Half truth

Chapter Thirty

I knocked on his door when I finished getting dressed and had ordered my Uber. Black car service because I was obviously too extra even for my own good. He opened the door, dressed in what he was wearing earlier.

“So, when Nora said we were sleeping here . . . “

“We’re sleeping here tonight.” He eyed me up and down. “Where’s your toga?”

“I have to go home to get it. I wasn’t really expecting to leave straight from here.”

“When you say you have to go home and get it . . . ” He squinted, tilting his head. I would’ve thought he looked adorable if he wasn’t making fun of me.

“I got one online,” I admitted begrudgingly.

“You know you can just grab a white sheet and . . .” He mimicked wrapping a sheet around himself, totally fighting a laugh.

“I know. Shut up.”

“I’ll take you.” He laughed that time. “Home, I mean. I have to go there anyway.”

“Thanks, but I already got an Uber.” I waved my phone.

“So cancel it.”

“And risk them giving me a one-star?” My eyes widened.

“What’s your rating now?”

“4.82.”

“How’d you get points deducted?”

“Probably because I let Lincoln use my account and he was probably acting like an idiot. I ca

“Just cancel it. Come on. I’m going home too.”

“Fine.” I canceled it, biting my lip as I confirmed it. “Damn it I can’t believe I did that.”

Logan shook his head, smiling. “Let’s go.”

As we drove out of the gates, I looked over to the right side of the house, where I’d seen the red cloaks and the holes on the ground.

“What’s on that side?”

“Another house.”

“A house?” I frowned. “With a cemetery in the back?”

“What . . . ohhhh. Yeah.” He shook his head. “The red cloaks do things a little different.”

“What does that mean?”

“They’re a medical society, so you have to be in that field to get in there. They used to be grave diggers back in the day, when they first started. They’d dig graves and take bodies that hadn’t been buried long in order to examine them. Now they use those graves for hazing new recruits.”

“Hazing them how?” I felt like I could barely breathe as I asked these questions, but my curiosity, as usual, got the best of me.

“They make them sleep there overnight.”

“What?” I shouted. “And nobody reports this?”

“Are you going to report us for making you walk blindfolded over knives?”

“No, but I should.” I frowned.

“Right.” He gri

Fuck. I hadn’t even thought of it like that. I didn’t know what all of these people did, what the graduates were involved with. I looked at Logan.

“What about my dad?”

He glanced my way briefly as he took a turn. “What about him?”

“Was he involved in anything . . . questionable?”

“I don’t really like to comment on whether or not I agree with the things The Lab Initiative does.”

“What’s that?”

“They’re the board that heads The Eight. Also consists of eight people, all alumni, all former Eights. They’re the reason the money is fu

“So what is it they do that you don’t agree with?”

“A lot of things.” He sighed heavily, wiping his wrapped hand over his joggers as if to scratch it. “You’ll start to learn things about them soon enough.”

“I want to learn them now.”

He parallel parked the truck in an empty spot across from our building and looked over at me. “What is it you want to know exactly?”

“I want to know what my father was involved in and whether or not he had something to do with . . . whether or not he was involved with Lana. Like, on more than just a mentorship kind of level.”

“Yes. They were definitely sleeping together.” He raised an eyebrow as if to say are you satisfied now? I felt crushed. He knew it, but he didn’t hold back, he kept going. “Your father and a group of men formed a small group for girls, students, specifically students who want their mentorship or just need money, sign up and go on dates with them, dates with expectations. Is that what you want me to clarify for you?”

I felt my surroundings closing in on me. Suddenly the truck felt too small, the seatbelt too tight, and my heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. I unclicked the seatbelt and ran out of the truck, ignoring the crows above my head and the way they seemed to be there any time I felt uneasy. I ignored the chill in the air and the darkness that was falling over me all too quickly, and crossed the street quickly.

Once in the building, I waved at Gary and rushed to the elevator, riding up and ru

As I dried myself, I heard pounding on the door, but I ignored it. It was probably Logan and I wasn’t sure if he was here to apologize or hit me with more knowledge. Either way, it was unwelcome. I had an ex-boyfriend to deal with at a toga party I didn’t exactly want to go to, but Celia and Max would be there, and I definitely wanted to see them. The elation lasted all of two seconds before I realized I couldn’t talk to them about this even if I wanted to because part of signing that oath tonight also meant silencing myself.

I was already dressed when my phone buzzed. I lifted it to see a text from an unknown number and froze for a second before sliding it to read the full text.

Unknown number: I was knocking earlier.

Me: Who is this?

Unknown number: Satan.

Me: Seriously, who is this? I’m tired of the games.

Unknown number: it’s Logan. What games?

Me: How’d you get my number?

Unknown number: Does it matter?

I paused. Did it? No. Not really anyway. I knew he wasn’t the one behind the texts I was getting. That wasn’t his style. His style was blunt force trauma, and I could verify that from the way he dropped the news about my father and The Lab Initiative. I saved his phone number.

Logan Fitzgerald: You heading to the party yet?

Me: Soon. Travis is meeting me there.

Logan Fitzgerald: I guess I don’t want to know the answer to the burning question in my mind after all

Me: what question?

Logan Fitzgerald: I was wondering if you were going to wear something under the toga. Maybe something red. Maybe something black.

Me: that’s definitely none of your business.

Logan Fitzgerald: Maybe I’ll find out

Me: With how I feel about you right now, I might break your hand so you have to sit out this year if you try to find out

Logan Fitzgerald: You’re fu

I paused, biting my lip. Why did it feel like the butterflies in my stomach took flight when I read those words?

Me: Maybe.

Me: I’ll be naked under the toga

After a moment of receiving no answer from him, I tossed my phone into my bag with a laugh, grateful for the slight improvement in my mood, and headed downstairs where an Uber was waiting for me.