Page 202 of Did They Break You

And that good feeling vanishes with her question.

Fuck.

“I’m on my way there now. I don’t know how bad it is. It’s gonna take me a few more hours to get there.”

“I’ll leave right now,” she says, and I hear her mutter something away from the phone, probably to Asa. “I’ll call you when I get my eyes on it.”

I open my mouth to protest, because I have this feeling Cortland is going to be waiting for me.

Then I realize how stupid that would be. Our dorm is on fire. Asa lives in an off-campus apartment, probably within walking distance. Of course she’s going to go see what’s going on.

“Okay, great. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

We hang up, and I speed up, my heart in my throat as I drive.

CHAPTER

FIFTY-FIVE

REMI

By the time I arrive,the fire is contained. Sloane called me to tell me she would wait for me, and the damage was minimal.

But when I back into a spot, smoke still streaking across the dark night sky, I see Cortland’s truck.

And Sloane’s Altima.

My heart skips a beat.

I open the door to my car then get out, the cool night air whipping around me while I shut my door.

Fire trucks still have their lights on, firefighters all decked out in their gear standing and watching the smoke.

Before I can take a step, I smell strawberries, and Sloane is throwing her arms around me.

I stumble back a step, glancing at Cortland’s truck, backed in a few spots from mine. His window is down just a few inches, and I see him staring at me.

I hug Sloane back, glancing at the red lights of the fire trucks.

Sloane pulls back, her bright hair in a sloppy bun on her head. She’s in sweats and an oversized, long sleeve T-shirt that I think is probably Asa’s, but I don’t see him.

I drop my arms from Sloane and she does the same, chewing her lip. “Where were you?” she asks quietly.

I can smell the smoke in the air, and I have so many questions about the fire, but for some reason, it just feels like that’s not the blaze I need to put out right now. “Meeting with Silas,” I admit, crossing my arms and leaning against my car.

I can still feel Cortland’s eyes on me, but I’m grateful he’s waiting.

Sloane arches a brow, mimicking my stance. “In Raleigh?” she asks, incredulous. “Why didn’t you tell me you were meeting him?”

I shrug. “You were off with Asa and?—”

“You know I’d want to know something like that,” she counters.

I glance at the fire behind her. “Yeah, well, it’s probably a good thing I wasn’t here, huh?”

She smiles at that as my eyes come back to hers. “Yeah,” she agrees. I see her look down at her sneakers as she rocks back on her heels. “They think someone did it intentionally.” Those words are so quiet, I can barely hear her.

I glance at Cortland.

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