Page 32 of Finish Line

“If that is the case, then it won’t hurt for you to listen, will it?” Louis tilts his head, a smile on his lips.

Dom says nothing but sits with a scowl on his chiseled face. Mr. Scott listens to the music Nick gives him.

While he’s doing that, I head over to Nick. “What do you know about Shelby?”

“She left in the middle of the night the day before yesterday. I found a note on the kitchen counter the following morning.” He sighs. “Things haven’t been good for her since she escaped from Roger. She won’t let anyone touch her, and she was barely eating or sleeping. She screams during her nightmares.”

Nick glances at Cin, who looks guilty for some reason.

“And it didn’t help that Cin, but especially Patty, pushed her to do things she didn’t want to do,” Nick continues. “Patty wanted to have a family Christmas now that Shelby was with us. She pushed a little too much.”

I take a deep breath and stare at Cin. “Why? You understand her better than anyone.”

Cin looks genuinely upset, making me feel a little bad, but I’m more upset for Shelby.

“I honestly thought I was doing the right thing.” She stares at the floor. “I can just remember what she was like the last time she left Roger?—”

I interrupt her. “That is the problem, Cin. She didn’t leave Roger. This wasn’t some breakup like the last time. He held her captive after kidnapping her, and she escaped from him. This is a different situation. From what you told me on the phone, he beat the shit out of her! Did she look like that the last time she ‘left’ Roger?”

Her eyes widen in understanding. “Oh, what have I done?”

Nick wraps his arms around her shoulders as she cries silently.

Knowing she finally understands, I look at Nick. He shares the same sadness and anger at what happened to Shelby at the hands of her own family that I do. I take a deep breath. It’s time to move on from that part of the conversation.

Nick pulls out his phone, opens it to his text messages, and hands it to me. It’s open to his and Cin’s conversation with Shelby. “Cin asked for Proof of Life.”

I read through the messages and stop on the photo she sent them.

God, even days later, she still looks beat to hell. She’s not getting enough sleep. Her eyes have black rings under them. Damn, she’s lost weight.

“Make sure you look closely at the photo,” Nick presses.

I take my eyes off Shelby to study her surroundings, and I swallow down a shocked breath. I recognize the view behind her.

When I glance up at Nick, he nods. He figured it out, too, but he doesn’t want to say anything.

“What are you doing about school?” Nick asks.

I narrow my eyes on him at the purposeful change of subject.

“You missed a lot, but you could catch up and continue with us. Summer school is also an option.”

“Summer school is out.” I run my fingers through my blond hair. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it at all.”

“Well, if it were me, I would find out about remote learning. That way, I could travel some while my friends finish school,” Nick suggests with a nonchalant shrug.

Oh, now I understand. He wants me to go to Shelby and stay with her until summer.

“That sounds like a great plan,” I say.

“Okay.” Louis looks at Frank, Nick, Cin, and me. “I need you four to stand back here.” He points to the kitchen island. “And I need you to be quiet, no matter what.”

Cin, Nick, and I take our seats while Frank leans against the bar.

“Obliviscatur Haec est mea,” Louis repeats the exact words Carrie said at the Black-and-White Ball.

Luke, Mav, and Dom straighten up and stare out into space. Hannah doesn’t react and looks over at the guys on the couch. Well, I guess that answers the questions about her being hypnotized.

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