Page 33 of Defiant Beta

I’m yanking him back, not even close to being done with this conversation yet when an alarm rings out, sharp and loud.

Thomas rips his arm free and takes off, sprinting into the trees and disappearing from view.

I start to go after him when I spot the security guard racing down the gravel path to the front gate in a golf cart.

I’m not the only one drawn by the noise.

As I make my way toward the gravel path, aiming up toward the academic building, I spy the small huddle of teachers near the faculty offices. They’re in sweats and PJs, clearly starting to settle down for the evening.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I join them.

“Not sure. One of the teachers is inside trying to calm her down,” Miss. Adkins, the drama teacher says, glancing at me.

I jerk my head toward her. “Calm who down?”

She shrugs. “Not sure.”

As casually as I can, I walk over to Xavier, lowering my voice. “We need to watch the janitor. The young one.”

Xavier’s thick, dark beard hides most of the lower half of his face so he doesn’t have to worry about anyone seeing his mouth move. “He’s too young.”

“Yeah, well, I just caught him hanging around outside the girls' dorms, there to fix something with no tools. He’s too young, but he’s old enough to have a father or an uncle.” I raise my voice for this part. “What’s all this about?”

Xavier shrugs. “No clue.”

“I saw Professor Vincent go inside to help,” another teacher says, rubbing her arms against the slight chill in the evening air.

Good. He can fill us in later.

Delilah Farrow left the school grounds. I watched her tumble over that iron gate myself, and she was the only one out there.

So why does it feel like whatever this is about has everything to do with her?

Chapter 11

Vincent

“It doesn’t hurt,”a girl is complaining as I slip into the nurse's room.

The medium room has a padded chair, a black leather bench, and posters promoting healthy eating and exercise on the white walls.

Ms. Arkwright, the head of the school, turns to me with a frown.

“I’m here to help in any way I can,” I say firmly before she can remind me that I have no business being here.

Ask forgiveness, not permission.

The omega with brown eyes gazes at me intently. Her hands are bandaged, with blood speckling her palms. “Can you check if the other girl escaped? They had a taser.”

“Ataser?” The nurse lifts a shaking hand to cover her mouth.

“Perhaps this might be better for the police to?—”

I talk over Ms. Arkwright. “What happened outside those gates? Tell me everything.”

Ms. Arkwright bristles. “Professor Vincent, you are not?—”

“A girl is bleeding.” I unmercifully cut her off. “And by her admission, another was left behind in some altercation outside the gates. Are all students accounted for?”

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