Page 85 of The Vipers and Their Venom

But when I reach my door, I find Angelica standing outside of it.

“Hey, I forgot my char—” she starts, but her words fade as she sees the state I’m in.

She stares at my tear-streaked face in horror. “Vani, what’s wrong?”

I gulp a sob, my chest hitching, and I burst into a fresh round of tears. “Reagan is dead.” I forget all about Mr. Rossi’s warning as the need to tell someone overrides all my common sense.

Her eyes widen. “What? Do you mean Reagan Olsen?”

I sniff and nod, and Angelica glances either side of her and lowers her voice. “We’re not supposed to talk about her. If Dean Rossi overhears you, it’s an instant expulsion.”

I almost laugh. “I think I’m probably expelled anyway.”

“What? Why?”

I close my eyes briefly and shake my head. “It’s a long story.” I think of something she’s just said. “Why would you be expelled for talking about her?”

She keeps her voice down. “Because of all the shit that went on around it. Word is that Rossi had to pay off the family to stop him blowing this place up and killing the guys responsible.”

I blink. “Guys responsible? What are you talking about? I thought she killed herself. That’s what Rossi said.”

“Yeah, but that’s just the cover story. None of us really knows what went on.”

“But who are the guys?”

Her expression crumples with concern. “Babe, we did try to warn you, remember. It’s the Vipers.”

I thought it was bad enough learning about Reagan dying, but now this? How many blows to my heart is it possible to take before it stops beating?

I shake my head. “No.”

But even as I say the word, I remember Reagan’s room. I remember finding the carving of the word ‘snakes’ right beside the one of the evil eye. I remember how empty the roomhad been and how I’d thought she must have moved. I even remember asking the guy in the corridor outside about her, and the strange look he’d given me. No wonder—I’d been asking about the location of a dead girl.

“They’re the ones responsible for Reagan killing herself, or so everyone says. They were screwing with her right before she jumped off that tower. She even landed on one of the twin’s Maseratis. Not that he gave a shit. He was too busy worrying about the dent and how to get the blood off to care about the fact a girl was dead.”

The world is spinning. The floor seems to be tilting under my feet and the walls are closing in.

This place is a fucking cesspit. I want to wash the filth of the Vipers’ touch from my body, but more than anything I want out of these walls with their disgusting secrets and lies.

I need to get out of here. I don’t care that it’s late and it’s dark outside. I just want to get on my bike and put as many miles between me and Verona Falls and the fucking Vipers as possible.

I spin on my heel and run.

“Babe, what about my charger?” Angelica’s voice chases me down the hallway.

I ignore her.

I run through the corridors, down the elegant staircase, through the grand entrance hall, and burst out into the night. I head to the side parking lot and straight for my bike. The key is hidden behind the rear wheel. I wasn’t too worried about it being stolen with all the security they have at Verona Falls. I don’t have my helmet, but I’m too emotional to care. All I want is to put distance between me and this place and the men kept within its walls.

I locate the key, swing my leg over the seat, and bring the bike to life. The growl of the engine vibrates up through my core.

Immediately, I feel better. This is where I belong—on the back of a bike, not trapped within those four stuffy walls and with the assholes who live there.

I flick on the headlight, and it illuminates the other vehicles around me. I glance up at the tall tower looming over me. Is this where Reagan jumped? Am I in the exact same spot where her body hit?

The thought brings on a fresh bout of tears. I angrily wipe them away and get moving, guiding the bike down the long driveway to the gates.

“Bit late to be heading out,” the security guard says. He knows me. I’ve even said hello to him before, and I bet half the stuck-up shits here don’t bother.

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