Five minutes later, we pulled up outside of the dean’s office. My stomach instantly filled with dread.
The officer turned to face me, an apologetic expression on his face. “Miss Hart, if you’d come with me, the dean would like to see you,” he said and opened the car door.
Knowing I had no other choice, I entered the dean’s building and followed the officer straight into the office. He was waiting for me behind his desk and greeted me with a smile. I immediately felt uneasy.
“Miss Hart, please take a seat.” Casting a wary look around the opulently decorated room, I nervously sat down before him.
How does he know my name?
The dean reached for a pitcher of water on his desk and poured himself a glass. He looked to me and raised his brow, asking if I wanted one too. I shook my head no.
“So, Lexington, I understand you were at the south side of the quad just now? My officer informed me he found you distressed.”
My heart began slamming in my chest and a bead of sweat ran down the nape of my neck. “Yes, sir, I was in the quad.”
“And… did you see anything suspicious going on?”
His blue eyes bored into mine, and I paused, not knowing what to do. Do I tell him the truth? Or do I protect myself from Austin and his brother?
Austin’s warning rang clear in my head. If you even speak a word of this to anyone, and I mean anyone, you won’t like the ton of f**kin’ bad shit that comes your way.
Before I knew it, I was shaking my head again.
The dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You didn’t see any men in the quad? Men who didn’t belong at this school?” He leaned forward. “Men who were dealing drugs, perhaps? Wasn’t that why you ran?”
“No, sir,” I answered in a small voice, a slight tremor indicating my untruth. “I just don’t like being alone in the dark. I was in a hurry to get home.”
“And where had you been so late at night?”
I lowered my eyes in embarrassment. “The hospital… I have to attend counseling for a disorder I had years ago. It’s part of my recovery.”
The dean blinked as he thought over what I said, and leaned forward so only I could hear him. “If you are scared of what you witnessed, we can ensure your safety. We can’t tolerate this kind of problem on our campus. We just need proof of who’s responsible. Anyone at this school, for example?”
Staring at him with wide eyes, I said. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t see anything or anyone. I can’t help you.”
I didn’t know right then why I didn’t confess to what I saw, to Austin Carillo being tied to it all, to his very clear threat against my safety. But I just wanted to go home. Just wanted to put tonight behind me. My counseling sessions always made me feel like I’d been dragged through the dirt and I was tired.
“Okay, Miss Hart. If you remember anything at all, just let me know,” the dean said dejectedly.
Nodding my head, I stood, and the officer led me from the room and out of the building into the humid summer night air.
“Come on, miss, I’ll take you home,” the officer offered.
“I’d prefer to walk if you don’t mind,” I answered, and the officer shrugged, climbed in his car, and drove off.
Wrapping my arms around my chest, I quickly made my way toward my sorority house. I was halfway down the dimly lit pathway when someone stepped from the shadow of the trees out in front of me.
Muffling my mouth from a shocked scream, I stopped dead. The person stepped forward and his face came into view… Austin Carillo.
He was staring at me—all heavy tattoos and piercings—with anger in his gaze, and I backed up in panic. “You have a death wish or something?” he asked coldly. “I wasn’t joking when I said people would come after you if you squealed. And I find you went to the dean? Are you f**kin’ kidding me right now?”
“No! I-I understood the w-warning just fine. I d-didn’t say anything to him. I swear!” I rushed out, my voice shaking in fear. Austin’s expression remained hard and unfeeling.
Turning to face an alternate path home, my feet began hitting asphalt. Praying Carillo didn’t follow me, I set to a sprint all the way to my sorority house, running straight up to my room and slamming my door shut.
Chapter Six
Austin
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!
What the f**k was I doing, jumping out on her like a stalker after seeing her leave the dean’s office? I saw her face; she was terrified.
SHIT!
What must she think of me?
I rolled onto the country road leading to the trailer park, the gravel crunching beneath Rome’s truck tires. He’d let me use his truck to pay an impromptu visit home.
Four miles until I reached the end of the road.
Four miles until I reached my childhood home.
And four miles until I saw just how far my mamma was really gone.
As I passed the ancient and rusted trailer park sign—Westside Heights—swinging back and forth from where it had become unhinged on one side, I shook my head.
Fuckin’ paradise.
Two miles in and it wasn’t long before I began seeing the familiar faces of the crew milling about the place. And they all looked up, of course. You only came down here on this path for two reasons: A, you lived here, or B, you wanted to score a fix. These guys knew I was the former.
Flicks of the chin greeted me as I crawled my truck to trailer twenty-three. Slamming the truck in park and sprinting up the stairs, I rapped twice on the metal door and let myself inside.
“Mamma?” I called, taking in the mess of the place: dirty dishes, stale food, empty syringes, and… what was the hell was that smell?
Levi’d always had this place fixed up real nice—clean, sanitary at least—but looking around, it was clear he was spending most of his time with the crew, neglecting his chores. The place was a shithole. My jaw clenched in annoyance.
“Mamma?” I called again and heard a small sound come from her bedroom. My legs were shaking as I approached her old decrepit door. Every time I came by, she always looked worse.
The sound of smashing glass made me panic, and I pushed through the door, only to see my mamma leaning down, her torso hanging from the bed, a shattered drinking glass on the floor where it must have slipped from her hand. She was moaning in pain, and it was clear she couldn’t lift herself back up.