Magic Gambit (Hidden World Academy Book 3)

by Sadie Moss

  But now she’s sort of becoming my friend too, and it’s a relief to be able to talk to her about these things, to gush about how great my guys were, and laugh together over adorable shit they’ve done. At one point, Bianca cries a bit, confessing that she really does miss Roxie, and that she also misses Gunner.

  “God, I know he was an asshole, and I know he never gave me what I deserved.” She drains the last of the wine. “He didn’t want anyone to know that we were dating, and he barely showed me any affection. I mean, we had sex, but he wouldn’t hold my hand or anything. Romantic stuff, you know? Not like your guys are with you.” She shakes her head. “But I do miss him. Ugh. I know it’s stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid. He must have had some good qualities, or at least have done a good job of acting like he did. Otherwise you wouldn’t have dated him.”

  Bianca nods. “I try to tell myself that. I don’t want to think I have absolutely abysmal taste.”

  “I think you have good taste,” I promise her.

  Toward the end of the night—we stay up way too late, but I don’t care—Bianca asks me if she can still help the four of us figure out how to stop the cult. If she can come with us again next time we visit the fae.

  “I know that I’m kind of… a lot.” She’s a lot shyer and quieter when she’s drinking. Most people I know are the opposite when they get tipsy. They get louder, brasher, bolder. But Bianca’s already so bold to begin with. I think that having a bit of alcohol has enabled her instead to… loosen up. Show her more vulnerable side.

  “I’m not always easy to get along with,” she adds. “I know I don’t always think about other people. But I want to help Roxie. I need to do something to help her or I’m going to go crazy. And I do want to help you. What these assholes are doing is wrong, and if something happens and I just ended up sitting on my ass when I could’ve done something… I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

  “Of course.” I don’t even think about it before responding. Sure, she almost got us busted in Anzac’s kingdom, but that was only because she wants to help Roxie so badly. And I would feel the same if it was my friend in trouble. “That would be great. I’m glad to have you around, honestly.”

  I mean it. Bianca is… she’s my friend too now, not just Roxie’s. Our relationship is separate from that, and I feel a lot more comfortable around her now that I know she values me for myself, and not just as a way to help Roxie.

  We actually know each other, and that puts everything in a whole new light.

  Chapter 9

  We go to bed unreasonably late, and I have a legitimate hangover on Sunday morning for the first time in months. But I wake up feeling so much lighter inside, so much better, and I know it was worth it.

  The guys sleep over on Sunday night, and on Monday morning, we all head to our various classes.

  I’m in the middle of Alchemy class when someone slips into the room and walks right up to me. I vaguely recognize her. She’s one of the administrative assistants from the registration office.

  “Roxie Macintyre? If you could come with me?” she says, and my blood freezes.

  I struggle to swallow, to keep my breathing even. If this woman is a part of the cult, then I can’t let her see that I’m scared. Hell, no. I know I’m not exactly like Bianca with her balls of steel or Cross with his talent for flippant rebellion, but I don’t want to be seen as weak in front of these people. I don’t want them to know they have that kind of power over me.

  “Sure,” I say instead, and I get up and follow her.

  The woman leads me out of the classroom and across campus to Dean Langston’s office.

  Ah, shit. I had to meet with the dean last semester when I was failing in my grades, and my mind races as I step inside, wondering what he could want now.

  This time though, the dean isn’t here.

  It’s two police officers.

  They look a lot like the police in my world, except they’re not nearly as heavily armed. They each have what look like wands strapped to their belts, along with a small flashlight and a badge.

  Someone is sitting in one of the chairs in front of them. She turns, shooting me a worried look—and I realize it’s Bianca.

  What the hell is going on here?

  “Ah, please, take a seat.” The male officer gestures to me. “We’re sorry to drag you out of class, but we wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.”

  “Get what over with?” I ask.

  Bianca sighs. “They want to know when we last saw Gunner. He’s been reported missing.”

  “Missing?” I make my eyes wide. I’ve gotten pretty good at lying over the last few months while pretending to be Roxie. My heart is hammering, but I manage to keep myself looking innocently surprised. “You saw him just the other day, right?”

  “It only takes twenty-four hours for someone to qualify as missing,” Bianca points out. She looks at the officers. “Apparently, we were the last people to see him, at the convenience store when he picked us up.”

  “Your friend here has been claiming that you were attacked by a cult, which is why she called Gunner to have him pick you up. The Cult of Singularity?” The officer sounds dismissive of it.

  “Um… yeah, they were getting pretty weird on us,” I say. I’m not sure how much Bianca told them, but I’m certain she hasn’t mentioned anything about the disc or dimension swapping. “We didn’t feel safe. They were following us, so we called Gunner to get us back to campus.”

  “They’re absolute nutjobs,” the second officer agrees. “But there’s not much we can do about ’em. Just wacky idiots. I think they’re all on drugs.”

  “We did think it was a cover for some kind of smuggling ring for a time,” the first officer says. “But we never found anything. They really believe in all that crap.” He laughs, like this is amusing and not a matter of life and death.

  But then, he doesn’t know it’s a matter of life and death, does he? I look back and forth between the two cops. The first, the man, reminds me of a professor I had in high school. He’s got a round, boyish face, and seems relaxed. His partner has her blond hair pulled back into a tight bun and seems a little more serious, but she’s still a bit casual too.

  God, I wish they were right. I wish this cult was nothing more than a bunch of weird, harmless nutcases, instead of an organized group hellbent on destroying the world.

  Something inside of me wants to leap out of the chair and scream at them don’t you get it? Don’t you know how awful they are? I want to warn them, to tell them something is wrong, but then I’d have to expose myself, and that’s what I’ve been trying to avoid this entire time.

  “I think we’ve gotten all the information we need from you,” the second officer says, looking at Bianca. “Thank you for your information.”

  Bianca stands up, nodding. “I’ll wait for you outside,” she murmurs, squeezing my shoulder as she walks by.

  The two cops fixate on that movement like hawks. “You two are close?” the man asks as Bianca leaves and closes the door behind her.

  I roll my eyes. “We’re not secret lovers.” I have three boyfriends, trust me, I don’t have time for a fourth significant other, I want to snap. “Look, we went out to a club, things got creepy because guys can be creepy, Gunner picked us up and dropped us back off on campus. Bianca was shaken up and so was I, so we spent the night together in my room. You can ask my boyfriends; they can attest to that.”

  “Boyfriends?” The second officer raises her eyebrows.

  “My love life is not important here!” I can feel my cheeks getting hot. “My point is, I know what you’re doing, okay? I’ve seen enough crime shows, the first place you look is the boyfriend or girlfriend, right? And Bianca would never hurt Gunner. She was crying in my room just the other night, saying how much she cares about him, even though she totally deserved better.”

  I know I’ve made a mistake the moment that last bit leaves my mouth, because the two police officers look at
each other. “You’re very protective of your friend, aren’t you?”

  “She’s my friend. Of course I am.”

  “So do you feel like her relationship with Gunner was… unhealthy? Something you had to protect her from?”

  Ah, fuck. I really don’t care if they think I went and murdered Gunner. Or I wouldn’t, anyway—because I didn’t do it, and they’ve got no evidence. The cult can’t come forward and say what happened, the guys won’t talk, and Bianca got rid of his body.

  No, I’m worried because if they pry, if they try to find out what’s going on, they might find out what’s been going on with me. Namely, that I’m not of this world.

  What do I do? What can I say? I can’t give them an answer about Gunner, which means they’ll keep digging. And now that they’ve pegged me as some overprotective best friend or something, they’ll keep looking at me for those answers.

  Shit, how do I get out of this? Think, Gabbi! Think, think, thi—

  The door opens, and the last person I would ever expect walks in.

  “Father?!” I blurt out.

  Roxie’s father stands there, looking like a king who’s just stepped into a room of diseased peasants. Holy shit. I can’t believe I’m so happy to see him and yet I am, I am, I very much am. I’m fucking thrilled to see him because he’s puffed up in righteous fury, standing right behind my chair like a protective dragon.

  Roxie’s parents might not be perfect, but clearly you mess with their child at your own peril.

  “Officers,” he says, and he’s not outright glaring, but the cutting tone of his voice makes up for it. “What do you think you’re doing interrogating my daughter without a lawyer present to represent her?”

  The two officers look at each other. “I… we… she’s not under suspicion of anything, sir,” the male officer says, sounding much younger all of a sudden. “We’re just asking her some questions.”

  “Well, if she’s not under suspicion, then she’s free to go,” Father replies. “I’m sure you know who I am. I’m sure you know I can make life difficult for you two. If you’ve finished asking my daughter whatever questions you need, then I suggest you leave.”

  The officers look at each other again, and then quickly leave the room.

  Father glares after them before turning to look back at me. “It would be terrible for our reputation if you were embroiled in a police investigation,” he says casually. “I can’t believe they would drag you into this. As if there aren’t plenty of reasons why someone might go missing.”

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, standing up on shaky legs. Holy shit, I just dodged a major bullet.

  “I have business in town, Roxie, surely it’s not that shocking.” Father looks me up and down. “I’m glad to see you’re not wearing such revealing clothing anymore. We all have our rebellious phases, but we also need to keep up the family name.”

  My personal style is fewer short skirts and less form-hugging clothing than Roxie’s style. In the months since I arrived here, I’ve slowly struck a balance between her fashion choices and mine. But I suddenly feel a rush of protectiveness toward Roxie. I want to tell her father that Roxie’s clothes don’t make her any more or less respectable. That she can dress however she wants, and show off as much skin as she wants, and nobody should judge her for it. She’s still smart, and brave, and bold, the same person she’s always been.

  But right now I’m way too grateful to him to start a fight that might tip my hand anyway.

  Completely unaware of my inner tirade, Father continues.

  “In fact, I came here today to speak to you about something. I didn’t know about this ghastly business with the police investigation until Bianca told me when I met her outside. I was hoping I could ask you to help me—”

  “Of course,” I reply quickly. My heart is still hammering. My breathing feels choppy. I definitely dodged a bullet. Now that Roxie’s family is throwing their weight around, we’ll probably be safe from the police. Or at least buy ourselves some time. Right? “Sure, I’m happy to help.”

  “So enthusiastic!” Father beams. “I haven’t even told you the details yet. I’m throwing a ball for a number of colleagues and business associates this Saturday. Your mother and Nash will be there, and Luna as well. I’d like you to come too. It’s an important event, and I need my family to make a good showing.”

  “A…” I trail off.

  A ball? Are you kidding me? Roxie would be all over this if she were here. Me? Not so much.

  I’m not nearly as good at this kind of shit as Roxie is. I understand people better than she does, or so it seems, judging from the comments others have made about her to me. But she’s better at actually charming people. She’s better at winning them over. Maybe it makes her manipulative—Cross would certainly say so—but right now, it’s a strength for her and a weakness for me.

  What can I do though? I’ve already said yes. And this isn’t something Roxie would say no to. Hell, I don’t know how she could. Her father would be furiously disappointed if I let him down like that.

  “Saturday!” I try to keep a smile on my face. “Of course, I’m sure I can make that work with my schedule.”

  “Excellent.” He nods in satisfaction, then adds, “You can even bring your… men, if you’d like.” He scrunches up his nose. “Although I’m not sure about that scruffy one. Cross.”

  “He’s the best student at the university,” I say, jumping to my boyfriend’s defense.

  “Well, then perhaps he’ll make something of himself if he can change his reputation. And his attitude.” Father sighs. “You have two other men of perfectly good respectability and breeding. If he had one of those attributes, he could be forgiven for not having the other, but as he has neither…”

  I know what he’s talking about. Theo is from a rich and powerful family in England, so he can get away with being a party boy. Kasian’s family isn’t wealthy at all, but he’s respectable in his behavior and sophisticated in his manner. But Cross isn’t rich or polished. He’s brilliant, but he’s got no love for authority, he’s cranky, and he’s got connections in the black market.

  And I have no doubt that Roxie’s father has done extensive research on all three of his daughter’s boyfriends to make sure they’re worthy of his family.

  “Well, if I’m coming, then so is Cross,” I say firmly, crossing my arms. There’s no way he’d sit this out, even though I’m sure he has no interest in hobnobbing with Valencia’s elite.

  “Fine. As long as he behaves,” Father relents. “I’m sure that Kasian will greatly enjoy the connections he’ll make at the ball. And everyone will be glad to see Theo; I think some of them already know him.”

  “I’ll invite all of them,” I promise. “And we’ll all be there.”

  “Good girl. I have to go and speak to the dean now. Take care of this little matter.” Father waves his hand to indicate the room and the police who were just in it, then he sweeps out the door.

  Great. At least he’s making this problem go away for Bianca and me, but now I have to go to this fancy ball with the guys.

  They’re gonna love this.

  Chapter 10

  After Father leaves, Dean Langston calls Bianca and me in and apologizes to us for what happened. We’re assured that we won’t be bothered by the police anymore, and that the investigation is moving on to other areas. Bianca cries and puts on an award-winning act about how worried she is for Gunner, and I pat her shoulder as we leave his office.

  I’m relieved as hell. Having the cops off our backs means we have one less thing to worry about. Our attempt to keep the Cult of Singularity from snatching Roxie again seems to have been successful so far, but that still leaves us with the issue of how to stop them entirely. We need to be focused on that, and a murder investigation is the last thing I want to deal with.

  So is a ball, for that matter. But unfortunately, there’s no getting out of that one.

  The rest of the week passes by in a rush
, and Saturday arrives far too soon. I do not want to do this, not in the slightest, but at least I have Bianca coaching me.

  “I’ve been to about a hundred of these things. I know the drill,” she assures me.

  I relay to her my last attempt to go to a ball, and how well it went. Or rather, what a disaster it was.

  “You were pretending to be a Russian princess to steal something for the fae. That’s entirely different,” she assures me, fixing up my hair.

  “Yeah, but I have to walk a certain way. Who even cares how I walk?”

  “You’ve taken ballet, Gabbi, you know how important it is to walk across the stage properly. Same thing here. It’s all about showing off your breeding and your sophistication.”

  Ugh. At least the guys will be there with me, not that they’re happy about it. Kasian hasn’t said anything about it, but he hasn’t had to—he might be good at staying calm and hiding his emotions, but I’m getting good at knowing his moods, and he’s as unenthusiastic about this as the other two.

  Theo’s got no problem voicing his frustration, but he’s taking it in stride, cracking jokes about it. He’s used to this kind of thing and tells me that he grew up going to these shindigs all the time. Cross, on the other hand, is actively against this. He’s spent the entire week grumbling about it, and the other two guys—and Bianca—have no problem teasing him mercilessly about it.

  Bianca fits in with our group more easily than I would’ve thought. It’s hard for her and Cross to set aside their longstanding rivalry, but they try to soften their comments to one another for the sake of the rest of us. Now that the secret’s out and she and I have gotten to know each other for real, she’s a lot more relaxed around all of us. Kasian and Theo sure seem to like her a lot better as a result.