Page 45 of Ice-Cold Obsession

I WAIT A LITTLE AFTERGabriel leaves, then I follow him. My heart’s pounding, and I’m not even sure what I’m doing. But something’s wrong. He played terribly, fumbled easy shots, and almost looked like he was throwing the game on purpose.

The campus is dark now, and most of the crowd from the game is already gone. I keep my distance and stay in the shadows as I go after Gabriel. He’s moving fast, his back hunched, and he doesn’t look back.

Is he’s going to sell drugs to someone? Because it sure as hell seems like it.

He turns off the main path and heads toward the back of campus, where the old maintenance buildings are. I follow, staying close to the buildings and using the darkness to hide. My breath is coming faster now, and I’m careful to keep my footsteps quiet.

Gabriel disappears around a corner into a narrow alley. I wait a few seconds, pressing myself against the brick wall, then creep forward and peek around the edge of the building.

There are cars with tinted windows parked in the alley. Men in suits are around them, and they’re definitely not college kids. One of them is smoking a cigarette, and the other is checking his phone, the screen illuminating his face.

Gabriel approaches them, and one of the men steps forward. Even from a distance, I can tell the man is tall and imposing. Gabriel stops a few feet away, and they start talking, but I’m too far away to hear anything.

I pull out my phone and open the camera, zooming in as much as I can. I try to steady it against the wall and start recording while I watch the screen. Gabriel’s still talking to one of the men.

Why are they meeting like this? If Gabriel’s dealing drugs, why does he have to run to meet them right after a game? Why are these men in suits and not in regular clothes? This doesn’t look like a normal drug deal, but something bigger and more organized.

I think about the texts he’s been getting. The mysterious messages that make him drop everything and leave. The way he always has to go immediately, no questions asked. And I think about Carla and the texts I saw. Vague, cryptic messages about meeting someone and being scared while unable to explain why.

What if they’re the same messages? What if the project Gabriel mentioned wasn’t about college at all? What if Carla and Gabriel weren’t dating? What if they were involved in something else that had nothing to do with romance or bullying?

But that doesn’t make any sense either. Carla wasn’t the type to get mixed up with shady drug people. She was careful and responsible, and she followed every rule and did everything right. She wouldn’t have gotten involved in something like this willingly.

Unless she didn’t have a choice and Gabriel forced her into it.

I keep recording and try to keep the phone as steady as possible. I’ve only seen Gabriel deal drugs once, and that seemed strange too. And tonight, he played weird. Was it on purpose for some reason? Or is something drug-related affecting him? Are his parents controlling him from prison? If they were drug trafficking, maybe they made him do it too. Family business and all that. Or maybe he’s gotten into it willingly, but he has to work with some super shady people that don’t like him.

I need to confront him and ask him what the fuck is going on. But I can’t just march up to him and demand answers. He’ll lie or make up some excuse about his friend needing meds or some other bullshit story, and I won’t get anywhere.

I need to do this the right way and make sure he doesn’t get away with anything. Maybe all of this has something to do with Carla or maybe it doesn’t.

One of the men turns suddenly and looks in my direction. I duck back behind the building. My heart races so fast that I can feel it in my throat.

Did he see me?

I hold my breath and wait. It’s better that I get back to safety before anyone spots me or Gabriel comes back this way. I keep to the shadows and retrace my steps as quickly and quietly as I can.

There’s one thing that’s bothering me. The pieces of info I’m getting aren’t fitting together the way I thought they would. I came here thinking Gabriel was a bully who drove my sister to suicide, but it might be something even darker.

I can’t let myself think that Gabriel might be innocent or a victim in all this, because he’s still hiding something and lying to me. And whatever he’s involved in probably got my sister killed.

What are you hiding, Gabriel? And what does it have to do with my sister?

I need answers, and maybe I know exactly how to get them.

Chapter 27

GABRIEL

“WE’RE GOING TO INTRODUCEScarlett to our little business,”hesays.

“No,” I blurt out.

The corners of his lips twitch. “You always speak before you think.”

“She’s not involved in this and doesn’t need to be.”

“She’s perfect for what we need. And as your girlfriend, you two could accomplish way more than you think.”