Page 135 of Fearless

Maggie’s nails bit into her arm, but she didn’t feel them. She didn’t feel anything. All sensation and breath and fight had gone rushing right out of her, passing through her lips in an outward gasp that left her lightheaded.

Stephens gave her a little wink. “Say ‘hello’ to Dr. Benson for me at the English department at UT.”

Maggie dragged her away and she stumbled over her own shoes, nearly falling. Only Maggie’s iron grip at her wrist kept her on her feet.

Recommendation letter.

Recommendation letter…

The blood roared in her ears, drowning out all other sounds. The drive tilted in front of her and she thought she might pass out.

“Mom…”

“Later,” Maggie said firmly, marching her around to the passenger side.

“He wrote me a recommendation letter?”

“Later.”

Later was about thirty seconds later, as Maggie was piloting the truck down the cemetery drive and Ava had calmed enough to form coherent sentences. “What does he mean he wrote me a recommendation letter?”

Maggie sighed and leaned her temple against her fist, pressed to the window as she drove. “Ava…”

“No, patting me on the head and treating me like I’m five isn’t going to work here. If that man helped me get into college, I deserve to know about it.”

Maggie gave her the side-eye.

“Please. Ma’am.”

Another sigh. “Yes, he wrote a letter.”

“Why in the hell–”

“You knew your chances of a scholarship were slim after your suspension. You might not have gotten into Georgia if it wasn’t for that letter.”

“And you didn’t think I ought to know that the father of the kid who murdered my baby got me into college?!” Her voice was a contained shriek inside the truck. “Jesus, I would never have gone if I’d known–”

“Don’t,” Maggie snapped. “Just stop. That’s exactly why we never told you; you would have been stubborn and never gone.”

“Why should I have? Oh my God, Mom, how can you not…I’m going to throw up.”

“Roll down your window.”

She did, and the incoming air was hot and damp against her face. It wasn’t helping.

“How could you do that?” she whispered, words snatched away out the window.

Maggie said, “Your dad and I saw a chance to right the wrong against you, to give you a chance at a real education – the education you deserved – and we took it.”

She swallowed down the bile. “What did you give Stephens in return?”

“What?”

“He didn’t write me a letter just to be nice, so what did you guys give him?”

Maggie frowned at the road. “We threatened to sue him for your medical bills, and make it all public. All of Knoxville would have known what Mason did to you; it would have damaged his image.”

“So the letter was hush money.” She swallowed again, her chest and eyes and throat stinging.

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