Page 14 of Say It Slowly

“Thanks,” I say, clearing my throat as I open my door.

He nods in acknowledgment. “Listen, uh, Roman has been through a lot in his life, but especially over the last year. He’s got some shit going on.”

I flash him a look. “Yeah, who doesn’t? That’s not an excuse to be cruel.”

Jackson backs away, hands in his pockets, headed for the elevator. “When this is all over, you’ll understand.”

When this is all over?What is that supposed to mean?

I’d ask, but I’m tired and sore and sick of trying to untangle the Burning Crown’s cryptic little messages.

I make a promise to myself right then and there: theliteral secondI set eyes on Bree, I’m cutting all ties with Roman Rush and this fucked up town…

CHAPTER SIX

Lux

By some miracle,I managed to dodge Roman for two days. Two glorious, tortuous days of thinking about him every second when I’m not thinking about Bree. The two of them occupy my every thought, and I have to force myself to keep moving forward with my regular schedule, instead of just lying in bed all day.

It’s late afternoon when I finally get a break between classes and head over to the dining hall. I’ve been living off chips and protein bars for the last couple of days, so a hot meal sounds amazing. The dining hall is expensive, though, so I try not to come every day. I barely have enough money for all the books I need.

I’m standing in line for a piece of pizza, looking down at my phone, when I feel the weight of someone’s gaze on me. It’s such a strange feeling, like a prickle on the back of my neck, and I glance up quickly. I scan my immediate area, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.

You’re being paranoid.

It’s no wonder, though. I’m still on edge about Tyler. The guys have said he’s no real threat, but I’m not sure how much I agree with them. I’ve seen firsthand what a mental break can do to someone. It can make a person do things you’d never think them capable of.

Trying to shake the feeling of being watched, I step up to the pizza counter and order my slice. While I’m waiting for it to be heated in the pizza stove, I twist and scan the dining hall again.

Just beyond the food stations is the seating area, and I’m just casually looking around when I catch a glimpse of someone lookingdirectlyat me. I actually do a double take, squinting, because the person is at the far end of the dining room.

It’s Tyler.

He’s staring at me, hands in his pockets, a scowl on his face.

My heart immediately jumps into my throat, and panic sets in. The way he's looking at me is murderous like he’s imagining the moment he can take me by the throat and squeeze until every last breath of air has been wrung out of me.

Abandoning my pizza, I weave through the people gathered around the pizza station with the exit squarely in my line of vision. I can’t get there fast enough, though, and I’m considering where I can go that he won’t follow.

I’m ashamed to admit it, but my first thought is Rush House. Tyler would be an idiot to follow me there. He’s been banned from the property, and the guys would hand Tyler his ass in less than thirty seconds if he dared to pop up at Rush House.

It’s all the way across campus, though, and the panic is already making it hard for me to breathe. I struggle to pull in each breath as I push through the exit, and out into the open air, heading toward Rush House purely on instinct.

I’m walking quickly, glancing behind me every few seconds. I don’t see Tyler following me, but the campus is busy, and hecould be hiding among the groups of people making their way to and from class.

I pick up my pace until I’m practically running. When I see the spire of Rush House poking up over the student affairs building, I relax a tiny bit, slowing down a little so I can catch my breath.

But it’s not until I reach the creepy walkway leading up to Rush House that I stop, and bend over, sucking in large gulps of air. But even as I try to get my shit together, I’m looking around, expecting Tyler to pop up out of a fucking bush or something.

Once I catch my breath, I head up the walkway and open the front door. I don’t bother knocking, because it doesn’t seem like anyone really does that here. People just seem to come and go at all hours of the day. Plus, I don’t care about being polite to Roman and his crew of bullies.

In the foyer, a few people are milling around, walking up and down the stairs, or heading into the living room. They look at me curiously as I walk in, but they don’t say anything.

I head straight to the living room, where I hope to find either Roman or one of the other Sacred Sons—and fortunately, I find three of the four. All the guys are here, except Roman.

The room is pretty full, so no one really acknowledges me when I walk in. Jackson’s consort is on his lap, kissing his neck while he stares down at his phone. Lucas has a couple of girls crawling all over him while he watches someone else playing video games. Christian is shirtless, and smoking weed while he plays pool solo.

I let my backpack fall to the floor by the door and walk up to the TV, so they have no option but to look at me. “Where’s Roman?” I ask.

---