Page 109 of Atone

“What if someone sees him?”

“They won’t.” Alex follows me into the dorm room with the knife in one hand and his phone in the other.

“You sound awfully certain.”

“Anyone who was staying on your floor is away for the weekend.” His phone pings, and he looks down at it. “And Declan owes me a favor.”

“It must be a pretty big favor if Declan is willing to make a dead body disappear from the middle of campus.”

“The favor was Teal.” Alex puts his phone away, and I swallow hard.

As much as I want to hate Alex right now, I know he’s been there for Teal in ways only the two of them understand. When not many other people were. It’s no wonder Declan would do anything to repay him for that.

“So that’s it then?” I grind my teeth. “Someone is going to just show up to clean up your mess?”

Alex stalks toward me, and I know I should run, but I can’t. I’m frozen as he crosses the room and stops in front of me. The knife twirls between his fingers, and then he’s jabbing the handle underneath my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

“Don’t you mean your mess, my angel?” There’s coolness in his tone.

But he doesn’t sound annoyed or even disappointed.

No, he sounds impressed.

“Marco deserved it.”

“He deserved worse.” Alex adds pressure to the handle, lifting my chin farther.

His praise shouldn’t spark something inside me, especially given what we’re talking about. But the chill that ran the length of my spine starts to warm, and it prickles through every vein. Heats me to the core.

Alex is the razor that cuts me in two. And he knows he’s my only tourniquet.

Taking a step back, I try to put some distance between us, hoping it’s enough to remind myself what he’s done. Alex might have shown up just in time to save me from Marco tonight, but that doesn’t absolve him of his involvement in Remi’s death.

Voices in the hallway drag my attention to the door. Someone is out there, but Alex doesn’t flinch. If I had to guess, he’s the one who sent them there to deal with the mess.

I’ve known what Sigma House is capable of for years now, but to see it in action is entirely different. They don’t answer to anyone, and it’s frightening.

What can’t they get away with?

As swiftly as the question comes to mind, another hits me.

“Marco said you couldn’t hurt him because he was a member of the House.” My gaze darts back to Alex, who is moving through the dorm to the makeshift kitchen.

He starts the water to rinse my knife in the sink. “Are you worried I’m going to get in trouble for what we did?”

Yes. “No.”

He smirks, not meeting my gaze but clearly sniffing out the lie. “That won’t be a problem.”

“Because of the favor Declan owes you?”

He nods.

“Well don’t expect this to fix things between us. I told you I was done talking to you, and I meant it.”

He chuckles under his breath. “Well, I’m not done talking to you.”

“There’s nothing you can say that will make me forgive you.”

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