Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) (7 page)

“Good!” Maverick flashed me a grin and stood up, grabbing his tray in the process. “Then I shall see you two lovely ladies in front of Foster around seven thirty on Saturday.”

I looked up and forced a smile. “Sounds great.”
Freakin’ great.

Chapter Eight

Much to my dismay, the week flew by. Before I knew it, I was standing outside of Foster Hall with Gabby. When I’d dressed that morning, boots and jeggings had been acceptable attire. Now, they felt like little protection against the frigid January wind.

I jumped in place, waiting for Maverick to let us in. Our student IDs didn’t work in the other dorms, so we needed an escort to get in. Apparently, Wilcox took its security notes from the Pentagon.

“Here he comes! Here he comes!” Gabby squealed, moving aside so he could open the door.

I nearly barreled over both of them, anxious to feel the lobby’s warmth. “Thank goodness,” I panted, cursing winter for stealing the breath from my lungs.

We showed our identification and checked in with the desk attendant. Being the lucky soul that he is, Maverick lives on the first floor, so we didn’t have to go far. He unlocked the door and pushed it open above us. “Ladies…”

“Thanks.” I slid past him and stood the middle of the room, feeling more than a little awkward.

Gabby surveyed the area and flopped onto the nearest bed. “Nice place.”

“Thanks, babe. We try.” He grinned and shut the door. “I don’t know where my roommate wen—”

“Right here,” an oddly familiar voice called, stepping out of the bathroom.
Oh crap.
It was the guy from the other night.

Gabby’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she sprang into a standing position. “Jinxy! Hey!”

He eyed her and shot Maverick a look before answering. “Hey, what’s going on?”

She twisted her hands. “We, uh—”

“Maverick and I are in class together,” I interjected, ready for damage control. “We were gonna hang out tonight, so I brought Gabby with me. Gosh, I had no clue you guys lived together. It’s nice to officially meet you!”

Jinx blinked at me and nodded in slow motion.

“You too.” He threw another glance at his roommate for verification.

Please, just go along with it.

Maverick rocked back on his heels, grinning from ear to ear. “Most definitely.”

I gave an audible sigh of relief and quickly masked it with a cough. “So, we all know each other, then. Awesome.”
Now get me the hell out of here.

Gabby looked like she’d just dodged a bullet and was practically beaming. “Yes!”

Maverick gave a thumbs up, slipping past us to open a tiny fridge. “Can I offer you ladies a beverage?” He gestured toward the open shelves and then to a milk crate full of various bottles of liquor. “Anything you want. If we don’t have it, we can get it.”

Shoot me.

Gabby bounded across the room and dropped to her knees to investigate the selection. “Ree, check it out!”

I rubbed my temples, fighting the urge to throw a chair at someone. Had I walked onto the set of a cliché college movie? Maybe I was in the minority, but devoting a night to getting drunk didn’t exactly appeal to me. “Look, I’m really not feeling this tonight. Maybe I should just—”

“
Aww! C’mon.” She was already clutching a bottle to her chest, giving me puppy eyes. “When was the last time we did anything fun? You never go out with me. I wanna have fun with my roomie!”

The guys gave nods of encouragement, totally enamored by her plea. Of course they were. It didn’t take long for people to fall under her spell of social magnetism. She’d made it three to one without trying.

Okay, maybe a compromise was in order. There was no way I was getting out of this without starting some kind of unnecessary drama. I’d just have one drink and make sure nobody slipped any “additives” into the mix. Actually, a drink might be just the thing to make this situation bearable.

I slumped and blew out a sigh. “Okay, but just one…”

A chorus of cheers sounded around the room, and I knew I had a long night ahead of me.
Fantastic.

~

Two hours later, I was propped up in the corner. “For those about to rock,” I sang in a weak voice, thrusting my plastic cup out like a cannonball. “We saluuuute you!”

The amber liquid sloshed over the side, splashing my hand. I laughed and looked around to see if anyone was watching. “D’you see that, bitches?”

No one answered me.

Frowning, I crawled over to the bed and peered up. Jinx was shirtless and sprawled out, sleeping with his mouth open. He hugged an empty bottle to his chest and wrapped a protective arm around his stomach. “Mmhmm.”

I snickered and looked over to where Maverick and Gabby were lying. The TV flashed silver hues over their coupled form, and I felt my stomach twist with nausea. “Oh gag.”

“Wooow,” Gabby slurred, pulling back from the hickey she’d been branding on his neck. “I dunno what…I…came over me.” She patted her hair down and giggled.

Maverick sat up with a wicked smirk. “You’re a bad girl. Maybe we should send you to your room.”

“¡Oh si, niño! ¡Soy una chica muy mala!”
Gabby started laughing hysterically, and I had trouble focusing.

Processing, processing…shit. Nothing.

He stood on shaky legs, gathering her up alongside him. “Well, I think I’ll take this one to her room…where she sleeps.”

“Where
you
sleep,” she purred, clinging to him for support.

“Gag,” I repeated, still on my hands and knees. It wasn’t like I was going to stop them. They were consenting adults, and he clearly wasn’t taking advantage. It wasn’t my nasty problem.

They stumbled out the door, laughing and calling, “Bye, bye, Reeeena Ballerina!”

I shook my head at the nickname and used the desk to pull myself up. There was no way I was going to crash with Jinx the dancer. I’d seen enough of his moves already.

I snatched my coat off the bed and took a few steps toward the door. The room swayed back and forth, rocking like a boat lost at sea. Ah, hell. Was I…?
Nah, I don’t get drunk.
I jerked the door open and practically fell out into the hallway, forcing my sore arms into the sleeves of my coat.

Oops.
That wasn’t good.

I braced myself on the wall and crept past the opening to the lobby, holding my breath. I’d been in this dorm before and knew there was a side exit by the staircase. If I could make it there, I’d be home free. It didn’t matter if I signed out or not. Nobody would check.

As I crept and skulked in the shadows, I couldn’t help but giggle. It all felt so silly, like I was playing a game with the security officer—one he didn’t even know we were playing. Yet. I laughed and clamped a hand over my mouth, looking around. “Shh…”

There they were—the double doors of freedom.

I darted forward, tripped over my own feet, and caught myself on the chilled glass. “Ah.” I pushed back on the bar, and the door swung open. With a disoriented blur, I flew out into the night.

“Oomph!” Stones and shards of ice cut into my palms as the door came back and hit me in the hip. “Ugh,” I groaned, feeling the sting in my wrists as I crawled out of the way. If any door was left open for longer than ten seconds, it gave a high-pitched beep to warn the front attendant. Well, too bad. They’d never take me alive.

Somehow, I managed to cling to the building and find my footing. Man, I was worse off than I thought. Had Maverick and Gabby even made it back to our dorm? I looked across the quad, to Reid Hall looming in the distance, and felt my heart sink.
It must be nice to have someone catch you when you fall.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel like singing and giggling anymore. I wanted to go back to my room and curl up with the comforter over my face until I felt whole again. Of course, I couldn’t. Because of
them
.

I took a few unstable steps and nearly face-planted, flailing my arms around. The path was a lethal mix of ice, packed snow, and the faintest sprinkling of salt. How on earth was I supposed to get back?

There weren’t many people outside. The stragglers had their heads tucked down, hurrying to their destinations.
Well, crap.
At least no one would see me fall. I took a few more steps and felt a sickening loss of control.

As if on cue, lazy snowflakes began to descend from the heavens. I looked up and groaned as glittering white essence began to pour from dense clouds, like someone had shaken a snow globe. The snowflakes danced in front of the streetlights, mocking me with their jovial flurry.

“Wooonderful.” I reached out and grabbed hold of a light post for support. When my boots slid, I clung to the thing like a freakin’ koala bear. I didn’t care who saw me. I wasn’t going to fall again.

My cheeks tingled in the night air, and I sniffled to keep my nose from running. This sucked. Everything sucked. Why did Gabby have someone to keep her safe and warm right now? I was the one who introduced them. Not fair.

I clenched my fist, willing the notion away. Well, screw them. I didn’t need someone to lean on. Hell, I’d be damned if I ever needed anyone for anything, ever again. Nobody was going to—

“Rena?”

I looked up as a figure emerged from the white void of snowfall. The snow dusted his broad shoulders as he took long, measured strides toward me, his black coat flapping in the wind. As he neared, I made out his startled features.

“Wallace?”

His gaze burned with indiscernible emotion. “Are you hugging the lamp post?”

Irrational tears spilled down my cheeks at his words, like a dam had broken inside me. “Wallace, save me. I can’t mooove!”

Chapter Nine

For a moment, Wallace looked stunned—the epitome of male panic over a woman’s tears—but it didn’t last long. The shock faded into scrutiny, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What do you mean, you can’t move?” His tone was icier than the blustery, nighttime air. “Is someone forcing you to stay here?”

“N-No.”

His brows stitched together. “Then you should go inside.”

“I caaan’t,” I wailed, hiding behind the post.
Damn it.
Why was everything turning out so wrong? “Gabby and Maverick are getting their stupid sex all over my room, and Aiden’s at the play.” I sniffled. “I’m homeless, Wallace. Nobody wants me.”

He looked like he didn’t know whether to be amused or appalled. “That bad, huh?”

His left eye was still a little swollen, but not nearly as bad as it had been Sunday night. Geez, it felt like an eternity had passed since then.

“Rena.” He knelt down, eyeing me as he put both knees in the slush. To anyone passing by, it probably looked like he was trying to meet a timid child at eye level, coaxing her to go inside. “Have you been drinking?” His voice was cautiously low, like he was afraid of spooking me again.

“I…”

Ugh.
Why was he giving me that look? I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Wallace,” I said seriously, nodding toward the ground. “You’ve got wet on your pants.”

He blew out a sigh that vanished as a crystalline cloud between us. “I know.”

I peered around the light post, watching for any sudden movements. It was a little unnerving to have him so close, knowing what he was capable of. Actually, now that I thought about it, I didn’t really know what he was capable of. “Did you kill your roommate?”

He jerked his chin back in surprise. “What?”

“Your rooooommate,” I slurred, emboldened by the powerful accusation. “They say you killed him. So, did you?”

He looked up, mouth agape and eyes incredulous. “You’re really asking me that? Do I scare you that badly?”

“Ye—no…no.”

“I didn’t kill my roommate, Rena. He asked to be reassigned to Foster.”

“Oh.” The wind bit at my ears, and they started to numb.

“I can’t believe that you…” he trailed off, running a hand back through his hair. “Forget it. Do you have someplace to go?”

His words cut through my chest as I stood there, trying to figure out how to take back what I’d said. “No.”

With a resigned sigh, he nodded to himself and stood up, dusting off his coat and pants.

“Come on, then.” He tilted his head toward our building. “I guess you’ll have to hang out at my place until your roommate’s friend is gone.”

“Don’t be nice,” I groaned, pressing my forehead to the frozen post. “It makes me feel bad.”

“Sorry, I guess you’ll just have to suffer.”

Was that a joke?
I leaned around the post again, staring up at him with what I hoped were veiled emotions. “Are you planning something?”