Page 27 of Snitches and Serpents

I set down my half-full plate on the counter and roll my shoulders back as I start towards the door. The person outside continues abusing the doorbell. I shake my head. The incessant noise is giving me a headache.

Reaching the door, I unlock it and then throw it open with enough force to make the annoying person outside jump back.

Surprise shoots through me when I realize who it is.

Elle Summers is standing there on our porch.

And she looks furious.

Her blue button-down shirt is slightly rumpled. Her hair is a mess, looking as if she has been raking her fingers through it repeatedly. Her hands are curled into fists. And her brown eyes are blazing with fury.

The sight of it stuns me so much that I forget what I’m supposed to be doing. So when she stalks forward, I just let her back me into the house.

“This was your doing!” she screams at me.

Actually screams.

In all the years I’ve known her, she has never raised her voice like this. Never caused a scene. Never been anything less than perfectly composed in every single situation.

I had no idea that she possessed this kind of fire.

It’s kind of… hot.

“You planted those drugs in my room. You tipped off campus police.” Rage burns in her eyes. And then she shoves me in the chest. “And you?—”

The feeling of her hands on my body snaps me out of my stupor.

Electricity shoots through my veins at her rough touch, but I ignore it and instead yank my hands up and grab her wrists before she can finish shoving me.

She starts in surprise and tries to yank her hands back. I just tighten my grip around her wrists.

“Careful with those accusations, sweetheart,” I warn, putting a dark edge to my voice.

To my surprise, she doesn’t flinch in fear like I had expected her to. Instead, she bares her teeth at me while rage flares across her features.

“It’s not an accusation if it’s true,” she says, practically spitting the words at me. “It’s a fact. You planted drugs in my room and then tipped off campus police. And now, I’ve been kicked out of my sorority!”

Satisfaction courses through me. So, my plan worked.

After breaking into her room and then handling that job for Bracken, I had desperately needed a couple hours of sleep before classes, so I hadn’t been able to get up early and watch the street to see if campus police acted on my anonymous tip. And hanging around their building today would’ve just drawn unwanted attention. So I didn’t know if my plan had worked. But now, I do.

Releasing her wrists, I instead flick a dismissive look up and down her body before flashing her a vicious smile. “What you do in your spare time is your business. Don’t try to blame me for your mistakes and your embarrassing failures.”

She flinches.

It shocks me enough that I lose track of what I had been about to say next.

She didn’t flinch when I threatened her. But this somehow makes her stare at me as if I have just slapped her across the face. It makes no sense.

However, before I can figure it out, she gives her head a quick shake as if to clear it. In a matter of moments, she has composed herself.

“This was your doing,” she says, her voice now calm and smooth. Gone is the wild fury. Only perfect composure remains as she holds my gaze. “So you are going to come with me and tell them as much.”

The sight of that composed mask on her features makes me irrationally angry. Giving her another dismissive once-over, I snort and reply, “I don’t think so, sweetheart.”

“Then I will just tell them to come here and search your house. Then they will find all your other drugs and see that they belong to you.” A hint of lightning returns to her eyes for a brief second as she adds, “And don’t call me sweetheart.”

A sly smile spreads across my lips. There are no drugs in this house. Amir and I don’t handle that shit, and Paul, Jonas, and Ian would never be dumb enough to keep their stash in the house. If we were that stupid, we would never have gotten away with studying at Bercester U and working for the White Serpents at the same time.

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