Page 78 of Provocation
Shade and Mav’s eyes meet, and they don’t seem to know what to say.
‘He went out last night. Late.’
‘Did he…get a call?’ I ask carefully.
They give each other another look.
‘Yeah,’ Mav says finally. ‘But it’s not what you think, okay?’
‘No?’ I take a sip of my drink. ‘Because I think his dad is a piece of shit who screwed up his life and has let the same thing happen to his son.’
‘You know?’ Shade asks after a beat.
Mav looks relieved as I nod.
‘He told me what he has to do. Not the specifics, but I get it.’
Shade gives my shoulder a squeeze. ‘Come on. Let’s get to class.’
We all leave the club and take the truck. We’re running a little late so Shade parks in the lot by the Novelle Center instead of at the KIP House. Today is McKinsey’s class which means I’ll be seeing that asshole Bennet for the first time since he attacked me in the library.
I’m not naturally a vindictive person. At least, I don’t think I am, but something seems out of kilter in my world now. There’s an imbalance. Well, there are tons of them, but this is an immediate one that I feel like I can do something about. Bennet did something bad to me and he deserves a comeuppance. The coat girls too. With everything else that’s been happening, I haven’t put any thought into what that should be, but I probably should since I’m going to see Bennet’s shit-eating smile in a few minutes.
A brainwave comes to me suddenly and I wonder if I can pull it off. I pull out the rumpled flyer I found on the way in advertising the launch party at the club in a few days. It doesn’t mention Envy, of course, but I know everyone’s talking about it. Bennet told me he’s been before, so I’ll bet he goes. A few things will have to fall into place, but… I grin. I really hope I can make it happen. I’m sure it’ll make me feel much better.
The guys accompany me into the building. They want to come with me to my class, especially Mav, but I give them both a firm no. I need to fight some of my own battles, and I don’t need them trailing after me all the time. So, with unhappy faces, they take the elevator down to the lab while I make my way to the lecture hall.
I look through the window at one of the study rooms on the way. The layout is the same as the reading rooms in the library and it makes me think about the moment that Bennet pushed me over the table in the reading room.
So many thoughts flitted through my head in that moment, but one of the most pervading ones was, ‘don’t make a scene’ and it was the same on Halloween. If I cut through the fear of the white coats and the smell of smoke, I didn’t want to make anyoneelseuncomfortable, including the person who was trying to hurt me.
Ridiculous.Did The Heath really program me not to fight for myself? Did they actually instill an idea that staying quiet and keeping my calm was more important than my own wellbeing?
When I get to the lecture hall and push open the door, I hear a sharp breath and I stop short as I see Bennet, my brows rising. He looks like shit. His arm is in a sling and his hand is wrapped thickly in white bandaging, the one that was touching me, though I suppose that could just be a coincidence. His eyes widen when he sees me, and he backs away a couple of steps. He turns away from me and rushes over to his friend, Casey.
‘Tell McKinsey I'm sick. I'll send my work in later.’
She cocks her head at him. ‘But you said you wanted to talk to her about?—’
‘Doesn’t matter what I said,’ he hisses. ‘Just do it, okay?’
‘Okay!’
He leaves, giving me a wide berth as he flees like I have the plague, banging the door into the wall as he shoves it open and runs from the room.
I stare after him.
What happened to him?
Blake,my brain supplies.
But that can’t be it. He promised?—
No. He didn’t.
He never said a word when I asked for them not to go after him. Shade and Mav said they wouldn’t get revenge, but he never did. I should be angry, but instead my lips twitch.
He must have gone out last night, tracked Bennet down, and donethatto his arm and hand.The ones that touched me.
