Fallen Crest University

“Help yourself.”

I ignored his sarcasm, taking a big sip. “Thanks.”

“You were telling me…” he prompted. His hand moved sideways in the air. “I was going to confess everything to you?”

“You would’ve.” He never would’ve. I continued to lie, “You would’ve admitted to the hit-and-run, too. Mason was the target, not Marissa.” My stomach rolled over on itself. Sebastian bought her off, but all the pieces fit together now. An abrupt laugh ripped from me. “That wasn’t the fraternity, was it?”

His smugness rose a level. He was almost grinning at me. “What do you mean?”

“Last year, Marissa never came forward against you guys. She didn’t charge you. We thought it was the fraternity, but it wasn’t.”

I looked at the portraits. It was like they were looking down at us. They were laughing. We were center stage for them.

“It was them, wasn’t this? This network. You guys got to her somehow.”

“My, my.” Sebastian’s voice as soft. “You really are piecing things together.”

“But…” I knew there was more. “What else? What else have you done?”

“You’re right. Marissa was paid, and when the money wasn’t enough, she was threatened. I will admit to that.”

I knew there was more. I pushed. “What else?”

“You’re eager to know everything, huh? Are you sure, Samantha? Are you sure you want to know all the dirty secrets? That’s what they are. They’re all dirty.” He moved a step toward the bar, intently watching me. “Have you thought about what will happen to you afterward? Because you know too much now?”

There it was. My eyes held his. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t shrink against the bar like I wanted to, so I just held on to it. This ride was going to get a little bumpy.

“Maybe that’s your other truth,” I said.

“What’s that?”

He was enjoying this now. I was a mouse to him. He was playing with me before eating me—or whatever he had planned. He was a sick fuck.

I said, “You know what I’m saying.”

“I do.” He laughed, and the sound filled the entire room. I heard an echo even. “And you’re right. I do have something planned, but it’s not as sophisticated as what you might think. It’s almost primal.” He paused, and his eyes narrowed again.

My hand clutched the water bottle, and I drank half of the water in one gulp. I didn’t know if I was heated or if I was becoming sick from being in Sebastian’s proximity. Either way, I licked my lips and finished the rest of the water. My head was swimming.

“Go on,” I croaked. “I want to know your plan.”

“That was it.”

“What?”

He took another step closer and nodded at the water bottle in my hand. “Right there.”

“What?” I still wasn’t following. My stomach felt like it was dropping out of me. My hand pressed there. I needed to calm down. My head needed to be clear. “What are you talking about? The water…oh, shit.”

The light bulb turned on as he laughed. “I thought it was ironic that you were going to drug me, considering…” Another step closer. He pointed at the bottle again. “You know.

Mason said, “We have to fight smarter.” He looked at Nate and Logan. “That means, no more physical fighting, not if we can help it.”

Nate nodded in agreement, rubbing his hands together.

Logan rolled his eyes. “For real? I’m not signing up to run for the senate. You can’t fight, Mr. I’m Going into the National Football League, and Everyone Will Watch Me.” He pointed to himself. “I can still fight. High school wasn’t the best years of my life. I’m planning for college to be that time. Sorry, Mase. I love you. I’m with you, but if I feel a good fight coming on, I’m not holding back.” He jerked his head upward, his chin nodding to Mason. “And don’t even try arguing with me. You love fighting as much as I do.”

Mason didn’t agree, but he did say, “With this group, we fight back smart. Okay?”

I hadn’t been smart. Sebastian outsmarted me.

I thought, Fuck me.

“I figured you wouldn’t drink. You’d be coming into enemy territory, and Mason would’ve coached you better. That meant a clear head, but I also knew this would take a long time. There’s a lot to explain, and I’m not even done. I still have more to enlighten you about. I knew you’d want some water. The only problem was that.” He gestured to a cupboard behind me.

My arms were growing heavier the more he talked, but I opened it. Two cases of water sat there. I could’ve grabbed one of those twenty-four bottles. I’d taken the single one in the refrigerator.

Sebastian said, as his hand rested on top of the bar an inch from mine, “But I eliminated the risk and put only one in there.”

“How?”

“A syringe,” he said so matter-of-factly. “If you turned your bottle over, a very, very small leak would show up. It was big enough, though, for what I needed.”

Everything was getting even heavier. I wanted to lie down.

“Sam?”

I wanted to shake my head. I didn’t want to hear the rest. He hadn’t won. He just thought he had, but he’d find that out in the morning. I started to look around. I needed a chair. I would tell him where his plan wouldn’t work out when I woke up. ns class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">