Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird Series)

“I’ll see what I can do,” Silas said. “I’ll stay with him. You go back.”

Nathan went back down the stairs, taking a different way to avoid the police at the front again. He kept his head down, slowly walking the halls as he went.

The only lead they had was that it was smoke bombs. North’s car loaded with a few smoke bombs for a supposed prank wasn’t going to land anyone in jail. Was this just because North had reported it stolen?

Or did they see it as connected to Mr. McCoy, who had been reported missing? From that, it was a springboard into the chaos happening in the office? Between McCoy and Morris and others on edge, it only took one nut to crack before the police might find some actual school violations on their part. It was likely the police would talk to a few people and hand this off to a school board and a single investigator working with a lawyer to see where any laws were broken.

They’d be working with a school board they all knew was corrupted. The superintendent was in on Hendricks’s schemes.

Mr. Hendricks avoiding the place made it all worse.

As he walked, he heard someone coming from the other direction. Voices in an otherwise empty section of hallway. He caught a blue uniform turning a corner.

He ducked into a nearby restroom, pushing himself against the wall. He waited for whoever it was to pass, ready to leave if someone came in. He didn’t need to hide, but he didn’t want to be the lone student out of class during a time like this.

The footsteps seemed to slow down a little. The voices continued.

“I don’t understand,” a voice said, and Nathan was pretty sure it was Ms. Wright. “What are you asking me?”

“You’ve been in contact with Mr. McCoy,” the other person said, and Nathan guessed it was the officer. Female. Her voice gravelly. “Your records show you’ve been getting texts and emails from the phone we picked up on him when we brought him in.”

“He was giving me information about the school,” Ms. Wright said. “About operations...But I thought it was Mr. Hendricks. That’s the phone number I was given.”

“Mr. McCoy had a missing person’s report filed for him for months,” the officer said. “And you’re telling me you had no idea that was him?”

There was a long pause from Ms. Wright. “I’m pretty sure this is where I talk to a lawyer. I’m not answering any more questions.”

“You aren’t in trouble,” she said but she sighed. “But you’ve the right to one. Probably best you make your call and get one out here.”

Nathan remained where he was after they had walked on. He breathed in, held his breath for a few seconds before letting it out between his lips.

It’s all going down. There was too much happening for the Academy to contain. Too many people. Extended too far.

Maybe they shouldn’t be here. They should get Sang away from here. There was a risk her name could be brought up.

Nathan brushed his palm against his mouth and chin, wiping at his lips with his fingers. When he was pretty sure the area was clear, he left the restroom and returned to the music room.

They had a few minutes left of homeroom still. Sang was by the piano, hovering over a phone with Dr. Green.

The phone was on. A voice was coming from it. Nathan crossed the room quietly until he was close enough to hear what was being said.

Kota was speaking. “Police are at Mr. Hendricks’s house, too, but it looks like he hasn’t been here. Neighbors don’t recall seeing him.”

“Is there one of us in the squad?” Dr. Green asked. By us, he meant someone in the Academy.

“Yeah,” Kota said. “It’s where I’m getting the information. After all this, Hendricks might have flown the coop.”

“You don’t think he’s going to bother showing back up?” Dr. Green asked.

“Would you?”

Sang picked up her head, looking to Dr. Green. “Maybe it’s good he doesn’t.”

Dr. Green blinked a few times and shrugged. “It’ll keep the police here longer to wait for him, but it does buy us time to figure out what to do.”

“We need time,” Kota said. “We’ll stay here just in case, but we should open the search net. We need to find out what happened to him.”

“Do it,” Dr. Green said. “Get word out. We’ll be here.” He hung up.

“Ms. Wright is being questioned,” Nathan said as soon as Kota was off the phone. He explained what he overheard quickly.

Dr. Green inhaled sharply and then let it out slow. “This is getting nuts. Okay.” He clapped his hands together and then brought his fingers to his lips, pressing against his mouth quickly. When he released it, he spoke. “Okay, Nathan. Stay here with Sang. Get Danielle on that test. You don’t leave, don’t let them leave with anyone but us. I’m going to the main office. My turn to butt in with Mr. Blackbourne.” He shook his hands off and then picked up his phone. “I’m calling in...hmm...Let me think.” He rambled off a few more incoherent syllables as he crossed to the music room door. He pressed it with his back to open it, completely involved in whatever he was thinking, and disappeared.

Nathan turned to Sang, his shoulders dropping. “Crazy day, huh?”

Sang nodded. She had an arm crossed over her body, her hand holding to her elbow. “I wish I could do more.”

“Maybe it’s good timing,” he said. “We’ve got Marie and Danielle here with us and out of the way?”

She nodded again, although slowly.

Nathan moved to her, close. He cupped her face in his hands and urged her to look at him. “Are you scared?”

“Yes,” she said, and her voice shook as she spoke. She swallowed quickly. “I’m worried about North. About Mr. Blackbourne... About us...”

Nathan leaned in, and he kissed her forehead gently. He left his lips there, brushing against her skin as he whispered, “Would it make it better if I said don’t? We’re not the ones in trouble. Mr. Hendricks is.”

Sang’s arms moved up around his neck. He dropped his hands to her waist and looked down at her.

Her smile was strained. “I’m worried about North being framed for something. I’m trying to figure out how we won’t be involved.”

“Is it about your ghost bird status? Are you worried about that?”

She blinked rapidly and shook her head. “No, but...I mean, that’s not the first priority...” She drifted.

“You’re not being questioned. Not if we can help it. Don’t worry.”

“What about all that money?” she asked. “Your whole purpose for being here?”

He looked into those lovely green eyes for a moment, digging deep to find the right words that would help her understand. Instead of answering directly, he pulled her in, hugging her and holding her close.

She leaned into him, breathed against him. She felt stiff still, but she buried her face in his shoulder.

“Us first,” he said quietly. “Family...”

“I know,” she said.

He pressed his lips to the side of her head, kissing for a long moment. Her hair smelled like that god-awful shampoo Gabriel had given her.

The bell rang, and before he could lose the opportunity, he nudged her until her head tilted up.

He kissed her. Hard and deep, trying to give her some confidence in a single, risky kiss.

She responded, her mouth moving against his. Even her tongue licked at his lips once before retreating.

He missed this. Kissing her in the morning. The times he would wake her up before school to get ready. He missed hearing her in the house, tinkering around with clothes and brushing her hair.

He missed everything about her when she wasn’t around.

He broke the kiss off but continued to hold her close, kissing at her face a couple of times before pulling back. “Don’t worry,” he said. His voice was deeper and raspier than before. “You wait. In a couple of days, we’ll have this all sorted. One way or another. Either we’re still here and we’ll still be on our mission, or it’s over and we leave. Either direction isn’t terrible.”

She breathed in hard enough that her shoulders rolled back and her chest pressed against him. She deflated as she breathed out again. “I need to remind myself of that.”