Page 95 of Out of the Shadows
The breeze picked up, and I pulled on my hoodie, no longer hot from my workout. With quick, purposeful steps, I crossed the campus, my eyes fixed on the path ahead, hoping no one would stop me or talk to me. I had no time for trivial pleasantries at the moment.
I was pretty sure Ella was in one of her marketing classes, so I made my way to the hallway where a lot of them took place. Maybe I’d get lucky.
Ella: Calm down, Rambo. My class is almost over, then I’ll call you and we’ll talk.
I didn’t even bother with answering her because at that moment the first doors opened, and I scanned the people streaming out so as not to miss a certain redhead. Not that she was easy to miss, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
When she finally appeared, smiling as she talked to a tall guy walking beside her, I almost regretted having to interrupt.Almost.
I weaved my way through the crowd to get to her, which, considering my height, was more difficult than it should have been, and grabbed her arm. She turned to me, a little startled.
“Oh! Hey, girl. What are you doing here?”
“Don’t ‘hey, girl’ me. We need to talk. Now.”
Her eyes widened, then she nodded. “Oh!Yeah, sure, let’s talk on the way home.”
She said goodbye to the guy, who looked disappointed — couldn’t blame him — and then I dragged her away with me. We didn’t broach the precarious subject until we were in my car, which I always drove on practice days even though the campus was walkable.
No sooner had the doors closed than I turned to her and said, “Let’s hear it.”
“Okay, wait, let me start at the beginning. So, I was thinking, what if we could digitally infiltrate your father’s network and delete the material without him knowing? Which, of course, sounds kind of crazy … But, I mean, crazier shit has been done, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.”
“You mean like a virus of some kind?”
She nodded vigorously. “Yeah, pretty much. Well, something along those lines, but I didn’t know if it was possible, and I didn’t know if Hunter was capable of it.”
I was almost afraid to ask, but as usual, my curiosity won out. “So, can he do it?” I asked, my eyebrows raised in a skeptical frown. I had no idea that Hunter’s abilities went to this extent, and it made me even more aware of how much he played his cards close to his chest.
Ella gave a shrug. “He didn’t come right out and say it. He was pretty tight-lipped. Just said that he was going to take care of it, and I haven’t heard from him since.”
The lines on my forehead deepened, and I thought aloud. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why wouldn’t he have suggested it himself if he was capable of something like that?”
“Yeah, good point. I dunno, to be honest. Maybe Colt knows something about it, though?”
I buried my head in my hands, so frustrated I wanted to tear my hair out or scream. “No idea.”
“Look, I wasn’t going to do anything unless you agreed, but Hunter just sort of went rogue.” She grimaced.
I let my head slump against the wheel.Why the hell was I in this situation?
“Are you mad at me?” she asked cautiously after a few moments of silence.
“No.” I sighed. “It’s a good idea. Let’s see what happens. I’m just … Well, reflecting on my life choices, I guess. Wondering how I ended up here, how I managed to get Colt into this mess.”
“Hey,” she said, touching me on the shoulder and waiting for me to meet her gaze in return. “This dude would go through hell for you if he had to. I’m pretty sure this whole thing is pissing him off, less for his sake and more for yours. Besides, what’s that supposed to mean? You certainly didn’t push your father into making bad business decisions, shady deals, and blackmailing your boyfriend. None of that is your fault.”
“Logically, I know that, but … Let’s just hope it’s over soon.”
She squeezed my arm, her expression sympathetic. “I can’t imagine how shitty this situation must be for you right now, but I truly believe that everything will be okay. No matter what happens, I don’t think Colt would ever walk away from you, and let’s be real, that’s all you really need to know, isn’t it? Does anything else matter?”
I thought about that statement, and my chest, which had a heaviness to it a moment ago, suddenly felt lighter. Ella was right. None of this mattered. Colt had proven time andtime again that I mattered to him, that I was even, dare I say it, precious to him. He had even tried to protect me from the pain of my father wanting to use me like livestock to be traded. Had been willing to handle the situation by himself to spare me any pain.
“No,” I said firmly, straightening up, “it doesn’t. You’re right.”
She smirked. “I usually am.” Then she gave her ponytail a silly, exaggerated flick.
I shot her a sideways glance, and we burst out laughing, the tension forgotten.God, it felt good to have a genuine friend.
