“Then I waited for my opportunity. I played the friend for months, gaining your trust, hoping you’d fall into my lap on your own. Then when we were cast in the play, everything started coming together. The theatre department always needs more guys for their shows, and I was able to bluff my way into the leading role opposite you. I was going to just offer to help you with whoever you had to end up kissing, but it worked out better that it was me. But then that fuckface professor started getting more involved, wanting to talk to you after. I watched as you let him put his hands on you after rehearsal, as he carried you home after I left you at the library, when you snuck into his office.”
His admission causes a wave of nausea to hit me, knowing that this man spied on intimate moments between John and me.
He moves closer, waving the knife wildly as he gets more and more upset. “So I kept sending letters, trying to find ones that were obviously meant for someone else, hoping you’d think he was cheating on you.”
“And the threats?”
“All me, baby. Nobody touches what’s mine. And make no mistake, you belong tome. And today I’m finally going to claim my reward. Not everyone has a rich mommy and daddy. Some of us have to bust our ass just to make ends meet.”
He stands, kicking the chair away, and it hits the wall before toppling onto the carpeted floor. His tall figure looms over me as he cracks his knuckles.
“Please don’t do this, please!” I beg as my muscles tenseand my trembling hands grip the bench tightly. He runs his palm up the back of my leg, lifting my skirt as he goes. I recoil against my bindings.
“I promise I’ll make this good for you.”
CHAPTER 38
JOHN
“She’s not at the hospital. I went to the one you mentioned, and she wasn’t there. I called all the other major ones in the city, including the ones that would have been closest to campus, and no one has a record of her.” Actually, I had Mary call most of them while I stopped at the ones that were on the way back to campus. I wanted to stay in the city, in case one of Mary’s calls located her. But when it became clear that Jeremy lied, I gunned it back toward Faith Union’s campus.
What the fuck is going on and how did it go this far?
“I’m sure she’ll turn up,” Mackenzie says, a little too much pep in her voice. It’s a stark contrast to the panic that has a chokehold on my heart.
“Have you gotten ahold of Jeremy?”
“He’s not answering his cell.”
“That’s bullshit!” I yell into the phone.
“Professor Ali, are you okay?”
“No, Mackenzie. I’m not okay. I have two missing students, one who may still be unconscious and in need of medical attention.”
“Wait, is this, like, serious? I just thought Emma wasdehydrated or something and passed out, and Jeremy took her back to her room or the doctor or something.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You are the one who told me that he took her to the hospital.”
“Yeah, when I called Jeremy after the show to check on Emma, he said she still wasn’t feeling well, and he was gonna have her checked out at the hospital. I figured she woke up and was throwing up, or she had the flu or something.”
“Mackenzie, listen to me carefully. Something is seriously wrong. Why would he tell you he was taking her to the hospital, and they have no record of her? And why wouldn’t he take her to the closest hospital?”
“Maybe she woke up and told him she was fine, and he just took her home?”
“She’s not in her apartment, nor is she at the campus nurse. I had my buddy Nate from campus security check. Can you call him again? Text him?”
“Do I need to call the police?” she asks in a panic. “I’m sorry, I kinda thought you were just overreacting. You can be kinda intense sometimes.”
“Let’s see if we can get in touch with Jeremy first. Nate is patrolling student apartments and her usual hangouts on campus. He’ll notify me if he sees anything.”
We hang up, and I try Emma’s cell again, but it goes to voicemail, the mailbox full. When I pull into campus, I head toward the theatre. The building is dark. It’s been several hours since the show ended.
I pull out my phone to send a quick text.
Hey Nate, I’m over at the theatre. No sign of her. Find anything?
Nothing at the library. Heading back from student apartments. I’ll check out the buildings near the theatre. Check in with me in fifteen. If we come up empty, I’ll call it in.
