Page 218 of Things We Left Behind

“I’m fine,” she assured me.

“What happened?” Nash asked.

“A little altercation in the cafeteria,” she said dully. “It happens.”

“We need to get you out of here. I’m calling Fran,” I decided.

“Don’t,” Mary Louise said, her voice suddenly sharp. She shook her head. “No more calls. No more petitions. No more meetings. I’m done.”

“What are you saying?” I whispered, sinking back into my chair.

“Did someone threaten you, Mary Louise?” Nash asked.

Her gaze shifted to the door. “I’m saying it’s best for everyone if I serve out the rest of my sentence.”

“No,” I said firmly. “We’re so close, Mary Louise. Don’t you want to see Allen graduate?”

She shook her head again, tears welling in her eyes. “It was foolish of me to hope. There are better ways for you to spend your money. Other people you can help. I can do another nine years.”

She said it like she was trying to convince herself.

I looked at Nash with desperation.

But he shook his head at me, his eyes all cop.

“Listen to me, Mary Louise,” I tried again. “We’ll figure this out. I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe. Just don’t make any decisions yet until I see what I can do.”

“You don’t understand. Ineedto stay here. Ineedyou to stop helping.”

“We can’t just leave her in there,” I said, jogging to keep up with Nash as we headed toward his SUV.

“Just let me think, Sloaney.”

“She’s obviously being threatened. Someone attacked her, and now all of a sudden, she doesn’t want us to help?”

“I know. Calm down and shut up so I can think.”

“We don’t have time to think!”

Nash stopped, and I ran into his broad back. He turned to face me. “Honey, I know. But you need to understand, you getting attacked the same day that Mary Louise gets jumped is not a coincidence. They might be focusing their threats on the two of you, but that doesn’t mean you’re the only two targets.”

“Allen,” I said, realization dawning.

He nodded. “And Lina. And Naomi. And Maeve. And anyone else involved in this case.”

I closed my eyes. “Damn it. She’d never risk Allen, let alone anyone else.”

“You call Fran,” Nash said, unlocking the doors and pulling out his phone.

“Who are you calling?” I demanded.

He looked me dead in the eyes. “Who do you think?”

“What the hell is Lucian going to do?”

“He’s the only one I can think of with the strings to pull to get her and Allen the protection they need immediately.”

He was right.