Page 54 of The Rookie's Second Chance

Another laugh, this one tinged with something that sounded almost like respect. "That's what we tell the freshmen. Keeps them quiet. All the stories, the 'disappearances'..." He trailed off.

"Yeah? Well, what about Garrett? He did disappear. You gonna tell me that was just a fucking fairy tale too?"

The leader's stance shifted, the first crack in his composure. His laugh was gone, replaced by something that looked a lot like unease. He glanced at his buddies, a silent conversation passing between them.

I held his gaze, my own fear mixing with a grim satisfaction that I'd hit a nerve. I waited for him to speak, to fill in the blanks, to give me something, anything, that could lead me to Kayla's would-be killer. The silence stretched between us.

The leader's eyes held mine, a flicker of something like regret passing through them. "Garrett's disappearance? That wasn't The Vault's doing," he said, and I could hear the truth in his voice. "And we don't know who it was." He was my friend. We had our suspicions, sure, but nothing was ever confirmed."

They let me go then, their grip loosening. I scrambled to my feet, my body aching from the fall and my hands itching for the gun I couldn't reach. "What suspicions?" I demanded, my voice hoarse.

The guy who'd spoken just shook his head, his mask still hiding any expression. "The story didn't sit right with any of us, especially when Garrett's parents started reaching out online, asking if anyone had seen him, if he was okay."

"And?" I prompted, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

"Supposedly, Garrett left a note saying he needed time to figure shit out. But the only person who ever saw it, outside of the cops, was a guy named Jude Paulsson."

"Jude Paulsson? Who the fuck is Jude Paulsson?"

The masked figures exchanged glances, and the leader shrugged, a gesture that seemed out of place in the tense atmosphere. "Jude was... he's a scary kind of guy. Violent. Got a temper that could turn on a dime. But he was smart, too. Never got caught doing anything concrete, so he's still out there."

I took a step forward, my cop instincts kicking in despite the situation. "You got any info on this Jude? Something I can use?"

The leader hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I'll email you everything I have. Just... don't drag me into this. I've got enough shit to deal with."

I memorized his stance, his build, anything I could use to identify him later if it came to that. "I need that info. And I need it now."

"It'll be in your inbox by morning," he said, and there was a finality in his tone that suggested the conversation was over.

I stared the guy down, trying to read any hint of deceit in his stance, in the tilt of his head, even though I couldn't see his face. "Lexi Barrows," I said, the name like a bullet. "What do you know about her?"

The guy shifted, his surprise evident even behind the mask. "Why do you ask?"

"She's my sister, and she's got a stalker who was after her in college, too," I said, the words tasting like acid on my tongue.

"Funny you should mention it," the guy said, and there was an edge of what? Humor? Irony? "Jude was who she dated after Garrett."

My heart lurched, a cold splash of dread hitting me. "Jude dated Lexi?" I hadn't seen that one coming. My sister had never mentioned a Jude, but then, there was a lot she hadn't mentioned.

"Yeah," he confirmed, his voice taking on a lower note. "After Garrett vanished, Jude swooped in. Always thought it was fucking convenient."

I took a step closer. "And you're telling me this now? What else are you keeping from me?"

The guy held up his hands, a placating gesture. "Look, man, I'm telling you everything I know. Jude was bad news. Always had an angle, always playing some long game. We all thought he had something to do with Garrett, but no one could prove it."

"And my sister?" I pressed, my voice a growl.

He shook his head. "After Jude, she kinda distanced herself from The Vault, from all of us. Can't say I blame her."

I backed off a step, my mind racing. Lexi and this Jude character, a new lead, a new angle. "If you're bullshitting me—"

"I'm not," he interrupted, his voice sharp. "I swear. Check your email tomorrow. You'll have what I've got on Jude."

I gave him a long, hard look. "If you're playing me—"

"I'm not," he said again. "Just... be careful, alright? Jude's not the kind of guy you want to take on without some backup."

I nodded once, tersely. "Thanks for the heads-up."

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