Mercy: A Dark College Romance (Somerset University Book 3) Page 3

  “That’s not going to happen. Not with you and me around.”

  I threw her a skeptical look.

  “I’m not just saying that to make you feel better,” she said. We stepped out into the sun, soaking in the warmth as our shoes skimmed the grass, collecting dew on our soles. “They’ve gotten away with it for so long because no one noticed there was something off. Now we know.

  “Ezra knows. Maverick, Jaxson, Ryder, and the army Ryder’s family employs know that something is off. If one of our sisters goes missing, we won’t rest until we know for sure they are where we’re told they are. Doesn’t make for a smooth kidnapping. While we’re around, the Sallys will be safe.”

  “You’re right,” I said, injecting steel into my voice. “If a sister is so much as one day late coming back from summer break, I’m hunting her down. They are not getting another president to look the other way.”

  “Or a president’s best friend.”

  I leaned on her shoulder, thankful for the millionth time that Sofia had my back.

  “We’re going into our junior year of college. Everyone else is gearing up for a summer conked out by the pool, and you and I are unraveling kidnapping plots. Sounds nuts when I say it out loud.”

  She laughed. “That’s because it is, my friend. Our lives have been a roller coaster of weird since we met on the steps of Evergreen Academy. I blame you.”

  “What?” I cried, bursting out laughing. “It’s not my fault. I’m dragged into it, I tell you. Dragged.”

  “Uh-huh.” A smirk played at her lips. “Well, how about this? It’s officially the first day of summer vacation. The Sally house is basically deserted and your presidential duties are on hold. The Sallys and Sams are safe in their homes. Teagan and Sawyer are alive. We have a break from worrying and stressing out about the secrets of Greek Row. For the next three months, let’s cram so much normal summer fun into our lives that we’re begging for weird by September.”

  “Deal.”

  We shook and linked pinkies over it.

  My smile dimmed over our hands. “Can I bring up one more thing before we close the door on the topic?”

  “What?”

  “If Aiden is keeping the notes on the Sams, was Leighton doing it for the Sallys?” An edge leeched into my tone. “And after she left... did someone else take over?”

  “You believe one of the Sallys is watching everything we eat, say, and do?” She shuddered. “If someone was clocking us like that, wouldn’t we notice?”

  I shook my head. “The way our bonding, house, and physical activities are set up, we’re always in each other’s faces. How would we know if someone was paying a little more attention than needed during the basketball game?”

  Sofia considered it, eyes losing focus as the full implication that we were being watched set in, and she cringed like she felt their eyes on her then.

  “I don’t want to think about that right now,” she cried. “The moratorium begins this second. You and I are relaxing today and for the next three months. Shopping, barbecues, movie nights, the whole thing.”

  I nodded along, taking my worries and locking them in the corner of my mind to be obsessed over as I lay in bed teetering on the brink of wakefulness and sleep.

  “All I want to do right now is ride horses with my godson. He’s gonna look so cute on top of Cinnamon in his full gear. Just wait till you see. I got him a helmet with his name on it.”

  My bobblehead jerked to a halt as that penetrated. “On top of Cinnamon?”

  Sofia scurried off.

  “Wait! Sof, he’s too young to ride a horse!”

  “Try and stop us, mama bear!”

  I squawked, tearing after my insane best friend.

  “LOOK HOW CUTE HE IS.”

  Caroline and I gushed over photos of Adam and Cinnamon on the terrace that night over a glass of wine (for her) and apple cider (for me).

  Caroline’s laugh tinkled into the evening. “Just look at that smile. That boy is going to break hearts with that smile alone, Val. Make no mistake.”

  I sighed. “I’ve accepted it. My baby reduced old ladies to puddles just by giggling in his stroller. I can’t believe he’s turning six.”

  “I can’t believe you let him ride Cinnamon,” she teased.

  “I let him sit on Cinnamon while she remained completely still,” I corrected. “After Sofia’s wheedling, and Adam throwing me his big eyes, I broke down.”

  “It was worth it. Adam looks so happy. I tried to get Ryder interested in riding but he said he’d be asking for a lifetime taunted with bad puns with a name like his. Even as a little boy, my son was a wily one.”

  I chuckled. “Sounds like our Ryder. I never asked. How did you choose his name?”

  “Ryder was... the name of someone very special to me.”

  The thought crossed my mind to ask if that someone was Ryder’s true father. I kept it on the tip of my tongue. Caroline shared a lifetime worth of secrets with me. She offered me more trust than anyone ever had, and that included my boys. Anything else she decided to share would be on her terms. I’d never pry.

  “Why did you choose Adam in the end?” she asked. “I remember you poring over baby books.”

  “Adam was a simple, uncomplicated name. Like I prayed his life would be.”

  Caroline reclined on the chaise, sweeping her feet up and taking the blanket I held out for her. She smiled up at the stars, basking in the beauty they reflected in each other. Caroline wore remission extremely well. Not that she didn’t look like a supermodel even in the midst of her illness. But the color in her cheeks and the weight settling nicely on her bones did wonders for her.

  She’d taken to spending every night on the terrace with me, a book, or a glass of wine. “Life is too short to be cooped up inside.”

  I copied her, letting out a relaxed sigh as I reached for my cider. “I had an ulterior motive for crashing your terrace time.”

  “Oh?”

  “My mom flies in tomorrow,” I began. “She’s going home first to make sure the renters didn’t trash the place and spend a few days getting situated. I was hoping after that she could come stay with us?”

  “Valentina,” she said. “You and Olivia know you don’t have to ask. She can stay as long as she likes. She can move in if she wants to. We have plenty of extra rooms.”

  I laughed because I knew she was serious. “Apparently I’m the bird that stays very firmly in the nest. Just me, you, Adam, my mom, and my four boyfriends. One big happy family.”

  “We are one big happy family.” She clinked our glasses. “I’d say you could move out and get a place of your own, but Ryder isn’t interested in going too far from me and he’s even less interested in you getting too far from him.”

  “I wouldn’t make it past the driveway.”

  We giggled, nearly choking on our drinks.

  A dry voice broke into our laughter. “I can sense you two talking about me.”

  “Is that what you think we do, my love?” Caroline replied. “Just sit out here gossiping about you.” She shot me a wink.

  “That’s exactly what I think you do.” Ryder lifted me without preamble and sat me in his lap, stretching us out on the chaise.

  I buried my head in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. Ryder always smelled like spearmint spritzed with expensive cologne. It gave me the heady urge to throw him down and have my way with him. Mess up that perfectly coiffed hair. Rake my nails over his unblemished skin. And refuse to let up until he smelled of sex, sweat, and me, me, me.

  “Are you warm enough, Mom?” he asked. “Want me to get you another blanket?”

  “It’s eighty degrees, dear.” She stroked his cheek. “I’m fine. All I want is for you to tell me about your day.”

  “I met with the lawyers to discuss the buyout of Milkemoss Industries. It should move ahead without a problem. They also finished work on the day care. I was thinking I’d bring Adam in on Monday. He’s got to walk around the office. Si
t in the big chair that will one day be his.”

  Groaning, I said, “Don’t. I was just moaning about my baby turning six. I can’t picture him grown and taking over a company.”

  Ryder shrugged off his jacket and draped it over me. It was still eighty degrees but his instinct to take care of those he loved was strong.

  “Is the party out here?” Jaxson poked his head out the sliding glass door. “Because I’ve got the food.”

  “Oooh. Then you’re definitely invited,” I said.

  Jaxson swept out carrying a tray and was followed by Ezra and Maverick who were carrying one of their own.

  “Mini empanadas, goat cheese bruschetta, and mille-feuille,” he announced.

  “Spanning the continents,” I said. “I love it.”

  “What are we talking about?” asked Ezra.

  Ryder fed me a piece of bruschetta. I answered around my mouthful. “Summer plans. My mom is coming to stay with us. Adam is stepping into his destiny, and Caroline and I are meant for more nights reclining on the terrace.”

  She held up her glass. “That we are.”

  Jaxson hopped on top of us, pulling a shriek out of me, and a growl from Ryder. He ignored my grumpy love and made himself comfortable. “We signed a new band, baby, and we’ve got a tour lined up for them next month. I’m not joining them for the entire thing but they’ve got a stop in New York I’m not going to miss. Want to come?”

  “Is that even a question?” I popped a kiss on his lips. “Of course I want to come.”

  “Mom’s letting me pitch this summer,” Ezra added. “I might even get my own assignments.”

  “Has she forgiven you for getting yourself shot?” Jaxson asked.

  “Most days.”

  “I’ll be on campus.” Maverick reached for the only part of me not covered by Jaxson or Ryder and ran a finger up my ankle. Goose bumps rippled along my skin. “The robotics team has a competition in the fall and we’re behind on building the robot.”

  “Oh no,” I said. “If we’re not careful, we may have a normal summer that isn’t plagued by crazed stalkers or lurking secret societies.”

  “Give it time, mama. Summer just started.”

  I flicked Jaxson’s nose. “It’s going to be great. We’ll celebrate Adam’s birthday, go to concerts, build robots, and do away with the craziness that’s become our lives. We’ve earned it.”

  “I hear that,” said Jaxson.

  “Yep,” Ezra threw in.

  “Sign me up,” Maverick said.

  “And no more bodyguards,” I added.

  “Nope.”

  “No.”

  “No.”

  “Wrong, baby.”

  I heaved a sigh that lifted Jaxson’s head. “I thought I’d sneak that in while we’re all in a good mood. Guess we’ll be arguing about that later.”

  “I’m looking forward to you losing that argument,” Ryder said. The jerk took my cider and downed it. “You make the cutest face before you lob something at my head.”

  “Caroline should have made you ride a horse.”

  “What?” Ryder returned as his mother burst out laughing.

  “I love this,” she said. “Let’s do it every night.”

  Chapter Three

  Maverick

  Val pulled up near the south entrance and killed the engine. She didn’t need to chauffeur me around. I had three cars in perfect driving condition. But she offered to drive with one hand and give me a hand job with the other, and thus my ass was in the passenger seat in three seconds flat.

  I had a weakness. Her name was Valentina.

  “Bye, love.” She leaned over and nuzzled my nose. “Build me a robot that will protect me when the evil ones take over.”

  I laughed. “Don’t need a robot. That’s my job.”

  Monday brought me back to campus. Val’s next stop was home to pick up Adam and take him to Shea Industries. I had robots to build and a possible pickup game with a few guys from my flag football team. The ones that managed to drag themselves out of bed.

  Cupping her cheek, I captured her lips in a kiss that quickly turned hungry. Her tongue wrapped around mine, drawing me in as her soft moans spread through my body. My cock twitched, waking up for another go.

  Val was serious about us putting everything aside and enjoying our summer. So serious that whenever she caught me on my laptop, poring over Aiden’s files, she stripped and gave me something else to focus on.

  “What time should I pick you up?” she asked.

  “I can bum a ride from one of the guys.”

  “Mom and I were thinking the three of us could go out to eat. She wants to catch up with you guys.”

  “In that case, we pack it up at one. Too late?”

  “Nope. One is perfect.” She kissed me again. “Now go so I can watch that tight ass walk away.”

  I shook my head, eyes falling shut. “You gotta stop objectifying me. I’m a man, not a piece of meat.” I barely kept a straight face saying that and Val didn’t try. She laughed me out of the car, landing a smack on my bottom as I stood. I strode off to her wolf whistles.

  Grinning, I watched her over my shoulder. Seeing the naughty curve of her full lips clearer than anything on that sunlit day. Trailing the car as it pulled away and disappeared around a bend. The second she was gone, I wanted her back in my orbit.

  People questioned everything about our relationship. I questioned one thing:

  How she snuck up on me?

  One day the new girl pulled up a stool next to me and the first strike was thrown.

  I’d built walls for my walls. Cultivating the rep as the silent, brooding one. Hiding inside a helmet. Forcing myself to speak when spoken to and sometimes not even then. The more distance between me and the world, the less likely it would see the scars she left while I was too small and too weak to fight. That a few more years gave me the height, strength, and power I begged for was nothing short of a betrayal.

  Too fucking late.

  Now everybody could see me, but only Val came close. Bold and fearless and determined to figure me out like no one ever was. She drew laughs out of me after my mind forgot the sound. She intrigued me after I set in stone that people weren’t worth my time. She pulverized wall after wall while I wasn’t looking, and then one day I glanced up, and she was everywhere.

  She was everything.

  The robotics meeting was held in the computer engineering building in a lab on the third floor. I walked in, mind on Val, and vaguely noticed the guy coming down the opposite direction, heading for the same elevator.

  I pressed the button as he stopped next to me.

  “Hey. You’re Ezra’s friend, right?”

  I looked down, though not far. Sawyer Burn wasn’t as tall as me, but he was far from average height. “Burn?”

  “Figured that was you.” He held out his hand. “Didn’t know if you remember me from the charity dinner.”

  “Yeah, I’m Maverick,” I said slowly, extending my own for a shake. “I remember you. Ezra telling us how you were snatched off the street and driven off in a black van is hard to forget.”

  He winced. “I know how bad that looked, and I hate that Ezra lost his place with the Sams because he pushed to find me. I like that guy. Thought he’d make a great brother.”

  “Ezra isn’t hung up about not getting into the fraternity. It’s you he was worried about. He thought you were dead for a while.”

  “If I was snatched, I’m lucky Ezra would’ve had my back. As it is, I wish I could make it up to him.”

  You could do that by telling everyone the fucking truth.

  I didn’t bother saying it out loud. Sawyer was sticking to the story that his parents appeared out of nowhere and hauled him off. I didn’t hold out hope that he’d break under the torture of lobby music and spill his guts as we waited for the elevator.

  “You’ll figure something out,” I replied.

  The elevator dinged.

  I stepped in, pressed the b
utton for the third floor, and propped myself against the handrail. Silence filled the small space.

  My eyes fixed straight ahead, and out of the corner, I noticed him glancing at me. Quiet made others uncomfortable, but for me, it was home. I knew my way around an awkward silence like an Olympic runner knew his way around a track. I would not be the first one to—

  “So where are you headed?” asked Sawyer as the doors opened. “Shouldn’t you be off enjoying your summer vacation?”

  “I have robotics.”

  “Seriously? Me too.”

  That didn’t get an exclamation from me. I assumed we were going to the same place. Why else would he be here?

  “I used to be on the team,” Sawyer continued. “Had to drop out obviously. Mr. Frost let me back in and I’m taking summer classes to get back on track. It’s like I never left.”

  I didn’t take the bait, pretending like he left under normal circumstances and deserved a normal greeting welcoming him back.

  I strode ahead of Sawyer, reaching our lab and holding the door open for him. “Glad to have you back, man.”

  And thank you for making it easy for me.

  I returned his grin as he strode inside.

  I wasn’t meant to have a normal summer anyway.

  VALENTINA

  Adam bounced on Olivia’s bed, chattering nonstop about everything that happened in his life since he last saw her. It had been less than a week since their Skype date. That was a lot in Adam time.

  “Then Mommy took me to see Cinnamon and Miss Maddy let me brush her all by myself. I got to sit on Cinnamon and she was so big, Livia!”

  “Cool,” she gushed. “I can’t wait to meet her. You can teach me how to ride.”

  “Okay!”

  I leaned against the doorjamb, enjoying the scene. I promised my mom I’d graduate from Evergreen and then shower her in a life of luxury, and I kept my promises. My mom packed a suitcase shortly after I moved into Shea Mansion and set off around the world, visiting all the places she dreamed about from the other side of the television screen.