Page 84 of Tempting Fate

Ophelia turns the phone back around. “Yes?”

“Fabulous to see you two, as ever. I’ll get onto everything today. Call me if you need anything else.”

“Wa—” Dante begins, but the phone chirps to say the call has ended and he sighs. “Prick.”

Ophelia huffs a laugh.

Kieran shakes his head. “You two have the strangest friends.”

“We all roomed together at school,” Dante replies, almost absently. “What do we do now, then?”

Sam comes and sits on the arm of Kieran’s chair. “We wait. You”—he looks at me—“stay inside. Got it?”

“Yeah. Yes. I will.”

“What do you think’s going to happen to Patch?” Jamie asks. He and Nick have been silent throughout this whole thing, though Nick looks a little overwhelmed by the call.

Kieran heaves a heavy sigh. “I honestly don’t know,” he says. “Em might have made the video, but the fact is, Patch knew better than to do what he was doing. He shouldn’t have been shifting out in the open, regardless of whether or not he was doing it in front of—”

“Anyone,” Sam interrupts, and Kieran shoots him a baffled look. “He shouldn’t have done it. They might send him out of the city.”

“They can… They can do that?” I say.

“Easier him than you,” Kieran says. He rubs his hand over his face. “They can shuffle Patch to another pack. I don’t think Deacon will let Axel exile him.”

Ophelia flinches, and Dante tips his head, looking up at her. “Exile?” he mouths. She shakes her head.

“It won’t come to that,” Sam agrees. “But if we could all avoid any trouble for the next, say, three to six months…”

“Like any of you fuckers can talk,” Kieran grumbles. “Stay inside, Em. No posting online. Can you do that?”

“I won’t talk to anyone but Cate,” I agree. “And I’ll… I know I need to go. I’ll organise it all. I’ll leave soon.”

Jamie tenses up next to me, but Kieran only nods again. “Fine. I’ll let you know when is good to leave, okay? Deacon and the others might want to talk to you again before you do.”

He gets to his feet, and so does Dante—he turns and holds out his arm. Ophelia grabs him and hauls herself up. “So tired,” she mutters.

“It’s a wonder you and Felix passed any classes at all, really.”

She shakes her head but waves vaguely at us as they make their way out. Nick sees Sam and Kieran to the door, leaving me and Jamie alone in the living room, at least for now.

“Are you really planning to leave?” he asks.