My phone buzzed in my pocket. I expected another message from a stranger, but when I checked the screen, my heart nearly stopped.
It was from the one person I thought I could trust.
Xander.
Meet me at the old boathouse. Alone. Don't tell Victor. If you do, your scholarship is gone before sunrise.
I stared at the message, reading it several times.
Why would Xander threaten me like this? After everything we had been through, after standing by me and helping us, why was he suddenly acting like my enemy?
My heart sank as I thought about my scholarship. I had worked so hard for it. It was my chance to build a better future for myself, and I couldn't afford to lose it.
But something about the message felt wrong.
Still, I knew Xander well enough to take the threat seriously. If he was inv
