Page 72 of The Omega Lesson

Maureen must have taken up my habit of listening at the keyhole, because her face is white as a sheet as we leave the office. But she still glares my way as she holds out an envelope. “Your termination packet. You’ll need to vacate your accommodation as soon as possible…”

Ben snatches the envelope out of her hand and drops a business card on her desk. “Our lawyers. Make sure you put them straight through when they call. And instead of spewing more of your nastiness around, I suggest you start updating your resume.”

“You can’t speak to me like that! Prendiville is a private academy,” Maureen squawks, clearly not knowing when to back down. “And those corporal punishment laws you’re so fond of don’t apply to us!”

Before Ben can launch at her, I raise my brows. “Speaking of resumes, Maureen, you probably missed the bit where I spent my summers at Justice Action. I know exactly what this school condones and what it’s liable for.” I stride to the door, but pause long enough to give her a saccharine smile. “Look at that. We’re all finished with ten minutes to spare.”

We sweep out of the room, the feeling only coming back into my legs as we leave the administration building behind. I don’t know if it’s adrenaline or fury that’s powering Ben’s stride, but I grab his arm before we’re all the way across the quad. “I’m sorry I didn’t play the recording for you before the meeting. I should have given you all the facts, but I didn’t know how Miller was going to play it. And more than anything, I didn’t want to drag Mattie into a shitstorm…”

Ben pulls me against him, cupping the back of my neck. “You’re apologising tome?” He shakes his head, his gaze so heated it burns away the last of my unease. “Fuck, you were perfect, Lexi. I was so proud of every word that came out of your mouth. You defended my brother from that monster, then went straight back into their lair to do it again.” He brushes my mouth with a hard kiss, then tilts my chin, searching my eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Numb. But happy we did it. I don’t know… I think it still has to sink in.”

Because I basically just torpedoed my first real teaching job. And even if Ben’s lawyers wrap those men up in legal tape and NDAs, there’s a good chance word will still leak out. But as we walk the rest of the way across campus, the familiar feeling of panic doesn’t come. Yes, I just basically threw this all away. The prestige, the contacts, the invaluable experience. And Prendiville is a good school with lots of students I care about, once you take away the toxic elements. But Ididdo the right thing. For Mattie, and maybe for myself too.

We’re both quiet as we walk, Ben’s fingers flying over his phone as he updates the lawyers. When we reach the house, the guys are waiting on the verandah, and I figure one of those texts must have been to them because their faces are lit up with fierce pride.

Ben grabs Mattie in a tight hug while Noah almost lifts me off my feet. “You’re a fucking boss girl, sweet thing.”

I fall into his hungry kiss, his thumb massaging the bite mark under my shirt. It sends a zing of need through me, but I pull away to look at Mattie. “Are you okay? It’s your senior year, and it just blew up in your face.”

“No sweat,” he tells me, then breaks into a cheeky grin. “But you know you’re gonna have to home-school me now.”

Noah cackles as we all head indoors. “Fuck it. We can probably afford a tutor or two now we’re not paying for their fancy new computer block.”

I wince as I flop onto the arm of my couch, and Ben is instantly at my side. “We can still negotiate a good deal for you if you want to stay, Lexi.”

But I just shake my head. “All I did was jump before they could push me. They were never going to give me that job permanently.” Anger sizzles through me at the way they’d set up the meeting to ambush me, ready to ruin my career just so they could force me out the door. “And after today, I wouldn’t stay even if they begged.”

“Good,” Ben says, then glances at his phone again. “My office is just reminding me I have a function at the casino tonight. We’re opening a new entertainment area, and it might be fun to go. But if you want to stay in, I can get my management team to handle it.”

I perk up. “No, that sounds like a great way to take our minds off things.” I look at the others. “What do you guys think? Are you up for a night out?”

“You had me at casino,” Noah purrs with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Done,” Ben says, shooting off another text. “Grab a few things, Lexi, and I’ll call my pilot.”

I pause mid-step and gape at him. “We need toflyto this event?”

Mattie laughs and slings an arm around my waist. “What’s the point in having a helicopter pad on the roof of your casino if you never use it?”

I just shake my head at their ridiculousness. “And what about Jack?” I suddenly have a desperate need to see him. The guys have been nothing but supportive, but I want Jack to look me in the eye and tell me I did the right thing today.

“We can swing by and pick him up on the way,” Ben says, his heated gaze meeting mine across the room. “After all, I think you’ve earned all our attention tonight.”

Lexi

The casino is right in the centre of the city, the only building on a sliver of land that juts out into the river. At night, it gleams like a jewel on the end of a necklace; ferries, pedestrian bridges, and the city’s dedicated train line the only way across the inky black waters.

Except if you’re arriving by helicopter, of course. To my amusement, we really did buzz the academy bell tower on our way to collect Jack from the university carpark. After circling the city a few times so I could snap some pictures for Bree, the pilot sets us down on a helicopter pad atop the luxurious White Castle Casino.

“Ready for some mindless fun?” Ben asks, his eyes twinkling as he helps me out of my safety harness.

My mouth falls open as I take in the views. “I already feel like I’ve lost my mind, because this is insane. You realise that, don’t you?”

“Wait until you see our suite!” Noah hoots as we all pile out. The pilot is grinning at me, the logo on his suit the same as the one painted on the pad under our feet. It’s an abstract picture of a cliff, or maybe a giant wave, the crest curled to look like a castle turret. “Enjoy your stay at White Castle, Miss Novak.”

I manage to thank him before the guys hurry us inside. I expect a dingy stairwell given we’re on the roof of a forty- floor building, but the door leads us down one flight into a marble hallway. There’s an elevator, but Ben is already buzzing us through a door into the penthouse suite. “Someone pinch me,” I mutter as I float into the most glorious hotel room I’ve ever seen. Although, it’s obviously a lot more than that, because there are multiple doors leading off the main living area, a fully equipped kitchen, and a climate-controlled cellar that Noah immediately heads into on a raiding mission. Even though I’ve just spent over an hour in a helicopter, I gravitate towards the enormous windows, staring out at the sparkling city lights.

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