Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
The dean of students is sitting at the breakfast table, humming to himself, reading a paper on his iPad and sipping from a mug emblazoned with the words I Type, Therefore I Am.
“Good morning, Walt.”
He spits out some coffee and sputters, staring at me in shock. He grips his chest and I wonder if I gave the bastard a heart attack, but no, I’m not that lucky.
“Emilio, what the hell are you doing in here?” He goes to rise but I step closer. “This is extremely unwarranted. You can’t just—”
“Stay seated, Walt. We don’t have to talk long.”
His jaw works. I know he wants to correct me, make me call him Mr. Wotherspoon or Dean Wotherspoon, but I won’t give this man one ounce of respect, not when he doesn’t deserve it.
“Why are you here?”
“I assume you haven’t heard what your new pet society did this morning.”
His eyes flick to the phone lying on the windowsill. If I wasn’t sure of his involvement before, I am now, the asshole. Rage flows into me, white hot and painful.
“I don’t know what you mean.” He speaks primly, like he’s a teacher talking down to his inferior, but we both know that’s not true.
“Save the bullshit, Walt. We’ve always been honest with each other, haven’t we?” I move toward the table and he watches me like I’m a rabid dog and he’s not sure when I’ll bite. Slowly, he sinks back down, probably recognizing something in my look. “That’s how the Cask is able to get away with their clumsy little operation. I suspected, but I wasn’t sure, and it breaks my fucking heart. You’re covering for them.”
“Cask and Barrel is one of many student societies at our fine institution, and the administration doesn’t favor any one of them.”
“Stop the bullshit, Walt. We both know why you’re doing it, and I won’t tolerate that, not for one second.”
He stares at me hard and taps a fingernail against his mug. “All right then. Shall we be honest with each other?” His lips quirk into a smile.
“Tell me.”
“I’m tired of the noose you’ve kept around my neck for the last year.”
I laugh once. “We have a good thing going. You turn a blind eye, run a little interference, and I keep my mouth shut about what I know. That way, everyone wins. I’ve kept the noose remarkably loose for a long time.”
“I’m not happy. I’ve been getting pressure from some of the other teachers and administrators—”
“That isn’t my problem.”
“It will be when the board hears some of the stories. The drugs and the alcohol are getting too obvious. We can’t ignore it anymore. You’ve gotten too bold.”
“I don’t see how doubling the amount of drugs and alcohol coming onto the island helps that at all.” I frown slightly, trying to work it out, and shake my head. “It still isn’t my problem. This is the deal we made.”
“And you’re going back on it. We made the deal before you lost your damn mind.”
I work my jaw. Walt looks like a skeevy little failed academic, but he’s a clever man and he knows what he’s doing. I grip the back of a chair and stare at him.
“You’re putting me in a bad position. I like the way things are. I want to keep your secret.”
“I’m done with secrets. From now on, the Cask will do the smuggling, and you’ll learn to deal with it. Once you’ve been squeezed out entirely, I can take down Malcolm and his idiot frat cronies and solve all my problems at once.”
My heart races as he stares at me defiantly. This stupid bastard has no clue what he’s doing right now. I could ruin him, destroy him, bury him, and so far I’ve held off. He’s been useful, but now he doesn’t seem so fucking useful anymore.
“Here’s the deal, Walt. Cask caught one of my people sneaking onto their boat. They’re keeping her as a sort of hostage. Malcolm wants to negotiate how we’ll split up the island. I want you to tell Malcolm to release my friend, or I’m going to tell everyone what you did. This is how blackmail works, you stupid little man. You do what I say, and I don’t ruin you. If you start pushing back against me, I will make sure you suffer. Do you understand?”
He shrugs and leans back. “Tell everyone. I don’t care. Who will believe you over me?” He grins, showing teeth.
I sigh and shake my head. “God, you’re fucking stupider than I thought. I recorded our conversation that night. The one we had down by the rocks. You remember that conversation, don’t you? I’ll admit, it’s a bit hard to hear over the waves, but the main parts are there. Your teary, pathetic confession, and the part where you beg me not to tell anyone. Did you really think I’d blackmail you without solid proof? It’s all backed up to the cloud. So I’d reconsider your position if I were you.”