Page 212 of Wicked Brutal

“No idea.”

“Did Ally know?”

“She didn’t say anything.” And she would have. That’s what sits wrong. Victor finishes whatever he’s saying to the woman beside him and checks his watch. Waiting. My stomach tightens. I already know for who.

We should keep walking. Standing here watching him would be stupid. Changing direction the second he appears would also be stupid. Everything in my life has become a fucking calculation. So we keep moving through the atrium like we were already going to. Slower. Normal enough. The bell hasn’t rung yet — kids are still crossing between wings, leaning against lockers, arguing over homework, complaining about teachers. A couple people are sitting on the wide ledge beneath the windows pretending they aren’t going to be late. Victor gets looks. Nothing more. Yet.

Then Ally comes down the stairs from the second floor. And everything else disappears.

She’s halfway down, one hand curled around the strap of her bag, the other holding a book against her stomach while she talks to a girl beside her. She laughs at something. The girl turns toward the opposite hall at the bottom. Ally keeps coming. She hasn’t seen him.

Victor sees her. His attention shifts immediately. A small, satisfied smile. Like he’s been waiting for something that belongs to him. My molars grind together.

Ally reaches the bottom step. Looks toward the administrative offices. Sees him. Her foot hesitates — barely — one tiny break in the rhythm of her walk. Her fingers tighten around the book. Her face empties for less than a second. Victor doesn’t notice. Nobody else notices. I do. I always fucking do.

Then she pulls her shit together. Her eyes widen, her whole face brightens. “Victor?”

She sounds happy. Actually fucking happy. She starts toward him a little faster. Not running — Ally would rather die than run through the Edgewood atrium unless the building was on fire — but enough. Enough that he sees she’s excited. Enough that if anybody reports this back to Roman, they’ll report exactly what Roman expects after what he threatened her with.

Behave. Stop fighting. Stop creating problems. Or Tobias pays for it.

Kaid’s shoulder brushes mine. I don’t look at him. “She knows what Roman threatened her with.”

The joking dies around me. Nobody needs more than that. They all know. Tobias has always been the leash. Roman just made sure Ally remembered how tight he could pull it.

She reaches Victor. “What are you doing here?”

“I was nearby.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“I thought I’d surprise you.”

Her smile grows. “Well. You did.”

Victor bends and kisses her cheek. My entire body goes rigid. His hand settles at her waist. Not low. Not rough. Nothing anyone watching could point at and call inappropriate. Doesn’t fucking matter. I want his hand gone.

Ally touches his arm as he straightens. “I’m happy to see you.”

Fuck. Victor likes that. I see it immediately — that little shift around his mouth, the satisfaction. His young fiancée is thrilled he showed up unexpectedly. Exactly what he wanted.

“I wasn’t certain you’d appreciate the interruption.”

“I think I can forgive you for rescuing me from the last few minutes before class.”

“Only a few?”

Her eyes sparkle. “I’m trying not to seem too eager.”

His mouth curves. And there she is. Sweet. Sassy. Warm enough to make him feel good about himself. Never disrespectful. Never challenging. Ally knows the difference better than anyone alive.

Victor reaches up and brushes a piece of hair away from her cheek. “You seem happier.” There’s more underneath that than the words themselves.

Ally doesn’t miss it. Neither do I. “I am.”

“I’m glad.”

She tilts her head slightly into his hand. “I thought you might be.”