I couldn’t run anymore; my legs just wouldn’t let me.
He’d been dealing drugs. That guy had been dealing drugs so brazenly on campus. Austin Carillo’s brother. Austin Carillo, number eighty-three for the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of the most promising wide receivers in the whole SEC. Austin Carillo, the pierced, tattooed bad-boy-done-good from the wrong side of the tracks… dealing drugs on campus. I guessed maybe he wasn’t as boy-done-good as everyone thought.
The sound of a car door slamming had me almost jumping out of my skin.
“Miss? Are you okay?”
My hand slapped over my furiously beating heart, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was campus PD.
“Yes… yes, I’m fine. You just scared me,” I said breathlessly.
The cop knelt down before me. “Miss…?” He trailed off, wanting to know my name.
“Hart. Lexington Hart.”
“Miss Hart, if you’d like to accompany me, please,” the cop said and held out his hand for me to take.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked quietly.
His friendly smile put me at ease. “No. Let’s just get you home safe. A young girl like you shouldn’t be out this late on her own.”
Standing on shaky legs, I did as he asked and got into the backseat of the car, lost in my thoughts as I stared out the window, ignoring the hissing and blaring of the cop’s radio.
Five minutes later, we pulled up outside of the dean’s office. My stomach instantly filled with dread.
The officer turned to face me, an apologetic expression on his face. “Miss Hart, if you’d come with me, the dean would like to see you,” he said and opened the car door.
Knowing I had no other choice, I entered the dean’s building and followed the officer straight into the office. He was waiting for me behind his desk and greeted me with a smile. I immediately felt uneasy.
“Miss Hart, please take a seat.” Casting a wary look around the opulently decorated room, I nervously sat down before him.
How does he know my name?
The dean reached for a pitcher of water on his desk and poured himself a glass. He looked to me and raised his brow, asking if I wanted one too. I shook my head no.
“So, Lexington, I understand you were at the south side of the quad just now? My officer informed me he found you distressed.”
My heart began slamming in my chest and a bead of sweat ran down the nape of my neck. “Yes, sir, I was in the quad.”
“And… did you see anything suspicious going on?”
His blue eyes bored into mine, and I paused, not knowing what to do. Do I tell him the truth? Or do I protect myself from Austin and his brother?
Austin’s warning rang clear in my head. If you even speak a word of this to anyone, and I mean anyone, you won’t like the ton of fuckin’ bad shit that comes your way.
Before I knew it, I was shaking my head again.
The dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You didn’t see any men in the quad? Men who didn’t belong at this school?” He leaned forward. “Men who were dealing drugs, perhaps? Wasn’t that why you ran?”
“No, sir,” I answered in a small voice, a slight tremor indicating my untruth. “I just don’t like being alone in the dark. I was in a hurry to get home.”
“And where had you been so late at night?”
I lowered my eyes in embarrassment. “The hospital… I have to attend counseling for a disorder I had years ago. It’s part of my recovery.”
The dean blinked as he thought over what I said, and leaned forward so only I could hear him. “If you are scared of what you witnessed, we can ensure your safety. We can’t tolerate this kind of problem on our campus. We just need proof of who’s responsible. Anyone at this school, for example?”
Staring at him with wide eyes, I said. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t see anything or anyone. I can’t help you.”
I didn’t know right then why I didn’t confess to what I saw, to Austin Carillo being tied to it all, to his very clear threat against my safety. But I just wanted to go home. Just wanted to put tonight behind me. My counseling sessions always made me feel like I’d been dragged through the dirt and I was tired.
“Okay, Miss Hart. If you remember anything at all, just let me know,” the dean said dejectedly.
Nodding my head, I stood, and the officer led me from the room and out of the building into the humid summer night air.
“Come on, miss, I’ll take you home,” the officer offered.
“I’d prefer to walk if you don’t mind,” I answered, and the officer shrugged, climbed in his car, and drove off.
Wrapping my arms around my chest, I quickly made my way toward my sorority house. I was halfway down the dimly lit pathway when someone stepped from the shadow of the trees out in front of me.