“No! No, nothing like that. Um, I found one.”
“Found one? A lollipop?”
I nod.
Her lips purse with contemplation. “He still has something for you?”
“Maybe. But it was in my new apartment. In thefreezer.”
Evie pauses a step and snags my upper arm to stop me. She lifts the bullets lining her chest. “Hence the protection duty? Escorting you to your husband’s frat house?”
I hesitate and glance around us. “Yes.”
“Makes sense.” Her arm lands around my shoulders and we keep moving. “Come on, my little charge. I’ll protect you from enemies foreign and domestic.” Twirling over a fewsteps, she stabs the air with an imaginary blade. “You sure Ayan left it there?”
“No. That’s why I’m heading toDelta. To ask Apollo.”
She finger-guns me, then the air around us, mocking my safety. “Smart. I like that.”
I know she’s joking. But something in me says Evie would shoot up the place to protect me.
She grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together, and gives them a squeeze. Normally, I wouldn’t like physical affection. Being with Evie reminds me that Ellis is gone, and it hurts. But it’s also comforting in a way. Like maybe I just made a closer friend in the woman beside me. It feels as if I still have a future filled with friends and life, despite losing Ellis.
I lean into her side as we make it to the square prairie-style mansion sitting in the middle of Fraternity Row. It’s throbbing with a deep bass, glass rattling the windows. Flashes of neon-colored lights blare through the patio and dance around us.
When Evie opens the door, a cloud of mist and smoke greets us, as well as a wall of sound. People yell. House music thumps. Footsteps pound.
The place ispacked.
Evie pulls me inside like a kid at a carnival, excitedly bouncing on her toes. “Let’s find your beau!”
Despite being the president, he’s suspiciously not around. I wonder if he’s in his old bedroom. We ask several guys if they’ve seen Apollo. No one seems to know where he is.
“I think he’s over by the pool tables, hon,” one of the men says, pointing toward a side room. One of the only ones behind doors.
I nod and snake through the tight crowd to get there.
The lights are green and dim, but it’s quieter. A click of pool balls, blooping from arcade machines, soft jazz, and muffled conversation compete for the air. Sweet cigar smoke floats by, covering up a distant scent of popcorn and beer.
My heart soars when I spot my giant husband leaning against a pool table, talking to a few guys. I get dizzy. Lose my breath just looking at him. He doesn’t see me, even as I wander closer.
Before I reach him, a curvy blondeSigmasidles up to his side, her fingers crawling over his chest like she owns him. She laces her arms around his neck. My blood boils at the sight. With fierce determination, I move.
Evie snatches my arm hard, holding me back. Which is not like her. I can barely see; the wrath is making my vision fuzzy.
“Just wait. Watch what he does…” she whispers, and I hold my breath.
Apollo slides his left hand between him and the girl. He wiggles his ring finger, showing off his wedding band. His lips move as he says something low and serious to her. With a shake of his head, he stands up from the table and turns his back on her to talk to the guys around him.
“Go get your man,” Evie says with satisfaction, shoving me forward.
I dash over and squeeze through the circle surrounding Apollo.
His eyes widen when he spots me, then his face changes. Thatlook. The one he gave me when he saw me coming down the aisle. It’s back. And it’smine.
I collapse into him as his thick arms surround me.
Without any hesitation, I plant a long, hot kiss on his waiting lips. He tastes of dark rye and licorice. My head feels fuzzier than before. I think I could faint. When I pull back, I sneer at the woman over his shoulder. “Hi,husband.”