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“An underground one.” I clenched my jaw so hard I was surprised my teeth didn’t fracture on the spot. I’d just admitted to doing something that could get me in a world of trouble.
Frank’s face held no judgment. “Why did she choose you and not one of the other fighters?”
“Most of the other ones she knew of were ‘wifed up.’ The guys that weren’t didn’t have my win-to-loss record. She thought I would be the least complicated option, as I have no girlfriend involved.”
“Why did she need a bodyguard?”
“Erica used to date Luke. When she broke up with him, he didn’t take it well. When he cornered her one too many times, she and her parents got worried.”
“Why not report the guy to campus security?”
I smirked. “They did, but Luke Green’s family has connections. They’re the kind of wealthy that colleges salivate over. They’re the most significant benefactors at Thane University.”
“Tell me about the confrontation.”
“Erica’s last class ended early today. She texted me about it. I replied that I was on my way, but she said she would head to her car and thought it would be all right. When I arrived, Luke had her pinned against the back of a building near a rear entrance. She was crying.”
“How far did he take things?”
I shrugged. “He kissed her. Maybe groped her some, but nothing past that. He only had her trapped there for a few seconds before I found them because Erica shared her location with me on her phone.”
When I paused, Frank nodded for me to continue.
What came next was the hard part. “I pulled Luke off her, and he took a swing, which I ducked. Then I punched him. He went down. He landed on a concrete step—the corner of it, which must’ve damaged his skull—and his head fell at an awkward angle. Maybe he snapped his neck.”
“Did you know he was dead?”
“I suspected, but I didn’t know. It all happened so fast. He looked wrong when he fell, but Erica was freaked out.”
“Who called 911?”
“I did.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No, sir. I explained everything to campus security and the police officers who arrived with the ambulance. We gave our statement at the police station, and when they said I was free to go, we left. I took Erica to her parents’ and went to my mom’s. That’s when the police arrested me.”
“I’m going to make some calls,” Frank said. “It was self-defense, and after campus security releases the video from behind the building, we’ll prove the witness wrong. For now, sit tight. I should be able to get you out of here within the hour.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t have much choice but to do as he said.Where else could I go?
CHAPTER THREE
WINTER
The coastal town of Santa Monica should be a welcome sight. And to most, I’m sure it was. But my experiences there weren’t like everyone else’s. They were the stuff of nightmares. I dropped my head against the steering wheel of my parked car with a thump, shutting out the view of Thane University’s brick-lined walkways, complete with historic architecture and lush greenery. It was hard to believe I was back, or relatively near, where it all began—and I meanall.
Where my dad died.
Where my sister was murdered.
Where my mom was arrested and sentenced to jail time.
None of those reasons were why I was back in town. I popped open my car door and unfurled from the aging Toyota my foster parents had gifted me for getting into Thane University. I didn’t even remember applying. When the letter had come, I’d almost thrown it away, but then Brooke, my foster mom, had urged me to open it. She’d said it might contain an option I didn’t know I had. And it certainly had.
Thane University’s scholarship committee had read my sob story in the form of an essay and had taken pity on me. I wasn’t too prideful to accept the offer, even if it meant leaving the safe haven the Childress family had provided in Los Angeles for the unknown that I would face in a hometown that had never wanted me in the first place.
Gathering my long wavy hair, I secured it in a messy knot on top of my head with a hair band from my wrist. I hadn’t told my foster brother, Jaxon, that I would be arriving yet. Brooke and James knew, but I’d mentioned contacting Jaxon and had declined their help. It was ridiculous, but I wasn’t sure how I would feel coming back.
