Page 31 of Too Safe

“I’ll go,” Kylian offers, shocking the shit out of me. “I have to give her phone back anyway.”

Chapter 13

Josephine

Aprickleofawarenessdances up my spine a few seconds before a long shadow veils the end of the dock.

I don’t know which one of them it is, nor do I care. The crash from the adrenaline and anxiety that have churned through my nervous system all night has finally started to dissipate, and a bone-tired weariness is settling in its place.

I’m all out of fight.

He sits beside me on the rough boards of the dock, and I finally brave a glance over.

Kylian meets my gaze through his glasses, but his expression is unreadable. I have no idea if he’s out here as a messenger or a spy—as a friend or a foe. He’s not as hard as the others, but he rarely looks at me. He’s usually engrossed in whatever’s happening on his damn iPad, so I haven’t had a chance to truly assess him.

He’s looking now.

Gulping past my hesitation, I pull my knees into my chest and wrap myself in a hug. My body aches, and I’m desperate for a hot shower and a long nap. Except both seem like faraway possibilities, given my current situation.

After a few minutes of quiet, I finally break the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

He nods, shifting slightly so he can face me.

“What does Decker think I saw?”

His eyebrows shoot up over the rim of his glasses and into his hairline.

“What?” I scoff. “If you’re convinced I already know something, what does it matter?”

“Fair point.”

He’s quiet for a moment, looking from me to the lake, then back again.

Pressing my lips together, I do my best to mask the eagerness I feel. I’m desperate for something to go on here.

Kylian keeps his gaze set on the lake when he speaks. “Nicky and Kendrick need treatments that aren’t approved by the NCAA.”

The nickname—Nicky—is adorable. I can’t focus on that shit right now, though. Nicholas Lockewood could have intervened at any point over the last several hours, but he didn’t. He’s not a knight in shining armor. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or maybe he’s just a sheep, going along with what Decker tells him to do.

“And?” I prompt, when I realize Kylian’s watching me. Like he’s waiting for me to connect the dots. “I don’t think I even know what NCAA stands for.”

“You really don’t know anything, do you?” His voice is soft, bordering on sympathetic, the words seemingly kind.

I can’t help but roll my eyes.

Kylian considers me, then subtly nods. “Nicky and Kendrick need help to feel their best. What works for them is considered a banned substance, so if the powers that be find evidence of their treatments, they won’t be able to play football.”

Football. This is about fuckingfootball?

“I’m sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but I don’t even know what a ‘banned substance’ is or why it matters. Is it like doping?” I glare at his profile.

He doesn’t look away from the water. “Technically, yes.”

NowI’m intrigued. “Aren’t they drug tested?”

Kylian’s lip quirks up ever so slightly. If I wasn’t so focused on him, I’d have missed it.

“Regularly. By Crusade Labs.”

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