Page 31 of Kingston
I blow out a breath. I have a feeling I know what’s coming.
“And three, they must come directly from the source, as in directly off of a woman—you may not purchase women’s underwear or steal it from anyone’s room. Use your best moves to make those girls give up their drawers, gentlemen”—his gaze slides to mine—“and lady. That’s it. Those are the instructions.”
Holy crap.I can’t imagine what must have been going through Will’s head when he realized what he had to accomplish or how he must have fared at this particular challenge.
Kingston glances down at his phone. “It’s three minutes to nine thirty. Grab your backpacks and do anything else you need to do before you go. Your panty raid deadline is ten thirty.”
Taking all that in, I wiggle my toes in my flip-flops, then proceed to launch myself from my perch on the couch and race toward the stairs, despite the fact that the bite on my tush has progressively picked up more bruising throughout the day. In my room, I kick the horrible choice of footwear off. Once I’ve grabbed my socks and running shoes, I quickly put them on, then dash back down the stairs.
Zeke hoots, pointing at me. “Goddamn, she’s taking this seriously.”
“You bet your ass I am.”
“Good luck, honey.” Joel leers at me as I dash past him.
“Don’t need it, Joel.”
Dane points to the front door as I grab my backpack from the coffee table. “Go on. They went out on the porch with Archer and Cannon for the countdown.”
Slipping the bag onto my back, I hold onto the straps and take off running.
Laughs and calls of “Look at her go!” follow me, but I don’t fucking care. I’m going to win this bullshit and make them eat their words.
When I get out there, the other two are ready to go. Archer shouts “Three, two, one!” as I make it onto the steps, so I pass the guys in a blur and keep going. I have no doubt in my mind they are probably better athletes than I am, so I’ve got to make every moment count.
We get to the bottom of the driveway, and without a word to either of us, Bridger sprints in the direction of the far side of Greek Row. My guess is he’s planning to start all the way at the end and work his way back.
Taggart eyes me warily as we jog toward the row of frat and sorority houses. His blond hair is already sweaty and sticking to his temples, but whether it’s because he’s nervous or because it hasn’t cooled off yet today, I have no idea. He finally grunts, “Where are you heading?” His gaze flicks from me to the Delta Sigma Pi house in front of us and to where we can barely make out Bridger still running in the distance. Taggart seems antsy to get moving but is also maybe a little at a loss as to what his strategy should be.
My brow pinches, considering the task before us. I point to the sorority houses that are only a little ways down. “I’ll probably start dead center in the row and hope I can get enough in an hour. I don’t see the point of hitting every building.” I pause, catching a breath.
Taggart comes to a stop beside me and hikes his backpack higher on his shoulder. “I’m going to start here on this end, then. You’re right, I don’t see why we should all go running to the same spot.”
“Cool. Maybe we can get what we need without having to overlap which houses we hit.”
He raises a brow. “But if we do, we do? No harm, no foul? Are you good with that?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Agreed. One more thing.”
He stops, turning to face me, a nervous glint in his eye.
“Did Bridger tell you we were supposed to be gathering at nine?”
“He did.” He blows out a hard breath. “I’d watch him if I were you.”
I nod. “Got it. I appreciate you telling me.”
“No big deal, I guess. But don’t drag me into it if you don’t mind.” Taggart shrugs. “I’ve gotta get going. I can only imagine how difficult it’s going to be to get girls to hand over their panties.”
I snicker at his look of mock-terror. “I hope you’ve got some game.”
He laughs out loud at that. “Shit. I doubt it. But I guess we’re about to find out. How about you?”
“I don’t know if I have game with the ladies, but I have a plan,” I huff, a little out of breath. “See you on the other side.”
* * *
While I’m fairly certain Taggart and Bridger have focused mainly on the frat parties happening up and down Greek Row, my plan has been to hit up a few of the sororities. There may not be as many people inside… but I think there’s a better chance of getting what I need from them without a bunch of dudes around.
