Page 139 of Finish Line

Mav jogs over and helps Laurie up. “Where’s Shelby?”

“She’s in the infirmary. They found her unconscious in the cells.”

“Cells?” the guys ask at the same time I growl, “Show us.”

I grab the guard who’s still standing by the arm and squeeze, urging him to lead us to the infirmary.

“You’re not allowed to go back there!” Ms. Santos chases after us, waving her arms.

Luke steps in front of Santos and takes her by the arm before she can stop us, dragging her with us instead.

“Lady, Knights don’t like to be lied to,” Mav growls, sounding like me.

Her eyes jump between Mav and me.

“Yeah. You fucked up. Shelby’s our girl, and if we find out you hurt her, well…” Mav leaves his threat hanging.

Laurie stops at the door with a red cross on it. “She’s in there.”

“You’re a good friend,” Nick tells her.

“I wish I could have done more.” She wrings her hands. “I tried to answer the phone when you guys called so I could tell you what happened to her, but the others stopped me.”

I shove the guard forward and through the door before I take a step into a place set up like an emergency room.

What in the hell are they expecting to happen here to need a setup like this?

“She’s in the third stall.” Laurie gestures at the curtained-off bed.

Luke pulls Ms. Santos farther into the infirmary before shoving her into a chair, where she stays put.

We open the curtain to the third bay and find our girl. Her eyes are closed, and her chest moves up and down with each breath. Bruises cover her face, and dried blood coats the side of her head and hair.

A doctor checks her heartbeat but stops when we come in.

I stomp over to Santos and grab her by the back of the neck.

“Who did this?” I shout.

She cowers away from me. “I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.” I tighten my grip on her, making her wince. “You run this place. How did you not know unless you’re incompetent?”

Ms. Santos stares at me with her lips pursed and refuses to say anything.

“Excuse me. Please calm down. My patient is sleeping,” the doctor says.

None of us listen to him.

“Most of it was the welcoming committee.” Laurie lowers her head.

“The what?” I seethe.

“The first night you’re here, Julia, Lex, and Pablo rough you up a bit. But Shelby pissed off Pablo and Julia earlier in the day by standing up for herself.” Tears roll down her cheeks. “Shelby’s my roommate, and we left when they came to the room.”

She wipes the tears, only for new ones to take their place. “I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed with her, but they would have gone after me, too. I’m not strong like Shelby. She fought back and broke Julia’s nose, but they overpowered her.”

She explains to us how Santos pulled Shelby into her office, then Shelby disappeared. “I figured she was sent down to the cells in the basement.”

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