Page 48 of The Guilty One

“Where are you?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Why?”

Nothing.

I rock back and forth, scrubbing my hand over my arm. “The police are looking for you. What am I supposed to tell them?”

“You can’t tell them anything.”

“Why?” I demand, my voice indignant.

“Because I said.”

“Tate.”

“I have to go.”

“I know about the professor. In college.” I brace myself for the line to click, for the call to end, and when it doesn’t, I go on. “Aubrey Vance. I know all of your friends are dying, and…I think you know why it’s happening.”

I wait for him to deny it, but he doesn’t.

“Tate, please. Why did you take the money? What is happening?”

“I fucked up, okay?” His voice cracks. “I ruined everything.”

My chest splits open. He’s talking. He’s finally talking. “What do you mean? What did you do? Whatever it is, we can get through this. I promise you, we just?—”

“No. I have to go.”

Ice-cold panic seizes me. “No. What? Why? Please don’t hang up. Please don’t leave me like this.”

“I’ll call back when I can, okay?”

“No. No, that’s not good enough. Tell me something. Just give me something. You can trust me.”

“Don’t trust anyone,” he blurts out. “Don’t tell anyone I called. Don’t tell anyone what you know, especially not about…about that.”

“About the professor?”

“Don’t say it again, Celine. I mean it.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me, okay? I’ll explain this all when I can. I know you think you know things now, know who I was, but I’m not that person anymore. I’ve changed. You changed me.” His voice grows softer. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

With that, the line goes dead, and I’m left alone in the silence.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

TATUM

Twelve Years Ago

Just like I suspected, it doesn’t take long for them to all come crawling back to me. Exactly one day goes by before I hear from them.

It’s Dakota first, of course.

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