“Nearly there,” he calls.
I nod against his back, still feeling terrible. This is my friend’s dad. What the hell is wrong with me? She would never forgive me if she knew. No, there’s no way she’ll ever find out. No one will ever find out. This is a dirty little secret I plan to take to the grave.
Finally, the gated security of Verona Falls University comes into view. The guards notice the bike coming, and their body language changes. Jack obviously didn’t alert anyone to our arrival, but they’ll recognize me. Hell, they might even recognize Jack by now, since he’s been here a number of times as well.
We stop at the gates, and the bike idles.
The guards approach, demonstrating that they’re armed, and I remove my half helmet, and shake out my hair.
Jack speaks first. “This is Camile Montez. She’s a student here, and I’m returning her.”
I frown at the turn of phrase. Returning me, like I’m a pair of shoes he decided didn’t fit.
“Have you got your student ID?” one of the guards asks me.
I raise an eyebrow. “Seriously? You don’t recognize me?”
God, I really do vanish into the background. I’ve only been a student here for almost three years. It takes all my self-control not to roll my eyes. Instead, I climb off the bike and rummage through my purse to find my ID. As I do so, my cell phone buzzes with an incoming message.
Frowning, I fish it out of my purse. My stomach flips. There are several missed calls, and the number belongs to my brother, Leonardo. These days, he never calls me just to chat, so it must be something serious. I hadn’t heard the phone over the bike.
I swipe the message to open it, and my heart sinks further.
I put my hand to my mouth and try to stifle the inhuman sound that bursts out of me. My legs buckle, and I stagger backward as I try to take it all in.Dios me ayude.God help me.
What the hell has happened to my home?
16
JACK
The sound Camilemakes is one I won’t forget in a long time and one I’ve heard before. It’s the sound of a human being getting terrible news.
She stumbles like a newborn foal, her legs unable to hold her up as the onslaught of the shock hits her. Whatever that message said, it was really bad.
I’m off the bike immediately, grabbing her as she sways, helping her gently toward the ground. There’s a raised curb area, and I sit her there, hunkering down in front of her. She’s shaking all over, her eyes glassy and unfocused.
I tip her face up, and she’s worryingly pale. Fuck, I don’t even have any water on me. I stare up at the guards.
“Don’t just stand there,” I bark. “One of you fetch the lady some water. Now!”
One of the guards springs into action and runs off.
“Camile,” I say gently. “Can I look at your phone?”
She hands it to me as if on autopilot, her armkind of limp as if she’s hurt.
I take the phone and read the message, twice.Holy fuck.
My heart hammers at double speed in my chest. Camile has just learned that her father is dead. No wonder she’s in such a state. Her home is under attack, and her mother and brother aren’t secure and are fleeing for their safe house.
As the guard comes back, I glance up at the college building and a rush of genuine fear skitters down my spine, unfamiliar and unwelcome. I don’t know if I can trust these men. I don’t know if the college administration can keep Camile safe now because her entire world has just been turned entirely upside down.
Ghost’s words come back to me. When we had talked about Camile, he’d hinted, hadn’t he, that he didn’t think Ledger had shot her purely because she wouldn’t put out for him.
My mind worries over it all as I consider everything, all the possibilities flashing through it like a computer running a program.
