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He risked his freedom for nothing.

Deep breath. Concentrate.

Helping him. That’s my main goal in this life. I wasn’t able to do so in the past.

Those days are gone. This person I’ve become will do everything in my power to protect him.

No matter what.

Playing dumb, I ask, “What about Marina?”

I have to get to him. I have to convince him to go somewhere safe. Where he won’t hurt me or violate me to shut me up.

My home. In long, fast strides, I head out of the campus gates and toward my SUV.

“They say she’s dead.” A sob tears out of her. “They found her car and h-h-h—Oh God. Oh, Jesus.”

Her sobs become shrieks that break my heart into a million tiny pieces. Val has always been good to me. Her pain reaches my soul and tugs.

Marina’s death, not so much.

She did insist on getting my brother locked up.

“What?” Information is power, and I’m going to get it. Kaleb could use it. “What is it, Val?”

“She didn’t show up at work this morning.” Heels click in the background. Wherever she is, she’s pacing the floor. “Her dad tracked her phone. It died sometime last night, but the last location, it was in this awful neighborhood. He and one of the security men from his company went there.” A sharp intake of air. “Her car was burned to the ground, Shi. And there were two dead bodies inside it.”

Anger. Fear. A touch of sadness. I’m overwhelmed by it all. He’s gaining confidence; that’s what Marina and her date’s deaths mean. He doesn’t care about being caught.

I throw a glance backward, making sure I’m alone. I am.

Me and the sickening feeling of being stalked. Me and my knife in my palm.

She was wrong to talk about him the way she did.

And it’s sick that I understand where Kaleb’s coming from. Why he killed her.

Then again, if I really, truly think about it, it wasn’t just Eddy and Marina I was furious with.

It was me.

For years, my dad’s been semi-successful at brainwashing me against Kaleb. Through abuse and conditioning, during the few times I was allowed to visit my home, he infiltrated my head.

For the most part, he managed to mess with me. I never thought Kaleb was a monster, but I’d learned to tremble whenever his name was mentioned.

I shouldn’t have.

I don’t anymore. I’ll accept whatever punishments he deems fit.

I would have gladly killed Eddy for what he said about him.

What saved him from that fate, if I’m being honest, is the fact that we weren’t alone in the classroom. I understand Kaleb, very much so. I’m just pissed that, once again, he risked his freedom for me.

“Fuck.” The concern in my voice isn’t for Marina. It’s for Kaleb. The large campus gates appear in the distance. I’ll be in my car soon. “Fuck.”

“Where are you? I’m freaking out. Everything is crashing down on me. I can’t lose you too.”

“I feel sick to my stomach.” Sick over the thought of Kaleb getting caught. “Listen, I’m on my way home from college. I’m going to run to my car. I have to hang up.”