Page 39 of Betrayed

I hugged my pillow as snapshots from the dream filled my mind. A large tattooed hand reaching for me. A bone-chilling laugh from a faceless man. A long, bright white hall with only one exit. The walls stretching with every step I took—making escape impossible.

Chapter 21

AJ

Too worked up to sit behind the wheel, I leaned against the hood of the car after relieving Eric. Jack kept me company via the ear-piece as he drove directly to campus. He had Blake’s schedule, and I’d marked a map with her normal routes; the plan was for him to watch over us from a distance. We’d marked alternate routes; with any luck, Blake would be open to using them.

I hated needing extra coverage, but was grateful for the second set of eyes.

We considered not telling Blake, but Meg had argued, “It might scare her to know what was going on, but at least she’ll be prepared.”

She was right. Knowing would most likely cause Blake to feel more nervous, but at least she'd know what was going on.

Unfortunately for me, it was my job to update her during the ride to campus.This would be so much easier if she wasn’t pissed at me.

Much to my relief, we agreed not to tell her about her father’s questionable practices. There wasn’t enough evidence to justify upsetting her. And selfishly, I didn’t want to give her a reason to be even more angry with me.

“Aurora is leaving the castle,” I whispered into the comms as Blake opened the door.

“Copy that,” Jack’s voice was in one ear while I tuned the other one to listen to Blake’s loving goodbye to her father.

I waved to Mr. Davenport as I met Blake at the bottom of the steps. She opened her mouth to argue when I opened the front passenger door.

I cut her off, asking, “Please?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but got in.

No time like the present. I took a deep, calming breath and ripped off the Band-Aid. “We have to talk,” I said once we were on the road.

I could go the rest of my life without ever again seeing the I’m-so-done-with-you look she sent my way. Her disgust and irritation hung thick between us.

“Jack is going to be shadowing us toda-”

“What? Why?”

“Keep it simple,” Jack said in my ear.

“Right,” I whispered before taking a deep breath.

“Right what?” Confusion mixed with her frustration.

“Sorry, I was talking to Jack.” To help Blake feel more comfortable, I wouldn’t use our call signs unless there was an immediate threat.

Her glare bore a hole in the side of my head, but she didn’t speak, so I continued, “I know this isn’t what you want.” She huffed and crossed her arms. “But we’re concerned our investigation may cause whoever sent the note to act sooner rather than later.”

Not wanting to risk upsetting Blake more, I tapped my mic when I heard Jack say, “Well done.”

Blake didn’t talk to me the rest of the ride. Something about her body language hinted her silence was about something other than having an extra bodyguard.

Jack’s update broke the silence; he had parked.

I expected Blake to bolt from the car as soon as I parked, but she stared out the windshield instead.

She jumped when I reached out and gently touched her shoulder. “Blake, are you okay?” It was a stupid question, but I didn't know what else to ask.

She turned her head, but not her eyes. When they finally caught up and met mine, I could see the depth of her fear. Hell, I could almost feel it.

“This is really real. Someone wants to hurt me.”

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