by Ruby Vincent
I was stuck on the “prove myself” part of the conversation. “What does that mean? What do you expect me to do?”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll pass.”
“Pass what?”
“Gentlemen,” Hayes spoke. “Ready?”
Sawyer pulled back. Conversation over. “Let’s do this.”
VALENTINA
I closed the book an hour after sitting down.
Small book, short read, head chock-full of conflicting thoughts.
I headed back to the living room where the ladies were deep in their party. Half the bottles from the bar littered on and around the coffee table. They danced barefoot on the rug—jumping and whipping their heads like all they knew about dancing was flinging every limb around at once.
Teagan stayed out of the fray. I plopped beside her on the ottoman. My possible friend grabbed my feet and placed them on her lap.
“You ran away from us. All this too much for you?”
“I can handle a little dancing. I snuck away to do some reading.”
She formed a small “o” with her mouth. “Aiden gave you the book. So, you get it now. Will we have a club for the Sallys?”
I shook my head. “I don’t see that happening while I’m president. I have enough on my plate juggling school, Zeta Rho, and life at home. I can’t take on half of what that book describes.”
“That’s fair. I forget you have a whole life outside of us.” She swept the room. “I guess this all seems silly to you.”
“No,” I replied honestly. “No sillier than sororities, fraternities, anime clubs, film clubs, and all the other groups we form to find people interested in the same things as us. This particular Sam/Sally tradition is a bit hardcore, but that’s not surprising either. When we do things, we go hard.”
Teagan blew out a breath. “I’m so glad you understand. We all felt weird about keeping this from you.”
“It wasn’t on you to tell me. It was on Aiden, and you can believe I let his ass know what I thought about his silence.”
“Aiden is... Aiden.” Teagan tossed me a look and we laughed. For the first time ever, we were on the same page. “The guy is impossible to figure out.”
“From your lips to the heavens,” I said. “I’ve spent so much time around him and still feel like I know nothing about him.”
“Val!”
I cried out as hands seized me.
“You’re done being boring,” Sabrina said. “Dance with us.”
That seemed a reasonable request. Plus, no one craved dancing more than me. I let them drag me into the middle of their makeshift dance floor and threw myself into the music. Kendra sidled up to dance with me, whipping her head in a move I was dubbing the electrocuted dance. I had no idea why, but I ended up copying. We cracked up as the other girls joined us, hair swinging this way and that.
“Damn. I thought I’d walk in on something much sexier.” A dry British sotto broke into our fun. In response, the duchess pounced and threw him on the couch. By where their hands were roaming, he would get sexy much quicker than he thought.
The boys shuffled into the room. Rowen and Hayes picked off my dance partners, claiming them for themselves. Sawyer and Aiden veered toward the drinks while Nasir collapsed on a couch free of Brits. One person was missing.
Nasir raised a brow when I sat down. “Uh. Rick made it clear he’d break every bone in our hands if we even thought about touching you, so—”
“Maverick’s the nice one,” I snapped, “because I’d break everything else.”
He threw his hands up, chuckling. “I’m not thinking about it. I swear.”
“Where is he?”
Nasir jerked his chin up. “Bathroom.”
“Which one?”
“Upstairs. Third on the left.”
I left him to his G-rated thoughts. The game was finally over, and we needed to talk.
Skirting Eve and Hayes, I made for the hallway.
“—fuck are you doing?”
A hiss pulled me up short.
Aiden and Sawyer stood behind the wet bar. Aiden’s back was to me and his height blocked Sawyer’s view. Neither one noticed me standing there.
“You’re not doing this again, Sawyer. If you can’t handle it, your ass goes home now.”
“I c-can handle it.” The small, wavering voice was night and day from the affably charming one that normally fell from his lips. “I’m sorry, Aiden.”
“You better—”
Sawyer stepped to the side at that moment and spotted me. “Oh, hey, Val.”
Aiden spun. I caught a flash of something disappear behind his back—too fast for me to make it out.
“Everything okay?” Sawyer tried for a smile that trembled around the edges. “Need a drink?”
“No, I was... just looking for Maverick.” I took a step toward him. “Are you okay?”
He shrugged. “Fine.”
“Sawyer, what are you doing over there?” Teagan called. “Come dance with me.”
The smile smoothed out, lighting the eyes of the Sawyer I knew well. “My lady calls.”
He pushed past us. I didn’t watch him go. I remained fixed on Aiden.
My counterpart crooked a brow. “Something to say, Moon?”
“What’s behind your back?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
His jaw ticced. For the first time, true irritation burned in his orbs. “I’ll be honest, I’m getting real fucking sick of you treating me like the enemy.”
I faced him, squaring up. “Want to show me I’m wrong? Turn around.”
“There’s nothing behind my back.”
“Then there’s no reason for you not to turn around.”
“Fine.” Aiden spun and concealed behind his back was—
—nothing.
I stepped closer but it made no difference. There was no obvious bulge in his pocket, his hands were empty, and the counter boasted nothing but alcohol.
“Is this the part where I get an apology?” he demanded.
My jaw clenched. Aiden was a particular kind of asshole. I stumble on him getting in Sawyer’s face and he acts like he’s the one who was wronged. But... it was another sort of asshole who didn’t own up when they made a mistake.
“Sorry.” The word burned coming out. “What’s up with Sawyer?”
“Ask him yourself.”
Aiden blew past me.
I resisted the urge to take back that apology or heed his taunt. Sawyer looked fine now as he danced with his girlfriend. I still needed to find Maverick before Aiden took back his book.
We crossed paths at the top of the stairs.
“Val—”
I grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the first door I laid eyes on. A peek inside confirmed it was a bedroom.
“Get in,” I whispered for no reason. The music was too loud for them to hear me throw a vase. “The book. You have to see it.”
“What’s in it?”
I shut and locked us in. Maverick sat on the bed and then placed me on his lap. I handed over the book for him to read but launched into the whole thing anyway.
“It explains everything that Aiden said. They’re brothers who are brothers in everything. Supporting each other without question. Willing to go as far as it takes to prove themselves. Under those terms, the president can pick anyone they believe fits the criteria. Doesn’t have to be a Sally or Sam.”
“Does it say anything about compiling files on everyone who walks into the house?”
I shook my head. “Nothing like that, but it does”—I flipped to page forty—“talk about this.”
“Initiation,” he read across the top. “To get into the club?”
“No. To get into the Sallys and Sams. Read it. Second paragraph.”
He squinted at the cramped, handwritten text. “The final test is the reveal of secrets. Sams must trust their brothers absolutely, and trust is only possible when you have nothing left to protec
t. Nothing left to hide. Those who refuse to reveal their secret will be denied a place in Nu Alpha Theta, but with the respect of their privacy being protected. To use, allude to, or reveal these secrets will mark you as without honor and unfit to lead Nu Alpha Theta.
“Holy hell,” he breathed. “This reads like it was written by the High King of Evergreen to be bestowed upon his heir. Without honor? Unfit to lead? Who talks like that about running a fraternity?”
“You haven’t gotten to the best part yet.” I read it myself. “When you’ve chosen the final candidates, contact this email address: [email protected]. You will receive a reply containing all the information you need for the initiation. Do not share with anyone.”
Maverick leaned back, eyes wide. “This is it? You just shoot off a message to this email address and they tell you if the brother of one of your pledges is hiding from a gang?”
“It’s unbelievable. Leighton said I had to become president to find out and here it is. The email of the person who told Leighton I killed someone.”
Maverick shot up, tipping me onto the comforter. “Val, you have to contact this person. Find out who they are and how they know the things they do.”
“That was my first thought, but why would they tell me? However they do it can’t be legal. They’re not going to shout about it—least of all to me. If they’re connected to the Sallys, they know we don’t have pledges and therefore no reason to contact them.”
He started pacing, treading the length of the cashmere carpet. “You’ll get pledges, Val. When school starts. When the time comes, they’ll have to respond. In the meantime, I’ll trace the address and see what comes up.” He spun on me. “What else does the book say? Are we so lucky that we got the email address for body cleanup?”
“No. We’re also missing the chapter on faking your death.” Sighing, I tossed it on the bed. “It mostly goes on about what it takes to be a Sam and your duties to your brothers.”
“That’s fine, babe. It’s already told us what we need to know.” He knelt and rested his head on my lap. “We will figure this out. I promise.”
“I know we will. And whoever is behind this, whether it’s Leighton, Aiden, the club, or every Sally in the house—they’re gonna fucking know it too.”
Chapter Seven
Maverick
“Daddy!”
A cannonball struck my chest, ejecting me from sleep. I shot up and knocked the giggling menace onto the covers.
“Daddy,” Adam cried. “We have to walk Pepper before school.”
“Y-yes,” I rasped. “We will, son. Just give Daddy... five more minutes.” I collapsed on my pillow, eyes drooping in an instant.
Soft lips brushed my forehead in a much sweeter wake-up call. “Sorry, love. You can’t have five minutes. You slept through the alarm and your class starts at eight. Walk Pepper with Adam and I’ll have breakfast sent up here.”
My voice croaked from deep in my chest. “Sometimes being late is the only sane thing to do.”
Val laughed. “Don’t pass that on to our kid. It’s hard enough getting him ready in the morning.”
“Babe, please.” I was reduced to begging. “If you give me five more minutes, I’ll love you for all eternity.”
“You’ll do that anyway,” she replied, amused.
Damn if she isn’t right.
“But five minutes is yours. Come on, Adam. Let’s see what’s for breakfast. Pepper, you too, girl.”
An enthusiastic yap was her response. After some shuffling, chatter, and barking, my room plunged into silence.
Summer was over and everyone in our home under the age of twenty-two was off to school. All except for Jaxson and, no, I didn’t forget Pepper. She was off to obedience school right after Val dropped Adam for his first day of elementary school.
What the hell possessed me to sign up for an eight a.m. class?
Val’s seminar in health psychology starts at eight, a voice reminded me. You came in your pants dreaming about riding to school together.
There was one thing for certain in this big, crazy world of ours.
I was whipped.
Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. Val, Adam, Pepper, and the guys greeted me in the dining room.
“Why are you up so early?” I directed the question to Ezra and Ryder.
“Going into the office before class,” Ryder said.
“Mom wants me to swing by the restaurant. She’s throwing a correspondents’ dinner in three weeks and this morning is the only time Chef has to finalize the menu.” Ezra swiped a finger of cream off his pancakes and put it on Val’s nose without a break in speech.
She cried out—half laugh and half scream—and whipped her napkin at him. Ezra caught it one-handed, tugged it free, and gently wiped her nose. They shared a loving kiss. All forgiven.
“Now that I’m talking about it,” Ezra continued. “Your dad is coming, right?”
“Why would my dad go to a correspondents’ dinner?”
“Mom wants him to give a speech on cybersecurity. One of our competitors was hacked and they got the names of three confidential sources off their servers. She figures everyone will be interested in learning how to prevent that happening again.”
Our housekeeper, Matilda, set a plate of strawberry-covered chocolate chip pancakes in front of me. Now that Caroline was in remission, she was indulging her appetite and the chef was cooking meals to satisfy.
“My dad won’t say no to Amelia. If he wasn’t ridiculously in love with Mom, I’d wonder if there were some suspiciously brown siblings in your future.”
Ezra choked on his sip of tea. “Fu— Forget you,” he corrected. “One Beaumont brother is more misery than I’ve earned in my life.”
Our breakfast continued in the same charming vein. Sometimes I wondered about the example we were setting for Adam, acting like, well, twenty-one-year-olds. But the kid remained incorruptibly sweet day after day, and Val was always there to rein us in.
An hour later, we packed into our cars and headed off in every direction. Val and I dropped Adam off at school and then continued to the university.
“Nervous about the first day?” I asked.
“Nervous about classes? No. Nervous about my first batch of pledges? A little bit.”
“Why?” My hand curled around hers. “You’re the best president Zeta Rho has ever had.”
“Am I? How would you know?” she teased.
“Everyone knows. It’s all over campus. The secret’s out.”
Her soft, throaty laugh tugged a smile free.
“It’s just more girls to coordinate. More activities. More events. And I have to be there for all of them because the final decision has to go through me. I can’t accept or reject girls I haven’t spent time with.” She blew out a breath. “Let me say it now with you as my only witness, I’m so glad Blair is back. She’s already taken over the planning for rush week. Blair set up the schedule for the orientation week booth. Also, she’s begun talks with the Evergreen Country Club for our second annual charity dinner.”
“Second annual? I thought you only threw the first to get your hands on the list of alumni.”
“I did. Turns out my genius takes a life of its own. It was such a hit, they want to do it every year. I don’t get to touch the guest list though,” she added.
“It was a hit, babe. We raised the largest donation the food bank has ever received. You could alternate the charities you sponsor every year. Spread some of this Evergreen wealth to people who need it.” My phone chimed. “One minute.
“Hello?”
“Rick.” A deep, unmistakable baritone rolled out of my speaker. “You busy?”
“No. What’s up, Aiden?”
What’s up, Aiden?
It still struck me cold that I was on a first-name/nickname basis with the guy. He called me up. We played poker and partied every other weekend. It was becoming commonplace to see his number on my screen.
“List
en. The guys are all agreed that we want you in. Come to the field tonight. Midnight. We’ll make it official.”
“An empty field in the middle of the night? Do you know what number they clocked my IQ?”
Val squeezed my hand. What’s going on? she mouthed.
He chuckled. “Meaning you’re not stupid enough to come? After everything, you still don’t trust us.”
“You’re forgetting I know how you initiate people.”
“No one is going to make you spill your secrets in a basement, Rick. We do things differently in the club. If you want in, you’ll be at the football field tonight. Alone. I’m serious about that last part.”
Click.
“What happened?” Val asked.
I took a deep breath. “I realize that the next thing I say will cause you to want to come with me, but you can’t, so let’s get that out of the way.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Aiden told me to meet them at the football field at midnight tonight. It’s time for my initiation.”
“I’m coming,” she said predictably.
“He says I have to go alone.”
“I don’t give a fuck what he says.”
“If we show up together, he’ll forget the whole thing and not let me join. You know the guys are holding back with me. All they’ve done all summer is play poker, ask questions, and fool around. Surprisingly tame for the no-holds-barred club the book described. We can’t know what Aiden’s got them into until I’m in for real.”
Val nodded along. “I’m hearing everything you’re saying and it makes perfect sense, but here’s the thing”—she cupped her hand around her mouth—“you’re not going there alone! This guy kidnaps people. Six against one, Maverick. Even you would have trouble fighting them off.”
“Valentina—”
“My love, if you didn’t want me to flat-out stalk you, you shouldn’t have told me where you’d be.”
“I— But—” Shit. Maybe I’m not a genius.
VALENTINA
“Mai, what are you still doing here?” Blair cried. “You were supposed to start your shift at the booth five minutes ago.”
Mai froze deer-in-headlights style. Olivia’s homemade caramel pretzel brownies hung half out of her mouth. Mom wanted to support me on my first day of welcoming new pledges, so she tossed in some goodies to go with the treats we put out for the looky-loos.