Julian (Trinity Academy 4)

“I should probably give them something else to talk about.” Julian lifts his other hand to the back of my neck and pulls me closer. His mouth presses softly against mine in a sweet kiss.

When he pulls back, I grin up at him, feeling happy about how things are progressing between us.

We finally get to go in, and this time, I sit down at the piano with the full intention of actually learning something tonight.

Julian takes a seat beside me, and when I begin to practice the keys he already taught me, his phone starts to ring.

“You can take the call,” I say, my eyes not leaving the piano.

“I’ll be right back.” I hear him answer the phone as he walks out of the studio for some privacy.

I keep practicing, and every time I make a mistake, I mumble, “Shoot.”

Minutes later, Julian comes back in, and sitting down again, he says, “You have to end with C and C.”

“Which keys are those again?”

He places his hands on mine and starts from the beginning of the tune.

When we reach the end, I realize my mistake. “Ahh… that’s why it sounded weird. Got it now.”

I begin to practice again, trying to play faster, so it doesn’t sound so choppy.

Julian’s phone rings for a second time, which has me pausing to say, “You’re a busy man tonight.”

“Sorry,” he apologizes as he gets up. “I’m busy with an international deal, and there’s a time difference with the company being in Australia. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t worry.” When he hesitates, I gesture for him to hurry along before his phone stops ringing. Julian walks out of the studio, leaving the door open behind him.

I keep practicing, and a smile grows on my face when it starts to sound better.

“Miss Truman?”

I glance up, and seeing one of the janitors standing in the doorway, I frown.

“There’s a gas leak on campus. We’ve been asked to evacuate.”

“Crap, are you serious?” I get up from the bench and walk toward him.

“Yes.” He gestures toward the emergency exit at the back. “This way, please.”

“What about Mr. Reyes?” I glance up the hallway and not seeing Julian, I begin to worry.

“He’s already being escorted off-campus. We need to hurry.”

He left without me?

Julian wouldn’t leave me behind.

I stop before the emergency exit at the back of the building as a cold chill spreads over my body. My eyes dart to the janitor, and as I take a breath, he lunges for me. I don’t have time to react as the back of my head is slammed against the wall, and a wave of darkness engulfs meChapter 26That’s right, walk away.Julian“We’ve included the exchange rate for today, but it will obviously be adjusted on the day we sign the contract,” I say to the CEO of Lineage International. If we can close this deal, we’ll have a foot in the import and export industry.

Standing right outside the main entrance, something sounds off, and it has me saying, “Please hold for a moment, Ms. Van Acker.”

I pull the phone away from my ear and listen. When I don’t hear Jamie playing the piano, I walk back inside the building.

Looking into the studio, I don’t see her and glance up and down the hallway, as I call, “Jamie.”

When she doesn’t answer, I walk toward the back exit seeing as I was standing at the front the entire time I was on the call.

A glimpse of red on the wall up ahead catches my eye, and moving closer, I see blood. The sight sets off an explosion of emotions in my chest.

Cutting the call I’m on, I dial Hayden’s number as I run the short distance to the back exit.

As I push through the door, Hayden answers his phone.

“He has Jamie!” Glancing around, I see Brian, lying unconscious outside the building. I quickly move to him and kneeling down, I check for his pulse. “Brian is down but alive. Jamie can’t be far, though. I was only gone three minutes at the most.”

“You left her alone?” I hear the anger in Hayden’s voice, and it makes guilt weigh down on my shoulders.

I stood right by the front entrance of the music center.

How did I not hear anything?

Jamie would’ve put up a fight, she would’ve screamed.

“Get all the guards to help search for her,” Hayden snaps just as I see him running up ahead.

I make the call to campus security while I run to catch up with him.

Noticing that we’re heading toward the woods, I ask, “Do you really think he’d head this way with her?”

“Max is searching in the other direction in case he tries to leave the campus with her.” Pointing a finger at me, he snaps, “You wait for the guards. Have them form a wide perimeter when they search. I’m going ahead.”

I stop and watch as Hayden disappears into the trees, then glance back to see where the guards are.