Chapter 33
GAbrIEL
SCARLETT'S BEEN GONE too long. I pace up and down her dorm room, and I know something's wrong. I can feel it in my gut.
Maybe she's just being careful and taking her time to make sure no one follows her. But it's dark outside now, and she should've been back by now.
What if they found her? What if they figured out what we did and went after her?
I need to find her. But going out there is risky. If they're looking for me and they've already figured out the video was fake, then I'll be walking straight into their hands. But I can't just sit here and do nothing. Not when Scarlett could be in danger because of me.
I grab a hoodie and pull it on, then put my jacket over it. I tug the hood up to hide my face and head for the door.
Once I’m outside, I keep my head down and stick to the shadows. If the mafia is looking for me, I can't make it easy for them to find me.
I check the rink first. The building is locked and dark, but I peer through the windows anyway, searching for any sign of Scarlett.
Nothing.
I slip into the library and quickly check around.
Nope. Not there either.
Where is she?
I think about calling my parents just to make sure they're okay and to hear their voices. But I can't, because if I call them, the mafia will know I wasn’t really kidnapped and that the video is fake.
For a long time, I've been doing this mostly on my own, trusting no one and keeping everyone at a distance. It's safer that way for them and for me. Every time I've let someone get close, something bad happens. My brother died. My parents went to prison. And now Scarlett...
But Scarlett changed something. She made me think it's possible to confide in people and trust them. She came here to make me pay, but she ended up staying, helping me, and believing me.
If she's in trouble because of me, then I need help.
I can't do this alone anymore.
I head across the campus toward Zyair's dorm. This could be a mistake and blow up in my face, but I don't have any other options.
When I find his door, I knock. For a moment, nothing happens, so I knock again, harder this time.
The door opens. Zyair is in his sweatpants and a t-shirt, and his eyes widen when he sees me. "Gabriel? What are you doing here? I thought you were sick."
"I need to talk to you."
He studies my face and then steps aside. "Come in."
I close the door behind me. The room is a mess, with clothes scattered on the floor and textbooks lying everywhere. Zyair sits on his bed, his eyebrows raised and his mouth pressed into a tight line.
"What's going on, man? You look like hell,” he says.
I take a deep breath. "There's something I should've told you a long time ago."
"Okay..."
"My family owned a shop in a rough part of town.
One day the mafia came in, demanding we pay for protection.
My dad refused." I swallow hard. "They came back and trashed the place.
Broke everything. We couldn't afford the repairs, so we started paying them.
But by then, we were already drowning in debt. "
Zyair leans forward, his jaw going slack.
"We tried to go to the cops, but the mafia came to our house." My voice gets quieter. "They opened fire. My brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He died right in front of me."
"Fuck," Zyair whispers.
"After that, they owned us. My parents had to start moving product for them and running whatever jobs the mafia needed done.
Eventually my parents got busted in a different city and went to prison.
The debt became mine. And the mafia has connections everywhere, so if I step out of line, my parents are the ones who suffer. "
Zyair's face has gone pale. "What the fuck, man?"
"They needed someone in the hockey world because of gambling.
That's where I come in. I throw games, manipulate scores, and make sure the right team wins. And I have to take out anyone who gets in the way of their bets. Sometimes those bets aren’t even hockey-related, but are more like a popularity contest."
His jaw tightens. "So... me?"
"Yeah, they ordered me to sabotage you and get you off the team. I’m not sure why, because they never explain anything."
"And what happens if you don't play along?"
"One time I accidentally scored when I wasn't supposed to, so they sent my dad to the hospital with broken ribs. Every time I mess up, they punish my parents or me. Do you know why I sometimes stay on the ice after practice or why I wait until everyone’s out of the locker room? Because I have to hide the bruises."
Zyair's mouth opens slightly, and he runs his hand over his face. "That’s insane."
"There was another student last year. Carla. Maybe you remember her. They used her to plant stories and control what got published. She ended up dead. Officially, it’s a suicide, and I guess she couldn’t deal with the pressure, but who knows."
"Holy shit," Zyair breathes.
"Now they've got their eyes on Scarlett. They saw us together and realized she'd be perfect for them. A photographer who can shape how things look and control what people believe. They ordered me to get close to her and make it official. I would've wanted to anyway, but they forced the timeline."
Zyair gets to his feet. "I don’t know what to say. That’s beyond fucked up."
"I need your help," I say. "Scarlett and I faked a kidnapping video to try to get free of the mafia. We sent it to them and made it look like their rival got me. But now Scarlett’s gone. She left hours ago and she hasn't come back. I think they took her."
His eyes bulge. "Okay. Okay, let's get the whole team to help. This is about all of us. If they're controlling you, they could be controlling other people too. And if they took Scarlett, we need to find her."
I nod.
"We'll call everyone, get them here, and figure out a plan."
"What if they don't believe me?"
"They'll believe you. Look at you, man. You're a mess. No one fakes this."
He pulls out his phone and starts texting. I watch him, feeling numb. This is really happening, and it’s surreal. After keeping my secret for so long and handling everything on my own, I'm finally asking for help.
But all I can think about is Scarlett. Where is she? What are they doing to her? Is she hurt? Is she scared?
Is she alive?
I won't forgive myself if anything happens to her. This is all my fault. If I hadn't set my eyes on her, maybe they wouldn't have noticed her. Maybe she'd be safe right now instead of wherever they took her.
I should've convinced her to leave or pushed her away earlier. But I was selfish because I wanted her in my life. I wanted to feel less alone.
And now she's paying the price for it.
"Gabriel," Zyair says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "We're going to find her. I promise. Maybe she’s still somewhere on campus."
I nod, but I don't believe it. Because the mafia doesn't let people go. And if they have her, I don't know if I'll ever see her again.
And that thought makes me sick.
SOON, HALF THE TEAM is crammed into Zyair's dorm room, and they all look confused and worried.
"What's going on?" Taj asks.
I take a deep breath and tell them everything. The store, the mafia, my brother, my parents, the debt... Then fixing games, the sabotage, the threats... Carla. Scarlett. All of it.
When I'm done, the room is silent.
“We’ll find her,” Taj says.
"How?" I ask. "We don't even know where she is."
"Then we figure it out," Leonardo says. "We’ll start looking and ask around. Someone had to see something."
"They're not going to make it easy," I say. "They never do."
"It doesn't matter," Zyair says. "We're not abandoning you."
I look around the room at my teammates. I've been lying to them and sabotaged them, and they’re still here, willing to help me.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
"Don't thank us yet," Taj says. "Do it when we find Scarlett."
"And we will find her," Zyair adds. "We're a team. That's what we do."
I feel a small flicker of hope. Maybe they can help me find her, since they don’t have to hide like I do and they can just ask around.
But the fear is still there, gnawing at me. Because I know what the mafia is capable of, and I know what they do to people who get in their way.
And Scarlett got in their way because of me.
How will I ever be able to live with myself if something happens to her?