Page 19 of Die for You

But I’d quit playing tomorrow, quit watching it and never talk about it again, if that’s what she needed.

“You don’t care about me.” She jerks out of my grasp. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know a lot more than you think.”

She glowers at me and spins on her heel without another word, stomping off.

I follow. She has no idea how far I’d follow her. “Someday, I’ll know everything.”

In the lockerroom before practice, I keep checking my phone. What if that motherfucker saw me with Aurora? What if he followed her back to her apartment? I fucking hate that she’s out of my sight. That he came to her fucking campus, pretending like he was the loving boyfriend picking up his girlfriend after class.

“What’s up?” Knox nods down at the phone I’m white-knuckling.

“Met Aurora’s ex today.”

Both Knox and Finn freeze. “Where?”

“Asshole was hanging out on campus. Acting like she’s still his.” I want to throw my phone at the fucking wall, but I’ll wait until we hit the ice to take out my aggression. “He’s Jeremiah Crowder.”

“The NHL player?” Luke’s eyes widen.

“Yup.”

“You should kill him,” Trey suggests, voice flat as he heads for the ice. “Let me know if you need assistance.”

Luke shakes his head. “I hate when I agree with that guy.”

When Luke follows Trey out of the locker room, I nod to Finn. “You find anything?”

He’s been digging into Aurora’s digital footprint. If anyone can find the information we need, the details she’s so unwilling to give, it’s Finn.

Wordlessly, he pulls out his phone and shows me and Knox his screen. An obituary. I hiss through my teeth when I read the names.

“Shit,” Knox mutters. “Bothher parents. This says she was only eleven when they died.”

Finn nods before stuffing his phone back in his locker.

My heart sinks. Aurora has been alone in this world since she waseleven. Then she ends up with a miserable asshole who treats her like shit, with no one to help her get away from him. No one else to lean on. She deserves so much better.

I check the cameras on my phone again. We hid a few in her apartment while she was in class. An extra security measure. She needs our protection.

So what if it means we can watch her waltz around at night in her silky tank and panties too?

Knox and Finn lean over to check out the footage. In the living room, Aurora drags the bow over her violin, a beautiful melody crooning out. The way she plays makes pride swell in my chest.

“She’s safe,” Knox confirms.

A soprano voice floats out from the speaker, soft and ethereal. My heart damn near stops. “She sings?”

Jesus, she really is a fucking angel. I never would’ve guessed she could sing like that.

Knox grins as he grabs his phone from his locker, the ringing echoing off the metal when he puts it on speaker.

On the camera feed, Aurora sets down her violin and checks her phone on the counter. She frowns before holding it in front of her mouth with a frown. “Hello?”

“Louder,” Knox tells her.

“What?”