Cruel Love (Privilege 6)

Mr. Montgomery cleared his throat and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the pristine white tablecloth.

“I remember reading about your father’s death at the time,” he said, pressing his hands together. “Awful business. Awful business.”

“Yes,” Ariana said, casting her eyes down again.

“I hope they put away the psycho that did it,” he said.

“Thurston!” Mrs. Montgomery scolded.

“What? I’m just offering my support!” he said, turning his massive palms up.

“It’s okay,” Ariana said, slowly stirring her coffee and trying as hard as she could not to grin. “Let’s just say she was properly punished.”

She thought of Kaitlynn Nottingham rotting in the cold hard ground behind the Greene’s Washington mansion and fancied the real Briana Leigh and her father would agree.

“Good. I’m always gratified to hear that justice was served,” Mr. Montgomery said.

Now Ariana smiled hugely. She knew she liked Jasper’s father. Suddenly she felt even more comfortable with the idea of sharing the long weekend with him and his family.

“Thank you for your restraint, people,” Jasper said lightly from the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. “You lasted a whole twenty-four hours before broaching the exact unpleasantness I asked you not to broach.”

Jasper’s father started to turn in his seat to retort, but Ariana cut him off.

“It’s all right, Jasper,” Ariana said. “I don’t mind at all.”

With a discreet eye roll, Jasper sat down next to Ariana again, placing his napkin back in his lap and taking Ariana’s hand in his under the table. Ariana squeezed his fingers, a wave of contentment warming every inch of her skin. She loved him so much for trying to protect her, even though he knew he didn’t really have to. He knew she could take care of herself, but he still wanted to take care of her. Looking around at his family, at the playfully scolding look his mom was shooting at his dad, at the way Sherman and Jessica constantly whispered with each other, she could see how he’d grown up so attentive and caring.

For the first time in forever, Ariana felt like part of a family. It was a feeling she wanted more than anything to hold on to, and she had Jasper to thank for it.

A PLAN

The cold emanating from the stone bench had long since permeated Ariana’s bones. The latte she’d purchased from the coffee cart mere minutes ago—her fifth of the day—had already gone lukewarm in her hands. The skin around her mouth and eyes was so dry she could feel it cracking as she attempted to imagine herself on a warm beach somewhere. Attempted to put mind over matter.

This was no way to spend a Sunday evening.

“Where the hell is she?” Ariana said under her breath.

A pair of sorority types walking by, dragging small rolling luggage cases, shot her a disturbed glance. She supposed she looked rather odd, sitting there in a brand-new Georgetown baseball cap and huge Gucci sunglasses after dark, talking to no one. Ariana took a long sip of her coffee, covering as much of her face as she could, and pretended not to notice. She was not supposed to be bringing attention to herself. But, she supposed, lapses in judgment were to be expected after five hours of sitting still on one’s ass on a frigid, sunless November day.

Ariana and Jasper had arrived back on campus that morning after three straight days of eating, laughing, and partying with his family. It had been a whirlwind of good food, good music, and bonding with Jasper’s mother and sisters, and by the time they had reached Privilege House, all she’d felt like doing was curling into a ball for some sleep. But she had more important things to do. Tonight would be the perfect night to pinpoint where on campus Reed lived, as she was sure to be returning from some awful white-trash Thanksgiving in Backwater, PA.

Now, all these hours later, Ariana was fairly certain she’d seen every single undergrad return from their holiday except Reed. Where the hell was she? Was Turkey Day in the middle of nowhere really so much fun that she wanted to drag it out as long as possible?

Ariana took a calming breath and blew it out. She had narrowed Reed’s potential places of residence to three dorms within a half-mile radius of one another. Unfortunately, the front doors of these establishments all faced in various directions, so Ariana hadn’t been able to choose one vantage point. She had begun her day outside the first dorm and had watched dozens of freshman girls come and go, but Reed was not among them. Around five p.m., Ariana had decided to move on to dorm number two. At one point Ariana had spotted a klatch of girls in soccer jackets

, but Reed wasn’t there. Finally, at seven, freezing and frustrated, Ariana had taken up her current position outside the third and final dorm. At this point she was hungry, jittery from all the caffeine, and feeling so thwarted that she was ready to throttle the first tall brunette that crossed her path.

What if she had missed her? What if the girl was, right now, returning to that first dorm, out of sight? If Ariana had to come back in the morning and start this process all over again, she might have a nervous breakdown.

Suddenly, her phone beeped, startling her. Ariana placed her coffee cup down next to her and pulled the cell from her pocket, being careful to keep one eye on the door of the dorm. The text was from Jasper.

COME BACK SOON. IT’S COLD HERE WITHOUT YOU.

Ariana smiled. He’d been sending her romantic little texts all afternoon, but never asked her where she was or what she was doing. It was so nice to have a boyfriend who wasn’t nosy or demanding or controlling. All he wanted was to be with her.

BACK SOON. PROMISE.

Ariana hit SEND and slipped the phone back into her pocket. She was just about done here anyway. Clearly mere surveillance wasn’t going to be enough. She was going to have to figure out some other, more efficient way to determine where Reed was staying. Maybe she could devise a way to hack into the school’s system. Or simply fly to that awful town where Reed hailed from and ask her parents. They were probably just hick-dumb enough to tell her.