“She’s smart,” I admitted.
Kingston gave me a sly look. “So it’s better to have her with us than against us, right, bro?”
I didn’t answer. Even if we wanted Katya on our side, had I already taken things too far for her to be able to trust us? She wouldn’t be happy when she found out about Abby or the truth drug. What would she do if we found that her grandmother had been murdered? Would we be able to work together against a common enemy, or would she be determined to fight us, too?
Chapter 42
Katya
“Hey, Abby!” I called out as I knocked on her door. “Let’s go to breakfast.”
She answered in her pajamas and with her hair in a tangled mess. “It’s Sunday morning at nine am,” she said as she squinted against the sunlight that shone through the tall windows at the end of the hall. “Why are you awake? Are you a complete psycho?”
A male murmur came from inside her room, and my eyebrows rose. “Never mind,” I said with a forced grin. “Text me when you’re up.”
Abby grumbled and shuffled back into her room like a zombie, shutting the door behind her.
I was almost done my eight weeks at Bedford, and I was looking forward to getting out of here. I had quickly realized that the students here were definitely not as well supervised as their parents thought. These rich kids ran the school and most of the staff were afraid to stand up to them. Late night parties full of underage drinking were ignored, and the rules about boys not being allowed in the girls’ dorm, and vice versa, were complete bullshit. Everyone did exactly what they wanted.
While the others partied, I stuck to ballet and my studies. Most of the students were gone for the summer, and the few that remained ignored me completely. Abby was my only real friend, but that was okay.
She tried to pretend everything here was fine, and I’d eventually fit in. However, I’d heard the whispers and felt the stares. Everyone was convinced I was the illegitimate love-child of Richard, probably thanks to his insistence that I use the Wilder name. I didn’t bother to correct anyone because why did it matter?
I missed Babulya more than ever. Living in a dorm, surrounded by kids that hated me, just made my heart ache in her absence. I knew she would tell me to toughen up and to hold my head up high, but being completely alone wasn’t easy. At least before I had Ryan. He and I used to have the same goals and lifestyle, but he was practically a stranger to me now. Our conversations were awkward and stilted, and they got shorter and less frequent every time I spoke with him.
It didn’t help that Ryan discovered Brett’s interest in him stemmed from his desire to get closer to me. Apparently, Brett confessed to his fellow students that he thought my mysterious connection to Richard could help him advance in his career. That seemed crazy to me, but I had to admit that Brett only pursued Ryan after Richard and co had come to our performance. I think that was just one more thing that made Ryan bitter toward me.
Kingston texted me, mostly just to ask if I were still alive. I never heard from Maverik, but I hadn’t expected to. And it was best if I didn’t. His stormy gray eyes still haunted my dreams, but I needed to erase him from my thoughts completely. My life was already stressful enough without adding him into the mix.
Once I passed my exams and moved back into Richard’s mansion, I had to give Sergei the map. I’d been sick about it all summer as I thought about all the horrible things that he would do if I couldn’t produce it. I was still no closer to coming up with a plan on how to get it from Nina, and my time was running out. I was close to swallowing my pride and begging her for it. She’d probably just laugh with spite, but I couldn’t risk anyone being hurt because of me.
My phone vibrated with an incoming text, and my pulse jumped. Disappointment hit me when I saw it was from my mother.
Evil Bitch: I’m here to pick you up for breakfast
I considered simply ignoring her. I could always claim I was still sleeping and never got her text. I trotted down the dorm stairs and headed down the path that would lead me to the cafeteria. After one more glance, I turned off the screen and shoved my phone in my ballet bag.
Unfortunately, my mother had anticipated that.
“Miss Wilder!” a staff member called out as he waved me down.
I sighed to myself, but I wasn’t going to be rude to him because he was the bearer of bad news.
“Miss Wilder,” he huffed as he caught up to me. “Your mother sent me - she’s waiting for you in the parking lot.”
“Thank you for letting me know,” I said politely.
He stared at me uncomfortably as neither of us moved.
“Um, I was instructed to escort you?”
I stretched a fake smile over my face, but I was screaming internally. My mother had laid her trap well. I couldn’t escape this unless I made a scene that would be the gossip of the summer.
“Lead the way,” I bit out.
He twisted his hands nervously, but he led me to the main parking lot where Nina waited inside a black SUV. Her driver opened the door for me, and I reluctantly slid in.
“Mother,” I said flatly. “It’s so nice to see you.”
“Likewise,” she sneered at
