The PI doesn’t react to my rage, keeping his tone professional. “Does the name Jeremy Holstead mean anything to you?”
I told Mina that nothing she could do would make me leave her. I am many things, but I’m not a liar. Someone broke into her house. Whatever happened after that led to her pushing me away. I’m going to find out who’s to blame.
“Should it?” I respond, gassing it down the road. If I hit Jack on my way out, then I hit him.
“The police took him into custody this afternoon and have charged him for the home invasions,” the PI explains.
My grip tightens around the steering wheel. “Is he the one who broke into Mina’s home?”
“They haven’t found any evidence yet, but he’s their prime suspect.”
So it still could’ve been Jack? “Let me know once they’ve charged him.”
“Mr. Duval, there’s something you should know.” I purse my lips, wishing he’d speak faster. “My informant on the force said the police have found information to suggest Holstead’s been blackmailing his victims.”
“In exchange for what?” My blood runs cold. Is that what pushed Mina?
“It’s unconfirmed at the moment, but it seems he’ll go for anything. Money, graphic images, general games—whatever it is that makes him feel powerful.”
Nausea churns in my stomach. “Do you have anything on Norton?” I’m not ready to discount him.
“Still nothing.”
I adjust my grip on the wheel. “Keep looking into him. He’s not innocent.”
“We’ll continue digging.”
If Jack’s track record proves anything, it’s that he’ll be back.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Mina
The air stirs in the dead of night with the prickling of awareness that I’m not alone.
It can’t be Mom or Dad creeping down the hall when I can hear them both snoring. They’ve barely spoken to me since I begged them to let me move back in a week ago, promising that I’ve cut all ties with Leo and that they were right about everything.
The quiet shifts, and a scent drifts over me that causes a familiar ache to rise in my chest. I could pick out his smell anywhere. The in-between state of consciousness doesn’t make it hurt any less. He’s featured in every single one of my dreams in the rare moments that sleep manages to find me.
“Mina.”
I jerk awake, and my eyes snap open, blinking against the darkness. The sudden flash of light pierces my brain all the way to the back of my skull. A large figure hovers near the end of thebed, and I scramble for my glasses, shoving them on and moving to the opposite end of the bed.
It takes several blinks to get my vision to focus, and when it does, my breath leaves me in a rush.
Leo.
Then the panic sets in. He shouldn’t be here. Mom will kick me out if she discovers he was here—and my blackmailer will ruin both of our lives.
Memories of Leo have been haunting me ever since I tore both of our hearts out. I’ve been punishing myself by watching his games and keeping a close eye on his social media. And the guilt tastes like acid seeing him stand in front of me with bags under his eyes and his disheveled hair standing at odd angles.
It’s my fault he looks like that. He’s been in a fight almost every game this week because of what I did—up until his team lost the season.
It doesn’t change the fact that he’s risking both of our lives by being here.
“What is this?”
I flinch when he throws a pile of paperwork at my feet. I don’t need to look at it to know it’s the university applications I’ve completed—none of which are in this state.
