Page 54 of Ruin Me
Thayer slips my hand into his as we hurry along, heading towards the courtyard in silence.
Alex waits, standing practically in the bushes on the far side, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets,his face a blank mask. “Vogue,” he greets, nodding at Thayer with a guarded look.
“Alex,” I acknowledge, keeping my voice steady. “What have you got?”
He glances around before speaking, “The leak isn’t mine, but it’s all of ours. Some asshole working out of Crestmont for the opposition.”
“Who?” Thayer asks before I can open my mouth.
His voice cuts like a knife, all business, no bullshit. Alex’s jaw tightens, and his eyes flicker with something dark and dangerous.
“It’s Harrow. Professor Harrow,” he spits out the name like it’s poison. “He’s been feeding them information about everyone’s movements around the university.”
“Who is them?” I murmur as my body tenses at the revelation. Professor fucking Harrow - the economics professor with the tweed jackets and patronising smile. I had sat through his lectures, taking notes, listening, soaking up his knowledge, never imagining he was constructing a whole different narrative for our rivals.
“That remains to be seen,” Alex says with a frustrated sigh.
“Then how can you be so sure?” Thayer asks.
“Jess overheard him. That’s why she was so sketchy this morning. She hadn’t had time to fill me in when you arrived, and things swung a different way.”
“And you trust her?” I ask sceptically.
Alex gives me a scathing glare. “She’s my sister.”
“Son of a bitch,” Thayer growls beside me, clearly believing Alex, his grip on my hand tightening almost painfully. “We need to take care of this.”
“Thanks for bringing this to us,” I tell Alex, grateful despite the knot of dread in my stomach.
He gives a curt nod and then disappears into the crowd of students crossing the courtyard as if he were never there.
As soon as Alex leaves, Thayer pulls out his phone and sends a quick message to Callum, Quentin, and Harrison.
He hauls me across the courtyard, and I scramble to keep up. “Where are we going?”
“Home.”
“I’ve got classes this afternoon.”
“Tough shit.”
“Hey,” I snap, planting my feet so he has no choice but to stop. “This is my post-grad degree you’re callously discarding.”
“One afternoon won’t make any difference.”
“You hope,” I grit out and start walking again as he moves off.
A few minutes later, Thayer opens the door to the penthouse, and we stride in. It closes with a soft click, sealing us in with the weight of our secrets.
Quentin, Callum and Harry are already there, making me wonder if any of them even went to class today.
“Alex gave up the traitor’s name,” I start, my voice low and urgent. I spill out the details, watching their faces harden with each word.
“Wow, really?” Quentin says, running a hand through his hair, visibly trying to keep his cool. “What a dick. Who is he working for?”
“That’s the thing we need to find out. All we know is that Jess, Alex’s sister, overheard him talking to someone this morning, giving up campus secrets.”
“Alex?” Quen’s eyes are rock hard, jealousy searing through the room like a wild thing.
