Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)

by Tijan

I said, “And, yes,” I tried the door, but it didn’t move, “it locks from the inside.” I paused a beat. “Why would a door lock from the inside? What kinds of things might happen inside a room where the door has to be locked that way? Where the occupants couldn’t leave?” My foot moved forward. My eyes were trained on him, and I kept my hands at my sides—for now. “Why do I get the feeling that other nightmares have happened in this room? Maybe this is the house I s...

“What’s wrong, Sebastian? You’ve had a lot to say every time I’ve seen you. Why are you quiet now?” “This is my grandfather’s home.” His tone was almost timid. “Yeah?” I held up my hands. “So what?” My jaw clenched. “What does that mean? Tell me. Why should I be scared that this is your grandfather’s house?” The fear came back. It flashed across his face. His mouth fell open, and his shoulders hunched down. A brave front appeared. His shoulders lifted back up. His mouth closed again, and his eyes narrowed. “Do you know who you’re messing with? Do you really have any idea who I am, what I can do to you?” “Why haven’t you?” I shot back. I moved forward, stopping by Sam’s head, where she seemed to be sleeping on the couch. She looked peaceful, but her fingers were tucked into her palms. Even in her sleep, they were curled inward. I knew that if I unraveled them, b...

He made her bleed. He would’ve done worse. I’d been keeping the rage contained, but a little bit slipped out there. “She’s unharmed.” His voice shook, and he coughed, clearing his throat. He tried to sound strong as he added, “As you can see, I was checking on her.” “Really?” “She had too much to drink. That’s all.” “You’re lying out of your fucking teeth.” My eyes narrowed. “I heard everything, Sebastian.” He slammed into the wall behind him, upending one of the paintings. It fell onto his shoulders, rolled to the side, and crashed onto the floor. Sebastian’s gaze was glued to mine. He never reacted. I didn’t think he realized what he had just done. “You’re weak, Sebastian,” I murmured lightly, casually glancing around the room. He was scared, and he was backed into a corner. A wounded animal that couldn’t break free always lashed out. He was going to try. It was inevitable, and I knew it wa...

I paused. There it was. Some heat came back into him. He wasn’t such a wounded animal. There was some fight still left in him. That was good. I had more time. “Screw me?” A soft laugh slipped out. “That’s what you were going to do to Sam.” He seemed to shrink again. “Weren’t you?” “I wasn’t going to hurt her.” Ah. A baseball bat was mounted on a wall, underneath a professional ball player’s painting. It was signed, too. I ...

His eyes darted to where I was going. “What are you doing?” I lifted the glass box that the bat was in and grinned at him. “No worries. I won’t throw the box at you.” His eyes fell to the bat, and he scooted over until he was in the farthest corner of the room. Samantha was between us, and he looked at her. I pulled off the back of the glass box and grabbed the bat. Pulling it out, I pointed it at him. “You’ll stay back from her.” I didn’t want to...

“I can’t let you hurt her. This is between you and me.” I kept my tone calm, casual even, and it worked. He held my gaze, weighing my words. His shoulders relaxed. The fear was leaving him. Enough was enough. “Like I said before, I was trying to be smarter this year. No burning houses. No cars put on fire. No brawls. Nothing like that.” I tapped the side of my head. “Act smarter. Think smarter. Be smarter. Those were the basic rules I tried following when I came back.” My gaze fell back to Samantha. She seemed more vulnerable than ever, lying there, where he could’ve done anything he pleased. If I hadn’t been here… I couldn’t finish that thought. I’d murder him here and now. I drew in a breath, trying to keep the rage at bay. This asshole… I shook my head. “Logan and Sam have been trying to protect me this whole time. They knew all...

Finally. That was the truth, but I needed more from him. I wanted to hear as much as I could before I hurt him. I nodded. “You hurt them to hurt me.” He said further, a soft sigh leaving him, “I was supposed to recruit you. That’s the kicker. I never wanted to use you for your power. We wanted to give you that power.” He was in control now. That was fine. I could get more out of him like this. More. I still needed to hear more. I sho...

you. It was the other way around. Isn’t that what you guys really do? You find people like me, Logan, Sam, and you latch on to them before they realize the game? You take from them. You don’t give them anything.” “You’re wrong.” “I’m not. Even you know I speak the truth. It’s why you don’t want us in. Right? You don’t want us to have the benefits your network could provide us?” Sebastian shook his head, looking down for a minute. His hands were folded together, and he stood like that before lifting his head again. “It wouldn’t have worked with you guys. You, Logan, even Sam. The three of you were wanted, but the program would’ve had to work where you trusted us. We needed to obtain dirt on you in order to hold that against you, to use you later in life. But it never would’ve worked because the three of you never would’ve let any of us in. The three of you don’t trust anyone.” He was right. “Trusting means being used.” I skimmed him up and down. I’d heard enough. I neede...

far for that. I told Samantha everything, but I already knew that I was going to ruin her, so she wouldn’t have ground to stand on against me. I didn’t think you’d have the balls to come here with her.” His eyelids twitched, and his gaze fell to the ground behind me. “I’ve underestimated all of you this entire time.” His eyes went to the bat in my hand. “You should know that it was me the whole time. The Network had nothing to do with the hit-and-run and when me and the fraternity went after you...

He was calming again. No. I chided softly, “Because I turned you down. Because I wanted nothing to do with you.” I moved closer and hardened my voice. “Because I decided that you were beneath me.” “I hated you. Who are you to go against me? Who is Nate to think he’s better than me? Who were you to think you could take one of my fraternity brothers away from me? You’re nothing! You’re no one,” he ground out, spitting at the floor. “You are beneath me, ...

“No one turns you down, right?” Because he was the best. Everyone else was less than him. “Exactly.” He flared up. The coward was gone. The wounded animal side of him left. This was the real Sebastian. “Who are you? Who are any of you?” He came toward me. I’d fanned the flames, and he took the bait. I murmured, “Your grandfather chose us over you.” “He did.” He became like a statue. His...

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t reply. I was getting to him. I added, “She slept with Logan—” I had more to add, but his head whipped up. There it was. The anger was taking over him. I moved closer. Samantha was still between us, but I was in control. “She told Samantha that she didn’t regret it.” He sucked in his breath. I advanced. “She was stressed about finals, and he offered to have sex with her as a joke. Screwing her w...

I added more, “They went to a janitor’s closet, and they were back within an hour.” “You’re lying.” “No.” I shook my head. He could read the truth from me. “I’m not. She’d do him again, too. She invited us to call her up whenever we’re in New York. She wants to remain friends with Sam.” “Shut up, Kade.” His breathing was ragged now. His hands were pressing into his sides, and his head was bent down. He was trying to keep calm...

Act smart. Think smart. Be smart. All that was down the drain. He was going to shatter Samantha. No one would walk away from that. “What’s the worst insult to you, Sebastian?” He stopped breathing, but he was still listening. His vein was throbbing in his neck, and his feet moved, so he had a wider stance. I waited, ready. “The fact that I won or the fact that you underestimated us? Or is it that, even a...

Sebastian lunged for me, but I was ready. This was what I wanted, and I ducked, ready to hit him when the door burst open. “Stop!” Garrett raced into the room. His hand was stretched out, but he stuck his leg out behind him to catch the door. His eyes were wide and alarmed, a look of panic in them. His mouth was open, and he was panting. He said a second time, “Stop.” I didn’t. I re...

“No.” I reared back to swing at him. Garrett was there. He was on me the next instant, wrapping his arms around mine, and he pulled me back before I could hit Sebastian. The bat fell from my fingers. I bent over and threw Samantha’s father off me. He bounced against the wall but was on his feet the next instant. He shot a hand out to me again. “No, Mason, I mean—I need him conscious.” Both Sebastian and I threw him a look. “What?” we both asked together...

his eyes before he cut to where Sam was on the couch. “I know Mason wouldn’t do that. Sam wouldn’t do it to herself. That leaves one person.” “You’re my godfather,” Sebastian started. “And you did that to my daughter!” He thrust a finger in Samantha’s direction with each word he yelled. “You, Park. You did that to her. She’s my daughter.” “He was going to rape her.” My patience was wearing thin. Sam’s dad had three seconds to say what he needed. If it w...

“I wasn’t going to—” “Shut up!” Garrett lurched forward. For a second, I thought he was going to hit him for me. I didn’t know if I wanted that, but I waited. Sebastian and Garrett both seemed surprised by the movement. He caught himself, reining backward and let out a disgusted sound. It was a groan, but a growl at the same time. “I swear, Park,” his chest heaved up and down for control, “you will be quiet, or I will let Mason do whatever he wants to you.” He moved forward and poked him in the chest as he said the last three words. The second poke was harder than the first, and with the last one, his finger never lifted from Sebastian. It stayed there, drilling into him. Finally, after another ten seconds of staring into Sebastian’s eyes, Garrett stepped backward. He said to me, his head lowering, “I wasn’t aware you were going to make your move today. I sent Sharon back home where she was safe. I was coming back to tell you guys I would help you, but Logan told me at the house where you really were. I almost got into two accidents speeding here.” I snorted. “I’m sorry. Were we supposed to run it by you first?” My sarcasm was thick. “No. I’m just saying that I would’ve been her...

know what he’s done to you, but I talked to Gerald. His grandfather told me something about a house being burned down?” “He used his fraternity brothers to jump me, my best friend, and my brother. All of us at separate times. They tried to hit me with a car last year, too.” “I see.” Garrett’s eyes narrowed to slits. He stepped toward Sebastian, asking, “Is that true?” A guttural, “Yes,” came from deep in his throat. “Yes.” “All of that on...

“I’m not,” he snapped at Sebastian. “I’m not your uncle anymore. I’m not your godfather anymore. I’m nothing to you. Like you’ll be nothing.” “Garrett?” He ignored Sebastian’s one-word question and turned to me. “Take Samantha. Take her home. I’ll deal with Park.” “What will happen to him?” “He’ll be cast out. All the blackmail material The Network has on him will be used against him and,” he cast a scathing look at him, “I believe there’s enough to strip him h...

“It doesn’t matter!” Garrett roared back at him. “She’s my daughter, and you were going to hurt her.” I heard enough. Picking up the bat again, I knew what I was going to do, no matter what Sam’s dad was saying. It wasn’t allowed because she was going to be a member? That was it? Because she was Garrett’s daughter? What if she weren’t? What if she was someone else’s daughter, not someone from The Network? I’d been repressing my fury, but it was done. I didn’t care what happen...

He dropped like a bag of weights, and I kicked at him, double-checking. He was unconscious. “Mason?” The bat fell to the floor again. I knelt down and rummaged through his clothing. Feeling his phone inside of his pockets, I took it and stepped back. I pointed at the door, which Garrett left propped open. “Take him. Get him out of here before I do something permanent to him.” He glanced at the phone. “What are you going to do?” “If you want Samantha to be in your life, yo...

would know, too, if he was going to actually step up as a dad or hang her out to dry. Either way, it was going to end after this. I gestured to the door again. “Take him.” I waited thirty seconds until he was gone before I did what I needed to do. Once it was done, I picked Sam up in my arms and left. Nate was in the car, waiting for us, and when I got inside, I never let her go. I held her as I told Nate, “Go to the hospital.” He took off, but looke...

I nodded again, resting my head against the seat’s headrest. Yeah. I used the passcode Summer told us her brother used for his phone. Once in there, I clicked on the e-mail I sent from the computer upstairs to Sebastian’s phone. Then I sent it to his entire list of contacts titled The Network. Everyone within The Network would see the blackmail material the organization had on them, and on everyone else. What they did with that, was up to them. When they would look int...

knew that much, but now everything was in Garrett’s hands. He would lie for us. He wo...

“You’re strong, Samantha. You kick ass. You don’t flinch when someone’s coming at you, and you’ll go back. You’ll always go back, no matter the consequences, if it means protecting someone you love. I am lucky to have you. I am lucky that you love me.”