But she's not asking for that, is she?
She's escalating.
"What do you mean 'bigger'?" I ask carefully.
"I mean, whoever did this to him might not be finished." She sets down her pen. "And if they're willing to move him to keep me from asking questions, they might be willing to do worse."
My phone vibrates in my pocket.
Perfect fucking timing.
"I need to take this," I say, pulling it out and seeing Theo's name on the screen.
I step into the hallway, closing her door behind me.
"Yeah?"
"Friday matters." Theo's voice is calm. Controlled. "Don't let this distract you."
Translation: Don't let her distract you.
"The game won’t be a problem," I say quietly, glancing at Adela's closed door.
"Make sure there are no problems, Beck."
The line goes dead.
I stand in the hallway for a moment, phone still pressed to my ear even though he's gone, trying to compartmentalize what I'm supposed to be doing here.
When I walk back in, Adela is watching me.
"Everything okay?" she asks.
"Yeah. Just team stuff."
She doesn't look entirely convinced, but she doesn't push. Instead, she stands and walks over to where I'm standing, sitting down on the bed beside me.
Closer than before.
Close enough that our shoulders almost touch.
"I know this is a lot to ask," she says quietly. "You barely know me. You got hurt trying to protect me. And now I'm dragging you into whatever mess Cody left behind. I’m slowly losing my mind."
She touches my arm — just a light touch, her fingers resting on my forearm for a moment before pulling away.
I can't tell if it's intentional or unconscious. Can't tell if she's testing boundaries or just seeking comfort.
Either way, it destabilizes me.
"You're not dragging me anywhere," I say, and it's not entirely a lie. "I want to help."
That part might actually be true.
She smiles slightly — small and tired but real. "Thank you for being here."
We sit there for a while longer, her showing me her timeline, asking questions about Cody's habits with hockey and the team. I answer carefully, not giving her enough information to go anywhere with it. I steer her away from anything that might lead back to Theo.
Or to me.
