“Do you think your father already discovered she quit?”
Cole’s eyes snapped to mine, fear darkening them.
“No, she’s too smart to have told him already. And the team wants her back.”
“Unless Coach…?” I ventured.
“No,” Cole said firmly. “Coach has been holding the line against my father’s corruption since the day he was hired. He hates my father. That’s why he’s so pissed at Eva.”
“That, and whatever he said about Eva’s dad.”
“Coach’s career ended when some asshole took out his knee in a dark alley sixteen years ago. Sounds like he thinks that was Eva’s dad.”
I scrubbed my face. “Don’t you have some sort of billionaire investigation type people you can call to find out where she is?”
Cole laughed, and the sound was bright and unexpected. “I’d call the Irish mob before I called any of my father’s contacts.”
I glared at him, and his smile slowly faded like the sun hiding behind clouds.
“She’s a lying bitch. You know that, right?”
“For good reason,” I murmured. “I’d have lied too. And so would you. Youdid,” I reminded him. “How long were you fucking her before you invited me to blackmail her too?”
Cole clenched his jaw. “She betrayed me to myfather.”
You betrayed her too.I didn’t need to say it out loud. Cole already knew.
“Okay,” I said softly. “I’m gonna start calling hospitals.”
He went completely still. “You think?—?”
“It’s that, or your father got to her.”
“No,” he shook his head. “He’d be gloating to me if he had.”
Relief poured through me so quickly, I slumped in myseat. To my surprise, Cole took my hand and rubbed it gently with his thumb. “Eva’s smart, and she’s really fucking capable. I’m sure she’s fine, and that she’s cursing our names right now.”
I twined my fingers in his, grateful that whatever might be happening with Eva, our friendship wasn’t over.
“Can you call your friend in the Irish mob?” I asked.
Cole squeezed my fingers then dug out his phone with his other hand.
“Declan? You’re on speaker.”
“Cole! It’s been too long.”
“I’m calling on business.”
“Let’s do business, then. You should come down to the club on Friday.”
I frowned, not understanding.
Later, Cole mouthed at me.
“I need your help finding someone—a student. She disappeared from Syracuse yesterday morning and seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth.”
“Send me her information,” Declan said. “I’ll see what I can do.”
