A Place to Call Home (Hollow Crest Wolf Pack Book 3) Read online

  “I wasn’t aware you worked for him,” Sergeant Gonzalez interrupted.

  I nodded. “A little bit over the summer.”

  Sergeant Gonzalez scribbled on a blank page in his notebook, but it was too far away to see what he was writing. “Any witnesses?”

  “One,” I admitted. “But she won’t speak on my behalf.” Taylor had seen what Mr. Reaven had tried to do, and because she was one of his other victims, I now know that she was well aware of what he would have done. She told me that day that she would protect her family’s reputation before she would admit to the truth. She was probably also protecting herself, afraid of what Mr. Reaven would do to her in retaliation.

  Sergeant Gonzalez sighed. “I can look into this, see if I can get a legal copy of the surveillance footage that you have. I’m assuming that’s what this is – surveillance video from the store?”

  “Not exactly,” I said nervously. “The official security cameras are just at the door and the cash register. This is a hidden camera that was placed there for personal use. I have reason to believe that he recorded the incident so that he could rewatch it later.”

  Sergeant Gonzalez raised his eyebrows. “Is this the only video?”

  I shook my head. “I wasn’t the first girl, but I am the only one who will come forward.”

  “I need a name for who gave you the video,” Sergeant Gonzalez said urgently. “If this guy is a serial offender, he won’t stop. In order for me to make a move against him, I have to obtain a copy legally. If this is stolen, we risk his entire case being thrown out when this goes to court.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. Could I trust the sergeant with what I knew about Reaven’s secret stash of videos? I had agreed with the other guys that I would just lay a trail for the police to discover the larger pile of evidence themselves, but Sergeant Gonzalez seemed like he genuinely wanted to help.

  “What if I told you that, hypothetically, there was video evidence of a lot of crimes committed by a group of men who liked to trade videos?”

  Sergeant Gonzalez’s mouth hardened into a thin line. “Hypothetically speaking, if someone anonymously reported a chat room like that, then our special crimes division would be able to monitor it. If they saw illicit material being exchanged, then they would be able to trace it back to the offenders.”

  I nodded. Kannon had Mr. Reaven’s entire internet history downloaded, and I had suspected it might come to this. I took a folded piece of paper out of my pocket. “What if an anonymous source left this for you?”

  Sergeant Gonzalez picked up the paper that I slid over and opened it. His eyes scanned over the information that I had carefully printed.

  “These types of cases take time,” Sergeant Gonzalez cautioned me. “We need to catch these guys in the act, and we’re going to want to bring down the whole group. It may take a while to gather enough evidence to obtain search warrants and make sure these guys go away for a long time.”

  I nodded. “I understand.”

  “If at any time you feel unsafe, I need you to call me,” Sergeant Gonzalez said as he slid his card over to me. “If you feel you’re in imminent danger, I want you to call 911. Don’t hesitate because you’re worried about what people will say. Your life is worth more than gossip.”

  “Thank you,” I said honestly. “I came in here thinking that I was going to be fighting a losing battle, but you gave me hope that there are some good guys out there.”

  Sergeant Gonzalez smiled at me. “We’re out there - you just have to know where to look.”

  My heart lifted as I walked out of the police station and back to the SUV, where Grayson was waiting for me. I felt like the weight of the world was no longer weighing on my shoulders. I was confident now that going to the police was the right move. They were experts at building these cases, and they were going to take it from here.

  “It went well?” Grayson asked when he saw the smile on my face.

  “Yup,” I told him. “Mr. Reaven and his buddies are going to jail for a really long time.”

  When we got into the vehicle, and Grayson started it, my smile started to fade. “Did you know that Corey wasn’t really cleared from the investigation into Gus’s death?”

  “I suspected it,” Grayson admitted. “Dr. Green was careful with his words.”

  “Sergeant Gonzalez said Corey is still a person of interest,” I told Grayson. “He thought I was there to turn in evidence against him.”

  Grayson frowned. “Kannon didn’t find anything on Reaven’s computer about the fire yet. Wyatt is looking through the financial information that Reaven had on there to see if he can spot any unusual transactions that might give us a lead.”

  I sighed and sat back. “The lamia are the only other people that would want to frame Corey,” I told him with our pack bond.

  “That we know of,” Grayson pointed out.

  “It’s disturbing to think that we have even more enemies out there that we don’t know about,” I confessed. “There are already so many people that hate us.”

  Grayson grunted but didn’t respond otherwise.

  I looked out the window and propped my head up with my hand. I couldn’t picture Mr. Reaven murdering Gus and setting his shop on fire. Mr. Reaven was the type of person who would only go after more vulnerable prey. Maybe Wyatt would find something in his financial information that would show that he hired someone else to do the deed. If only we would be that lucky.

  Chapter 22

  Lori

  I splashed cool water on my face and tried not to think about the final that I may have just bombed. I tried my best to study for it, but with everything else going on it had been impossible to maintain my focus on a subject that I hated. And what was a stupid exam when my entire life was close to imploding around me anyway? It was like worrying about a mosquito when a nuclear bomb was about to hit.

  I had expected the state police to conduct their investigation quietly and then make a significant arrest, but they had made their move the very next morning. I had no idea how they had gotten a warrant so quickly, but the news was all over town. Mr. Reaven had been arrested for possession of child pornography, and his home had been raided.

  I should be feeling happy that a predator had been taken down, but I just felt empty. Seeing him go to jail wouldn’t undo all of the harm that had already occurred to his victims. It wouldn’t erase the videos, and it wouldn’t save those kids.

  I stood up straight and grabbed some paper towels to dry my face. At least winter break was going to be here in a few days, and I could get away from all of the stares. I was filled with glee to be free from this place, but also dread about what could occur during the break. It was unlikely that I’d be back here next semester as my death in the coming weeks was a distinct possibility.

  “I’m not sure whether I should hate you or thank you.”

  Taylor’s voice drifted from the corner of the girl’s bathroom and startled me.

  “Taylor…” I said regretfully as I turned to face her. “I need to apologize to you.”

  The pretty blond shook her head. “You’re the one who brought it all to light, but you’re not the one who’s responsible.”

  “You can get out of this town,” I suggested. “There’s a big world outside of Hollow Crest, and out there, you would just be Taylor. You could redefine yourself and live on your terms.”

  Taylor laughed bitterly. “These things have a way of following you. The internet doesn’t let you escape your past.”

  I leaned back against the sink. “You make it sound like you’re giving up,” I said softly.

  Taylor gave a tired shrug. “My parents are blaming each other.”

  “I’m sorry,” I told her honestly. I’d never experienced what it was like to have both a mother and a father, but I knew that if I had, I wouldn’t want to lose that.

  “Don’t be,” she said hollowly as she walked to the sink next to me. She stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes empty. “I tried to tell
them, you know,” she said in a whisper. “When I told them that I didn’t like the way he touched me, they said I was being ridiculous. After all, what type of little girl doesn’t want to be hugged by her uncle?”

  I swallowed the acid that rose up in my throat. “Have you thought about therapy?”

  She turned her gaze towards me, and our eyes met in the mirror. “Seriously?” she said derisively.

  I shrugged awkwardly. “Everyone says it helps.”

  “Would it help you?” she asked angrily. “I don’t want to talk about what happened. I want to erase it. I want to wake up tomorrow morning and believe that I had a happy childhood and go on to live a normal life.”

  I heard a couple of girls laugh before the bathroom door slammed open, and they pushed their way in. Before I could say anything else to her, Taylor was gone.

  I pretended I was super-focused on washing my hands so that I could avoid speaking to girls, but out of the corner of my eyes, I saw them give me pitying looks. That was new. Usually, it was just hatred and spite that I would receive.

  I made my way out of the bathroom and down the hall. I wanted to get to my next class early so that I could speak with the teacher. I had a question about something that I just knew was going to be on the exam, and I wanted clarification.

  “Hey, Mr. Henry,” I called brightly as I walked into the otherwise empty class.

  “Lori,” he said as he stood from his desk awkwardly. “What brings you here?”

  I stepped closer to his desk and opened my notebook to the problem I had been stressing over. “I wanted to see if-”

  My words stopped as I realized that Mr. Henry had taken several steps away from me and wasn’t even looking at my notebook.

  “Lori,” he said nervously. “Why don’t we go out in the hall? I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be alone in here together.”

  I stared at him in surprise. “What?” I asked in confusion.

  Mr. Henry rubbed his hands together. “The accusations…” his voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat.

  My eyes narrowed as I realized what he was referencing. “You think I just go around looking for men to make accusations against?” I hissed angrily. “You’re supposed to be a teacher, someone who cares about his students. Your job is to protect your students from men like that.”

  Mr. Henry straightened up, but his face was bright red. “Miss Gilmore, I’m going to need to ask you to step out into the hall.”

  I slammed my book shut. “That won’t be necessary,” I retorted. “I’ll be back for my exam when the rest of the class is here.”

  The stark relief on Mr. Henry’s face as I stomped out of the classroom only stoked my anger. It was unbelievable that there were still people who thought I had made everything up. The police had an entire computer filled with evidence!

  I didn’t even notice Lynn until she grabbed my arm. Her eyes burned with intensity as she stared at me. “I need to know now. Are you with us?”

  “I can’t deal with this right now,” I snapped out at her.

  Her face closed off, and she let go of my arm. “So be it.”

  I cursed to myself. I couldn’t let her walk away without finding out more. If she and her group had plans to storm the university and save their loved ones, then I had to stop them before they got themselves killed.

  “Lynn, wait,” I called after her as she spun away. “I’m sorry. Please, I really do want to help.”

  She stopped several feet away with her back still turned towards me. “This is serious, Lori.”

  “I know,” I said softly as I took a step closer. “And I’m ready to listen. You just caught me off guard because I was having a shitty day.”

  Lynn faced me and glanced around nervously. “We can’t talk here, but some powerful people are coming to our meeting tonight. They seemed interested in helping us, and the more people we have to meet with them, the more legitimate our cause will seem.”

  My heart pounded in my chest. “What kind of powerful people?” I asked in a whisper. Had this group of humans already attracted the attention of the lamia? Was it too late to save them?

  Lynn shook her head. “Meet me in the back of the school after the last bell.”

  I nodded in agreement, but I was frantically thinking about how I was going to derail this meeting. There was no way I could let a group of my classmates be slaughtered. I needed to find Kannon.

  Chapter 23

  Lori

  "We need to call Gray," Kannon told me after I had explained the entire situation with Lynn.

  I scowled, but I knew he was right. "Lynn wants us to meet her in the back of the school, let's go out the front and call Gray as we walk around the long way."

  The final bell rung, and the hallway filled with gleeful students. Kannon and I were the only ones who looked like we were going to a funeral instead of a party. That wasn't too far from the truth.

  Our principal stopped us before we could leave.

  "Kannon, Lori," he called. "I'd like a moment of your time, please."

  The other students around us snickered, but Kannon and I looked at each other in confusion. We hadn't done anything wrong. Why would he be calling us into his office as if we had?

  The principal waved us into his office as he closed the door firmly behind us. Because Kannon and I were both eighteen, there was no need for him to call a parent or guardian in here for us. The principal took his seat as we sat in the two small chairs in front of him.

  "What's this about?" I asked politely.

  The principal cleared his throat and avoided my eyes. "It's come to my attention that you no longer live in my school district." He slid two letters over the desk towards us. "These documents will explain your situation."

  "What?" I asked in confusion.

  "You gained admittance to this school by using the address on the firehouse where you were living," he explained. "Now that you no longer live there…"

  "Isn't the university in Hollow Crest?" I asked as I ignored the letters that he once again tried to push towards us. "That's where we're living now."

  The principal shook his head. "I shouldn't be the one to have to have this conversation with you," he muttered almost to himself.

  My anger spiked. "You should have the decency to speak to us directly and explain what's happening," I said sharply. "I don't want to read a vague letter written in barely understandable legalese. I want to hear you say the words to us."

  "I'm guessing that the university is privatized somehow, so it's not part of the city," Kannon said coolly. "It's an advantage for the university, but a detriment to the city as it means city officials have no say in what goes on within those walls."

  "We don't have funding for students who live outside of our school district," the principal told us awkwardly. "I allowed you to finish the semester, but you can't come back here after today." He still avoided eye contact, but he had hardened his jaw. There would be no arguing; this was already a done deal.

  I stared at him in shock. He was really kicking us out of school. "It's the last semester of our senior year," I said numbly. "How are we supposed to make arrangements for a new school when everything is closed for the holiday?"

  The principal shrugged. "Doesn't that university have a prep school attached? You're already living on the premises, how difficult could it be to go to class there?"

  I shook my head because there was nothing I could say in an argument. I couldn't explain to him that it wasn't really a prep school or a university, and I couldn't tell him that I'd never be able to take classes there because I was a wolf and not a lamia or a witch. So instead of arguing, I just stood up and walked out. Angry tears flooded my vision as I stomped through the empty hallway to my locker.

  I was angry at having another door slammed shut in my face, but what good would arguing do? Realistically speaking, the chances of me coming back to school next semester were low. I was either going to die in Dr. Green’s procedure or escape Hollow C
rest with the rest of my pack.

  "Lori, wait!" Kannon called after me.

  I whirled around to face him, and his eyes softened once he saw my tears. "Let's just get out of here, Kannon," I said quietly. "We can figure out our next step once we get…back to the university."

  I had almost said home, but we didn't have a home anymore, not really. Little by little, we were being cut off from the human world and boxed into the cage that Dr. Green wanted to create for us.

  "Are you okay to go to the meeting with Lynn?" Kannon asked gently.

  I scoffed. "No, but I'm going to anyway. Why does everything always go wrong at the same time?"

  Kannon trailed after me but didn't answer. He waited quietly as I shoved my notebooks into my bag and gathered the textbooks in my arms. The principal would probably send us a bill if we didn't return these in good condition. "We probably give these books back," I mumbled.

  "Yeah," Kannon said awkwardly. "After you left, the principal said we could leave them with the secretary."

  I felt a flash of anger that quickly faded into despair.

  "Hey," Kannon said softly as he pulled me to face him. "This is nothing compared to most of the shit you've already been through. This is just a minor setback. Homeschooling is probably better for us anyway; we can finish our last semester in half the time."

  I tried to force a smile on my face, but it came out as a grimace. "Yeah," I said half-heartedly.

  It didn't take us long to go to Kannon's locker, retrieve his stuff, and then silently leave our books on the secretary's desk. She wouldn't meet our eyes and didn't bother to speak to us. That was fine with me because I'd never have to step within these walls again.

  "There you are!" Lynn shouted impatiently from down the hall. "I got worried, you're almost a half-hour late."

  "Sorry!" I called as we trudged down the hallway to her. "The principal called us into his office so he could kick us out of school."

  "What?" Lynn asked in surprise. "I didn't know you were in trouble."