Page 65 of Eight Count Heat
"The school might call my parents," I say, the fear finally escaping. "About the incident. They aren't listed as emergency contacts, but I had to give their information on the transfer paperwork."
Gray frowns. "Would that be a problem?"
More than he knows. "They think I'm still at Westlake." The admission slips out before I can stop it.
His eyebrows rise. "They don't know you transferred?"
"It's complicated." I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling exposed. "My family has... expectations. About where I should be, what I should be doing. Transferring mid-season to cox a men's team wouldn't exactly meet with their approval."
"So you've been lying to them for two weeks."
"Avoiding them for two weeks," I correct. "There's a difference."
Gray studies me, and I can practically see him filing away this new information. "That's why you don't want an investigation. Not just because it would draw unwanted attention, but because it might expose the transfer."
I nod, grateful that he understands without me having to spell it out completely.
"I'll talk to Coach Bennett," Gray says. "Make sure any official reports list me as the primary contact. Your parents don't need to know about tonight unless you want them to."
Relief floods through me. "You can do that?"
"I'm the team captain. It's within my authority to designate myself as liaison for team-related incidents." He moves toward the door, then pauses. "Reese? Whatever your family situation is, whatever they expect from you. You have a place on this team. That's not conditional on their approval."
The words settle something inside me I didn't realize was unsettled. How long has it been since anyone said I belonged somewhere without conditions attached?
“So I guess that means I passed your test?”
His lips curl in an almost-smile that make my stomach twist. “Reese, you passed on the first day when you put me in my place like you'd been doing it for years.”
My face flushes hot and I have to bite my lip again to keep from doing something stupid. Like throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him.
"Get some sleep," Gray continues. "I'll pick you up on the morning for practice."
After he leaves, I lock the door and flip the security latch, then lean against it as everything finally catches up with me. Someone went through my personal belongings. Stole my backup suppressants. Knows exactly what I am and is using it against me.
But Gray put me in a safe place. Protected me without asking questions I couldn't answer. Offered to shield me from my family's reaction.
I sink onto the bed, pulling out my phone to check for missed calls. Three from my mother, two from my father. All within the past hour. My heart pounds as I realize what this means. Somehow, they already know something's wrong.
The phone rings in my hand, my mother's number flashing on the screen. For a moment, I consider letting it go to voicemail again. But avoiding this conversation will only make it worse.
"Hi, Mom."
"Reese, thank God. We've been trying to reach you all evening." Her voice carries that particular note of maternal anxiety that Iknow all too well. "Are you alright? We heard there was some kind of incident at school."
My blood runs cold. "What kind of incident?"
"Something about a break-in? Your father got a call from someone at Westlake's administration office, but the details were very unclear."
Westlake. Someone called from Westlake, not Sable Ridge. Which means either there's been a miscommunication, or someone's deliberately trying to create problems.
"Mom, I'm fine," I say, mind racing. "There was a minor security issue in the dorms, but nothing serious. Everyone's safe."
"Well, we're flying up Friday to make sure. Your father's already arranged the jet."
"No!" The word comes out too sharp, too panicked. "I mean, that's not necessary. Really. I'm perfectly fine, and I have a regatta this weekend. I can't be distracted by anything else."
"Reese Catherine Callahan." My mother's voice takes on the steel that made her one of the most feared women on Atlanta's charity circuit. "Someone called your father's office to inform him that his daughter was involved in a security incident. We are not taking chances with your safety."
