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CHAPTER 30

Once they’d squeezed every last drop of information out of us, Ivy, Adam, and Bodie retreated downstairs to Ivy’s office By that tiht There was never any question that Vivvie was spending the night--Ivy had set her up on the sofa Vivvie crawled under the blanket and just lay there

So, I went to bed I couldn’t sleep, knowing that downstairs, Ivy wasI didn’t even knohat she was doing Had Adaon? Was Ivy on the phone with the president right now?

"Tess?"

I sat up in bed It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but once they did, I could make out the outline of Vivvie’s body in the doorway

"You okay?" I asked What a stupid question Of course she wasn’t okay

"Can I" Vivvie trailed off She had a blanket draped over her shoulders

"Can you what?"

Vivvie hovered in the doorway, like there was so her out "I justI don’t want to be alone" Her voice was barely more than a whisper

I propped myself up onenough for both of us "It’s okay," I said when she didn’t move "There’s plenty of roo on top of the covers, still wrapped in her own blanket

She wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to be alone

Vivvie’s eye was black the next o to school, and there was no way I was leaving her alone with Ivy My sister fixed proble that if I left Vivvie here, Ischool, maybe Someplace safe Someplace out of the way

I lent Vivvie a set of clothes When she went to shower, I went in search of Ivy Downstairs, my sister had a cup of coffee in her hand and a phone pressed to her ear I seriously doubted she’d slept the night before "You owethe person on the other end of the phone line "We won’t go into the how and the why Suffice it to say, you will get me what I need" A sharp smile cut across her features

It wasn’t a friendly smile

"I knee’d see eye to eye," she said "Tell Caroline hello forup She turned, sawmy expression, the dark circles under my eyes "How did you sleep?"

"Better than you"

Ivy put her phone in her back pocket and herded me into the kitchen, where she poured herself another cup of coffee, then poured ave me a look "And I would have preferred it if you’d coht before, she hadn’t yelled at ed ive me that, Tess" Ivy set her coffee down on the counter, a little harder than necessary "The second Vivvie told you what she’d overheard, you should have co that Vivvie had confided inthat if I told Ivy--if I told anyone--Vivvie ure out as going on" I stared at the rilass "I keep my promises"