Page 17 of Shattered Sinner
That sparked an idea in my brain. “I’m not thrilled with you even after the apology, but there’s something you can do to make it up to me.”
“What’s that?”
“I need to find out where Iris is, and I think you might have been one of the last people to see her before she disappeared.”
“Disappeared?”
I proceeded to explain to Nash all the events that happened since the night of the Chevalier party on Westwick University’s campus. “I haven’t talked to her since then. Raven mentioned that you both saw Iris with Soren Grant at the party.”
A look crossed Nash’s face but even though I’d known him all my life, I had no idea what he was thinking. What the hell was I missing between Iris, Soren, and the Chevaliers? "Wait a minute. Are you assuming that Iris's disappearance has something to do with the organization you'll be leading next semester?"
When Nash didn't answer, I thought I was going to jump out of my skin.If Iris’s disappearance had anything to do with the Chevaliers, this was an even bigger problem than I previously thought.
Getting Iris back was my overall goal, but now I knew I really had to tread carefully. From what I’d heard through the years from my grandfather and father, I didn’t want to risk pissing them off because I knew the likelihood of me and Iris ending up dead was high.
"I need to know where Iris is and if she's okay, Nash."
"I know." He glanced around my living room before he sighed. "Things are a bit busy with Chevalier stuff and Eas—”
He stopped speaking and clenched his jaw as his eyes widened slightly. It was then I pieced together that he’d made a mistake. He’d almost said Easton’s name in relation to the Chevaliers, right? Or was I misinterpreting this?
“What were you saying?” I decided to play it cool for now.
“I'll see what I can do, but if Soren's involved, I'm not sure how good things could be.” There was a slight hesitation in his voice that made me wonder how much he might be able to accomplish.
"Don't say things like that, Nash." I needed to keep a level of positivity because it already felt as if everything around me was crashing and burning.
He opened his arms, and it was then that I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I hugged my brother. Sure, we’d done it as kids, but the older we’d gotten, the more we pulled away from the habits we’d created as children.
"Okay," I said as I stepped into the hug.
It didn't last too long before Nash pulled away, and he gave me a small wave and walked out of my apartment. I turned on my heel, feeling slightly lighter than I'd felt before Nash's visit. This was just the beginning of solving our issues, but I’d take it.
My mind was still on the conversation I’d just had with Nash as I walked over to my phone so that I could check my emails. Sure enough, there was a notification from the bank about my application to open a new account. My nerves were shot as I clicked and then scanned the email, quickly confirming that it was the standard "we've received your application" email.
At least they hadn't rejected me outright.
I packed my bag so I could leave and head to campus for the day. Maybe opening this account could serve as a way to also help Iris out. Finding her wouldn’t be easy with the Chevaliers involved. And I might be forced to make a choice that I didn’t want to make.
* * *
Spending quitea bit of time on campus had given me the ability to get my schoolwork done as well as think about some of the next steps I wanted to take. My plan wasn’t fully formed, but pieces were starting to fall into place. At least the beginnings of something were being created. Now that I was back in my apartment, I could stare out the window without any judgment. The sky was painted in hues of orange and pink, but my mind was clouded with doubts and uncertainty. But I did know that taking even small steps toward something that resembled freedom was helping my mental health.
I kept thinking about the possibility of Soren kidnapping Iris, and how he was connected to the Chevaliers in some capacity.
I hadn’t heard anything from Nash, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he hadn’t heard anything on his end yet, or if he wasn’t going to give me an update because he couldn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if he chose the Chevaliers over me because that was what I was conditioned to believe as I’d seen my father do the same thing my entire life.
But what I hadn’t expected was that Easton might be going through recruitment for the Chevaliers. If he was a part of this, I wasn’t sure how much he actually knew, but it might not be a bad idea to have him on my side to help me find Iris. Plus, his family might have connections outside of the Chevaliers that he might be willing to let me use.
After all, he owed me, whether he leaked the photos or not. Heck, maybe he would be hell-bent on finding out who leaked the photos so he could clear his name.
Maybe getting close to Easton again under the guise of using him to get what I want wasn’t such a bad idea. But I needed to keep my objective in mind.
I picked up my phone that I’d put face down on the cushion next to me when I sat down. I quickly typed out a message to Easton, read it over, and then pressed send.
It was a risky move for sure, but I had a feeling it might be one of the only ways to get to the bottom of this mess.
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