Page 53 of Filthy Elites

“Mr. Cain wanted to see me?”

“Yes, you can go in. He’s waiting for you.”

I don’t knock, and I make sure I shut the door hard so he knows I’m angry.

“What did I do now?” I ask, ignoring the chair.

He looks at me with a troubled gaze, and I don’t think it has anything to do with my attitude.

“Why don’t you sit down, Nicola?”

“I’m fine standing.”

"Very well. Your parents called me with disturbing news.”

All my anger whooshes out of my chest like a party balloon, and a heaviness sets there. I haven’t talked to them in weeks. “You spoke to them? When?”

“Half an hour ago.”

“Why? What happened?”

I’m shaking now from head to toe. Maybe I should have listened to Mr. Cain and sat down. But my knees are locked tight, and the best I can do is brace my hands on the back of the chair.

“Your grave was desecrated last night.”

I turn into a statue made of ice. I can’t breathe, I can’t blink. My pulse is beating loudly in my ears as I process the news.

“Do they know who did it?” I force the question out.

Of course they know. The only person who would want to open my coffin is Juan. Now he knows I’m not dead.

“No. The police have nothing, but....”

“There’s only one person with a motive.”

I run my fingers through my hair, pulling my bangs back in the process. Mr. Cain’s eyes lock on my scar, but I don’t care.

“H-how did they find out about my grave?” I ask.

“The cemetery administration called the police, and then it made the local news.”

And my parents’ lawyer in Barcelona must have called them. He’s the only one in Spain who knows where they live now.

“Is my parents’ location still safe?”

He nods. “I believe so. No one knows they’re in Costa Rica.”

Relief eases the constriction in my chest, but not by much. “What does that mean for me? Do I need to move again?”

Pity shines in his eyes, and I hate it. “It means that you have to be extra careful. They won’t be able to contact you for a while. They already took a risk reaching out to me.”

I press a fist against my chest, trying to ease the ache. The panic hasn’t set in completely yet, but it will flare up later, I’m sure. “I… I think I need to lie down.”

“You may take the rest of the day off. You won’t get in trouble for missing any classes, including the first and second periods you ditched.”

“Thank you.”

I walk out of his office in a daze, seeing nothing.

---