Devious (18 page)

Before she could register exactly what was happening, Isaac was bending down toward her. His lips touched softly against hers, and she felt a million butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Everything—the partygoers streaming out the door, the cold rush of air as it opened and closed, the smell of spilled sangria—faded into the background. Nothing mattered but the way his lips felt against hers, and the minty taste of his mouth.

Finally, Isaac pulled away. Jenny blinked as she returned to reality. It took her a second to realize she was still in the kitchen. A couple of stragglers stared at them as they scuttled out the door. “Okay, enough distracting me already,” Isaac said, touching Jenny’s elbow lightly. “You’ve got to get out of here.”

“Are you sure?” Jenny asked, biting her lip. Her lips felt like they were on fire.

“Positive.” He pushed her out the door as Rifat Jones and Lon Baruzza dashed out. Rifat shot Jenny a thumbs-up that Isaac pretended to ignore. Jenny’s legs managed to carry her down the short wooden staircase, but she still felt like she was floating. She glanced over her shoulder at Isaac. He was still standing in the doorway, watching her leave. “You’re too cute to get into trouble,” he called after her.

If only that were true.

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T
insley’s legs felt like jelly as she made her way down to Isla and Easy. She’d been too stunned to move at first, and she was pretty sure she was still in shock. She made it halfway down the stairs before she found her legs wouldn’t take her any farther. Holding on to the banister, she watched as the security guards raced into the house, chasing the last of the frantic students as they escaped out the back doors and windows. Isla, Easy Walsh, and Isaac were the only others who remained.

When she felt like she could breathe again, she finally made her way downstairs, wobbling on her high heels. Isla was now standing in the middle of the glass-covered foyer, picking pieces of glass out of her messy dark hair. Isaac appeared from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water and handed it to her. The guy next to her—definitely, undeniably Easy Walsh—was still looking at her, concerned.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Tinsley asked, glass crunching under her shoes, as she came up and put her hand on Isla’s shoulder. Gently. Her skin was marked with dozens of red scratches, most of which looked like surface cuts. Someone had slid a pair of men’s shoes onto Isla’s bare feet before setting her down on the glass-covered floor. She had a dazed look on her face, and she was still leaning against Easy’s tall, lean body. “We need to take you to the health center. Have them check you out.”

Isla blinked her pale green eyes at Tinsley and gave a shaky laugh. Her dark, curly hair was wild and tangled, although the look actually suited her. “I’m fine, thanks to this handsome stranger.”

Tinsley looked up at Easy, who was standing there in a pair of battered hiking shoes and an ugly brown coat. His beautiful unruly hair had been completely shorn off at military school, making him look older and harder, but also highlighting his perfect bone structure. His skin was tanned, and his lean body was tighter, stronger looking. Tinsley imagined him doing hundreds of pushups a day and running through obstacle courses in the mud. He looked more serious than Tinsley remembered. But maybe that was because he’d just saved someone’s life.

“Um, I’m glad you walked through this door at the most perfect time in the world and all, but… what the
hell
are you doing here?” Tinsley stared at him, awestruck.

“Long story.” Easy chuckled softly. His gentle Kentucky accent was more pronounced than before. She’d heard his military school was down south somewhere, like the backwoods of West Virginia. “Basically, I ran away. I really just wanted to see Credo again.”

Tinsley almost felt like crying. She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank God you did. You saved Isla’s life.” It seemed absolutely crazy that Easy could show up at Waverly to check on his
horse
and arrive on exactly the right night, at exactly the right time.

“I don’t know about that.” An embarrassed grin broke out on his face. “I was on my way to the stables when I ran into Heath in the woods.” He shrugged casually, as if it was no big deal. “He never could miss a party.”

Isla smiled up at Easy through her long, thick eyelashes. “Really, it must have been fate that you got here when you did,” she said, touching his arm. “Otherwise, I’d have…” She shivered. Theatrically. Isla had just managed to escape breaking her neck, and here she was flirting with a hot guy. Already. Not bad.

“You guys should probably head out.” Isaac appeared, a huge push broom in his hand as he swept up the shards of glass that dotted the foyer. “The security guards are chasing after the others, so you could probably sneak out of here without anyone noticing.”

Tinsley opened her mouth to agree, but before she could, the front door flew open once more. Dean Dresden appeared in the doorway, his ashen-faced wife at his side. They both had on long black coats, scarves thrown hastily around their necks.

“Isla, security said there was an accident. Are you hurt?” The dean stepped forward as Mrs. Dresden threw her arms around Isla, who immediately burst into tears. Tinsley blinked her eyes. From femme fatale to weeping child in three seconds? Even
she
wasn’t that good.

“I’m fine, Daddy.” She pulled away from her mother, wiping at her tears with her wrist, and threw herself into her father’s arms. Isla hadn’t been traumatized a minute ago, when she was hitting on Easy Walsh. But Tinsley couldn’t blame her for putting on the teary-eyed act—Dean Dresden looked furious. She hoped he’d be lenient with Isla, at least, given what she’d just gone through. She hadn’t meant to do anything wrong—she just had pretty terrible judgment.

“She’s all right, sir,” one of the security guards spoke up. The shoulders of his dark maroon jacket were dusted in snow. “She managed to land in someone’s arms, and it looks like she just has some cuts and bruises. You probably want to get her checked out at the health center.”

“Oh, Isla, I’m just glad you’re safe.” The dean’s voice turned stern as he stepped away from his daughter. In his dark suit and black overcoat, he looked dapper but intimidating. “But I don’t enjoy being called away from an important evening with my new faculty to come home to… this.” He swept his arm out over the shattered glass of the foyer. Shards of metal littered the area, and pieces of splintered wood hung down from the gaping hole in the ceiling. “This disaster area. Tell me, how on
earth
did this happen?” Tinsley’s mouth twisted as she waited for the ax to fall on her friend. Clearly, Isla was not going to escape punishment. It wasn’t fair, really. The whole thing was an accident.

Tinsley stepped forward, her heels crunching against the glass. She knew it was never smart for an outsider to interfere with parental disciplining, but she couldn’t just stand by and watch her friend get reamed out.

But Isla spoke first. “Daddy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to get up on the roof.” Her sea-green eyes teared up again, the tears spilling out over her cheeks. “But Tinsley kept insisting what a great shot it would make. It was all her idea.”

Tinsley’s jaw dropped. What?
She’d
told
Isla
it was a terrible idea. Tinsley’s eyes flashed up to meet Easy’s. He looked skeptical about Isla’s story. If a perfect
stranger
could tell it was a lie, couldn’t her parents?

Isla started to sob openly. “I was so… scared.”

“Oh, baby.” Mrs. Dresden threw her arms around Isla, shooting daggers toward Tinsley.

Tinsley’s mouth felt dry as the dean’s eyes turned to her. Was there any way he’d take her own word… over his own daughter’s? Her heart sunk as she realized how unlikely that was. He’d probably seen Tinsley’s file, in fact, and knew that she’d already been kicked out of Waverly once. Maybe even Isla knew.

“Tinsley, is this true?” The dean’s voice was cold.

Tinsley glanced at Isla. She didn’t know what she expected—a wink, a secret nod, anything. But instead, Isla’s eyes were icy and distant.

Suddenly it all made sense. Isla said she loved hanging with the
most interesting
kids. Of course. Isla probably did the same thing at every school—find out who the kids with the worst records were, befriend them, and then, when things fell apart, lay the blame accordingly. It was the perfect alibi.

That bitch. She’d underestimated Isla, clearly. Tinsley definitely
had
met her match. But not in a good way.

“Dean Dresden—” she began, searching for the words to defend herself.

But the dean cut her off. “Miss Carmichael. Be in my office Monday morning. Eight o’clock sharp. We’ll discuss this then.” The dean’s lips pressed together in a straight line.

“Dad, listen.” Isaac spoke up, placing his hand on his father’s forearm. “I don’t think it was Tinsley’s fault.”

“This doesn’t concern you,” Dean Dresden replied sharply.

Tinsley felt her own eyes start to sting, but she’d be damned if she let that bitch make her cry. She bit her lip and turned to the coat closet off the entryway. Coats were scattered everywhere. She flicked aside a stack of black peacoats, searching for her gray Michael Kors. She’d never wanted to disappear so badly in her life.

“And Isaac,” she overheard the dean saying, “you are going to make me a list of every single person who was at the party tonight.”

“Dad, I can’t do that….”

Tinsley finally grabbed her coat and peeked into the hallway just in time to see the dean hold out a hand to Easy Walsh, who had been standing there awkwardly the entire time. “Now, young man, I’m dying to know to whom I owe my daughter’s life.”

Some people have all the luck.

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J
enny eased down the creaky staircase of Dumbarton Hall later that night. Even in the safety of her favorite slippers, she still felt like there was a giant lead ball sitting in her stomach. They’d destroyed the new dean’s house and practically killed his daughter. Shit was going to hit the fan.

She poked her head into the common room. Despite the fact that it was almost lights out, Angelica Pardee, their dorm mistress, had already turned in and told them not to stay up too late. She clearly hadn’t heard about the epic party at the dean’s house yet, otherwise she would undoubtedly have made sure all her charges were sequestered in their rooms.

Everyone looked up when Jenny entered the room. “Legendary party, Jenny!” Benny Cunningham, in a pair of gray silk pajamas, lounged with her legs thrown over an armchair. She threw a piece of buttery popcorn in Jenny’s direction. “I particularly liked the surprise ending.”

Jenny blushed and headed over to the blue velvet sofa, sitting down beside Brett. “I’m glad I missed it,” Brett said quietly. She’d left right after her Sebastian fallout and was glad she’d avoided the chaos. But she was also secretly happy that everybody came home early. It had been lonely, sitting here by herself in the common room, driving herself crazy thinking about where Sebastian was and whom he was with.