Keera’s nerves were frayed as she watched Arden and his brother huddle together away from the group of kids. What were they discussing? Did he still think she had anything to do with this?
She’d been so confident nothing amiss was happening, and just that quickly she’d been proven wrong. Had the drugs been brought in since the night before? She couldn’t remember if she and Arden had walked this path with his dog the previous night. She’d been incredibly shaken, though, so she could definitely give herself a break for not remembering all the details.
She’d come to this town for a fresh start—to become a new person. But it seemed her past wasn’t something she could outrun. For now, she had to keep her fears and worries locked tightly away. There were kids who needed reassurance, and cops who needed answers. And it would be great if they didn’t think she was the guilty party in all this. She could see how they’d believe that, since she was so new—and since she did have a past.
One of the kids looked up, determination in her eyes as she faced Keera. “I noticed Jeff Engel hanging in this area even though his locker’s around the corner,” Deanna said.
Only a few tense moments had passed since Keera had pleaded with the kids for any kind of information that would lead to who was behind this, but it seemed a lifetime with how frayed Keera’s nerves were.
“That’s just gossip, Deanna,” another of the students growled, glaring at the girl. “Jeff’s been getting his shit together.”
“Let her speak, Mitch,” Keera sternly told him. She’d speak to all the kids one-on-one, if need be, but for now she needed to figure out who knew anything that might help the case. All of the students were obviously afraid to rock the boat.
“I just saw him in this area,” Deanna insisted, though her voice had lowered, and she was now looking at the floor. The shy girl didn’t normally step up, and Keera was proud of her.
“Yeah, well, I hang around areas my locker isn’t at, too. Does that mean I’m dealing dope?” Mitch snapped.
Deanna seemed to sink within herself as she took a step back. Keera wanted to pull Mitch aside and tell him to keep his mouth shut, but instead, she studied him. Maybe he knew more than he was letting on. When he noticed her full attention had turned to him, he stood his ground and glared at her. He was an angry boy to begin with, and having any adult try to put him in his place infuriated the teen.
“Do you know something you aren’t sharing, Mitch?” Keera questioned. “All we want is to ensure the safety of the school,” she added. He obviously came in on weekends, so this place was a refuge to him as well as the others. She figured none of them would want to mess with that.
“I don’t think it’s a student at all. It’s not like people can’t come and go as they please,” Mitch said.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“There’s always a door open. If a person looks long enough, they’ll get in, whether there’s anyone else in here or not,” he said.
Keera’s eyes narrowed. This wasn’t good news—and certainly not what she wanted to hear. Was more going on in her school than she’d realized?
“We lock up every day,” Keera told him.
“The gym door is hardly ever locked. The coaches are constantly running extra classes, doing weight lifting and stuff, and I think they just figure someone is always here,” another girl said. She was on the volleyball team, and Keera knew they were required to lift weights twice a week.
“We always lock up when we leave,” Arden said from behind her.
“Not all the coaches are as thorough as you,” Mitch said with a grin.
“And how are you so aware of this?” Arden questioned the kid. “You aren’t on any of the teams and shouldn’t be going through that door.”
The boy tried to keep his composure, but it wasn’t as easy to do with Arden as it apparently had been with her. She hated the lack of respect she sometimes got from the students. But because she was small, and young, they tended to seek out the older, male staff members more than her. That would one day change, she assured herself.
“Come on, Mr. Forbes, it’s not like I have information that everyone here doesn’t have,” Mitch said, not seeming quite so tough now as he realized the hot water he was in.
Declan stepped forward and eyed the boy, and Mitch shifted on his feet, clearly wanting to be anywhere but where he was.
“Do you have anything useful for us?” Declan asked. Even the way Arden’s brother spoke was enough to send shivers down their spines. He was a man of power, and there was no denying it.
“No. I’m sorry,” Mitch said. “Can I go? I promised my mom I’d be home by now.”
Declan paused for several moments, and the boy shifted again. All of the students were looking at the ground now. Even if they hadn’t done anything wrong, with the way Declan was studying them, it probably made them feel as if they had.
“You’re all dismissed,” Declan said, and there was a visible sigh of relief until he spoke his next words. “For now.”
Mitch and the remaining students practically ran from the scene, all of them knowing they could be questioned again. They were probably regretting hanging around to see what was happening. In this case, out of sight, out of mind seemed a much better option.
“I’m going to check on things. I’ll see you in a few,” Declan said before he left.
Keera watched the intimidating man walk away and felt herself wanting to flee with the rest of the kids. That seemed to be preferable right now. Arden was quiet for a few moments before he spoke.
“My brother would like us to come down to his office,” Arden said.
“I can’t leave,” Keera told him. The police were still working, and she had to make sure the school was cleared out—and locked.
“I can take care of everything here,” Ethan said, finally deciding to make another appearance.
“You need to come in, too,” Arden said, making Ethan’s eyes narrow.
“Why?” the vice principal asked. “I have no information.”
“You’re here as much as I am, Ethan. You might have info you’re not even aware of until someone asks the right question,” she said, hoping to appease the irritated man. “You’ve been at this school for a long time.”
“Maybe I’ve been here too long,” Ethan grumbled. “It seems the kids are getting worse the more the years go on. Drugs used to not be such a big deal. Sure, the occasional hit of pot would happen, or someone would find it funny to slip a mushroom into their soup, but this hard stuff, this new day and age . . .” He stopped talking as he shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
Keera didn’t know what to say. Had he been doing this job too long? Would she feel the same as he did after running a school for ten or fifteen years? She certainly hoped not. She loved her job and wanted to continue feeling that way. She loved her students and doubted that would ever change. One bad apple shouldn’t ruin it for everyone else.
“Let’s get the school closed up and make sure the kids are out. Then we can go speak to the authorities. The sooner this problem gets solved, the sooner it will go back to normal,” Keera said to both Ethan and Arden.
“We’re finished here,” the techs said as the locker was shut. The evidence was fully contained, and they had plenty of it to analyze. If anything turned up from it, then they were on their way to solving this mystery.
Arden thanked them, and they walked to the front doors. Keera and Ethan began clearing the school. Not many students were left, and it didn’t take them long to get the building locked up. Ethan took off out the back with a grumbled promise to meet her.
Keera stepped outside, finding Arden leaning against his car, Max sitting at his heels. She wanted to walk past him, suddenly feeling more tired than she had in a long while.
“Why don’t we ride together?” Arden asked as he opened his passenger door.
“I’m good. I have my car,” she told him.
“Let’s save fuel, and we can discuss what I missed while you were speaking to the kids,” he said, placing his hand on her lower back and steering her inside the vehicle.
She either had to crawl in or have his body pressed against her back. She decided to jump into the seat. Yeah, it was going to play hell on her senses to sit next to him, but it wasn’t a long ride, and she was a bit too shaky to be driving, anyway.
Arden shut her door, then let Max into the back seat. She could feel Max’s hot breath on the back of her neck as she pulled her seat belt over her with shaky fingers. Whether or not Arden felt as if she was an outsider unfit to run his school, she had been hired for the job, and she intended to keep it.
Keera didn’t know what to think. All she knew for sure was there was a problem, and the sooner they got to the bottom of it, the sooner everything could get back to normal—whatever normal was.
Though his excuse to give her a ride had been for them to talk, the drive was ominously quiet as they made their way through town to one of the older government buildings. Keera hadn’t seen Declan leave the school, but she had no doubt he’d beat them there. Arden’s brother was intense—and that was putting it mildly.
Arden parked the car, and Keera felt as if she were being led down the green mile as he walked next to her into the dark building, passing several people who nodded at them but didn’t say anything.
“How’s your brother involved in this?” Keera asked. She didn’t know much about the Forbes family, to tell the truth, just what was said through the gossip channels. She knew they put a lot into the community, and knew they were ridiculously wealthy, but from what she’d heard, they also seemed to lead normal lives.
Of course, could you really call it a normal life when they owned private jets and took off to another country for a weekend picnic? Sure, they might work what most would call regular jobs, but they had big toys, as well. She’d grown up with wealth, and she knew exactly what that could do, and often did, to a family.
“Declan’s FBI, but he doesn’t share much about what he does,” Arden said with a chuckle.
“He doesn’t share with his own family?” she questioned.
“Top secret,” Arden said with a wink.
“So this is a federal office?” Keera asked, feeling like the walls were closing in on her.
“Not officially,” Arden said.
Keera had nothing to hide—not really. But her past was coming back to haunt her, and she felt a deep-rooted fear that she was going to be hauled away to some secret chamber, never to be seen again.
Arden led Keera into a small room with windows up high and an old table with rickety-looking chairs sitting on both sides of it. She was cold as she fought the urge to run from the room. Ethan was sitting at the table, looking completely put out. She knew exactly how he felt.
Declan Forbes stood in the corner of the room where he could view the doorway and the table—where he was making it clear he was in control. His hands were clasped behind his back as if he was trying to give the appearance of being at ease, but the intense look in his eyes told her he was a man who never let down his guard.
She moved a little closer to Arden, wanting some of his natural light to infuse her. As much as she was trying to keep her distance from Arden, she was also finding herself wanting to lean on him. That made her uneasy.
“Please get comfortable,” Declan told them, though his gaze was boring into her. Another shiver racked her body. There was no way she wanted to make herself comfortable. The moment this was over, she was out of there.
With reluctance, Keera sat on the edge of her seat, her back ramrod straight, her gaze focused on the scratches in the table. She didn’t want to look at anyone. She knew that was a sign of guilt in any interrogation, but she didn’t even care right now. There was too much stress and fear running through her to try to hide it.
“Do either of you have any idea how the drugs got into your school?” Declan asked. He didn’t come to the table, didn’t try to make them feel as if they were all friends. No. This was an interrogation, and he was letting them know they were suspects.
“I didn’t know we had a problem,” Keera answered. “I’d like to know how you got wind of it before I did.”
When Declan didn’t answer, she looked up. His gaze was on Ethan, but it switched to her as if he knew she was looking at him.
“I don’t give out sources,” Declan said, making her feel as if he’d slapped her.
“There’s no need to be rude,” Arden reprimanded his brother.
“I’ve found in my line of work it’s better to be honest and to the point,” Declan said. He turned his attention back to Ethan, who hadn’t spoken.
“There’s no way of knowing how the damn drugs got into the school. Hell, half the students are up to no good. I wouldn’t put it past some of the staff members, either. There’s a bunch of small-minded townies who don’t have a lot of ethics in this community,” Ethan said, not trying to hide his disdain for the place he’d grown up.
“That’s not true,” Keera defended. “People in general are good at heart. This one incident shouldn’t condemn our entire school.”
“What do you really know? You haven’t been here that long,” Ethan said. He’d never been so rude to her, and she didn’t know how to take it.
Keera’s back stiffened even more, though she didn’t know how that was possible. It was this room, and it was the feeling of being judged. Her fear was beginning to diminish as anger took its place.
“I might be new to this town, but I’ve committed myself to this school, and especially to these students. I won’t stop until I get to the bottom of this mess, and I will ensure this doesn’t happen again,” she said, making sure she looked all three of the men in the eyes so they’d take her seriously. “Is there just a drug problem at the school, or are they running rampant through the town?” she pushed.
It looked as if there was a hint of respect in the expressions of both Arden and Declan. Ethan grumbled something as if he wasn’t hearing her. He was so bitter, and she didn’t understand it.
“We’re focused on the school right now,” Declan said, not answering her question.
“If you want my help, then I need all the information,” she pushed.
“You’ll get the info you need,” Declan said. Though the words were harsh, the tone wasn’t. She sat back and stared him down.
“I will solve the problems at my school. Why don’t you focus on the town?” she challenged him. It almost appeared as if he smiled before the expression was wiped from his face.
“How do you think you can stop anything at your school when you didn’t even realize there was a problem?” Declan asked. His tone had calmed, but she still felt judged by him.
“I’ll talk to the school board about security measures. I’ll also speak to the students as a group about the dangers of drugs, and one-on-one for those I think need it,” she said. The more she sat there, the more plans formed.
“We could frisk the kids as they enter the school,” Ethan volunteered, glee in his expression at the thought.
“No,” Keera said, her voice rising. “School should be a safe haven for these students. I won’t make them feel as if they’re criminals.”
“I agree,” Declan said, surprising her. “I don’t believe students are responsible for this.”
“You obviously don’t know who in the hell is responsible,” Ethan snarled. “Or you wouldn’t be wasting our time.”
Declan’s eyes narrowed, and though Ethan was annoying her, Keera felt sorry for the man. She certainly wouldn’t want to be getting that icy-cold glare from the huge man who obviously held a lot of power.
“Max will be a fixture at the school until this matter is solved. I don’t want any complaints,” Declan said. He again looked at both her and Ethan, but his gaze stayed on Ethan far longer than on her.
“I’ll have to check the books to make sure that’s okay,” Ethan said, not willing to cede any of his vice principal power.
“I just told you it’s okay, so it is,” Declan said.
Ethan mumbled under his breath, but Keera didn’t hear what he said. She was sure it wasn’t anything friendly aimed at the FBI agent—or the entire Forbes family, for that matter.
“If you hear of anything pertaining to the matter, you need to notify me immediately,” Declan told them.
“Yes, of course,” Keera readily agreed.
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Ethan said with sarcasm.
“I think that should be all for now,” Declan said, obviously having had enough of Ethan.
“Really? That’s all?” Ethan asked. “You just wanted to bring us down here for a smoke show, to exert your power?” he added. He stood up so quickly his chair flew backward. “Next time don’t bother.”
With that he stomped from the room, probably proud he’d seemingly gotten the last word. Maybe it made him feel as if he was better than the brothers, and Keera wondered if he had a history with them.
“That was entertaining,” Arden said as he rose.
Though Keera’s knees were a bit shaky, she stood as well, almost grateful when Max nudged a little closer to her as if making sure he’d be there if she fell. She reached out and petted his head, looking down at his shining eyes.
“I like Max being at the school. He’s a good boy,” she said.
“Yeah, with you,” Arden grumbled.
A sound almost like laughter escaped Declan’s throat, and Keera looked at him in shock. He was gazing at the dog, a look of amusement shining in his eyes. It transformed the man’s face into something she might even call handsome if the guy didn’t intimidate her so damn much.
“Is the dog giving you trouble, little brother?” Declan asked.
“Not at all,” Arden said, tugging on Max’s leash. The dog didn’t budge from his position where Keera was still petting him.
“Hmm, okay,” Declan said, his eyes still shining.
“Let’s go,” Arden said to Keera. The moment she began walking, Max stood and trailed after them. Arden grumbled something about women and power, but she didn’t catch all of it.
She let out her first breath of relief when they exited the building. She wouldn’t breathe easy again until this was completely over. She hoped it was much sooner rather than later. And she hoped her past didn’t cast a shadow over the real criminals, because if they focused on her, this would never be solved. She was innocent—but someone out there obviously wasn’t.