Page 71 of Forever Defiant
She shook her head. “I don’t know if he knows all of it.”
I believed her. She gave me another smile, rubbing her nose. “I need fresh air,” she said, looking at me apologetically. “Please think about what I said before you take your next step.”
When I didn’t reply, she nodded as if she expected it, and shortly after, she was also gone. I heard her sneezing as she went down the stairs, and couldn’t help but smile. She hadn’t faked it.
I set Milly down and stood in my apartment thinking over everything that had happened.
I knew I should walk away before I did something stupid. Like agree with her. I mean, I did agree with her. Kind of. They were a shady bunch of bastards, and this was a helluva lot more than grade altering and injury cover-ups.
This was acover-up.
And as I said to them, what else were they hiding? It was our duty to find it. Wasn’t it?
Milly meowed.
“Yeah, baby girl,” I murmured, “I think so too.”
I locked the door and then opened my laptop.
I’d been so focused on the institution, the cover-up, the money, the roster, I’d almost done exactly what the program did. I’d made the victim an afterthought.
Savannah Cole had better instincts than I’d given her credit for.
I had a victim to find and a story to tell.
* * *
She was invisible.
Three days later, I was sure she didn’t exist. Four days ago, I would have said Mason Sterling didn’t exist either. But I knew better. A report of sexual assault didn’t come from an invisible man — or woman, in her case. I just couldn’t find her.
I’d checked every resource available to me. Every single one.
Which is why I was skulking outside the athletic department housing. Because when you were desperate for a lead, you took desperate measures. For me, that meant trying to find the number one wide receiver for the Alabama Lions football team.
He’d ignored my messages. I’d even called him. He rejected the call. I knew he did because it hadn’t rung long enough to go to voicemail. So now I was standing at the corner of his dorm, in a hoodie and leggings, with my hood pulled up. I looked ridiculous.
Iwas being ridiculous, and I knew it. But he had a connection that I lacked.
Savannah Cole was a student liaison, which gave her a level of access to the academic register that I didn’t have.
I needed Savannah. If I had to go through Dustin to make that connection, well, everyone made sacrifices in pursuit of a story.
I wasn’t too proud to say that I needed a little help.
Help arrived, but not in the way I expected. Noah Matthews approached the building, glanced at my hiding spot, and rolled his eyes.
“Espionage isn’t your thing,” he said flatly. “Spotted you immediately. You suck at undercover.” He swiped a pass against the door, pulled it open, and held it open. “You coming in?”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. I darted forward and followed him silently as he went up the stairs and led me downa corridor. Common sense finally kicked in when he opened his dorm door.
He glanced at me. “I’m Dust’s roommate,” he told me. “You know that, right?”
I nodded.
“Well, if you want to talk to him, and I know he isn’t answering your calls, you need to come in.”
I looked up at him. He was tall, built, and sexy. He was also strong, and I was alone.
