Page 84 of Tell Me Why
“What if the security guys are up there? Or…what if someone is coming down the path just as you’re going up?”
Okay, shit. Yeah. “Good point. Um…” I glance around, my eye catching on the berm to my right, a few hundred yards away. “Isn’t there a path just past that berm that leads directly to campus?”
“Oh, yeah. But…there could be half a dozen security guys up there, watching. No way the Sacred Sons would leave that area exposed.”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “But it’s dark, and there’s a bunch of shrubbery that could hide me. Honestly, it’s the only shot I’ve got.”
What do I have to lose at this point, right?
“There’s just one thing —” I say. “Christian is watching me like a hawk. If I try to sneak off, he’ll know before I even make it ten steps. Do you think you could distract him?”
Skye’s eyes widen. “How? Christian isn’t exactly easy to distract, especially if the person in front of him isn’tyou.”
“Maybe you could…” My groggy mind is still trying to whir back to life. “I don’t know, corner him, and tell him you’re worried about me, ask him for advice on how to talk to me, or something…?”
She nods. “Yeah, okay. That could work. It’ll buy you a couple of minutes, at least. I mean, hopefully.”
I haven’t taken my eyes off Christian. “It looks like he’s wrapping up his conversation, so you should go now,” I say, pushing her arm. “And make sure you keep his back to the water, otherwise, he’ll see me.”
One sharp nod. “Got it.”
Skye reaches out to squeeze my arm, her fingers lingering reassuringly before she gets up and walks over to intercept Christian. I wait for a couple of seconds, breath held, until she has him fully engaged. Then I push to my feet and stumble through the crowd of people. My legs are shaky, but my heart is pumping, a hot stream of adrenalinewhooshingthrough my veins, pushing me past the weakness in my limbs.
Thankfully, no one is paying attention to me as I push my way through the sea of drunk, undulating bodies. Loud tribal music bleeds from hidden speakers, beating in time with the crashing waves—another distraction I’m thankful for as I break through the tight circle and wobble toward the berm.
As I move farther away from the bonfire, darkness closes in around me, making it almost impossible to see anything or anyone. If there are security guys patrolling the berm, there’s no way for me to know. I’ll just have to risk it and pray the darkness works in my favor.
Heart hammering against my ribs, I make my way toward the berm. It’s a dense wall of sand, sea grass, and dry, twisted shrubs that forms a protective ridge separating Rush Beach from the rest of the universe.
When I reach the base of it, I awkwardly scramble up the side, bobbing and weaving through shrubbery until I get to the top—where there’s a security guy I don’t see until he’s ten feet away from me. Thankfully, he doesn’t see me. He’s too busy looking up toward Rush House, scanning the ridge of the cliff with night vision goggles.
That’s when I spot them—several dark figures emerging from the darkness on the far side of Rush Beach, about fifty yards down. My stomach sinks. Sin. It has to be. He’s the only one stupid enough to attack the Burning Crown on their turf,again.
The security guy on top of the berm—along with several others—jumps into action, shouting warnings as they charge down to stop the ambush. I crouch behind a shrub, barely breathing as I watch Sin’s guys close in like wolves, sending Burning Crown members scattering in all directions. High-pitched screams ricochet off the cliff walls before being swallowed up by the sound of crashing waves.
My immediate thought isn’t for Sin, like it should be. It’s for Christian. I search for his face amid the chaos, but it’s too dark to see anything clearly. Just shadowy figures moving through the bonfire light, never illuminated long enough for me to see who they are.
The taste of blood coats my tongue, and I realize I’m biting my lip. I can’t look away, but I have to. I know Sin, and he’s attacking because he feels backed into a corner. If he doesn’t strike first, the Burning Crown will just keep coming, keep taking. Because that’s what they do.
But if there’s something in that office I can use as leverage, then maybe we actually have a shot at negotiating and putting an end to this fucked-up cycle of violence.
A wave of nausea swamps me, but I force myself to stand up and continue on with the plan. My feet start moving, and once I’m on the other side of the berm, I don’t even think—I make a beeline for the paved walkway.
My feet hit the hard asphalt of the walkway, and I dip behind the closest cement structure—the bathrooms. I lean against the wall so I can catch my breath. “Holy fuck,” I whisper to myself, bent over, the cold air burning my lungs.
Suddenly, three sharp cracks rip through the air.
Gunshots.
Every cell in my body tenses up. It’s impossible to tell who’s shooting at whom—the security guys or Sin’s guys—but the screams get louder and more frantic.
For a split second, I consider going back. If Sin sees me, then maybe he’ll call this whole thing off. But even if he did—and that’s a bigif—it’s too late. This shitshow has jumped off and no amount of reasoning is going to stop it. The Sacred Sons will want blood for this.
If there’s any hope of ending this, then I need to move. Fast.
When I reach campus, it’s quiet, overhead lights casting small pools of orange light on the twisting walkways below. This place is usually so alive, vibrating with energy. It’s weird seeing it empty. Crickets chirping.
My bare feet slap against the cold pavement as I run to the Humanities building. The front doors only have a card reader, no key lock.
