Page 101 of Cruel Riches

With a grunt of annoyance, Nate reached into his pocket and grabbed a pair of sunglasses. “Wear these.”

I put them on with trembling hands. Then I started walking again, letting Nate guide me with the knife at my back. Shivers raced up and down my spine with every step I took. The wind was freezing, and the trees were all stripped bare, their branches thin and brittle. They looked vulnerable and exposed, which was exactly how I felt.

“Alexis?”

My head snapped around at the sound of my name. Nate swore under his breath. “Shit.”

My pulse raced as I caught sight of Laurel and Ruby on the other side of the giant patch of lawn we were heading across. Somehow, they’d recognized me, even with my disgusting bird’s-nest hair and big sunglasses covering the top third of my face.

“Play along,” Nate hissed in my ear as they hurried over to us. “If you say or do anything to fuck it up, I’ll kill them.”

I nodded and blinked back tears as emotion rushed up my throat.

“What are you doing here?” Ruby said excitedly, holding her arms out for a hug. I tentatively wrapped my arms around her, wondering if she’d notice how bad I smelled. “Are you back now?”

Nate answered for me. “No, we just picked up some stuff from her dorm.” He grinned and lifted the arm he was using to hold all the bags. “She’s making me carry all of it like a pack mule.”

Laurel gave Nate a strange look, obviously surprised to see him by my side. Then she hugged me too. “How are you doing?” she asked when she pulled back, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

The blade returned to the small of my back as Nate’s arm slipped under my jacket again.

I had to answer Laurel carefully. I couldn’t say I was fine, because I obviously wasn’t. People didn’t just drop out of college when they were fine. I couldn’t say I was doing terribly, either, because then my friends would insist on helping, and that would get them in trouble with Nate.

I pasted on a little half-smile. “I’m surviving, I guess,” I said. “It’s been pretty hard over the last few days. All I want to do is sleep. I’ve barely even showered or brushed my hair.”

Ruby nodded sympathetically. “I get it,” she said. “If it makes you feel any better, absolutely no one is talking about that stupid sex tape anymore.”

“It’s all about the murders now,” Laurel added. “Everyone is freaked out because the guy is still out there somewhere. Two hundred students have dropped out of their courses in the last week.”

I nodded as if I’d been keeping track of everything going on in the world. “I think I heard something about that,” I replied. “I guess I’m not the only one losing my shit over everything.”

She rubbed my arm. “Don’t feel bad. We’re just glad you’re dealing with it,” she said. She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “You’ve been going to that therapist you mentioned in your messages, right?”

“I’ve been a couple of times,” I said with a slight nod. Guilt struck at my core as the words left my mouth. I hated lying to her, but I had to. “It’s made me feel a little better.”

“That’s good.” Laurel turned her gaze to Nate. “So what’s this about?” she went on, motioning to the two of us. “Since when do you two hang out?”

Nate looked at me and arched a brow. “You haven’t told your friends about me yet?”

My cheeks flooded with heat. “Uh…”

“Wait, you two are dating now?” Ruby cut in, misinterpreting my fearful expression as embarrassment.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I said, forcing a smile.

“I thought you hated him,” Laurel said, brows rising. “No offense, Nate.”

Nate grinned. “None taken. It took a while to convince her to give me a shot, but I had to keep trying,” he said. He paused and leaned down to give me a quick peck on the cheek. “As soon as I saw her in that green dress at the stoplight party a few weeks ago, I knew she was going to be mine.”

“Ooh, I remember that dress!” Ruby said, eyes sparkling. “I’m not surprised he was obsessed with you after that, Lex. You looked so good.”

Laurel frowned. “What happened to that Harry guy?”

“He turned out to be a bit of a dick,” I said with a half-hearted shrug.

“Well, I guess it’s good that Nate kept hounding you, then,” Ruby said. She turned her attention back to him, giving him a warning look. “I hope you’ve been taking care of her. She hasn’t been feeling well.”

“I know.”

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