass a tidy sum. In addition to whatever nest-egg Mr. Carbuncle might have accumulated, he was probably taking bribes from Philippe. I couldn’t think of any other reason why he came after me a second time.
Turning to Blake, I said, “Do you have any ideas for what Mr. Carbuncle might value?”
He raised a shoulder. “Let’s visit his mother’s home and work out if he kept anything of worth there.”
“Tomorrow,” said Edward. “We’ve already missed all our afternoon classes. Even with the end of term so close, we can’t afford to fall too behind.”
The next morning at breakfast, Charlotte approached us, her eyes red-rimmed. She turned her body to Henry, who pretended he couldn’t see her. I stiffened. At any minute, she would get frustrated at his lack of attention and lash out at me.
“What now?” asked Blake, his voice weary.
“Did I get any messages on my phone?”
“I turned it off,” replied Edward. “Why?”
“Mother sent me an email.” Her voice shook. “Peter has been attacked in prison. I-it’s really bad.”
I
sucked in a breath through my teeth. “Is he alright?”
People from other tables turned to stare, and a hush spread across the dining hall. It seemed like everyone wanted to listen to Charlotte’s latest news.
When she didn’t answer, my intestines twisted into tight knots. I resented him for getting involved in that kidnapping plot, but I wouldn’t wish a brutal beating on anyone. “Do you have any news on his condition?”
“Do you think Rudolph arranged it?” whispered Henry.
“It’s an uncanny coincidence,” added Blake.
I leaned forward, trying to catch her eye. “Is he in a regular hospital?”
“What do you care?” she spat.
My shoulders dropped. “Sorry for asking.”
“What happened?” asked Edward.
She shook her head. “Nobody knows. The guards found him last night half-battered to death.” Then her gaze landed on me. “If you had stayed in your own country, none of this would have happened.”
The words struck like a punch to the gut. There was a grain of truth in what she said, but she was wrong. If it was anyone else, I would have let the comment slide, but Charlotte was no stranger to arranging violent ambushes.
Straightening, I met her square in the eye. “You chose to drag your brother into this. What did you think would happen to him when I got released?”
A tiny voice in the back of my head, combined with the defiance in her eyes, said that she hadn’t expected me to leave that apartment alive. I pushed away those thoughts. As long as I stayed with the boys, no one else could hurt me.
Charlotte sniffed. “And my agent emailed to say the newspapers withdrew their offers.”
“There’s the answer to your mystery,” said Blake.
She tilted her head to the side. “What are you talking about?”
“You went behind our backs and decided to use the videos for yourself. What if Rudolph bribed your agent to bury the footage? Your agent was only ever going to receive a percentage of what the papers would give you. Rudolph could have made him a better offer and decided to teach you a lesson through your brother.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “Are you saying I was the cause of what happened to Peter?”
I turned and slashed my hand over my throat in the universal sight to say cut it out, but Blake continued speaking. “Rudolph knows someone is out to get him. Because you took that footage to an agent, all evidence points toward you.”
She turned to Edward. “This is all your fault.”
“Do elaborate,” he drawled.
“You told me to pull down the cameras.”
“And you knew those cameras were linked to the Saturday Correspondent.” He glanced up. “Did you think you were the exception to Rudolph’s wrath?”
From the way she winced, I wondered if she had believed she was special to Rudolph.
“You four are making me look stupid.”
Henry’s head shot up, and he gave her a ‘who, me?’ look. He hadn’t said a single thing, but Charlotte blamed him all the same.
Slumping in my seat, I placed my fork on my plate of summer fruits and Belgian waffles. Watching Charlotte rant just made me tired. Everything was backfiring on her, and she was spiraling out of control. Although she had made me feel like that at the gauntlet and when she had arranged for my abduction, I couldn’t feel much pity for her.
“What did I ever do to you?” she hissed at me.
“If you have to ask, I can’t explain,” I replied.
“You’re a bitch.” She balled her fists and raised her voice, so even the kitchen staff could hear. “If I ever get the chance, I’ll repay you five-fold for what you’ve done!”
“Look in the mirror, Charlotte,” said Blake. “You might see the real culprit within your blinkers.”
“Ten-fold!” she stormed out of the dining room with her ponytail flying.
I rested my chin in my hand and sighed. Would Charlotte’s brother change his mind about implicating Philippe or would the prison beating serve as ample warning not to involve Rudolph or his assistant?
Chapter 14
The next morning, as we walked through the dining room’s double doors, Rita sat straighter in her seat and raised her hand in a wave. Warmth spread through my chest. Ever since I had moved out of our shared room, we hadn’t had a chance to chat. She spent most of her time in Hawthorne House with her boyfriend, and I had my hands full with all the drama unfolding in my life. With a smile, I waved back and turned to Henry. “I think Rita wants to tell me something.”
“I’ll come with you,” he replied.
“No need,” I said, “Unless there’s another entrance to the dining hall I haven’t noticed.”
“The kitchens,” said Blake and Henry at the same time.
“Ah.” I looped my arm around Henry’s bicep. “Then we’ll go together.”
As Blake took his seat at the middle table set up with special china and silverware, Henry and I continued across the room. A few people, mostly those who had been at the gauntlet, raised their heads to stare but didn’t comment. I kept my gaze off them and continued toward the table Rita shared with the other scholarship students.
“Emilia?” Alice beckoned me over as I passed. She sat opposite Duncan, who had his usual pile of papers next to his plate. Excitement filled her face, and she bounced on her seat. Whatever she was about to share would be good.
As soon as I paused, Alice blurted out, “Did you hear? The Port of London Authority has shut down the boat company because of Charlotte’s booze cruise.”
I frowned. “Don’t tell me they’re getting the blame for the doctored cocktails?”
“A few of the parents have decided to go after the company since it had a duty of care to their passengers to provide potable drinks.”
“Oh, no.” I turned to Henry.
“Do the parents know what really happened?” he asked.
“It’s hearsay.” Duncan shrugged. “Charlotte’s denying everything, of course. No one actually saw her do it. Now, she’s telling everyone that someone else named Philippe organized the cruise and absconded with the money.”
Irritation flared through my insides. An entire company with boats and employees and other obligations would have to close down because Charlotte couldn’t admit the truth. She could even have blamed the poisoning on Philippe to protect the innocent company, but she chose to let an innocent party get the blame. Someone in a nearby table snorted with laughter, adding to my foul mood. It just reminded me of Charlotte not taking what she had done to the girls, and now the boat company, seriously.
Pursing my lips, I tamped down the anger simmering in my belly. It looked like Charlotte would get away with drugging all those girls the same way she got away with leading me into that trap.
“Thanks for letting me know.” My words came out strained. “I hope the doctored cocktail didn’t interfere with your course of antibiotics.”
Alice let out a weary sigh. “I’m fine. It’s just so unfair that the most she’s suffering is a mild snubbing. By next year, everyone but the affected girls would have forgotten about the booze cruise, and she’ll think of another way to regain her popularity.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I said before heading over to Rita’s table. There wasn’t much else to say with people at the surrounding tables eavesdropping. “See you later.”
Rita sat with the usual group of scholarship students. She stood and met me halfway. Her gaze darted to Henry, but the sight of him at my side didn’t change her pleasant expression. I suppose his easy-going personality made him the least threatening of the triumvirate.
I walked around and wrapped my arms around her narrow shoulders. “Hey, Rita. It’s been so long.”
Her hug was a tight squeeze of the arms and not the usual relaxed embrace. I drew back and stared into huge, deep brown eyes ringed with dark circles. Two lines appeared between her brows, and tension tightened her features.
“What’s wrong?” I
whispered.
Rita gulped. “I heard some noises outside last night and looked out of the window. At first, I thought it might have been someone from Hawthorne House, but I saw a large man prowling around the building, trying to force his way in.”
My stomach dropped. “Do you think it might have been—”
“I don’t know,” she blurted as if the word Carbuncle was too horrific to hear. “But I called campus security, and four officers came right away. They stayed for ages with dogs and torches. Then the dogs led two of the handlers away toward the back of the building.”
“In the direction of his lodge,” said Henry.
I glanced up into his concerned features, framed by a halo of golden hair. “What else?”
“Campus security called me back.” Rita rubbed at her heart, making me wonder if she had gotten any sleep after seeing that prowler. “They assured me that whoever had been there had left and said I probably shouldn’t look out of the windows at night.”
“Seriously?” asked Henry, his voice flat.
“That doesn’t sound promising at all,” I muttered.
The muscles in Henry’s jaw tightened. “They should have called the fucking police!”
Rita flinched, and I stepped in front of Henry and placed an arm on her shoulder. “Thanks so much for telling me. You might want to sleep in Hawthorn House from now on. If he was outside your window, he was probably looking for me.”
“T-that’s what I thought,” she whispered. “I won’t sleep another night in that room. But you need to be careful, too.”
A sigh slid from my nostrils. “Thanks, Rita. And I’m sorry that this business with him is affecting you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a tight squeeze. “Take care of yourself, and don’t wander around on your own.”
I trudged back to our table, my aching heart sinking to my stomach. It was obvious that Mr. Carbuncle would strike again, but I never thought he would resort to breaking into Elder House at night. Henry wrapped a comforting arm around my middle, lending me his warmth and protection. My muscles relaxed at his touch, but the thought of Mr. Carbuncle returning to finish what he had started rolled around my head like a millstone and ground the last of my peace of mind to dust.