“Emmy, please?” He looked a little desperate now. Lawrence rarely expressed desperation. A part of me was intrigued. “I have a flight to catch in the morning. Besides, you’re right in that I should get out of here soon. It’s not good for me to hang around on campus. You know what they say about old haunts.”
“No, I don’t. But I know what they say about entertaining the devil.”
“You flatter me,” he teased with a crooked grin.
“I’ll give them your number, okay?”
He shook his head. “No. I want to be sure I can contact them. They won’t do it in return.”
“They will,” I insisted. “If they remember anything that happened with you last year then the mention of your name will scratch in the back of their minds until they have to.”
Lawrence bit on his bottom lip for a quick moment, pleased by the analogy. “Is that what’s been happening to you?”
I laughed. “No. Not even close. I got you out of my system a long time ago.”
Lawrence hummed, sounding impressed. He took stock of our surroundings before stepping closer. I could see the green and blue in his eyes. The star-shaped birthmark on his cheek was half-covered by his beard.
“Look,” he whispered. “Axe is dead. And I love a good mystery, don’t you?”
My stomach twisted. “What?”
“The report isn’t out yet but things look a little weird. He just got a job at another school. His family moved to a new city. They were starting anew.”
My mind raced with possibilities. “And you think…”
“I don’t think until I have all the pieces, but if one of the guys who were in my job last year know anything, I want to know. Because I do a lot for a check, but I don’t kill people.”
My headache was suddenly worse. “I won’t give you their number because I don’t have it.”
The lie sounded smooth to my ears. I kept my eyes wide with as much innocence as possible. Here’s the one thing wrong with Lawrence, he always trusted me. He never trusted anyone, but it was different with me. I’m not sure why but I used it to my advantage now.
“I’ll make sure they contact you, though,” I said.
He studied my face for a moment, looking for my tells. I stayed frozen, letting him take me in for as long as he wanted. He was still close enough for me to feel. After all these years, he still smelled the same. Like something on fire.
“You promise?” he asked, gaze trained on my lips now.
“I will.” I moved back because the space between us felt all kinds of weird. Lawrence wasn’t the worst guy on the planet. Still, I’d rather live a million lifetimes alone than spend one with him.
“I’m counting on you,” was his good-bye.
He brushed past me, knocking his shoulder against mine as he went. I didn’t turn to watch him go. I stood in the same spot for a few minutes, contemplating the possibility of Dakota knowing something about this. On more than one occasion, I found him and David acting odd. Perhaps I finally got a clue to understanding why.
Chapter 31
Indoorpracticesbecamemorecommon for the team the further into the season they got. Westbrooke had an impressive indoor field with AstroTurf. The AC and the easy access to water and showers made the building the preferred spot for athletes. I preferred watching them from the indoor stands too. Especially when I was nursing conspiracy theories. A racing mind worked best in a temperature-controlled environment.
“Hey, Emmy?” Kyle called.
I blinked and shifted my attention away from the offensive team huddling up. Kyle motioned me over. I pushed off the bench and joined his side.
Silas was laying on the ground with an ice pack on his knee and arm over his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I frowned and kneeled beside him.
“Torn ACL, probably. The guy won’t rest long enough,” Kevin informed as he passed by with a ball in his hand.
“Fuck off, man. It’s a sprain,” Silas promised in an annoyed tone as he kept his arm over his face.
