Julian (Trinity Academy 4)

Hayden must pick up on my unease because he walks toward me. “Is there a room we can talk in private?”

“Sure.” I get up and head toward the library.

When Hayden follows me inside, he shuts the door behind us, then bluntly asks, “Are you close with Jamie?”

I meet his unyielding gaze with one of my own. “Yes.”

When I don’t offer more information, he takes a step closer. “To what degree?”

Feeling that he doesn’t need to know every detail about our relationship, I reply, “I care for her.”

“We all care for her.” He takes another step forward, and it makes the corner of my mouth lift.

“Are you trying to intimidate me right now?”

The harsh lines around his mouth ease away as he smiles. “I need to know whether you’ll fight for her or run away if the time comes.”

I know he’s only doing his job, and I shouldn’t take his comment personally, but it still grinds against my gut. “I’ll fight for her.”

Our eyes remain locked for a moment, then he asks, “Have you ever handled a weapon?”

“I’ve been hunting with my father since I was thirteen.”

“I’m only asking so I know for future reference.” He lets out a breath, then walks over to the wall lined with books. Scanning over the novels, he asks, “Do you have any idea who this person might be?”

“No. I’ve had all the personnel files checked. No one stands out.”

“And the students?”

Walking over to him, I glance at my father’s collections. “They all come from the wealthiest families in America.”

Hayden turns to me. “Even the wealthy can be unstable.”

“True.” I know most of the families. “I can’t imagine it being one of the students.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” he murmurs.

With surprise, I look at him. “You think the person will try something with you here?”

“I know.” Hayden crosses his arms. “I think this person has killed before. They’re patient enough to not make a mistake. It takes more than one kill to learn that kind of patience.” Bringing his eyes to mine, he continues, “You don’t stop hunting, especially if you’ve wounded your prey. Us being here will only make him more determined to get to Jamie. She was his prey first, and he won’t like sharing.”

Fuck. It’s hard to hear the facts.

“While we wait, Jamie should return to her normal routine. It will draw the perpetrator out into the open.”

With everything Hayden just told me, it escalated my worry. I’ll have to talk with Mason to take over some of my work for the time being, because I’ll be spending every night with Jamie.Chapter 24Hello, beautiful.JamieWhen I walk into the suite with Julian, Hayden, and Max, Kingsley stops chewing on a string of Twizzlers, and her mouth drops open. The piece of candy falls onto her lap as she stares wide-eyed at the two Navy Seals.

Swallowing hard, she then tilts her head. “You looked so badass coming in with an entourage.”

“And here I was hoping no one would notice,” I joke, knowing every student on campus probably knows I’m back and being guarded.

“Hayden and Max are family friends.” I gesture to the couch. “Kingsley is one of my roommates and Mason’s girlfriend.”

They greet each other while I take a moment to drop my bag on my bed.

When I walk back into the living room, Julian takes hold of my hand, which has Kingsley’s eyebrows popping up. “Oooh… I missed something good.”

“Let’s show Hayden and Max to their suite,” Julian cuts in before I have to try and explain our relationship to Kingsley.

Before I shut the door behind us, I wink at Kingsley. “We’ll talk before bed.”

“We better!” she calls after me.

Walking toward the elevator, Hayden asks, “Can we take the stairs down.”

“Sure.”

We pause on the first step when Hayden checks the door and glances over the ceiling. “There’s only the one camera?”

“There’s one on every floor and in the hallways,” Julian offers the information.

“None in the rooms, right?” Max asks.

“None. Privacy laws and all.” Julian leads the way to the suite, which is opposite Preston’s.

As Julian swipes the card, Preston’s door opens, and he freezes the moment he sees us.

“Eve… evening, Sir… Sirs… Jamie,” he stammers, his eyes wide on Hayden and Max.

“Preston,” Julian greets with a nod, then glancing at Hayden, he explains, “Preston is my brother’s assistant. He found the cameras.”

“You did?” Max asks, taking a step closer to Preston.

When Preston’s face pales, I walk to his side and hook an arm through his because I know how intimidating Max can be.

“I did… Sir.”

Max lifts a finger to the jagged scar across his temple and rubs over it as if he’s deep in thought. “How did you know to look for cameras?”

Preston swallows so hard I can hear it, then he adjusts his glasses. “I saw a YouTube video about hidden cameras, and since then, I always check.”