Page 26

It was silent other than Elizabeth’s toddler chatter as I got us ready to go, loaded her up, and we headed out. I dropped her off at daycare with a kiss, then drove over to the studio, Justin’s black Porsche a constant presence in my rearview mirror.
He didn’t say a word, not even a wave, just waited until I was inside before driving away and heading south.
I shouldered my bag and moved toward my office, the only sounds the haunting melody of one of Jamie’s contemporary pieces floating through the air, as most classes didn’t start until later.
I flipped on the light in my office and dropped my bag in the corner, then circled behind my desk to boot up my computer so I could get a head start on the month’s accounting before all our parents started paying tuition.
I sat and took a breath, anxiety still humming through my system. I glanced up at the blinking green light on the studio’s security system that was mounted on my office wall, my eyes automatically drifting to the panic button. There was a matching panel near the front desk and an emergency exit in the back. I wondered what other things Justin would want—
I killed that thought right there. I was letting fear get the best of me.
“Hey, girl!”
I yelped and jumped in my seat when Whitney popped her head in my office.
Her eyes grew round. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just came in early, hoping you’d be here so I could check on you after all that weird stuff went down the other night.” She stepped inside and eyeballed me. “You okay?”
I sagged back in my chair. “I’m okay. Just a little jumpy, I guess.”
“That’s understandable. Did they figure out who tried to break in?”
“No, not yet.”
She sat across from me, concern all over her face. “Oh, crap. I’ll bet Sofia was so freaked out, too.”
“Yeah. I had her stay the night so she didn’t have to drive back to the dorms.”
“That’s good.”
I nodded, biting my lip.
“What is it? Did something else happen?”
My eyes darted behind her as the front door chimed and voices floated in and out. “Close the door?”
She seemed a little scared now as she rose and shut the door, then spun to face me. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you, but you need to keep this between us, Whit, okay?”
Her brows fell in a frown. “I’m confused. Why?”
“I’m serious.” I mimed zipping my lips.
“Fine. State secret. Got it.” She sat forward. “Spill it, sister.”
So I did. Waking up to slashed tires, the note, my brother calling in Justin, our plan. Everything.
She sat back, stunned. “So... who would’ve left a note like that? Lizzie’s father?” She tilted her head a bit accusatorily. “You’ve never told me who he is, you know.”
“Because he’s ancient history.”
“Maybe not.”
“Maybe—” A knock on my door interrupted us, so I rose to answer. “Look,” I lowered my voice. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I wanted to at least keep you in the loop with this because you’re my best friend and I knew you’d see right through this cover story. Plus, once you see him, you’d know we were never college friends.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I ignored that and opened the door to find Sofia.