by Ruby Vincent
Reluctantly, I closed the door on the cute scene.
Our living arrangements left me with my pick of bathrooms to shower in. I went with Ezra’s since I stashed our costumes in there the day before.
I left a trail of clothes on the way to the shower. Hot, billowing steam escaped its confines, seeking me. I stepped into the spray and moaned unashamedly. The water beat on kinks I didn’t know I had. I danced under the showerhead, soaping my body and indulging a rare moment to myself.
Voices reached me through the open door.
“—put them in here.”
That was Ezra. There were only three possible people he could be talking to.
I shut off the water and stuck my hand past the shower curtain for my towel. I dried myself off and then wrapped my towel around my head. I padded out of the bathroom not wearing a stitch.
Ezra and all three possible people looked up as I came in. They stood around the bed; my costume picks laid out before them.
“What the hell is this?” Ryder started.
“Don’t you like it?” I picked one costume off the pile and held it up to him. “A vampire for my dark, brooding love.”
“What’s with this brooding shit? I don’t brood.” Ryder plucked it from my fingers. He glared at the dark suit and bloodred cape. “Are you going to throw glitter on me next?”
“And which one is supposed to be mine?” asked Jaxson.
Beaming, I handed him his costume. “You’re the teddy bear.”
Jaxson’s face did not mirror mine as he gazed at the furry bodysuit. “Because...?”
“Because you’re my sweet, cuddly, goofy Jaxson.”
“That makes me the mob boss,” Ezra spoke up. “Any particular reason why?”
I shrugged. “I like how you look in a suit. Plus, you'll have your hair slicked back, shiny shoes, a devilish hat, and suspenders. You’re going to look hot.”
“He gets hot and I get oversized children’s toy?” Jaxson asked.
Maverick reached for the last one. “So, this means I’m Aladdin?” He locked eyes with me. “Is it because I’m brown?”
“Maverick!”
I swung at him. He skipped out of reach of my swat, laughing away.
“Full disclosure,” I said. “It’s because I look for any excuse to get you shirtless.”
The boys shared a look. A silent communication passed between them in a language not even I could translate. The next thing I knew, my choices were changing hands.
“Guys,” I cried.
“Sorry, baby.” Jaxson didn’t sound sorry at all. “The mob boss is all me.”
Ezra held up his new outfit. “I was thinking of going as a vampire anyway.”
“I’ll dig up last year's costume,” Ryder threw in.
I folded my arms, inadvertently pushing up my breasts. Four pairs of eyes immediately flicked off my face.
“Who is going to be the teddy bear? It won’t fit Maverick.”
“You’re going to be the teddy bear.” Ryder thrust the suit at me. “Yours shows too much ass anyway.”
“It does not,” I protested. “I’m Tinker Bell. I brought light, love, and magic into your lives.” I smiled at my bulky love. “Will you be Aladdin? Please?”
Grinning, Maverick shook his head. “No chance, Val. I only get shirtless for you.” He hooked my crossed arms and pulled me in. “I’ll wear my football uniform,” he whispered. “You like me in that too.”
Maverick tilted my head back and brushed his nose against mine. I shivered as he stroked the small of my back.
“Wear the Aladdin costume for me after the party.”
A growl rumbled the back of his throat. “I’ll wear it for you right now.” He didn’t look away from me. “Guys, get out.”
“What do you mean, ‘get out’? This is my room,” Ezra reminded.
“All of you, get out,” I said, amused. “I have to get dressed. I’m expected at the Sally house to help with the food.”
It took wheedling and the promise of an obscene amount of sexual favors, but I got them out of the room and changed into my Tinker Bell costume.
Ezra was waiting for me when I came out.
“I’ll take you,” he offered. “I’ll find something to do at the Sam house. They must need help.”
“Perfect.” I linked my arm through his. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about Brian. Have you guys patched things up?”
“No. The asshole still hasn’t apologized.”
“You should talk to him. He could leave any day now. You don’t want him to go before you make up.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time he took off while we were pissed at each other. We’re brothers. We figure it out eventually.”
I let it drop. I was sure Ezra was right. They would figure things out in their own time.
We hopped in his car and drove to Greek Row. Turning onto our street, we were met with a surprising—and somehow typical—sight.
“Wow,” I said. “Is it me or does that look like Halloween decorations?”
“It’s not just you.”
We expected to see two houses decked out in Halloween gear. What we found were six houses covered in cobwebs, jack-o'-lanterns on the porches and skeletons hanging from the trees. The houses that were bare had coeds in costumes outside changing that fact.
“It seems all of Greek Row is having a Close Enough party,” I said.
“Then the street is going to be packed. I’ll tell the guys to come in one car.”
Ezra pulled up behind a black van and killed the engine. He sent me on while he called the guys.
Despite the other Greeks’ attempt to copy us, the Sams and Sallys proved the original was always better. In the few hours I’d been gone, witches’ hats had appeared in the trees. On both lawns, a huge bubbling cauldron billowed greenish smoke. A makeshift cemetery sprouted between our houses, complete with skeletons clawing their way out of their ground.
It was perfect and it wasn’t finished yet. I waved to the girls putting out the decorations. They were all dressed as witches.
“Reagan, did I miss something?”
She smirked. “Sorry, pledge. Only the sisters were in on this one. But your Tinker Bell costume is super cute.”
I thanked her and went inside. My nose led me to the kitchen, where the cooking was underway. Speakers bumped in the corner, enticing the girls to wiggle around the kitchen while they chopped the vegetables, mixed the cake, and deviled the eggs.
“Val,” Patricia greeted. She was the perfect mix of adorable and sexy in her black, floor-length witch outfit. “Right on time. You can help Blair with the jalapeño poppers.”
She pointed to Blair’s mummy-making station in the breakfast nook. She was seated, gloves on, and ingredients in front of her. I glanced at my watch.
A half an hour earlier than Leighton told us to be here. This girl is committed.
“Nice costume,” I said as I sat down.
“Thanks. What a coincidence I decided to be a witch too.”
I had a feeling there was nothing coincidental about it, but either way, she killed it. She teased her hair into a wild mane and topped it with a cute, purple hat. It matched her tight spiderweb dress and the purple, interlocking-bone-hands belt.
“These are pretty easy to make,” Blair said. She pushed a bowl of jalapeños over to me. “You cut them in half, load them with filling, wrap them in these crescent roll strips, and then we’ll bake them for ten minutes.”
“I can manage that.”
I pulled on my gloves and got to work.
“Patricia?” I asked.
“What’s up?”
“What was it like when you pledged? Did you have to run, jump, and take that test too?”
She snorted. “Oh, yeah. You guys aren’t doing anything we didn’t have to do. If it makes you feel any better, the test is as bad as it gets. I cried after I took it. I was convinced I failed and lost my chance to be a sister.”
“But you pass
ed, proving you’re a genius.”
Patricia finished chopping the vegetables and arranged them on the plate. “Actually, I did fail.”
“What? But then...”
“How did I get in?” she finished. She lifted her head and shot me a smile. “I didn’t fail as spectacularly as the other girls in my pledge class. A twenty-five to their twenties, fifteens, and zeros.
“All of it was worth it, though,” she continued. “The Sallys are my family. They have my back and I have theirs—through everything.”
The other four sisters nodded their heads as one.
I dropped my gaze to my soon-to-be mummies. “You don’t see that kind of loyalty often.”
“I don’t know about that,” Patricia replied. “You and Sofia have that kind of loyalty. When you become one of us, you’ll have fifty Sofias.”
I stilled. When? Did she say when? Does she know something or was it a mistake?
“Pat,” hissed one of the sisters.
She knows something.
I felt Blair’s eyes on me. It was the only reason I schooled my face and showed no outward reaction.
I was in.
EZRA
“Damn. You guys know how to throw a party.”
Sawyer gripped my shoulder. “How many times does it have to be said? We’re the best! Woot woot!”
“Woot woot!” half the party cheered.
The house was bumping, and I meant that literally. The music rattled the walls and shook the Solo cups piled in front of the speakers. Regardless of the competition, the Sam and Sally houses were packed. Most of the dancing was going on in the Sally house, but the getting shit-faced was happening here.
Sawyer took a break from manning the kegs and ended up on the arm of the couch. The five of us took it up. Ryder, Maverick, and Jaxson sat next to me while Val stretched out on our laps. I ran my fingers through her hair, content to be right where I was.
“Shit,” Sawyer crowed. “What’s going on in there?”
He was referring to the beer pong room, where two girls were dancing on the table. They'd gone up as a fairy and a nurse. Now they were just naked.
“This is next level even for us,” said Sawyer. He clapped me on the back. “I’ve got to get back. Have fun, pledge.”
I tossed him a two-finger salute. He was actually a decent guy. Constantly questioning him after what I heard in the basement had resulted in us getting to know each other pretty well.
Valentina poked Ryder in the stomach. He made good on his promise and showed up to the party as a pirate.
“Let’s go back to the Sally house,” she said. “Everyone is dancing there. I want you to dance with me. All of you.”
“It’s nice to want things,” Ryder replied.
He got another jab for that remark.
“Jaxson, you’ll dance with me, won’t you?”
“Always, baby.”
Valentina smiled up at me. “Ezra?”
“You know Jaxson is the only one who can keep up with you.”
Ryder pointed at the beer pong room. “Seems like they can. Why don’t you dance with them?”
“You think I won’t?”
The smile wiped clean off his face. Hers melted away too, as her smirk widened.
“Looks like fun and you love it when I dance naked for you.”
“Val...” Amazingly, his growl could be heard clearly over the music.
Valentina tipped off our laps. She got to her feet and, back to us, reached for her zipper and began pulling it down.
“Val!”
The four of us shot off the couch so fast we collided with each other. Ryder picked up a giggling Valentina and threw her over his shoulder.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were drunk,” Ryder said.
“I’m in a good mood,” she replied. “And I want to dance with my men.” She smacked his ass. “To the Sally house.”
“You realize I’m paying you back for that tonight.”
“Promise?”
Val started whacking his cheeks like a drum. Amusement bubbled out of me. Discovering the Sallys wanted her had Val bursting with happiness, and her happiness was everything. It was more than everything.
“I’ll dance with you, Val.” I helped her off Ryder. “Let’s go.”
I threaded our fingers together as I led her to the other house. Outside, the entire street was thrumming. Music spilled out of every house and people flitted in and out of them, looking like real trick-or-treaters—but in this case, their buckets held alcohol and the trick would be the massive hangover the next morning.
Val pulled me into the living room. Everyone was grinding on each other, but that wasn’t my thing—not in public. Instead, she wrapped my arms around her waist and hers around my shoulders.
The deejay played a fast song, but we ignored it and everyone else.
Eyes fluttering shut, she pressed her forehead against mine.
“You weren’t really going to dance naked on the table, were you?”
She laughed. “It’s good I still have you guessing.”
We kissed—chaste, but unhurried.
“Ezra.”
I forced myself to pull away. Sawyer stood in the front hallway, waving me over.
“I’ll be right back.”
Ryder took my place the moment I stepped away.
“What is it, Sawyer?”
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “The Sallys need another keg. Aiden said to grab one from the van. Help me carry it in?”
“Sure.”
He broke out into a grin. “Thanks, man. I would have asked another pledge to do it, but I saw you first.”
Shaking my head, I veered around him and went outside. I scanned the street.
“Which van is it?” I asked. I counted three mixed in with the convertibles and secondhand junkers.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Aiden said it would be unlocked.” He pointed to the black van parked in front of my car. “I’ll check that one. Give me a sec.”
Sawyer jogged over to the van. I saw him try the driver’s side door. It didn’t budge.
“Try the brown van,” I called.
He held up a finger. Sawyer continued around back and opened it. His body was blocked by the doors, but I could see his shuffling feet.
“Got ’em,” he shouted. His feet vanished. “They’re in the back.”
I stepped off the path, going to help him.
The back doors suddenly slammed shut. A figure appeared in the driver’s seat where none had been before.
“Sawyer?”
The engine kicked to life.
“Sawyer?”
I started shouting when they pulled away from the curb.
I broke into a run as they accelerated, heedless of the college students staggering through the street.
My ridiculous cape fought the wind, pulling against my throat in a near-strangling grip. I ran and ran, but the distance between me and the black van lengthened.
They veered onto the main road, cutting off a green sedan. In a squeal of tires, the driver jerked the car and came barreling straight at me.
I dove out of the way and crashed onto the pavement. Pain exploded in my shoulder. Dazed, I struggled to get up.
“Sawyer! Sawyer!”
The van was gone.
“YES, THANK YOU. THANK you so much. We appreciate you getting back to us. You as well. Goodbye.”
Mom ended the call and turned to me. “That was the dean.”
“I know it was the dean,” I replied, a bit impatiently. “What did he say? Did the police find him?”
“Ezra.” Val rubbed my chest slow and soothing. “It’s going to be okay.”
The three of us were in Mom’s living room. She made me stay here after picking me up from the police station two nights ago.
Two nights.
Two nights ago, Sawyer was taken before my eyes. Two nights ago, the police swarmed Greek Row, shutting down the party and questio
ning everyone. Two nights ago, I was told to hang tight and let them investigate. Two nights.
Mom sat on my other side and took my hand. “They did find him, sweetie. The dean just got off with the police. Sawyer’s older sister got into a terrible accident and his parents rushed down to pick him up. He’s with his family now.”
I gaped at her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Mom frowned. “Careful who you’re speaking to.”
“You can’t be serious.” I jumped to my feet. “I’m supposed to believe his parents pulled him into an unmarked van and tore off with him? No phone call? No heads-up? No time to pack? They just pulled him off the street.”
“Ezra, the dean spoke to the police himself.”
I threw up my hands. “Then— then— he’s lying! He’s in on it too!”
“In on it?” Mom shot Val a look as if asking for help. “In on what?”
“Sawyer didn’t go outside by chance. Aiden told him to get another keg out of the van. The same Aiden who said he would be gone soon. I explained all of this to the police. Did they even speak to him?”
“I’m sure they did, honey, but they put aside any notion of kidnapping when his parents confirmed he was fine.”
“Mom.” Hard eyes met hers. “This is not a coincidence. Something is going on and Sawyer is in trouble. You taught me that reality is never what people say and the story isn’t what we expect. We keep digging until we find the truth.”
The silence stretched between us. Mom held my gaze for so long Val started fidgeting.
“Okay, Ezra,” she said. “You’re right. The dean gave me the name and number of the officer tracking down Sawyer. We’ll call him, so you can confirm it for yourself.” She held out her phone. “We don’t stop digging until we find the truth.”
I released a breath. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m going to check on Adam,” Val said. “Come find me if you need me.”
“Alright,” I replied automatically. I was focused on Mom and her tapping fingers.
She handed over the phone.
I pressed it to my ear just as he answered. “Hello. This is Officer Noone. How can I help you?”
The name triggered familiarity. I recognized him as the man who interviewed me two nights ago.