Page 49 of Red Zone

I shook my head and aimed my camera elsewhere. My job was to cover the team, not obsess over Liam. But when his eyes briefly met mine after a perfectly executed play, my pulse skipped. It was a fleeting moment, but it steadied something inside me, like an anchor in a storm.

As the game progressed, I shifted the camera angle, aiming at the jubilant faces of the crowd, but I kept drifting back to Liam. I caught him mid-play and realized how much I’d started leaning on him lately. It wasn’t just Lily—it was me too. He wasn’t perfect, but he was honest, and that mattered more than anything.

I lost myself in the excitement swirling around me, snapping pictures like crazy, itching to edit and post them as soon as possible. During halftime, I uploaded a few stellar ones with catchy phrases to encourage engagement. The second half flew by, but I found myself zeroing in on a couple of players.

Marc, the second-string tight end, juked past a defender, his movements too precise, too powerful for someone who’d struggled to keep up just weeks ago. My stomach twisted. The improvement wasn’t just surprising—it was uncanny. And as much as I wanted to dismiss it as hard work, I couldn’t unsee the connections forming from spotting him in the science building.

The game ended in a roar of victory, the team rushing the field. As the players celebrated, my eyes found Liam again. He was in the center of it all, grounded and unshakable. I let the mayhem fade for a moment, anchoring myself in the one thing that felt solid—him.

My camera hung loosely around my neck as I scanned the players, the coaches, and the euphoric fans. My mind raced, recalling Megan’s offhand comment about muscle recovery and stamina.Is that what I’m seeing here?The science nerd in me wanted to chalk it up to rigorous training, but the unease in my gut said otherwise.

She and Joe had been working on research about performance enhancement in athletes. Megan had mentioned it casually in passing. At the time, I’d been too busy to consider it. But now, with what I’d witnessed, the idea clung to me like a burr.

I didn’t want to know. Not really. But ignoring it wouldn’t make it go away—and if there was one thing being Lily’s mom had taught me, it was how to face what scared me most. Whatever was happening, I couldn’t look the other way.

Something was off—Joe’s exchange in the hallway, the sudden improvement of certain players, Megan’s comments about performance enhancement. It all felt too connected to ignore. If I wanted answers, I would have to dig for them myself.

Joe wasn’t just my friend—he was a peer I’d trusted in this whirlwind of school and motherhood. And now, that trust felt like it was crumbling to dust, leaving a hollow ache in its wake.Was this the same guy who covered for me in class when I was late? The one who teased me endlessly but never let me down? How could he be hiding something like this? Or is Megan the culprit—is she using him? Could it be that he isn’t aware of her real agenda?

Something was gnawing at me, and I couldn’t shake it.

I needed to know if there was even a chance that he was involved in something bigger—something that could explain the sudden changes I saw on the field. And Megan’s research might be the key to finding them.

My gut screamed at me to stay away, to keep myself as far from this as possible.But I can’t. If there’s a chance I could clear Joe’s name, I had to take it.Aside from that, someone else might get hurt—or worse.

Without really thinking, I pulled out my phone and texted Megan.

Me:Where are you? I need to talk.

Her response came quickly.In the science building. What’s going on?

I didn’t bother replying. I was already weaving through the crowd, my feet carrying me away from the stadium and toward campus.

Megan was waiting for me outside the lab, her arms crossed against the cold. Her red scarf stood out against her dark coat, and she gave me a curious smile as I approached.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.

“I want in on your research group,” I said, the words tumbling out without preamble.

Megan blinked, startled by my sudden urgency, but I couldn’t slow down. If there was a way to figure out what was happening—who was involved and why—this was it. It was risky, but doing nothing wasn’t an option. Not when athletes were dying, and the research could be tied to it. It might be dangerous, but I would never know the truth unless I got close. I would have to be careful—stay on the edges, ask the right questions. I couldn’t let them suspect I knew anything.

Megan’s eyebrows shot up, and for a moment, her expression faltered. “You want to join?” she asked, her tone caught between curiosity and something else—wariness maybe.

Something in her voice was off, like she was testing me. I nodded quickly, keeping my expression neutral. “I’ve been curious about your work for a while. I think it could be important.”

Megan studied me for a beat longer then smiled—less enthusiastic, more controlled. “All right. I’ll talk to Joe.”

The thought of facing Joe again made my stomach twist. I didn’t know if I could look him in the eye, not after what I’d seen. But I had to find out what they were hiding—and I had to play it smart, so to hide my anxiety, I quickly added, “It’s research, and I’m invested.”Invested in nothing happening to Liam.

“Okay. That makes sense. I suppose we could use your insights from the social media angle to track trends and patterns in player activity. Are you sure, though? I know you’ve got a lot going on.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said quickly. “I just… I think this could be important.”

She studied me for a moment then nodded. “Okay. Let’s get you looped in.”

We walked into the building together, the fluorescent lights buzzing faintly overhead. My thoughts raced as Megan started explaining some of their findings, mentioning Joe’s contributions and the different angles they were exploring. I hoped the research would help me understand what I’d seen. But as I listened, the knot in my stomach tightened. Part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answers.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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