The Nines (The Nines #1) Read online

  I’m thankful that Julio stays back behind me. Even though he’s a gentle soul I have a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that any male who she didn’t know might set her off.

  She is seated on her bed just staring at the wall. Her swollen cheeks are lined with tear stains that she hasn’t bothered to wipe away.

  When I sit down on the bed next to her she doesn’t immediately react. It’s almost like she’s in a trance.

  “Wendi,” I say quietly.

  As she turns to face me I notice her expression is blank. “I’m Claire’s roommate, Roxie. Remember we met at that pizza place, when you ran into Claire.”

  Even though she nods I’m not sure everything I’m saying is actually registering. I soldier on anyway.

  “Claire is missing. She was with you, wasn’t she?”

  Wendi nods and starts to shake a little.

  “Do you have any idea what happened to her?”

  Tears begin to stream down her face. I wait but Wendi doesn’t say anything.

  When I’m just about ready to give up Wendi speaks. It’s barely above a whisper so I have to strain to hear her. “I’m pretty sure what happened to me happened to her.”

  I gulp. I think it’s fairly obvious what happened but I need to be sure. “What happened, Wendi?”

  “They don’t like it when girls fight back.” Wendi’s voice is eerily hollow when she speaks. “They said bitches who say no need to be beat. I knew I shouldn’t have taken a drink. I have no idea what it was. I didn’t feel well. I went into the bathroom, but I didn’t throw up. I was so dizzy though. As soon as I came out of the bathroom two guys grabbed me. I tried to get away, but they were too strong. One guy slapped me so hard my ears were ringing. The other guy punched me and they both laughed when I started to blackout. They said it would be easier if I didn’t fight. There were two other guys waiting in the room when they pulled me in there. When I tried to scream they just hit me again. One of the guys laughed and said they were all going to fuck me so I’d better just lie down and enjoy it. They threw me on this disgusting mattress. It reeked like sweat and beer. I felt like I was going to be sick. They told me if I was going to puke to make sure it landed on the floor. Then they did it. They all…raped me.”

  My stomach is knotted so tightly that I’m actually doubled over. It’s difficult for me to even imagine what Wendi went through.

  “What happened to Claire?”

  Wendi is staring at the wall again.

  “Wendi, what happened to Claire?”

  “She didn’t want a drink. She said she couldn’t drink alcohol. She wasn’t allowed. A short guy came over and handed her a cup. He said it was just soda. He stood there staring at her until she took a sip. I could tell she didn’t really want to, but he kind of forced her into it. That’s when I started to feel funny and went to the bathroom.”

  When I glance at Julio he’s leaning back against the doorframe. His entire body is rigid and his fists are clenched. His eyes are closed and he’s trying not to cry. I’ve never seen this side of him before. He looks like he could snap at any moment. He looks like he’s ready to hurt anyone who hurt Claire.

  “What did the police say?” I ask Wendi.

  At this Wendi finally turns to face me. “I was advised by my RA not to go to the police. I was told it was a university matter and should be handled by the university.”

  I shake my head. “You were beaten and gang raped. This is a criminal matter. You have to go to the police.”

  Wendi has disappeared into her own thoughts again. I can tell she’s not listening, or doesn’t want to hear what I’m saying.

  “I think you should go,” her roommate announces. Her voice is angry, but I can’t tell if the anger is directed at me, or Wendi, or the people who raped her.

  I nod and rise from the bed, but I feel so confused. I don’t understand why she hasn’t gone to the police. Then it dawns on me that she hasn’t even gone to the hospital. She’s just sitting in her dorm room waiting for her parents to pick her up and take her away.

  “Something’s not right,” I whisper to Julio as Wendi’s roommate leads us out of the room.

  After she closes the door behind us she says, “You know this is something you can’t talk about, right?”

  Julio stares at her like he can’t believe what he’s hearing. I think he’s still in shock. I am too, but after everything I went through after the bombing, I’ve learned how to compartmentalize and deal with one thing at a time.

  Wendi’s roommate says louder, “Listen to me. You can’t talk about this. You can’t go to anyone about this. Do you understand?”

  Julio wipes his eyes and when he speaks his words mirror my thoughts. “We have to go to the police. We have to find Claire. She might be hurt like Wendi.”

  “You don’t get it. The cops won’t help. No one will.”

  I shake my head. “I have no idea what’s going on. And I don’t know why we can’t go to the police. Wendi was beaten and gang raped. The animals who did this to her need to be in prison. How can it be a university matter? What does that even mean?”

  The blonde’s mouth is now a thin, angry line. “Those animals are the sons of the richest and most prominent men in this city, even in the country. This is the initiation week for their secret fraternity. They have certain initiation rituals that have taken place for years. Even before the school banned the fraternities and they went underground. Even when they were regulated by the university, the school turned a blind eye to their rape rooms. It’s just what guys do. Guys whose parents just happen to donate millions of dollars to the school. Guys who they know will be able to donate millions when they graduate and get jobs on Wall Street or in politics, just like their daddies. The only reason fraternities were even banned is because they killed some of the boys during the hazing. The school doesn’t care about generations of women getting raped, but when a guy gets killed they’re forced to do something. That’s what a university matter means. It means you report the rape to your RA and she does nothing. She tells you that unless you want to be a social outcast you shut your mouth and pretend it never happened. And if you have nightmares, and can’t eat and your grades go down because you can’t think of anything else but the hell you’ve been through, you may get to see the Dean of Student Affairs. And when you tell her your story she says that the school will investigate the allegations, but you can tell by the look in her eyes that they never will. You’ll still have to see the guys on campus. Still see their smiling faces and know that they’ll never have to pay for their crimes. You’ll try your best to act normal, like it never happened, even if your life will never be normal again. Do you want to know why I didn’t go to that party with Claire and Wendi? Because my sister was drugged and raped four years ago. She never told anyone but me and the only reason she told me was as a cautionary tale. So that I would promise her never to set foot anywhere near a fraternity or sorority while I was here.”

  My chest is so tight I feel like I can’t breathe. “Can you tell us where the sorority is? Or where the fraternity is? Anything?”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t know and I don’t want to. And Wendi is too traumatized to really talk about it.”

  “Let’s go.” Julio is already heading down the hallway.

  “Thank you,” I manage to say to the blonde as I hurry to catch up with Julio. “Where are we going?”

  “To see if we can find anything online about Zeta Eta Pi.”

  “It’s supposed to be a secret sorority,” I remind him.

  “Nothing is that secret. We’re talking about college students. I’m sure there are photos online somewhere.”

  “Okay. Let’s do a search and see what we can come up with.”

  Julio practically runs toward my dorm and once again I struggle to keep pace. It doesn’t take long for us to get back to my room.

  When I log into my laptop I notice I have fifteen private messages waiting for me. My stomach sinks because I have a
feeling I know who they’re from. Alexander is probably wondering why I left his house so quickly. I don’t have the energy to deal with my past right now. Not when I’ve got a bigger problem in my present: a missing roommate and her overanxious boyfriend.

  I pull up Google and do a search for Zeta Eta Pi. Nothing comes up.

  “Maybe search for secret sorority and the university and see if you find anything.”

  I do as Julio suggests but still nothing.

  I heave a sigh. “Looks like a dead end.”

  Julio glances at my computer screen and then back at me. “You’ve got a bunch of Private Messages. Could they be from Claire?”

  I shake my head. “She’s never messaged me.”

  “Are you seeing someone?”

  “That’s kind of a personal question.” And one I’m not sure how to answer. I’m not seeing anyone, but whether I would like to is another question entirely. Not that Alexander will want anything to do with me once he finds out about my brother.

  But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m incredibly attracted to him. Maybe even more than that. I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And I’m a little unhealthily obsessed with him.

  “I’m sorry,” Julio replies quickly. “I just worry about Hector. He’s like a brother to me. And I know he likes you.”

  I’m not sure how to respond.

  “You don’t like him, do you?” Julio asks.

  “It’s not that I don’t like him,” I explain, but even to me it’s not convincing. “He’s a nice guy.”

  “That’s the kiss of death.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He takes the seat next to me. “No guy wants a girl to call him nice. It’s just a way for girls to say they’re not ever going to…um…take things to the next level.”

  “I like him more as a friend,” I admit.

  “I know I should probably mind my own business, but he really likes you. When he falls for a girl he falls hard and fast. I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

  “I don’t want to hurt him.”

  When a buzz comes from Julio’s pocket I hold my breath while he removes his cell phone. For a brief moment I’m hopeful it’s Claire until he says, “Speak of the Devil.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Hector?”

  He holds up his phone. “I’d better text him back.”

  I watch as Julio types furiously on his phone. Then he says, “He’s on his way over.”

  That catches me off guard. “What? Why?”

  “He doesn’t seem to like the fact that I’m in your dorm room with you. Alone”

  “But we’re just trying to find Claire.”

  “I know that and you know that. We need to tell him that. I didn’t text him about Claire being missing. That didn’t seem like something I could just type. Maybe he can help us find her. I’m mainly just a programmer. He’s into computer security stuff. He can find almost anything online.”

  “You’re not the one he has a crush on,” I complain.

  Julio gives me a tiny half smile. “I think the word crush completely underestimates his feelings for you.”

  My stomach knots. “Really?”

  “Seriously. He’s got it bad.”

  I’m surprised when there’s a pounding on the door. “That can’t be Hector already, could it?”

  “Probably.”

  “I didn’t even think Olympic sprinters could run that fast.”

  Sure enough when I open the door Hector is waiting outside panting and holding a flower.

  “For you,” he says as he hands me the daisy.

  “Thanks. It’s lovely.”

  He smiles. “Just like you.”

  We stare at each other for a few seconds before he adds, “Is my roommate here?”

  I step away from the door so he can enter.

  The guys give each other the quick half-handshake-half-hug thing that guys do. And then Julio tells Hector the whole story about Claire’s disappearance and what Wendi’s roommate told us.

  “I’m really sorry, bro.” Hector gives Julio a pat on the shoulder. “We’ve got to find her.”

  Julio’s jaw tightens. “If those assholes…”

  “Don’t even think it,” Hector says. “We’ll find her.”

  “We did a quick internet search but we didn’t turn anything up about the secret sorority.”

  Hector turns to me and his gaze sweeps over me. I didn’t notice it before maybe because I didn’t really want to, but since Julio mentioned it, Hector does seem extremely eager to be more than just friends. I can see it in his eyes. Pure desire. And my chest tightens in response.

  “Do you mind if I drive for a while?” he asks with a small smile.

  I frown because I’m not sure what he means until he points to my laptop.

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  “I’m going to run a few more searches for the underground sorority and for Claire in the deep web.” He starts typing faster than I’ve ever seen anyone type before. “Do you know her friend’s name by any chance?”

  “Just her first name,” I reply.

  “Wendi,” Julio adds.

  After a few more seconds of crazy fast typing Hector says, “This is all I could come up with. A few photos were posted on Facebook by a guy named Colby. He has the photos tagged as Girls of Zeta Eta Pi. None of them look like Claire though. But this guy Colby is wearing a shirt with some kind of letter on it. I’ll see if I can make the photo of him bigger so we can see what his shirt says.”

  A few more quick strikes on the keyboard and Hector’s got a blown-up photo of the lettering on Colby’s shirt: Delta Omega Gamma.

  “Does anyone else notice what the acronym spells?”

  When Hector and Julio bark like dogs in perfect unison I realize two things. They’ve definitely been living together a long time and they’re both smartasses.

  As Hector turns to Julio his expression turns serious. The Zeta Eta Pi’s had a party with the Delta Omega Gamma’s last night. Those guys have a really bad reputation.”

  “We need to find out more.” Julio no longer looks worried; he looks petrified. “What about that guy you told me about who was in your online IT Security class? The one you thought might be some kind of hacker.”

  Hector shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. That guy scared the shit out of me. Like he knows too much. Stuff that could get you in serious trouble if you’re not careful.”

  “Claire may be in serious trouble.” Julio’s usually calm voice is now raised. “Those assholes have rape rooms. And from what Wendi managed to tell us it sounds like they drugged her.”

  Hector doesn’t look confident. “I don’t even know if I’ll be able to find him. All I’ve got is his name and his school email address. And that class was like a year ago. I haven’t had a class with him since then.”

  “Will you please try?” Julio’s plea sounds desperate.

  “Sure. Of course. I can try.”

  As Hector is typing Julio says, “Maybe we can also do a search for the guy. See if we can find him on campus. What’s his name?”

  “Alexander Grant.”

  I freeze. Masked Alexander told me he’s a computer science major and that he takes online classes. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit to find out he’s a hacker. It would explain how he can live and never leave the house.

  “The email is sent. Who knows how often he checks his school email though. It could be days.”

  “We don’t have days to wait,” Julio says. “Did you find anything about him online?”

  “He doesn’t engage in social media or if he does he doesn’t use his real name. There are two hits though. One is an obituary he’s mentioned in and some news articles.”

  “What do the news articles say?” Julio asks.

  When Hector pulls one of the articles up I can feel my knees go weak. I grab the chair from Claire’s desk and quickly sit down before I pass out.

  A huge photo of my brother fills most of the computer
screen with a gigantic headline about the Back to School Bomber.

  “Do you remember this?” Hector asks. “The high school kid who blew up his school a few years ago.”

  “Alexander didn’t bomb the school, did he?” If Julio’s voice gets any higher he’ll be attracting the neighborhood dogs.

  Hector shakes his head. “That guy was some kind of Muslim terrorist. No, he’s listed as one of the victims of the bombing.”

  “He survived?”

  There were eighty-four survivors. Hector vocalizes my thought as soon as I have it. “And sixty-six people died.” It was the deadliest school massacre in US history. They killed more kids than Columbine and Sandy Hook combined.

  My stomach is churning so hard I feel like I’m going to throw up.

  “That’s really deep,” Julio says. “What about the obituary?”

  Hector pulls that up on the screen. “She was a professor at the university. She died two years ago. Alexander was her nephew.”

  “Do you think he may have lived with her?” Julio suggests.

  “We can look up her last known address. Maybe Alexander lives in her house.”

  “No,” I practically shout before I can stop myself.

  Both guys turn to look at me and they both look puzzled. I can certainly understand why. I should be in favor of doing whatever it takes to find Claire. So how am I going to explain why I shouted no?

  “Do you think it’s a good idea to just knock on random people’s doors?” I ask as if I just didn’t do the same thing myself.

  “We need to find Claire.” Julio’s eyes are wet and I can see that he’s blinking back tears.

  “Maybe you guys should go and I should stay here and wait for her.”

  Hector starts shaking his head before I even finish my sentence. “Since we don’t know exactly what happened to Claire yet we don’t know if it’s safe for you to stay here by yourself. I’m not leaving you alone.”