Page 68 of The Naughty Virgin

CHAPTER TWELVE

Caleb

It was time to come forward. We didn’t know how much Karina remembered but our little sister needed to get her ass out of hot water fast.

“Karina!” I yelled. “Open up!”

I heard footsteps scuffling and a voice behind the door asked, “Who is it?”

Okay, at least our sister had more sense that some of the co-eds we’d met in the last few days.

“It’s Caleb,” I ground out, “your brother.”

The door opened and our little girl was there, auburn hair gleaming, green eyes wide, but she was in one piece and looked good. That was more than what I could say for the apartment she lived in. This fifth-floor walk-up was decrepit, a smell of garbage in the hallways, mice scurrying in the background. There was no doorman, no concierge, and no visible security system. Clearly, safety was sorely lacking.

“Caleb!” she gasped, her eyes growing wide. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a long story,” I ground out. “I can’t tell you everything right now but you’ve got to come with me quick.”

“Does my mom know you’re here?” she asked. “Does your Dad? Don’t you have work in California?”

“Come on,” I said harshly. “There’s no time to lose. Pack your bags, we’re moving you out of here. No time to explain, giddyup pronto.”

“No!” she said firmly, her chin set. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. This is crazy. You’re not even supposed to be in New York and you show up on my doorstep, telling me that I have to move, without telling where I’m moving to? Did our parents call off the engagement? What’s going on?” she demanded determinedly.

I sighed.

“Listen Karina, some bad shit is going down. Your so-called friend Brenda spoke with a reporter at Rolling Stone and now NYU is being rocked by a rape crisis. Supposedly Brenda was raped last weekend at DUP, it’s a brewing scandal.”

“Oh I know about that,” Karina said. “Brenda told me she was meeting with a reporter. I tried to convince her not to but Bren wouldn’t listen,” she shrugged.

“She told you she was meeting with a reporter?” I asked with a dark look on my face. “All the more necessary to get you out of here sooner rather than later. That girl is one fucked up bitch.”

“But Caleb,” Karina pleaded. “What are YOU doing here? Is Caden here too?”

“Yes,” I said, nodding. “We enrolled at NYU to finish our bachelors … and to be close to you. But this far-fetched idea is turning out to be a nightmare. Far worse than any business crisis, this is threatening to rock the foundation of the school, if not the nation as a whole. Let’s go,” I said shortly.

And finally, the little girl turned to obey. “Give me a minute,” she whispered, her face turning white. “Let me just grab some things.”

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