Cruel Love (5 page)

“Uncle Jazz! Uncle Jazz! Look what I made for you!”

Jasper’s adorable, towheaded nephew, Ben, came tearing into the banquet-size dining room in the Montgomerys’ stately southern mansion, proudly carrying a mishmash of Play-Doh. Around the table, the adults still lingered over coffee and pie. Ariana sat next to Jasper on one side of the festively decorated table, with his older sister Jacqueline to her left. Across the way, Ben’s parents sat, watching their progeny proudly. Jasper’s oldest sister, Jessica, was massively pregnant once again, and her husband, Sherman, hadn’t let go of her hand for more than thirty seconds all night. At the head and foot of the table were Jasper’s parents: Mr. Montgomery pushed back from his plate to make more room for his ample belly; Mrs. Montgomery perched at the edge of her chair as she sipped her coffee. Ben had long since vacated the dining room, unable to sit still, and had been occupying himself with his Play-Doh in the parlor for the last half hour.

“Wow!” Jasper crowed, pulling Ben into his lap. “That is the scariest looking monster I’ve ever seen!” Ariana smiled. Jasper was so cute with Ben, it made her heart hurt.

Ben’s face, however, fell like a stone. “It’s not a monster,” he said, fiddling with one of the buttons on Jasper’s Ralph Lauren shirt. “It’s you!” Jasper hesitated a second as Jessica covered up a laugh, but he recovered quickly.

“And as we all know, I’m the scariest monster south of the Mason-Dixon line!” he said, opening his eyes wide and letting out a growl.

Ben half screamed, half giggled, and wriggled off Jasper’s lap, sprinting back for the parlor. Jasper gave chase, leaving Ariana alone at the table with his family. She sighed contentedly and added some sugar to her coffee. Outside the huge bay window, a grassy hill descended toward a lily pad–spotted pond, its water gleaming in the waning November sunlight. ere were several Adirondack chairs set up around a huge stone fire pit, where Jasper had promised the family would repose later that night to roast marshmallows and tell stories. Ariana couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to end a perfect day.

“Well, Jessie, if the one in your belly’s half as much of a hoot as
that
one, things are about to get a heck of a lot livelier around here,” Mr. Montgomery said, lifting his bushy eyebrows.

Jessica blew out her cheeks and ran her hand over her bump. “Well, she doesn’t stop kicking me, so I think we’re in for it.” Everyone laughed lightly. Ariana felt Mrs. Montgomery’s eyes on her cheek and looked down at her untouched pecan pie. “You’ve been rather quiet since dinner was cleared, Ana,” Jasper’s mother said. “Is everything all right?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. anks,” Ariana said, coloring slightly. She felt the warm glow of the taper candles on her face. “It’s just … it’s been a long time since I’ve had a real family Thanksgiving.”

Ariana watched as the members of Jasper’s family exchanged wary looks. She knew instantly that they had discussed Briana Leigh’s history and that, quite possibly, Jasper had warned them against saying anything that might make her uncomfortable or sad.

Just like Jasper.

“What did you and your folks used to do for Thanksgiving?” Jessica asked.

Her mother shot her a warning look, but Ariana suddenly realized she wouldn’t mind reminiscing about her parents a bit. Usually she refused to let herself even think about them, but something about today had put her in a nostalgic mood, and she felt safe among Jasper’s family.

“I didn’t have a huge extended family, but my mother always invited over all the neighbors,” Ariana said. “Anyone who didn’t have a place to go was welcome at our house.”

“That sounds nice,” Jacqueline said. “Like what Thanksgiving’s really supposed to be about.”

“It
was
nice,” Ariana said with a soft smile. “e only thing I didn’t like was that my mother didn’t cook that night. She always hired in. I understand why—she wanted to be able to spend time

with us instead of in the kitchen—but she was an amazing cook. She used to make this rosemary garlic chicken with mashed potatoes and southern biscuits from scratch. That was always my favorite meal growing up.”

“Now you’re making me hungry again,” Sherman joked, patting his flat stomach with his free hand. Everyone laughed and Ariana blushed. “Sorry. I’m rambling.”

“Not at all, Ana,” Mrs. Montgomery said with a kind smile, her coiffed blond hair so full of product, it sat motionless as she nodded at Ariana. “And I want you to know that as much as I’m sure you miss your family, we’re all very happy to have you here.”

“Jazz calls me to brag about you, like, every day at school,” Jacqueline informed her with a smile. “He’s annoying the heck out of my roommate.”

Ariana’s chest inflated with happiness. Until recently, she had no idea Jasper’s sisters even knew she existed. It meant a lot that he spoke to them about her so often. Mr. Montgomery cleared his throat and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the pristine white tablecloth.

“I remember reading about your father’s death at the time,” he said, pressing his hands together. “Awful business. Awful business.” “Yes,” Ariana said, casting her eyes down again.

“I hope they put away the psycho that did it,” he said. “Thurston!” Mrs. Montgomery scolded.

“What? I’m just offering my support!” he said, turning his massive palms up.

“It’s okay,” Ariana said, slowly stirring her coffee and trying as hard as she could not to grin. “Let’s just say she was properly punished.”

She thought of Kaitlynn Nottingham rotting in the cold hard ground behind the Greene’s Washington mansion and fancied the real Briana Leigh and her father would agree.

“Good. I’m always gratified to hear that justice was served,” Mr. Montgomery said.

Now Ariana smiled hugely. She knew she liked Jasper’s father. Suddenly she felt even more comfortable with the idea of sharing the long weekend with him and his family.

“ank you for your restraint, people,” Jasper said lightly from the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. “You lasted a whole twenty-four hours before broaching the exact unpleasantness I asked you not to broach.”

Jasper’s father started to turn in his seat to retort, but Ariana cut him off. “It’s all right, Jasper,” Ariana said. “I don’t mind at all.”

With a discreet eye roll, Jasper sat down next to Ariana again, placing his napkin back in his lap and taking Ariana’s hand in his under the table. Ariana squeezed his fingers, a wave of contentment warming every inch of her skin. She loved him so much for trying to protect her, even though he knew he didn’t really have to. He knew she could take care of herself, but he still wanted to take care of her. Looking around at his family, at the playfully scolding look his mom was shooting at his dad, at the way Sherman and Jessica constantly whispered with each other, she could see how he’d grown up so attentive and caring.

For the first time in forever, Ariana felt like part of a family. It was a feeling she wanted more than anything to hold on to, and she had Jasper to thank for it.

A
PLAN

e cold emanating from the stone bench had long since permeated Ariana’s bones. e latte she’d purchased from the coffee cart mere minutes ago—her fifth of the day— had already gone lukewarm in her hands. e skin around her mouth and eyes was so dry she could feel it cracking as she attempted to imagine herself on a warm beach somewhere. Attempted to put mind over matter.

This was no way to spend a Sunday evening.

“Where the hell is she?” Ariana said under her breath.

A pair of sorority types walking by, dragging small rolling luggage cases, shot her a disturbed glance. She supposed she looked rather odd, sitting there in a brand-new Georgetown baseball cap and huge Gucci sunglasses after dark, talking to no one. Ariana took a long sip of her coffee, covering as much of her face as she could, and pretended not to notice. She was not supposed to be bringing attention to herself. But, she supposed, lapses in judgment were to be expected after five hours of sitting still on one’s ass on a frigid, sunless November day.

Ariana and Jasper had arrived back on campus that morning after three straight days of eating, laughing, and partying with his family. It had been a whirlwind of good food, good music, and bonding with Jasper’s mother and sisters, and by the time they had reached Privilege House, all she’d felt like doing was curling into a ball for some sleep. But she had more important things to do. Tonight would be the perfect night to pinpoint where on campus Reed lived, as she was sure to be returning from some awful white-trash Thanksgiving in Backwater, PA.

Now, all these hours later, Ariana was fairly certain she’d seen every single undergrad return from their holiday except Reed. Where the hell was she? Was Turkey Day in the middle of nowhere really so much fun that she wanted to drag it out as long as possible?

Ariana took a calming breath and blew it out. She had narrowed Reed’s potential places of residence to three dorms within a half-mile radius of one another. Unfortunately, the front doors of these establishments all faced in various directions, so Ariana hadn’t been able to choose one vantage point. She had begun her day outside the first dorm and had watched dozens of freshman girls come and go, but Reed was not among them. Around five p.m., Ariana had decided to move on to dorm number two. At one point Ariana had spotted a klatch of girls in soccer jackets, but Reed wasn’t there. Finally, at seven, freezing and frustrated, Ariana had taken up her current position outside the third and final dorm. At this point she was hungry, jittery from all the caffeine, and feeling so thwarted that she was ready to throttle the first tall brunette that crossed her path.

What if she had missed her? What if the girl was, right now, returning to that first dorm, out of sight? If Ariana had to come back in the morning and start this process all over again, she might have a nervous breakdown.

Suddenly, her phone beeped, startling her. Ariana placed her coffee cup down next to her and pulled the cell from her pocket, being careful to keep one eye on the door of the dorm. The text was from Jasper.

COME BACK SOON. IT’S COLD HERE WITHOUT YOU.

Ariana smiled. He’d been sending her romantic little texts all afternoon, but never asked her where she was or what she was doing. It was so nice to have a boyfriend who wasn’t nosy or demanding or controlling. All he wanted was to be with her.

BACK SOON. PROMISE.

Ariana hit
SEND
and slipped the phone back into her pocket. She was just about done here anyway. Clearly mere surveillance wasn’t going to be enough. She was going to have to figure out some other, more efficient way to determine where Reed was staying. Maybe she could devise a way to hack into the school’s system. Or simply fly to that awful town where Reed hailed from and ask her parents. They were probably just hick-dumb enough to tell her.

With a sigh, Ariana pushed herself to her feet, her frozen muscles and bones cracking and protesting. She was just about to head for the visitor’s lot when she heard a laugh that stopped her cold.

Slowly, Ariana looked up, and there she was. Reed Brennan in the flesh. She was walking with three friends about twenty yards away, tugging along a rolling suitcase, headed toward the dorm. And just in case Ariana was concerned that her mind was messing with her again, Reed was wearing a vinyl warm-up jacket with her last name emblazoned across the back in huge letters.

Suddenly, Ariana’s mouth filled with saliva. She swallowed hard, disgusted. It was amazing, the effect Reed had on her. It was all Ariana could do to stop herself from sprinting across the quad and launching herself at the girl like a wild animal. The primal beat started up inside of her all over again, this time louder than ever.

She must die … she must die … she must die …

At the front door of the dorm, Reed paused and tugged a key card out of her pocket.

She must die … she must die … she must die …

Reed flashed the card in front of the electronic pad, then reached over and opened the door for her friends.

She must die … she must die … she must die …

They all piled inside, Reed at the rear, and the door slammed behind them.

Ariana blinked, waking up from her trance. Reed was gone, and that was that. Ariana breathed in, long and slow, and felt her pulse start to slow. Reed had a key to the building, so this was clearly where she lived. Now all Ariana had to do was watch her, get her schedule down, and figure out the optimal moment to attack.

Soon, it would all be over. Soon, the balance would be restored. All the deaths—Thomas’s, Briana Leigh’s, Brigit’s, Lexa’s—all of them would be avenged.

Lifting her chin, Ariana turned and calmly strode toward the parking lot. Her heart rate was perfectly calm. Her breathing perfectly normal. is time she was going to have a plan. A foolproof plan. is time she was going to leave nothing to chance like when she’d done away with that horrible Mel girl back in Easton, or poor Sergei at the lake, or the first time she’d tried to kill Kaitlynn in her hotel room on Dupont Circle, or that awful, fateful night when she’d come so close to pushing Reed off the roof of Billings House.

It was always much better to have a plan. And this was far too important to leave anything to chance.

THE
NOMINATION

“I now open the floor to official nominations for the post of President of the Atherton-Pryce Hall chapter of Stone and Grave.”

April’s words brought a chill over the membership, and for a long moment, no one said a word. It was as if no one wanted to be the first to suggest that someone could actually replace Lexa. Ariana’s eyes scanned the circle, which was again devoid of Palmer and Conrad, and this time Soomie as well. No one had been able to get in touch with Soomie over the anksgiving break, but Maria had been hopeful that she would return to campus today just like everyone else. Unfortunately, she’d never arrived, and when Ariana and Maria had gone to her room before leaving for this meeting, just to be sure, everything was dark. Stone and Grave’s numbers were slowly dwindling and it felt as if nothing would ever be the same.