Page 78 of Kings of the Campus

Once we’re all cleaned up and properly attired in comfy clothes again, we end up in the living room, all four of us working quietly on school assignments. We exchange little smiles and quick glances with Tessa as we work and the warmth in my chest blossoms into something more as I realize how happy I am to have this.

Now all we need to do is track down Ryan Carter, get him to confess, and everything will be perfect.

45

ALEC

I’m already awake when the first sliver of morning light slips through the blinds, unable to shake the tension in my chest. The whole house feels heavy with it.

I glance over at the couch where Jace is sitting, hunched forward, eyes trained on nothing, his leg bouncing up and down like he’s ready to sprint out the door. Devin paces near the kitchen, his fingers tapping against the counter in a steady rhythm. None of us got much sleep last night, the weight of everything too much to let us relax.

Tessa’s still asleep in the bedroom, having passed out after all the activity yesterday. I keep telling myself she’s safe, that we’re here, that nothing can happen to her while we’re around. But that doesn’t ease the anxiety building in the back of my mind.

“We have to talk,” I say, breaking the silence. Devin stops pacing, and Jace snaps out of his trance, both of them looking my way. “Did you find anything out at theSentineloffice?”

Devin nods, but there’s a tightness in his face that tells me I’m not going to like the answer. “Yeah. We got more than we expected.” He glances at Jace, who gives him a quick nod like they’ve already decided how to break the news.

“We talked to the staff,” Jace says, leaning back in his seat. “Convinced them we needed to check some records for our investigation. They gave us a hard time but eventually we got access to the server room.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And?”

Devin sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Tessa’s access badge was used the night the laptop went missing. But it wasn’t her who swiped in.”

My heart skips a beat, the tension in the room tightening. “What do you mean? She was with us that night.”

Jace nods. “Exactly. She couldn’t have been at the newspaper office. But someone used her badge to get in.”

“And we saw who it was,” Devin adds, his voice a little quieter. He holds out his phone, showing me a screenshot of grainy security footage, which is spliced side-by-side with a profile picture. “Ryan Carter.”

My stomach twists as I process the implication. “Ryan?”

Devin nods, slipping the phone back into his pocket. “He’s the one who stole her laptop.”

My mind races, piecing together everything we know. Ryan’s frustration with Tessa over the podcast, the stalking, the laptop—it’s all connected. But is he the one behind everything, or just another piece in a bigger puzzle?

Jace breaks the silence first. “We need to confront him. Now. He’s the one we’ve been looking for.”

Devin shakes his head. “Hold on. We don’t know the full story yet. Ryan might’ve stolen the laptop, but we don’t know what else he’s capable of. If we go at him too hard, he could clam up, and we’ll lose our chance to figure out who’s really pulling the strings.”

I can see both sides of the argument. Confronting Ryan now might push him to reveal what he knows, but it also might scare him off and make him more dangerous. And we can’t afford totake any more risks, not with Tessa involved. I lean against the kitchen counter, weighing the options.

“I get what you’re saying, Devin,” I finally say. “But we can’t sit on this forever. Ryan’s our best shot at getting answers, and the longer we wait, the more chance he has to cover his tracks.”

Devin crosses his arms, clearly still unsure, but he doesn’t argue. “So, what’s the plan?”

“We talk to him,” I say, the decision settling in my gut. “Carefully. We’ll feel him out, see what he knows. But we can’t ignore this.”

Jace looks like he’s ready to jump up and head out the door, but I raise a hand. “We’ll go soon. Let’s give it a minute, make sure Tessa’s still okay before we leave.”

I glance toward the bedroom where Tessa’s sleeping. She’ll be fine. The house is locked up, and it’s just for a few hours. Nothing’s going to happen.

We spot Ryan Carter just as he’s about to walk into theSentinelbuilding. His hair’s a mess, his bag slung over his shoulder like he’s got a full day ahead, and he doesn’t even notice us as we close in.

He’s got no idea why we’re here.

We don’t give him time to figure it out either. Devin’s the first to reach him, falling into step beside Ryan like they’re old buddies, though his expression says otherwise.

“Hey Ryan, got a minute?”

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