by Ruby Vincent
“Then, where was Teagan?”
“It’s not my place to say.” Sawyer sighed. “But I will say she left to take a break. College is intense and the Sallys and Sams turn that up to a thousand. It was a lie that she left to be with her mom, but it’s not a lie that she was grieving.”
I nodded slowly, putting the pieces together. “Aiden flipped out on you at the party because you relapsed.”
“He warned me not to rejoin if I couldn’t handle myself.” He scoffed. “I couldn’t.”
“Hey,” I said. “It’s not easy. Especially being around that much temptation. You did your best and you’ll keep doing your best today and each day after. That’s all your family and friends want from you.”
“Thanks,” he gruffed, eyes shining. “For not judging me.”
“I’m glad you’ll be okay.”
“I will be. Walsh says you saved my life. The least I can do is repay you, Rick, so go ahead and ask.”
“Ask? Ask what?”
“The questions you’re holding back because you’re a good fucking guy. You don’t have to. I— We owe you this and time is running out. Ask what you want to know about Aiden.”
I rocked back in my chair. I wasn’t ready for that offer and didn’t have a response to go with it.
“Go on,” Sawyer pushed. “Ask.”
The name worked its way to my tongue. Unbidden, it forced itself out. “Leighton Lewis.”
“Leighton? What about her?”
“Does Aiden know where she is or who is helping her?”
“Where she is?” He scrunched up his face and even that much pained him. “Leighton is dead. Didn’t Valentina tell you?”
I studied him, searching down to his pores for a hint that he was lying. He stared back at me, eyes open and swirling with confusion.
“The files,” I said instead. “Why?”
“That is actually easy to explain. The Sams are his guinea pigs.”
“Excuse me?”
Sawyer tried to sit up and quickly thought better of it. I passed him a cup of water as he settled. “Aiden is working on a method. Program. Formula. I’m not sure what to call it, but it’s meant to get an athlete to their peak performance. The mix of the perfect diet, training, vitamins, and downtime regimen that’ll allow them to reliably play at their best at every game.
“As president of the Sams and considering all the requirements we have to complete, we’re the perfect group to try his ideas and track his findings.”
“He’s experimenting on you?”
Sawyer didn’t appear nearly as shocked as I was. “It sounds worse than it is. He doesn’t make us do anything we don’t have to do anyway. To be honest, his suggestions have helped a lot of the guys in the Sam house and on the football team,” he explained. “They’re his test group, and the club, those are his investors. Once he graduates, he’ll have the money to launch his athletic company.”
“It makes sense,” I said reluctantly. “I’d hide a plan like that under a few encryptions too.”
“Aiden is a tough guy to figure. He keeps everything close to the chest and won’t give you a straight answer when messing with your head works just as well.”
“Summed him up in one.”
“But he’s not a bad guy.”
“He forced my girlfriend onto a ledge. Forgive me if I don’t praise his genius.”
“The fall wouldn’t have killed her. Nasir, Hayes, Winston, and the others have jumped off the balcony into the pool dozens of times. No one was trying to hurt Valentina or y-you. That’s not what the club is about.” He broke off to indulge a coughing fit, cringing with the convulsions of his body. “It was started in 2005. The book doesn’t name the founder but the president at the time was a graduate from Evergreen Academy. Wonder where they got the idea for a secret society built on money?”
“I can guess,” I replied simply.
“My point is that Aiden didn’t start this shit. He only took advantage of it. He seems like a complicated guy, but his motives are simple.” Sawyer released a long, shuddering breath. “That’s the truth, Rick. All of it. If it’s not for you, tell Valentina and Ezra. They deserve to know what really happened to me.
“It’s weird that you guys cared so much and you didn’t even know me. Weird but...” His eyes brightened and he turned away from me. “Nice to know I have more friends than I thought.”
“You do.” I clapped his shoulder. “After you get well, we’ll be on the other side. Supporting you.”
“Thanks, man,” he whispered. “Go on. Get out of here. You don’t want to be stuck in this room with me.”
“I can stay until your parents get here.”
“No, I’m tired. I’m passing out the second you close the door.”
We said our goodbyes. I left him to sleep and fished my phone out on the click of the lock.
“Val? Where are you? We need to talk.”
I didn’t want the truth like this, though I was right. Sawyer was the key learning the truth.
VALENTINA
“Guinea pigs?” Sofia joined me on the seat, using my lap as her footrest. “I admit my mind went to much darker, twisted places.”
“He’s refining the perfect athletic regimen and using the club to bankroll him. The other guys are likely his investors.”
“Possibly,” she murmured. “It doesn’t explain the other people who’ve disappeared from the house. I doubt they all went to rehab.”
“There always had to be another explanation because we knew Leighton and Aiden couldn’t be behind it. Sallys and Sams have been dropping off the grid since they were children.”
Sofia gave me a steady look. “Speaking of Leighton. Let’s not pretend Aiden is cleared of all suspicion. Why would Leighton fake her death and then tell Aiden about it? Did he help her?”
“I don’t know that we’ll get to answer every question, Sof. What I do know is Leighton has no reason to hurt me and we’ve proven Aiden isn’t messing people around either. Jacob and his team can worry about the rest.”
“I like this.” Sofia poked me with her toe. “You with your priorities in order and refusing to let anything knock you astray. You’re taking command of your life, babe, and it’s sexy.”
I tipped off the seat laughing. “You are so nuts and I love it.” I laid my head on her lap. “It does feel good to be free of this stuff. To know the truth—even just part of it—and be able to relax again.”
“You deserve it, Val.”
There’d always be the question of Leighton and Aiden’s relationship and how he knew the details of that night. I’m choosing to let it go. They will not control me for another second.
“Val, you in there?”
“Yes,” I called.
Blair came in and got comfy on Sofia’s bed. “We need to talk pledges, La Presidenta. Technically, we don’t choose until after the obstacle course, but we both have our favorites.”
Sofia eased me off her lap. “I’ll leave you guys to it. Pick a couple of winners.”
Blair and I settled against the window. “Well?” she asked.
“If it’s just about who I like,” I began. “It’s Maeve, Blakely, Ellie, Kara, Helena, Victoria, Grace, Lucy, Anna, Autumn, and Chloe. If it’s the pledges who scored high on the test. Who topped the physical activities every week. The ones I like and who get along with all the girls, then it’s Maeve, Blakely, Ellie, Victoria, Helena, and Autumn.”
“I was going to say the same names, Val.” She bumped my shoulder. “It has to be those six girls.”
“Why?” I found myself asking. “We have room in the house for eleven. Anna lags behind on the runs now, but after a few months, she’ll catch up. Chloe scored low on the test and are we surprised? That thing is evil. Why do we pretend these arbitrary challenges are what makes a sister?”
“They’re not what makes a sister,” she replied. “They’re what makes a Sally.”
MAVERICK
“Daddy, when are you coming home?
”
“On my way right now.” I plugged my other ear. My crew’s celebration was getting rowdy. “Are you coming with Mommy to pick me up?”
“Yes. Pepper is coming too.”
“Can’t wait to see you guys. I’ve got presents.”
Adam’s cheers rivaled my team’s singing. “We Are The Champions” had been on a constant loop during the three-hour drive. Couldn’t blame them. Singing that song after a win made it twenty times more satisfying.
Fifty crises and we made it through them to deliver Bebop to the robotics competition. Monday Sawyer landed in the hospital. Tuesday the entire team went to visit him, finding him stronger and secure with his parents. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we replaced the shoddy parts that caused Bebop to break down, put him through the course again, and then set him loose on the competition where he placed highest in every challenge.
“Did you win, Daddy?”
“I did,” I replied. “When we get home, we’re going to celebrate. Are you ready? ’Cause we’re staying up till ten o’clock and eating all the ice cream in the place.”
Adam gasped.
“Eight forty-five,” a dry voice broke in. “And two scoops of ice cream. Big boys need their sleep.”
“Does this mean I’ll be in bed by eight forty-five too?” I laced that with just the right amount of suggestion.
Val giggled. “If you’re lucky. Will the bus be on time?”
I checked my watch. “We’re about twenty minutes behind. I’ll call when we’re a half an hour away.”
“Okay. Love you, babe. Adam and I are so proud of you.”
“I love you both too.”
I hung up and, finally, gave in. “Driver, crank it up.”
“Yes, Ricky! About time.” Cydney threw herself next to me, falling over my lap, and belted out the song in such a gratingly off-key pitch that I laughed until tears ran down my face. “Come on, Calm and Collected. Sing!”
I sang.
Fifty minutes later, our bus rolled onto campus. A line of cars and vans idled in the parking lot. I waved everyone off, thanking them for the hard work they put in.
“Is Valentina here yet?” Cydney asked. We were last to step off the bus.
“She’ll be here soon.”
“Want Rex and me to wait with you?”
“Nah. It’s the weekend. Go home and bask in your glory.” I lit on a familiar face waving for my attention. “Besides, there’s a friend of mine. See you Monday.”
“Bye.”
I crossed the parking lot, rounding a gray van, and matched his smile with my own. I held up a hand to shake as one clamped over my eyes.
“Hey— Argh!”
Cloth covered my nose and mouth, seeping a sickly sweet scent into my body. Through the crack in their fingers, my friend’s smile grew fuzzy, and then disappeared.
VALENTINA
“Daddy says we’re staying up past my bedtime.”
Oh, Daddy Maverick. What am I going to do with you?
“We are, baby,” I said. “Forty-five minutes past your bedtime.”
“Whoa.”
Forty-five whole minutes was a lot to a little kid, and knowing my son, he’d make it twenty minutes in and then nod off on one of his daddies’ shoulders.
And then I’ll take Maverick upstairs and we’ll have a real celebration.
I bit back my smile as I made the final turn for campus.
This was the start of the rest of our college life. Competitions, victories, cupcakes on the quad, hanging with my sisters, playing with my son, and loving my men.
I pulled into the near empty parking lot and called Maverick. The phone rang and rang until it went to voicemail.
“Hey, love. I’m here and the bus is here. Where are you?”
Ten minutes passed.
I called him again.
“You’ve reached Maverick. Leave a message.”
Twenty minutes passed.
Adam asked for his father, peering at me with that sweet innocent face.
“He’ll be here soon.”
Thirty minutes passed.
I called Maverick’s vice president, Cydney.
“Hey, Cydney. Do you know where Maverick is? I’m at the school waiting for him, but he’s not here and he’s not picking up the phone.”
“He’s not?” Alarm laced her tone which kicked my panic into gear. “We got off the bus together. He said you were coming soon and he’d hang out until you got there. Last I saw him, he went over to say hi to Sawyer.”
“Sawyer?”
MAVERICK
“Sawyer, look. He’s waking up.”
My ear pressed to a hard, lined surface. A rhythmic thump, thump, thump sounded beneath me and a sudden jolt lifted me and smacked my head on the floor. The knock flooded clarity into my fogged mind. I was lying on a moving surface.
I went to grab my aching head and nothing happened. I tried again, straining in my bonds.
“Easy, Rick.”
That voice. Hot, molten rage burned away the last of the haze. I know that fucking voice.
“It’s just a bit of rope and chloroform.” Hands grabbed and flipped me over. I gazed up into Sawyer’s and Aiden’s eyes. “Don’t look so betrayed. This was the only way.”
It was dark. Aiden and Sawyer were the sole figures I made out clearly. Another bump and the jolt kicked us up.
Van, a voice supplied. I’m in the back of a van.
“What the fuck... do you think you’re doing?”
“It’s simple really,” said Sawyer. “Once we explain it all, you’ll agree.”
I glared at him. Less than a week ago, I sat next to his hospital bed while he fought tears and rivaled Casper the Friendly Ghost in complexion. Right then he looked ready to run a marathon. “You were sick...”
“As a dog,” he agreed. “Did you know, you can measure the exact amount needed for someone to overdose without dying. All I had to do was fuck with Bebop, wait for you to show up to fix it, and then spill our story while you thought I was weak and vulnerable enough to tell the truth.”
He lied? It was all a damn lie?
“Why?”
Aiden nodded, smiling that vile smile. I swore then and there I’d knock out every one of those teeth. “I told you it’s simple. You see, it all started when I was alerted that someone hacked my encryption. Me,” he repeated. “No one hacks me. It didn’t take me long to trace the source back to you, and by then, I was intrigued.
“I knew what you were after. Ezra had Valentina suspicious of me and therefore you were too. I might’ve ignored you like I did the two of them, but anyone with your skills was someone I had to know.”
“So, I joined your flag football team,” Sawyer said, “and robotics. I did my best but you’re not the easiest person to befriend.”
“Didn’t matter because I was working on something just for you,” Aiden added. “You were looking for a mystery. Debauchery. The evil, cunning reason behind Sawyer’s disappearance, so that’s what we gave you. The club.”
“Got lazy with that part. Didn’t bother giving it a real name,” Sawyer said.
“Cut me a break.” They sounded like two guys kicking back for a chat. “I invented a secret society out of thin air, got the guys to help, fashioned you a fake drug and alcohol problem, and orchestrated it so on a dark, random night, Maverick Beaumont would walk up to another van all alone thinking he was safe.”
“Why?!” I roared.
He shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to fix a mistake. Playing football with you? We had to witness your fitness and stamina. Tossing poker chips and asking you the question. We found another way to give you the test.” He tapped his skull. “To see how you reason. What you do when holding a bad hand. And club parties? Hello, bonding activities.”
Aiden leaned over me, peering into my huge eyes. It was me. It was a trap from the moment Sawyer stepped into my elevator.
And I didn’t see it.
“Somehow, we missed
you.” Aiden’s intense gaze flayed me, stripping away my defenses and laying me bare. “Maverick Beaumont. It should’ve been you who walked through our door. Not Lennox. You,” he whispered, “were meant to be one of us. A true Sam. And now, pledge, you will be.”
My lips twisted. “Why in the fuck would I want to be one of you?”
He grinned back. “That’s the best part. You’ll find out exactly why in about ten hours. No more tricks. No more games. We’re taking you to the same place Sawyer, Teagan, and so many Sallys and Sams have gone before. You’ll find out why I have to do what I do, and when you come back, you’ll help me continue what our very first president started all those years ago.”
“Never. Going. To. Happen.”
“Sawyer said the same thing,” he sang.
“I did,” Sawyer said. “Went down cursing, swearing, and promising on my mother’s life. But I came around in the end. That’s the thing, Rick. One way or another, we always give in.” Sawyer reached behind him. “We’ve got a long drive.”
He held up a cloth and a single brown bottle.
“You should get some sleep.”
I thrashed, straining to get free. Buck them off. Anything.
“Why?! Why?!”
I yelled until I couldn’t shout anymore.
Click here for the final book in the series, Redemption.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruby Vincent is a published author with many novels under her belt but now she's taking a fun foray into contemporary romance. She loves saucy heroines, bold alpha males, and weaving a tale where both get their happy ever after.