Page 11 of 4th and Goal
“You could never,” she whispers, ducking her head after the words leave her lips.
I tip her chin up with my knuckle and grin down at her. “Good to know, baby girl.” We stand side by side but not touching each other for the rest of the game. Being near Lilly is as easy as breathing. Of course, I’d rather be undressing her and licking every inch of her supple body, but we are both professionals at work and now is not the time. I would never jeopardize her reputation, no matter how my cock ached.
The stadium is nearly empty less than an hour after the game ends, and I’m walking my way around the main corridor checking on everything when my radio clicks.
“Code Yellow. I repeat Code Yellow. We have a 10-65, ALL CALL!”As I run back to the main security office, I go back and forth with the radio operator. Phia Kerr doesn’t have the green apple splatters, after all. She’s missing. Her belongings are still in the trainers’ office, but she is nowhere to be found. Campus security went to her residence, her super unlocked her door, but she was not there. I try to keep everyone calm, but Prib is losing his shit and it’s creating pandemonium. Every available guard, personnel, player; everyone is searching for her.
In the surveillance room, I come upon Eric scowling while Beiler, Geary, and Prib demand he pull up the security footage. I meet his eyes and nod, knowing he’s already doing it. He’s waiting for his facial recognition software to locate her. Prib is pacing, muttering, occasionally cursing to the heavens, and I can’t bring myself to tell him to stop. If Lilly was missing, I’d be ripping the world apart to find her.
She enters the hydration room but never comes back out. “That’s weird.” Eric rewinds the video, then does it again. “The footage is looped. Look at the time stamp.” He points to the bottom of the screen, and it jumps backward.
Prib is out the door and in the elevator before any of us can blink, his friends right behind him. I point to Eric. “Find out who fucked with the security footage.” Then I’m running down the hall and use the stairs to catch up just outside the hydration therapy room. I’ve seen quite a bit in my lifetime, but I’ll admit to being shocked frozen as Prib unlatches the hot tub cover and reveals Phia’s body. She’s alive but in desperate need of medical attention.
I jump into action when Prib yells for 911 and Beiler. I radio up to Eric to figure out what the fuck happened and fast. Then we’re ushering people away from the scene and outside, then corralling the ever-growing crowd of looky-loos. Eventually, the ambulance drives away, sirens blaring, two police cruisers following with one in front. I’m scanning the now dwindling sea of people and my heart lurches when I find Lilly and Jenna huddling together against the building and out of the way, tears flowing from their eyes.
Jenna nods at me as I approach, pushing Lilly toward me when I’m within a few feet. I open my arms, and Lilly falls into them on a choked sob. I hold her for a long while, her body trembling, the sound of her cries like white hot lashes to my heart. “She’s alive, baby girl,” I remind her over and over, running my hands up and down her back, through her long hair, over her shoulders. When her cries turn to whimpers, I pull back slightly, wiping the tears from under her eyes with my thumbs. I push her hair away from her face and stare into her eyes.
“So fucking beautiful,” I murmur, but her eyes widen, and I realize I’ve whispered it out loud. I don’t regret it, she should know how I feel about her, but now isn’t the time. Lilly closes her eyes on a sigh, then shifts to her toes and presses her lips to mine softly. My body jerks in response, her move unexpected, but not unwelcome. “Lilly?”
“Is that…ok?” she whispers, her breath ghosting my lips, flaming a spark that’s lit within. I nod, unable to look away from her lips. “Good,” she says, then fuses her mouth to mine again, but this time with intent. I press harder, tilting my head, deepening the kiss, using my tongue to stroke hers, drawing it out of her mouth. She makes a soft, feminine sound and it breaks the spell of our first kiss. I slowly pull back my tongue, nibbling onher lower lip, then rest my forehead against hers, my eyes still closed, my chest heaving. She’s not any better.
“You’re upset, baby girl, and you’re seeking comfort.” Her eyes snap open and I feel her stiffen, so I rush to soothe her. “There is nothing wrong with that, I’ll always be the one to give it to you, but I won’t take advantage of the charged emotions of the night. We have all the time in the world.”
She smiles up at me, tender and affectionate, her eyes a little dazed. I blink and my sweet baby girl is gone, and Miss Geddes is in her place. I should not be rock-fucking-hard right now. Her smile turns calculated and dangerous. “Heacock is going to pay.” She steps back, determined steps taking her away from me and back into the building.
“Lilly?” She glances at me over her shoulder. “Text or call when you’re ready to leave. If I can’t, someone else will escort you to your vehicle.” She opens her mouth, and I just know. “Don’t argue. And don’t work too late.”
“Thank you, Brody.” I’m not sure what she’s thanking me for, but I’ll take it. I roll my head back and stare up at the darkening sky. Fuck, it’s gonna be a long night. Phia is gonna be alright, Crue Pribula won’t let it be any other way.
I enter the surveillance room to find Eric hunched over his keyboard. “Anything?” He looks up at me and I can see it in his eyes.
“This morning…I stepped out to use the bathroom and someone came in, used my access to loop the footage.” The weight of that statement feels unbearable on my shoulders. That means someone in my department helped orchestrate the attempt on Phia’s life.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you…you know who it is, don’t you?” Eric closes his eyes and nods.
“Jeremiah.”
“Your brother?” I run my hands over my face and through my hair. “Jesus, Eric.” Jeremiah is Eric’s half brother and a few years younger. He started working as a security guard last season and he’s been a decent employee. He had stars in his eyes being around the football team, but it’s nothing I’ve never seen before. This is unexpected, and yet, I’m not totally surprised if my suspicions are correct about who’s behind Phia’s attack. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” Eric says lowly.
“Do you need—”
“I’m good, Brody. I promise. I’ll compile the footage and access logs for the police.”
“He’s your brother—”
“He helped someone try to kill an innocent young woman. He’s NOT my brother.” I decide to let it go, because I trust Eric to tell me if it’s too much, but also because he’s the best person for the job. “On a side note, that Conner guy you asked me to look into?” I nod, my stomach clenching now for an entirely different reason. “I put his face through the recognition software, lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. He’s been pinging all over the place for 6 months.”
Through gritted teeth, I remind him, “He’s been dating Lilly Geddes until recently. He came to visit her at work a lot with flowers and meals.”
“In the locker rooms?”
“What?” I step closer, my blood pumping.
