Tempting the Player (Campus Wallflowers Book 4)
Tempting the Player: Chapter 41

Knox waits with me in the security tent. He was a big help today with setup and being another body to get shit done.

“Thank you,” I say as I take a seat next to him.

He has his phone out and is watching a video clip of a race. Not once since I’ve been back has he mentioned it, but I think he still misses competing.

“You still keep up with any of your old racing friends?” I ask him.

“Not really.” He closes the video, and we sit silently for a few minutes before I decide I should tell him about my upcoming trip to L.A.

After I give him the details, his expression is far less excited than I expected for a guy that’s been pushing me out the door for months. The only thing he says is, “Does Jane know yet?”

“Yeah. She knows.”

“I’m sure you two will figure it out, and in the meantime there’s always FaceTime sex.”

“It’s only for a few days. I’ll be back Wednesday night.” Though FaceTime sex sounds kind of fun. The thought makes me smile because it’s such a Jane thought. Always up for whatever. I love that about her.

He sits forward. “Why?”

“That was the quickest turnaround I could make work. I’ll fly out Sunday and then tryouts⁠—”

“No, no, no. Why are you coming back at all? Don’t you need to stay and get ready for the season?”

“It’s a tryout. Nothing is official. Besides, I haven’t decided if it’s even what I want. Hopefully this trip will give me some clarity.”

“What you want?” One of his brows lifts as he regards me.

“Yeah. I’m considering letting go of all that for good.”

“And doing what? Are you going to be Jane’s bodyguard for the rest of your life?”

My jaw hardens. “I was thinking about sticking around. I could help out more with Flynn and the house, which I think we both know is needed. Flynn is barely going to pass tenth grade.”

“He’ll pass. He always does.”

“He’s capable of so much more.” I check the time on my phone. The band is taking a long ass time. Though I saw the bottle of Fireball they were passing around, so I’m sure they’re celebrating as they pack up the equipment.

“I don’t get you, man. You’ve been busting your ass for years for this opportunity and now that it’s here you’re acting like you don’t want it or you want to sacrifice it all to come back here and play big brother. What was the past four years about if not for this moment with football?” He gets up and storms to the other side of the tent. Typical Knox, running away from a conversation when he’s annoyed (which is almost always).

I follow him, cornering him so he can’t leave again. “I’m sorry that I haven’t visited more and I’m sorry that when I left you had to give up everything to step up in my place. I can’t change the past four years, but I can help take some of the load now so you can chase some of your dreams too.”

He shoots me an annoyed glare. “It isn’t about any of that.”

“Then what the hell is the problem?” I’m ready to finally have this fucking out. I’ll own my mistakes, if he can stand here and have it out with me long enough to hear them. My phone vibrates with an incoming call. I check it expecting Jane, but instead it’s Logan. “One sec.”

I accept the call with trepidation. My boss isn’t big on small talk. If he’s calling, it’s because he has information. “Hey, Logan. What’s up?”

“I finally got a hit on E. Rex Sean. He popped up again this morning, but this time he was dumb enough to use his own computer to order a gift basket that was sent to Jane at the concert tonight.”

“And?” My pulse thrums quickly.

“Registered to a Ted Amos. He was also on the list of users that logged into the library computer the day of the email. Pretty sure it’s our guy.”

“Ted?” The picture of the skinny, tattooed drummer flashes before me.

“You know him then?”

“Yeah, I fucking know him. He’s one of the guys in the band.” Fuuuuck, he’s one of the guys in the band. “She’s with them right now tearing down the equipment from the show.”

His tone hardens. “What do you need?”

“Send me everything you have.” I’m gonna kill him. I run out of the tent. Knox is right on my heels.

I hang up with Logan and immediately try Jane’s cell. It goes to voicemail after a handful of rings. “She’s not answering her phone.”

“Other people are with them. I’m sure she’s fine. They’re probably still finishing up.” Knox’s voice is tight but confident.

I want to believe he’s right, but I have a sinking feeling in my gut.

“It’s been too long. I should have realized something was wrong.” Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Jane!” I yell. Campus has cleared out from the Spring Fling. The booths are all torn down and all that remains of the stage is some yellow tape and cones where they had the front of the library blocked for the band.

From there I run toward the tent they had set up for the band to chill in before and after. It’s still standing, but when I get inside, it’s also empty. Dammit. I place both hands on top of my head and turn in a circle.

Some chairs, a couple of tables, a few water bottles left on tables and the floor. But no sign of Jane. I call her again. Spinning around, heart pounding in my chest, I listen to that damn ringtone while I try not to smash my phone into pieces. A flicker of light catches my eye in the back of the tent. I hurry toward it. The sight of Jane’s phone on the floor makes my heart stop and that uneasy feeling in my stomach turns into ice cold dread as I pick it up. Something isn’t right, but what about the rest of the band? Surely, they would have noticed if Ted had tried anything with all of them here.

“I’ll call Brogan and see if she’s shown up at the party.” Knox lifts his phone to his ear.

I can tell immediately from Knox’s side of the conversation that they haven’t seen her.

I scroll through the text Logan sent with information on Ted. It has his phone number, but I want to confront the asshole in person. Besides, I don’t trust anything he’d tell me would be the truth. How could I not have seen that this was the guy?

Knox hangs up and confirms what I already presumed. “They haven’t seen her or Eric, but they’re going to ask around.”

I nod. My pulse tics and my mind reels.

“What do you want to do?” he asks. “Go to the party and look for her? Drive by the house in case she went there? Or maybe she’s at her place.”

“No. She isn’t in any of those places.” I can feel it.

She needed me and I wasn’t here. I fucked up.

“You don’t know that,” Knox says, back to being the reassuring optimist. “Let’s go check. Do you have Eric’s number?”

The fact that it hadn’t even occurred to me to call Eric yet should speak to how much I’m not in my right mind. Or maybe it’s just that I don’t really believe it’s as simple as she decided to leave with him, forgot her phone, and decided to not do the things she said she would. It’s too many things that don’t add up.

“I do, but his house isn’t far.” I’d rather talk to him in person. “If she isn’t with him, then maybe he’ll at least be able to tell us where she went.”

We start back for the truck, practically sprinting through the dark empty campus.

“This guy Ted,” Knox starts. “Do you have his address in case we need to pay him a visit too?”

I nod. “Logan sent it. He lives in an apartment a few miles from here.”

“Should we go there first?”

Maybe he’s got that same gut feeling that things aren’t right or maybe he just wants to deck Ted. He’ll have to get in fucking line.

“Eric’s house is closer.”

“She’ll be there,” Knox says pointedly as I start the engine. “She has to be there.”

I’m not sure if he’s trying to reassure himself or me.