Page 96 of Pawn

Jo nods at her friend before she walks into the room, Lea behind her.

“Holy shit you guys.” Allie makes her way over to Jo’s bed, getting comfortable. “How many times are you gonna scare us? I’m gonna need something stronger than pot to deal with it all if that’s the case.”

Jo laughs and I’m so relieved to hear it, pulling my arm around her. Who says waking up in the hospital together isn’t romantic?

“Yeah, that wasn’t funny,” Lea comes to the other side of us, punching me in my arm. “Who the fuck do you think you are, King? Superman?”

“Batman,” Jo counters.

“You’re awake.” Willow appears in the door in jeans and a long yellow sweater, Isaac and Christian on either side of her. Her eyes widen before she makes her way over to me and it jars me when she wraps her arms as far as they can go.

“Woah, Low,” Jo says. “Not like you have a sister or anything.”

Willow puts my face between her palms. “If you died, my sister would be miserable, forever.” A finger comes to my face. “Don’t do that shit again.”

“Shit, alright,” I say, my cheeks like a fish, a burn coming with it. When she releases me I clarify. “But I can’t make any promises. Your sister’s not going down on my watch. Well, unless it’s—”

“Ew!” Willow looks horrified when she backs away before her hands go to her ears.

“Yeah, I’m with Willow,” Christian says in an ERA hoodie, walking in with Isaac in a patchwork jacket. They make their way over to the sofa.

I want to thank them already for keeping Jo’s little sister safe and sound. But there’s something still heavy on my mind. “Your brother tried to kill Jo,” I say. “Again.”

“He thought you guys were gonna rat him out,” Willow pipes up, sitting beside my boys.

“Why are you always defending him?” Jo asks her sister.

“How was my brother supposed to know that you were about to burn down the entire school, you pyro?” Lea protests. “He was scared.”

“I was.” Jordan appears in the doorway and he’s lucky I’m hooked up to this bed. “Willow told me you guys were handling it and I freaked out, I didn’t know what that meant.” Lea goes to stand beside him, rubbing the back of his blue spring jacket. “I thought Jo would do something crazy.”

“Crazy?” Jo asks, her grip tightening on my leg.

“Well, you haven’t exactly been the quietest new girl on the block,” Lea defends.

“She could’ve died, Jordan,” I repeat, knowing damn well that fire was my idea. “Like her parents.”

“I know I—” He hangs his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I was only trying to protect my family. I didn’t want to get sent away like Lea and I really didn’t know there was a fire, you have to believe me.”

“Speaking of fire,” Allie says, her eyes on her phone screen. “They’re saying it’s the biggest one to hit Eden.” Sliding off the bed, she walks over to us, showing us the carnage on her screen.

Elite Royal Academy looks like I felt after Allie’s party—except ten times worse. Half the building looks crumbled, a firetruck still spraying water on what’s left. But for some reason, it makes me lighter, secure.

“Guess we don’t have to worry about anyone finding out about anything, huh?” Lea pulls her brother close under her arm and Jordan takes a glance at Willow, his cheeks red. “As long as we don’t talk.”

“Another pact?” Christian asks.

“Definitely,” I confirm. This one is as big as the pact we have about Marion.

“We’ll find who did this.” A man’s voice comes from the door. “Questioning these kids might be a good place to start.”

Jo’s eyes whip to mine, her hazel eyes wide but I pull my finger to my mouth.

“We have a hunch who might connect to this crime but it’s still too early to say who.” He lowers his voice and I’m straining my ears to hear the rest, shushing the room. “All we will say is, it’s—time we—restrictions on who comes—Eden.”

Shit.

From the door, two officers pass by, one of them looking in and his eyes meet mine.

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