Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Yes.” Mila’s hands tremble slightly as she pulls her phone from her pocket. She unlocks the screen and hands it to Kynan. “All the texts are there as well as the emails.”
He takes it without hesitation, his expression unreadable as he scrolls through the messages. His eyes narrow, and I see his jaw flex as he reads the chilling words that have haunted Mila.
“Malik.” Kynan hands over the phone without a word, and Malik’s easygoing demeanor vanishes as he steps forward, eyes scanning the screen with a sharp, practiced focus.
“Burner numbers without a doubt,” Malik mutters after a moment, shaking his head. “Untraceable. And the emails… all routed through VPNs, I’m sure. Whoever’s doing this knows how to cover their tracks, but we’ll run this through Bebe and she’ll be able to locate the source.”
“Really?” Mila asks hopefully.
Malik offers her an encouraging smile. “We’ve got the best and brightest electronic forensic analysts, but I’m giving this to Bebe Grimshaw, who is at the top of her field. If anyone can locate the source, it’s her.”
“Have you detected any patterns to the messages?” Kynan asks, his gaze flicking to Mila.
“Not that I can tell,” she says. “The messages are random. Sometimes a few days apart. Sometimes weeks. But they’re getting more frequent.”
“Escalation,” Kynan says grimly. “That’s not a good sign.”
“Tell me about the players who were punished for the hazing incident,” Malik says, setting Mila’s phone gently on the desk. His dark eyes meet mine, all business now. “Who are we looking at?”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, fingers laced together. “There are four of them,” I say, voice tight with old anger. “Jace Holloway, Peter Brennan, Ryan DeLuca and Colton Briggs.”
“Brennan?” Kynan says, highbrows raised as his eyes dart to Mila.
She lifts her chin. “My older brother.”
Kynan grimaces, eyes flashing with empathy. “Where are they now?”
“Jace and Peter went to prison,” I say. “They took plea deals, served time. Jace has been out for about a year now. Peter gets out of prison today.”
Kynan and Malik exchange a glance, but it’s Malik who asks, “And the other two?”
“Ryan and Colton weren’t charged,” Mila answers. “They were kicked off the team and banned from junior hockey. Their careers never recovered.”
“Where are they now?” Kynan presses.
“Both still in Minnesota working jobs far below the prestige of professional hockey,” I provide.
“Which could be enough of a motive that they would do this,” Kynan muses.
“I talked to one of my former teammates, Jacob McLendon. He doesn’t think they’re involved.”
Malik chuckles darkly. “No one is off the suspect list, and that includes McLendon if he was pissed at you for this.”
“He was,” I admit ruefully. And while I had discounted Ryan and Colton based on what Jacob said, I’m glad Jameson will look at everything.
Kynan leans forward, clasping his hands on his desk. He looks directly at Mila. “What does your gut say? Who do you think it is?”
Her expression is tortured. “I don’t know. I’d say my brother because he got the longer sentence, but how could he have done it? He’s in prison. And Jace… well, he’s been out for a year. Why now? It makes no sense.”
Kynan’s gaze hardens. “Plenty of people in prison have ways of doing dirty deeds on the outside. If that team loyalty was as deep as you say it was, Jace, Ryan, Colton or all three could be doing this at Peter’s request.”
“Like I said,” Malik says, grabbing Mila’s phone from the desk. “No one is above suspicion. I’ll give this to Bebe. She’ll download all the data and I’ll have it back to you before you leave.”
Mila nods. “My password is—”
“No need,” Malik interrupts. “Passwords never stop Bebe.”
For some reason, that makes me feel pretty fucking good. I’m okay with these people bending the law to protect Mila. Malik gives us a stoic nod and leaves the office.
Kynan turns to his laptop and starts typing, presumably taking notes. As his fingers move over the keyboard, he asks, “Anything else I need to know?”
“The news article,” Mila says.
Fingers stilling on the keyboard, Kynan turns his attention to Mila in silent request to continue.
She explains about the reporter and her intent to out herself as a safety measure, figuring if the spotlight was on her, no one would be stupid enough to make a move. “Jillian did a good job with it,” she says, almost hesitantly. “I told her everything I could without naming Penn. I thought…” She swallows hard, eyes lowering. “I thought getting the truth out there would protect me.”
“Did it?” Kynan asks, his expression unreadable.
Mila’s lips press into a thin line. “Not the way I’d hoped.”
Kynan’s brow arches. “What kind of response have you had?”
Mila glances at me briefly before speaking. “It’s been… mixed.” She shifts in her seat, her eyes darting to me before landing back on Kynan. “Some people have been supportive. Strangers, mostly. They call me brave. But…” She trails off, her throat working as she swallows again.