Page 6 of Twisted Elites

Chapter 2

Leopold handed Sebastian the keys to his jeep, and he drove us toward the town center, over the River Eden, and past the cricket club. I sat back in the leather seats and furrowed my brow. Memories of sitting in the front of the Audi with Prakash reformed in my mind as Sebastian pulled into the courtyard of a stone-fronted, Georgian mansion.

This was the private members club where we had sat and talked and drank. Where I’d first gotten close to Prakash and learned how deeply he had regretted his involvement with Corrine.

I followed the kings out of the jeep and over the courtyard, where the gravel crunched underfoot. My nerves were too frayed to appreciate the building’s grand entrance, brass door fittings, or the elegant butler in an old-fashioned, black tailcoat.

As Sebastian exchanged a few words with the man, Leopold leaned into my side. “Are you alright, Wills?”

My brows drew together. “If Mrs. Benazir is acting as his guardian, how far would she fight for his release?”

“Good question,” he muttered.

“She’s too concerned with money and grade averages to care about one student. Do you think she’ll expel Kash to get rid of the problem?”

“She’d better not,” he growled.

The butler stepped aside and let us into a black-and-white tiled hallway with a huge, marble fireplace. My gaze darted to the left, where I remembered Prakash and I had gone at the end of the first term, but the butler led us to the right, where an elegant, marble staircase curved up to the floor above.

“I’ll put you in the Duke’s room, which has a king-sized bed.” The butler led us up the stairs while continuing a hushed conversation with Sebastian.

I gulped and held onto the brass rail as I ascended. What kind of establishment let two boys take a girl to a room for the night and didn’t ask questions? An exclusive one, I supposed.

As we reached the top of the staircase, Leopold whispered, “Do you remember this place?”

“Only little bits,” I whispered back. “The butler, and a room with chandeliers and velvet seats.”

We continued along a marble-floored corridor that reminded me a little of Hessington Hall. The moon shone through a window, casting its silvery light on the butler’s gray hair. The man opened a door, releasing the warm, rich scent of leather. A millisecond later, the room lights brightened from dim to soft.

Stepping aside, he swept his arm through the open doorway. “The bar is fully stocked, Mr. Garraway. Please inform me if there is anything else you require.”

Leopold placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me into the room. As I stepped inside and took in the decor consisting of elegant, walnut and brown, leather furniture, I heard Sebastian say, “Actually, there is.”

The door clicked shut behind us, leaving Sebastian in the hallway with the butler. I turned around and strained to listen, but couldn’t hear a word. An upscale place like this probably had soundproofed rooms.

“What’s Sebastian doing?” I asked.

“Not sure.” Leopold wrapped his arms around my shoulders, enveloping me in his large, hard body. Inhaling his summer and sea-breeze scent, I leaned into his embrace and clung onto him as though he was the only thing keeping me from falling into a pit of despair.

“I’m worried,” I whispered. “What on earth did Mrs. Benazir mean when she said the evidence against him is overwhelming?”

Leopold placed a finger on my lips. “Speculating without information is futile, and we’ll never get to sleep. Between the three of us, we’ll work something out.”

I rested my forehead on his shoulder and sighed. “You’re right. I just wish we weren’t being shut out.”

“Same here. We’ll do what we did last year to help Kash.” He rubbed the small of my back.

I drew away and was about to ask what he meant when Sebastian opened the door and stepped into the room. Leopold wrapped an arm around my middle and asked, “What were you two talking about?”

“A contingency plan.” Sebastian crossed the room, sat on the leather ottoman at the foot of the bed, and toed off his shoes.

I tilted my head to the side and waited for him to elaborate.

Leopold folded his arms across his chest. “You think Kash did it?”

“It doesn’t matter what we believe.” Sebastian shouldered off his blazer. “Someone in the school is messing with Willow and Ashley, and now they’ve turned their attention to Kash.”

“Do you think Miss Claymore’s working behind the scenes?” I asked.