Chapter 38
Trent
My phone ringsas I’m walking back to my dorm after a study session. It’s the local police number, so I answer it. I’ve already talked to the detective today, but I’m not surprised that they might have thought of a follow up question.
Answering it, I veer toward a bench. “This is Trent.”
“Trent, it's Detective Schalk. I have an update for you, because you need to keep your eyes up and be vigilant. The man who shot Luis has a sick child in the custody of his ex-wife. That child’s hospital bills have been paid off by an anonymous donor. We’re working on getting a court order for the records, but right now we’re theorizing that he was paid to shoot you.”
That’s not at all what I expected to hear. I plop onto the bench and look out over the promenade. “I see. So should I be looking for something specific?”
“Just make a note of people that you see in places that they shouldn’t be or strangers that you see in the places you frequent.”
“Detective, I live and work on a university campus. It’s not even that big of a university. I know the faces of strangers because I pass them by every day. We work in the librarytogether or eat in the same cafeteria. I don’t think I would recognize a stranger out of place even if I am looking for it.”
“Trust your gut, Trent. That’s what I’m advising Magnus to do, too. Trust your gut, because it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
I sigh and let out a slow breath. “I’ll do my best.”
“That’s good enough.”
I thank the detective and hang up, immediately pulling up the text thread to Magnus. I got a message from him earlier that he’d received another phone from the stalker they think lives on campus, and when the police opened the box up and turned on the phone, a series of laughing emojis came through as text messages. It was just a prank to waste everyone’s time.
Considering how much a semester at this university costs, it’s the most expensive prank I’ve ever heard of. The police don’t know who sent the phone, and the guy who delivered it said he got it in his PO Box with a list of instructions. That list was burned, as per the instructions. He got his payment, though. I don’t know if the police are going to seize the funds because they’re evidence in an on-going investigation or if the guy’s going to get to keep it.
Magnus would probably want him to keep the funds. Afterall, he did a job and he earned the money according to the contract of the job.
“Sup,” a guy says as he sits next to me. He’s one of the non-traditional students. He pulls up his phone and taps a few things on it as he holds up a vape. “You mind?” he asks.
“Go for it.” I don’t care. People can do what they want, and that shit isn’t second-hand smoke, so it’s fine as far as I’m concerned. Maybe in a few years we’ll find out that it’s bad like smoke, but I doubt it. There’s not enough research into it yet, but there will be eventually.
He sits there and vapes for a few minutes while I decide if I want to go back to the dorm or wait for Magnus. He’s probablyonly got another twenty minutes before he’ll be done with his lecture, and we can walk back to the dorm together.
While I’m deciding, the guy next to me leans over, showing me his phone. “You’re that guy, right?”
It’s a screenshot from one of our videos, and it’s both of us.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I confirm.
“Big fan of Magnus,” he tells me, weirdly serious.
I move away, pushing to stand, but he hits me with the base of his vape in the chest, and a sting like I’ve just been stabbed with a needle makes me flinch backward. He follows my movement until my back hits the bench, and I grab his arm to remove it. The dude is stronger than he looks, and he leans in with a chilling expression of fury. “I told you not to touch him.”
I swallow as my body slowly stops responding to my struggle against his attack. Stars dance in my vision, and then confusion sets in. Something’s wrong with me. I hope it’s not….
***
My ears are ringing, and that’s the strangest thing to ever wake me up. I’ve lived with Magnus for nearly two years, and the ringing in my ears is weirder than him shaking me awake in the middle of finals week to ask me about platypuses.
My arms hurt, and I try to move them into a more comfortable position, but…
Oh fuck.
I force my heavy eyes to open as my body comes awake, screaming in pain. I lift my head, looking up at where my hands are tied above me. My feet barely touch the floor, but I force them to take the weight of my body off my shoulders. Everything screams in pain. I’m freezing—naked, I discover, and as I blinkand my eyes start to regain focus, I notice another figure hanging opposite me.
For a second I think it’s Magnus, and panic dumps adrenalin into my system, waking me up faster. Then I realize that the guy hanging opposite me is bigger than my boyfriend by a bit, and the bandage on his side makes me think I’m looking at Luis.
What the fuck?
