Wild (The Ivy Chronicles #3)(61)

By the time we were all discharged with our few belongings returned to us, predawn light was creeping in through the blinds of the police precinct. I didn’t see Logan or any of the other guys from last night around and I figured they had already been released. Or maybe we were being released first and they were now getting discharged.

When we stepped out into the lobby, Emerson was there waiting for me.

And so was Pepper.

I groaned internally. Reece and Shaw stood behind them. Mortification washed over me. This was the scene I had wanted to avoid.

“Georgia, are you all right?” Emerson and Pepper stopped before me, looking me up and down. Here, in the fluorescent light of the police station, my dress looked even more shocking. I’m sure I looked like a train wreck . . . hair a mess, makeup smeared.

“I’m fine. It was a mix-up. The party . . .” I didn’t feel like admitting at the moment that I had gone back to the kink club. I was satisfied to just call it a party. “Well, the guy throwing it broke into the house . . .”

“Yeah. It’s all over campus.” Emerson nodded, her eyes wide.

My stomach twisted sickly. “It is?”

“Yeah, on the news, too,” Pepper added, looking grim.

“Oh, God. On the news? W-why?” I shook my head, wondering why something like this was so noteworthy.

“Really, Georgia?” Emerson looked at me as if it should be evident. “A sex club broke into the Dartford dean of students’ house. You think that wouldn’t get out? Just tell me. Was Chippy the Squirrel there?”

Emerson’s attempt at humor fell flat.

Acid surged up my throat. Clearly, there was no keeping the kink club a secret. “The dean of students?”

If Andy was in front of me right now I would seriously throat-punch the guy.

“Georgia, are you all right? What were you doing there?” Pepper’s brow knitted with worry. “This is so not like you.”

That’s right. Stepping outside the box wasn’t like me. I looked from her to Reece. They made no mention of Logan, and I could only guess they didn’t know he was involved yet.

Her gaze flicked back to my dress before returning to my face. “And you missed Emerson’s show. At the gallery in Boston, remember?”

I closed my eyes with a groan. I had totally forgotten. On top of getting arrested, I sucked as a friend. Another consequence for living life outside my box. “I forgot. Em, I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “Forget about it. It’s okay.”

Rachel chose that moment to join us.

Craptastic. Things kept getting better.

Reece looked at her, then me. His nostrils flared and he swung his stare around the room, clearly searching for his brother. “Where is he?”

I shook my head miserably.

Rachel laughed. “Guess you weren’t his one call.”

“Logan was there, too?” Pepper asked.

Annoyance started to prick at my nerves. “Look, I appreciate y’all coming here, but I only called Em.” I so did not feel like a group interrogation this morning.

Pepper looked crushed, so I amended my tone, wondering why I was tiptoeing so much around them. They weren’t my parents. And I’m the one who spent the night in jail with a prostitute who wanted wardrobe advice for a crime I didn’t commit. “It was a mix-up. They let us go. They’re not pressing charges.”

This didn’t alter their expressions. Emerson and Shaw looked at me like I was some kind of curious creature that might perform tricks for them. Pepper just looked worried, as though I might spew pea soup next. Reece looked tense and unhappy, ready to rip into his brother at the first opportunity. Which was right about now.

Logan and the other guys emerged through the doors. His gaze took in the group of us at once. He hesitated before shaking his head slightly and walking over to us, resignation clear on his face.

He looked slightly rumpled, exactly like he had slept on a bench in a police holding cell. His gaze fixed on me. “You okay?” he asked, his voice low, intimate, even though everyone was watching, listening.

I nodded, an inexplicable lump rising to my throat.

He glanced next at Rachel. She shrugged with a wry grin. “Sure. What’s a night in the slammer? Our new friend Darcy gave me her pimp’s number in case I ever need a job.”

Logan rolled his eyes at her joke.

“What the f*ck, Logan? I’m pretty sure getting arrested could cost you your scholarship.”

Logan settled cool blue eyes on his brother. “Yeah, if I was actually charged with anything. It was a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding that landed you and Georgia in jail.”

“Me, too,” Rachel piped in with an overly bright smile. “Not that anyone cares.”

Reece turned his blistering gaze on Rachel. “Considering you were the one to get him involved in that club in the first place, no, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”

“Back off,” Logan growled.

Rachel shrugged. “It’s all right. He’s not wrong. Of course he shouldn’t care about me. I’ll go wait for my ride outside.”

I watched Rachel go, for some reason wanting to call her back. I felt bad for her.

“Reece.” Pepper touched his arm.

Reece looked down at her and then back at Logan. Remorse clouded his face, which he quickly chased off in favor of looking obstinate again. “When are you going to start making smart choices, man? I get that you and Rachel have been friends a long time, but you can’t let her drag you down anymore.”