Page 53 of Framed

“Xavier, please calm down. Where is Scarlett, is she safe?”

“She’s fine.” I gritted my teeth and ran a hand over my face. “I’m following her back to campus now.” That part, at least, was true. I tailed Winter’s lights back onto the highway.

“That’s all you need to worry about right now.”

“Like hell it is,” I snapped. My father and Veronica. Veronica and my father. A horrible sinking sensation started in the pit of my stomach. Did Naomi know what her mother was doing? Had she confronted her mother before she died?

Worse, did Naomi tell my father? What did he know, exactly, before my sister was murdered in cold blood?

I knew my father was a horrible person, but surely he wouldn’t stoop so low as to hurt his own daughter. Right?

I gritted my teeth. I had enough bruises to know that wasn’t true.

I stole a glance at my cell phone, now plugged into the car charger. For my entire life, my father had controlled me. He’d decided what sport I played, where I went to school, how I addressed the press. He’d forced me to dump friends and change classes and any number of other humiliations.

But this time, I had the power. With that video in my hands, my father was never going to control me again.

chapter twenty two

Scarlett

Overthespanofthe next few days, I couldn’t think of anything but what I saw in that office. Over and over again, I replayed Xavier's father’s image in my head, even though it made me nauseous.

I didn’t understand. Why did the blackmailer want me to see that? What were they trying to tell me?

I was distracted. So distracted that I didn’t notice the herd of people on the quad outside our dorms until the last second. I stumbled forward, tripping over my own feet to try and stop myself, but I failed. Miserably.

With no better option but to fall, I closed my eyes and braced for impact.

God this was going to hurt.

But the pain never came.

Instead, I felt a strong arm bandaged around my waist. It halted me in my tracks, stopping what could have been a disastrous game of human dominoes.

“Woah,” a deep voice commented and my spine stiffened as I recognized the owner. “Are you okay?”

“Kane.” I breathed out, my throat growing hot as embarrassment burned inside of me. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Seems that way.” He steadied me back on my feet before his blue eyes scanned my face, searching for something.What? I had no clue. Finally, he asked, “Have you been avoiding me, Zoro?”

I resisted the urge to slap my palm against my forehead. Why did he have to be so charming? “No, of course not. I’ve just been busy with work and school,” I said, all too quickly.

It was technically the truth. I had been busy juggling work, school, and internship applications. But there had still been ample opportunities to speak to Kane. I’d often walked in the opposite direction whenever I spotted him crossing the grounds.

I didn’t know why. Self-protective instincts, probably. From what I could tell, Kane was a good guy. Sweet-natured and genuine. He also was the only other person on this campus who dressed normally, instead of like they were auditioning for a runway.

“I saw you practically run in the other direction when you saw me the other day,” he teased with a smile. It was the same breathtaking smile I saw the day I first met him, dimpled and swoon-worthy.

It was hard to maintain eye contact.

He was painfully hot. In a boy-next-door kind of way, not my usual brooding type, but still. He was tall, at least a head or two taller than me, with broad shoulders. His blonde hair was cut into a short buzz that accentuated his sharp jawline. Paired with those piercing blue eyes, he could give any womanorman a run for their money.

“Okay,” I conceded, sheepishly. “Maybe I have been avoiding you just a little bit.” I pinched my fingers together to demonstrate.

His smile fell slightly before he tacked it back in place. “Why? I thought we were getting along pretty well. I think you’re really cool, Zoro.”

I groaned. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

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