Page 227 of Vile Boys

What is going on out there that has even these grimy men antsy?

“Walk!” the guard growls in my ear.

I swallow away the lump in my throat and follow the rest back out, my heart beating so fast I feel like it’s about to jump out of mychest.

My clammy hands shake uncontrollably, and I put them in my pocket to find relief.

Instead, I find a half-crumpled rose with missing petals.

And the thought of this tiny semblance of hope puts a small smile on my face.

“What the fuck do you have there?” the guard growls, snatching it away from me. “A rose?” He laughs and chucks it onto the dirty floor covered in blood stains, then stomps on it. “Pathetic.”

Tears well up in my eyes as I glance at the rose.

My last connection to the outside world.

Gone.

Caleb

“Where the fuck is Caleb?”

Who the hell is that?

I hear some ruckus downstairs, so I pick up my bag and head down to see what’s going on. Arlo is being dragged off the floor near the door.

“What the fuck do you want from Caleb?” he yells.

I gaze at the Phantoms—Nathan, Kai, and Milo—as I rush toward the door. “No worries, I’m here.”

What the fuck do they want?

“You…” Nathan turns his attention toward me. “You motherfucking asshole!” He grabs me by the collar. “You stole my pictures, didn’t you?”

What the—

“I didn’t steal shit,” I bark. “Are you accusing me?”

Nathan stares at me like he’s about to rip the skin off my body.

“Nathan,” Kai warns him. “Don’t.”

But he’s here punching my fellow Tartarus guys for a reason, so let him fucking talk. I’d like to fucking know the reason.

“Go on. Ask me what you wanna ask,” I say.

“Did you send my picture of Lana to everyone’s email?” he grits.

“No.”

He balls his fist. “Don’t. Fucking. Lie.”

“It wasn’t me,” I say. “I already tried to tell you that, but you won’t believe me.”

“No shit!” he retorts, fuming. “You were the only one in the library with me.”

Aha. So this is about the laptop.

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