Page 15 of Burn With Me

I blow out a breath, gather my bag, and stride down the classroom steps, heading for the hallway. “She’s attending classes like any average college girl,” I state.

“And her brother?”

“There’s a rumor going around school that he’ll be transferring to Eastpoint soon.”

There’s a beat of silence on the other end and then a low chuckle. “I don’t rely on rumors, Son,” he says. “Find out if it’s true and then get back to me.” The call dies.

My grip tightens against the phone hard enough that the plastic creaks. Only then do I loosen my hold ever so slightly. Keeping my father informed on the actions of Marcus and Aurora Summers is not on my list of priorities, but I know if I don’t report back—even while he’s supposed to be seducing their mother in Italy—the second he’s back, my ass will be in the fire.

I can’t wait until he fucking croaks, or better yet … I can’t wait until he realizes that all he’s done is lead himself into a grave of his own making. Before I can forget, I pull up my phone again and instead of placing a call, I go to the browser and enter an email address into the incognito tab. I type out a quick message, hit send, and then delete the history for the last two weeks, as I’ve done each time I’ve contacted this email. It won’t keep my father from finding the information he wants if he really digs deep enough, but for now, it’ll do. After all, it’s not like he really expects betrayal from his own son.

With that done, I shove my phone back into my pocket and heft my bag higher as I stride across campus to the student union. Rumors are one way to irritate Aurora Summers, but it’s only one stop in my plan to completely wreck her. This is all about power, and right now, she needs to understand that I am the one with the majority of it.

I enter the library and take the stairs two at a time until I reach the third-floor study rooms. I pass several open doors and even a few closed ones until I come to a room at the very end with the door left cracked. I knock once and push inside. Shep lifts his head and pulls out an earbud.

“Any news?” I ask, shutting the door behind me and flipping the lock.

He shakes his head. “Nothing yet, but I did manage to hack her student account.”

“Let me see.” I take a seat at his side as Shep flips the computer screen towards me. I take the mouse and scroll down her barren email list. She’s a new student, so it’s not surprising. I scrub a hand down the side of my jaw.

“What do you want to do?” he asks.

I consider the question for a moment. “How easy is it to get a key to her dorm?” I ask.

Shep arches a brow. “Simple.”

I nod. “Do it. I want access to her. I’ve got Paris working on some rumors.”

“You think rumors are going to break her?” he asks with an arched brow. “Knowing who her brother is, I doubt it.”

No, but I’m not playing with an unemotional robot here. I’m playing with a human woman. She may not act fragile, but once the real bombardment of my plans starts to hit her—one after another, it’ll be only a matter of time. Rumors. Humiliation. Strokes of supposed bad luck. Poor girl. By the time I’m done with her, she’ll be begging her mother to leave California.

“Get someone into her space,” I order. “I want cameras set up. Hide them well.”

Shep gives me a look, but I don’t respond to it. I know what he’s thinking—he doesn’t like it, but he recognizes the necessity of it. In the end, Aurora Summers will either be broken down into nothing and she’ll be alive, or she’ll be nothing but a pawn in my father’s hand, and that—as both he and I know from experience—is a fate far worse than death.

I’m doing this for myself as well as for them. Aurora Summers is just the tool I’ll use to bring my father down from that pedestal of his. Once I light this match, I’m gonna stand back and watch him burn.

7

RORI

Rumors. The bane of a woman’s existence. No one can really stop a rumor once it’s out there. Plus, I have neither the will nor the desire to change people’s minds. That doesn’t mean I don’t still find it fucking annoying.

I heard she used to sleep around at her high school.

Marcus’ sister? Are we even sure they’re related? They look nothing alike. What if she’s adopted?

They have different fathers. Of course, there’s no resemblance. No one as amazing as Marcus could possibly be related to someone as boring as her.

I heard she seduced her mom’s last husband.

That last one makes me flinch, though only on the inside. I’ve perfected the poker face when listening to shit like that. Growing up in elite circles, I had to. What irritates me even more, though, is that some of these rumors aren’t even that far from the truth. I can’t tell if that’s because someone knows something they shouldn’t or if they’re just throwing darts into the dark, hoping they’ll hit a target.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I blink as Selene strides up to where I’m sitting, waiting for class to start. She slams her bag down on top of the desk, turning and glaring at the two girls behind me whispering to each other.

Well … fake-whispering. I know from the tone they’re using that they’re not actually trying to mask their gossiping. It’s almost like they want me to hear what they’re saying. Maybe to see if they get a reaction from me. One I initially didn’t have any intention of giving them.

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