Fallen Crest University
Page 71
That sounded ominous. “Summer?”
Her jaw was firm, and she wiped the last of the tears from her face. “After what they did to Logan, I can’t be a part of this anymore. I’ve done nothing in my life for them to blackmail me with, so I’m walking away now.” She indicated the flash drive. “That’s for you to do with as you please. If you can decrypt it, it’s yours.”
Oh, holy shit.
I didn’t dare breathe.
She’d realize she was making a mistake. That was her family in the end.
As if hearing my thoughts, Summer shook her head. “I don’t know what’s on it, but it’s important. I took it out of Park’s safety deposit box. I know he’s my brother, but I can’t support him anymore. He’s going down a dangerous path. Whether he wants to look at it this way or not, this is my way of trying to save him. He deserves whatever happens to him.” Her chin started to tremble again. “It might even save him from something worse.”
“Summer?”
She stood, still not looking at me. Gathering her bag and box, she held them. She didn’t leave. She didn’t do anything. She waited by the bed for a moment before she dumped them. “Oh, to hell with it.”
Her arms wrapped around me in the next second. I was pulled in for a tight hug.
She buried her head into my neck, saying, “I am so sorry for everything my brother has already done and anything he does.”
I was so shocked at the turn of events. My arm was crushed against my chest. My fingers hadn’t closed around the flash drive yet. I was still holding it in the palm of my hand.
She hugged me again before she moved back. Her hand closed my fingers over the flash drive. “Use this. Whatever is on it, use it. I hope it helps you.”
She went back to her bag and box. She was leaving.
I almost shouted, “Wait!”
She stopped at the door, turning back.
I said, “Where’s his party tomorrow?”
Her eyebrows bunched together. She started shaking her head. “No, no, no. Don’t go there, Sam.”
I shoved the flash drive in my pocket and rolled back my shoulders. “Tell me where it is. I’ll go without you.”
“No, Sam. I can’t. Park…he’s…he has something planned for you tomorrow. Don’t go.” Her eyes were pleading. “I mean it. Don’t go, Sam. Please.”
“I’m not going in blind. I know he has something planned. My eyes have been wide open this whole time.”
“They weren’t. Not with me.”
“Not at first, no, but once you told me, they were. You might think you’ve spied on me, but you haven’t really. Sebastian could’ve found out any of that information himself.”
“No, Sam. I told him things that I know you wouldn’t have wanted me to.” She clasped the box to her chest, holding tightly. “I have to go. I’m sorry, Sam. I really am. Don’t go to that party tomorrow.”
“Summer?”
She left. The door slammed shut behind her. I went after her, but the phone started to ring behind me. We both used our cell phones, but the dorm installed a landline. I never used it and was going to ignore it this time, too, but a thought occurred, and I held back.
Picking up the receiver, I asked, “Hello?”
“Is my sister there?”
It was Sebastian.
I gritted my teeth but replied in a cheerful voice, “Nope, but she just talked me into going to a party you’re throwing tomorrow?”
“Oh, good. That’s what I was calling about. Now,” his voice dipped down, “Samantha, I know that there’s been some bad blood between us, but I want to make things right. You’re friends with my sister. Your father is close to my family, and we’ve all been supporting your mother.”
The last statement churned my blood. I gripped the phone tighter. “What do you mean?”
“Just that this silly battle I have with Mason and Logan doesn’t need to extend to you and me. I mean, we’re practically family anyway.” He laughed into the phone.
The smugness had me seeing red.
“It must have been difficult to go through everything you have. You don’t just have Mason and Logan to lean on, you know. There’s a whole network of people you can lean on. We’ll support you through anything. That sounds good, doesn’t it?”
It sounded condescending. I went with it. “Oh, yeah.” My sarcasm was kept in check. Sugary sweetness here. “I’ll take any support I can get.”
“See? I know my sister was hesitant to bring you in, but I think it’s time you found out about everyone else. I wasn’t lying when I said there’s a whole network of people you can call family. In fact, you’re more connected than Mason and Logan are. I think you have a really great future ahead of you.”
“Oh,” fucker, “yeah, that sounds wonderful.” My knuckles were white. I had to keep from breaking the phone. “Hey, can you let me know where the party is? Your sister seemed distracted when I asked for the directions, and I just wanted to double check with you.”
“Sure. Are you ready?”
After jotting it down, I signed off with a cheerful, Fuck you, in my head.
I dialed Mason immediately after.
As soon as he answered, I said, “We have a problem.”
MASON
Sam said Garrett and his wife were staying with the Sebastians. I figured I needed somewhere more private than my house to have this meeting so I booked a suite at a hotel. This was all Sam’s idea. Once we hatched the plan with Nate and Logan, we were good to go until she woke up in the middle of the night.
“What’s wrong?” I sat up next to her, rubbing her back under her shirt.
Tears ran down her cheeks and she raised her knees up, hugging them to her. She rested her cheek against her knee and looked at me. There was such sadness in her gaze, and it tugged at me, sinking deep in my chest. Wiping some of the wetness from her face, I asked again, “What’s wrong? Tell me.”
“Garrett.”
I frowned. Her dad? My hand paused on her back. “What about him?”
“He’s a part of all of this.” She sniffled, but she didn’t pull away from her knee. She just kept looking up at me. She wasn’t seeing me. She was seeing him. My jaw clenched, realizing that. The sadness was for him.
Her jaw was firm, and she wiped the last of the tears from her face. “After what they did to Logan, I can’t be a part of this anymore. I’ve done nothing in my life for them to blackmail me with, so I’m walking away now.” She indicated the flash drive. “That’s for you to do with as you please. If you can decrypt it, it’s yours.”
Oh, holy shit.
I didn’t dare breathe.
She’d realize she was making a mistake. That was her family in the end.
As if hearing my thoughts, Summer shook her head. “I don’t know what’s on it, but it’s important. I took it out of Park’s safety deposit box. I know he’s my brother, but I can’t support him anymore. He’s going down a dangerous path. Whether he wants to look at it this way or not, this is my way of trying to save him. He deserves whatever happens to him.” Her chin started to tremble again. “It might even save him from something worse.”
“Summer?”
She stood, still not looking at me. Gathering her bag and box, she held them. She didn’t leave. She didn’t do anything. She waited by the bed for a moment before she dumped them. “Oh, to hell with it.”
Her arms wrapped around me in the next second. I was pulled in for a tight hug.
She buried her head into my neck, saying, “I am so sorry for everything my brother has already done and anything he does.”
I was so shocked at the turn of events. My arm was crushed against my chest. My fingers hadn’t closed around the flash drive yet. I was still holding it in the palm of my hand.
She hugged me again before she moved back. Her hand closed my fingers over the flash drive. “Use this. Whatever is on it, use it. I hope it helps you.”
She went back to her bag and box. She was leaving.
I almost shouted, “Wait!”
She stopped at the door, turning back.
I said, “Where’s his party tomorrow?”
Her eyebrows bunched together. She started shaking her head. “No, no, no. Don’t go there, Sam.”
I shoved the flash drive in my pocket and rolled back my shoulders. “Tell me where it is. I’ll go without you.”
“No, Sam. I can’t. Park…he’s…he has something planned for you tomorrow. Don’t go.” Her eyes were pleading. “I mean it. Don’t go, Sam. Please.”
“I’m not going in blind. I know he has something planned. My eyes have been wide open this whole time.”
“They weren’t. Not with me.”
“Not at first, no, but once you told me, they were. You might think you’ve spied on me, but you haven’t really. Sebastian could’ve found out any of that information himself.”
“No, Sam. I told him things that I know you wouldn’t have wanted me to.” She clasped the box to her chest, holding tightly. “I have to go. I’m sorry, Sam. I really am. Don’t go to that party tomorrow.”
“Summer?”
She left. The door slammed shut behind her. I went after her, but the phone started to ring behind me. We both used our cell phones, but the dorm installed a landline. I never used it and was going to ignore it this time, too, but a thought occurred, and I held back.
Picking up the receiver, I asked, “Hello?”
“Is my sister there?”
It was Sebastian.
I gritted my teeth but replied in a cheerful voice, “Nope, but she just talked me into going to a party you’re throwing tomorrow?”
“Oh, good. That’s what I was calling about. Now,” his voice dipped down, “Samantha, I know that there’s been some bad blood between us, but I want to make things right. You’re friends with my sister. Your father is close to my family, and we’ve all been supporting your mother.”
The last statement churned my blood. I gripped the phone tighter. “What do you mean?”
“Just that this silly battle I have with Mason and Logan doesn’t need to extend to you and me. I mean, we’re practically family anyway.” He laughed into the phone.
The smugness had me seeing red.
“It must have been difficult to go through everything you have. You don’t just have Mason and Logan to lean on, you know. There’s a whole network of people you can lean on. We’ll support you through anything. That sounds good, doesn’t it?”
It sounded condescending. I went with it. “Oh, yeah.” My sarcasm was kept in check. Sugary sweetness here. “I’ll take any support I can get.”
“See? I know my sister was hesitant to bring you in, but I think it’s time you found out about everyone else. I wasn’t lying when I said there’s a whole network of people you can call family. In fact, you’re more connected than Mason and Logan are. I think you have a really great future ahead of you.”
“Oh,” fucker, “yeah, that sounds wonderful.” My knuckles were white. I had to keep from breaking the phone. “Hey, can you let me know where the party is? Your sister seemed distracted when I asked for the directions, and I just wanted to double check with you.”
“Sure. Are you ready?”
After jotting it down, I signed off with a cheerful, Fuck you, in my head.
I dialed Mason immediately after.
As soon as he answered, I said, “We have a problem.”
MASON
Sam said Garrett and his wife were staying with the Sebastians. I figured I needed somewhere more private than my house to have this meeting so I booked a suite at a hotel. This was all Sam’s idea. Once we hatched the plan with Nate and Logan, we were good to go until she woke up in the middle of the night.
“What’s wrong?” I sat up next to her, rubbing her back under her shirt.
Tears ran down her cheeks and she raised her knees up, hugging them to her. She rested her cheek against her knee and looked at me. There was such sadness in her gaze, and it tugged at me, sinking deep in my chest. Wiping some of the wetness from her face, I asked again, “What’s wrong? Tell me.”
“Garrett.”
I frowned. Her dad? My hand paused on her back. “What about him?”
“He’s a part of all of this.” She sniffled, but she didn’t pull away from her knee. She just kept looking up at me. She wasn’t seeing me. She was seeing him. My jaw clenched, realizing that. The sadness was for him.
