Page 34 of Alive and Kicking
“Where the heck do you even get these ideas?” Sloane asks with a hearty chuckle.
Shrugging one shoulder, I load up my plate. “From the books he gets me.” I nod my head toward Zane as I take a seat next to him.
I start pulling my homework out and organize it by what’s due first. All eyes are on Zane when I look up. “What kind of books are you getting her?” Cain asks.
“Apparently ones with lots of sword crossing,” Zane tells him.
Cain’s head tilts to the side. “Like fantasy, or historical fiction?”
Zane and Nox both laugh while Sloane just looks confusedly between the two. I just ignore them as I focus on my work.
“Not that kind of sword crossing,” Nox interjects.
I peek up to catch Cain’s brows disappearing into his hair line. His eyes ping pong from Zane to me a few times before he shakes his head. “I’m not going to ask any questions. I don’t want to know.”
I smile down at my homework before taking a bite of pizza. After a few moments of quiet Sloane manages to catch my eye, looking around at the others before looking back at me expectantly. “What?” I ask, not understanding what he’s trying to say.
Everyone looks up at us as Sloane nods his head toward me. “Are you going to share the news?”
The news? I have no idea what he’s talking a… Oh, that news. I’d completely forgotten about that. My anger comes rushing back all at once. “That fucking asshole!” I exclaim, slamming my palms on the table.
Zane’s instantly on alert. “What happened? Do you need me to kill someone for you?”
I pause to think about that before sighing regretfully. “No. You can’t kill him.”
Zane’s eyes narrow. “Who made you mad? I promise only to hurt them a lot.”
A laugh comes at that, and I smile at him before shaking my head as I look around the table. “I have a guest lecturer for my History of Ancient Warfare class. Today was my first class period.” My eye twitches when I think about it too hard. “I walked into the classroom to find Enzo behind the desk. He’s the guest lecturer. The asshole didn’t even warn me about it!”
Zane’s eyes widen. “You might have to help me with hurting him. I don’t think I can do it on my own.”
Sloane gives Zane a serious case of side eye. “Viv doesn’t want Enzo hurt,” he explains, before focusing on me. “I thought you were past the angry part.”
I rub my temples. “I thought I was. I’m not mad that he’s there. I’m mad that he didn’t warn me about it. I know that he probably didn’t want anyone else to know either, but it’s not like he doesn’t know where we live. He could have given me a heads up.”
“Did he say why he’s taken a job on campus?” Cain asks.
Looking at him, I lean my head against my fist. “Yeah, and it makes sense. My dad sent him here for my protection. It makes sense for him to have an in at the school, I just hate getting left out of the loop. Just reminds me of when I was a kid and Enzo would take me on last minute camping trips, only for me to come home and realize something big went down and nobody ever told me what was going on. It was so frustrating being in the dark. I hate that feeling.”
Cain smiles softly at that. “It makes sense. Plus, you’re an adult now. You should be informed fully about things, especially when it comes to your safety. We’ll have him over for a meeting so we can all sit down and make sure we’re on the same page.”
I’m nodding before I even fully take in his words. “That’s a great idea. Though I’m sure his plan will be something along the lines of ‘I’ll just stab anyone who tries to hurt Vivy.’” I lower my voice to mimic Enzo’s lower tone.
Zane laughs at that and the others mostly just shake their heads, thinking I’m being ridiculous. That is probably his plan though. I didn’t even notice he was in town yet, but he’s got to be watching me somehow. It’s not like he can step foot on the property without Nox knowing, he’s got cameras everywhere. It just doesn’t make sense for him not to be close.
Cain
Ishould have been prepared for the possibility of seeing Enzo at school after the conversation we had last night. What I wasn’t expecting however, was to find him relaxing in the faculty lounge when I arrived for a meeting with the department chair of criminology. It really bothers me that he’s sitting in the back of the room when Nathaniel Baldwin arrives and takes a seat at the table with me. “Price, glad to see you’re doing well.”
“You as well,” I reply easily.
I already know what this meeting is about and I’m not in the mood to have it again, at least… I thought I did. His words surprise me though. “There are two things I’m hoping to discuss with you.”
My brows raise. “Okay. Let’s get started then.”
He taps a finger on the table between us, the omega watch on his wrist flashing in the florescent lights. “You are the only criminology professor that does not have a teaching assistant. But it’s an amazing opportunity for the students, it’s a great point to highlight on their resumes. I understand that you don’t like relying on others, but this is something our department is proud to offer to a few select students.”
I sigh at that. He hasn’t laid it out this way for me before, and now I feel guilty for keeping opportunities away from my students. “I will start the application process.”
