Page 105 of Grave Matter

Kincaid crosses the boat in seconds, arms holding me up. “Don’t be ridiculous, Syd. You’re letting your mind get away from you, and you’re still feeling the effects of the drug. Look, there’s a storm coming. You have nowhere you need to be today. You can just stay here and take it easy. You’re safe. I mean it.” He pauses. “I’m the one with a rifle, and I have a lot of bullets left,” he jokes.

I nod carefully. “I know. But I want Everly to know my intentions. I want her to tell me it’s okay to leave. I need to hear it.”

“Alright,” he says, leaning down to peer at me. “We can do that right now if it makes you feel better. I’ll let her know I’m leaving with you.”

“She won’t like that,” I say quietly.

“Probably not.”

“She’s jealous, you know. She’s jealous of me, I think. Or maybe she’s jealous of you.”

He smiles faintly. “I know that, too.”

“But she’s married.”

“Let’s just say they aren’t happily married,” he informs me. “There’s a reason that Michael is rarely here. But divorces are costly, and they both have a lot to lose. Some days, it’s easier for them to turn a blind eye. Other days…Michael likes to make my life a living hell, as much as he can.”

Hearing this little drama, that Everly isn’t as put together as she seems, makes me feel a bit better, even if it means that Michael is out to get Kincaid.

Still, I have to ask. “Did you ever, uh, sleep with her?”

“God, no,” he says, wrinkling his nose. “Everly is beautiful, of course, but she’s a snake. Not in a good way.”

“But she’s tried.”

He laughs. “Yes. She has tried. But that’s enough about that. All you need to know is that things were an awful mess for a while.” I’m watching him as his face falls, the laughter dying on his lips. Darkness falls across his eyes. Then he clears his throat again and nods at me. “Shall we go?”

He leads me to the doors, and as soon as he opens them, cold, wet wind blows my hair back. He helps me up the steps and out of the boat. The dock is wet and slippery, and I have to lean into him to keep my balance, but at least it’s not raining.

We walk up the ramp and toward the north dorm. I never realized Everly had an office here at all, albeit down the opposite way from Kincaid’s.

“Do you know if she’s here?” I whisper to him.

He nods and raises his hand, about to knock, when the door opens and Dr. Janet Wu steps out. It feels like I haven’t seen her in a really long time.

“Hello,” I say to her, wondering if she’s innocent in all this or if she’s the one working on Clayton, testing their drugs on him.

Her eyes go round, and she steps away from me so she’s backing up into Everly’s office.

“Ah, it’s Sydney Denik,” Everly says in an overly cheery voice as she gets up. “Janet, have you properly met Sydney yet? I don’t believe you have.”

Janet smiles stiffly at me and shakes her head. “No. I think you were in the class when I had one of my, uh…”

“Episodes,” Everly says. “One of your episodes. It’s okay, Janet, you’re among friends here. If anything, Sydney is a lot like you. Also has these episodes, some of which include trying to attack me, but that’s better than just breaking down in tears in the middle of class, isn’t it?”

“Everly,” Kincaid snipes at her.

“Save it, Wes,” Everly says, rubbing at her temples. “The air pressure from this storm is making my head feel like it’s about to implode. Now, what is it that you want? Janet, you’re dismissed again. Go.” She shoos her off with a dismissive flick of her wrist.

God, was Everly always like this? Did she blind me with her grace and beauty so that I didn’t even see it?

“So, what do you want?” Everly says, sitting back down with a sigh as Janet scurries out of the room. “I had a hell of a night. At least you were drugged.” She jerks her chin at me. “Bet you slept all the way through, lucky bitch.”

I clench my teeth at that, and Kincaid gives my hand a squeeze.

“Sydney would like to fly home on the first flight out of here,” Kincaid says.

Everly fixes a tired eye on me. “Is this true? Or is this his idea?”

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