CHAPTER FIFTY - SIX

LORENZO GRAYSON \ VADIM KERZHAKOV©

The moment I realized what had happened at the college last night, my thoughts went straight to my father.

Antonio must never find out about this.

The college was large and prestigious. If the video leaked, it would spread fast. Thinking about the footage of Nick and I made me wonder if Antonio already knew.

Nick had to stay safe.

I promised I would protect him, and I had no intention of breaking that promise.

Kyle found out about the situation before reaching out to me. Then Professor Douglas, Alina, called me when the video started spreading around the college.

I found someone who hacked the college account and got the video taken down, though it took some time.

I handled the college board the same way I did when I first came here to work as a professor.

Somehow, my thoughts drifted back to Nick once more, and I let out a quiet sigh.

If Father had already found out about him, I had to move fast. There was still so much to do, especially finding the real truth behind my mother's death.

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked up as Alina walked in.

“Care to explain what all that was?” she asked, dropping her fur coat onto the couch.

“Just a bored student,” I replied, turning my attention back to the computer.

“What?”

“Students who are bored will always find something to entertain themselves, even if it means hurting someone,” I said.

“Did you find the student?” she asked.

I carefully took off my glasses, cleaned the lenses, and put them back on.

“No.”

“Do you know who it is?”

“No. I have nothing to do with the student.”

She let out a quiet scoff and walked over to the couch before sitting down.

I sighed and sat on the couch across from her.

“Would you like some coffee or water?” I asked.

She shook her head.

She looked at me without saying a word.

“What is it?” I asked.

“The kid. How did he react when he found out about the video?”

“He was terrified the college board had called me in for a meeting,” I replied.

She raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my answer.

“He wasn't worried about himself?”

I stood up to get myself a cup of coffee.

“Do you have that much effect on him?” I heard her mutter to herself.

I turned to look at her.

“Effect?” I asked.

If anything, it was the other way around.

Nick was the one I couldn't seem to stay away from.

Lately, I'd started wondering if what I was feeling was even normal.

“How's the preparation for the holiday?”

I took a sip of my coffee.

I still hadn't thought about how I wanted to spend the holiday.

Our final exam ended today, and the holiday had officially begun.

“I haven't really thought about it,” I said.

“You should spend it with Nick. You're opened up to him, after all,” she said.

I let out a quiet scoff.

Opened up to him?

If that includes telling him who I really was, then she was wrong.

And I never planned to tell him.

“I'm going to Russia for the holidays,” she said.

I slowly nodded.

“Do you need me to look into anything while I'm there?” she asked.

I looked across at her.

Alina still had no idea that I was the son of the mafia family she'd warned me to stay away from.

I let out a quiet chuckle and took a sip of my coffee.

“I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore,” I said as I stood and walked back to my desk.

“So you're really not investigating anything anymore?” she asked, and I fell silent.

I checked the time and let out a quiet sigh.

“Do you want me to drive you home?” I asked.

“Aren't you still busy?”

“Not anymore. I'll finish the rest at home,” I said as I packed the stacks of papers on my arm.

“Here, let me help.”

She picked up my briefcase before I could stop her.

“Thanks.”

We walked toward the parking lot together.

As we passed by, I noticed several students staring at me.

“I remember people used to ship us when we'd only just met,” she said.

“They acted like children,” I replied.

Just then, I noticed someone walking toward me. He was dressed in black, with a black face cap pulled low. I glanced at Alina to see if she'd noticed him.

I adjusted my glasses and gripped my pen.

The man reached us and slammed into the papers in my arms, knocking both the papers and Alina to the ground.

In the same instant, I drove the pen into his stomach.

He clutched his stomach, pulled his cap lower over his face, and disappeared before I could get a good look at him.

“What the hell?” Alina muttered.

I hurried over to her.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

A few students rushed over to help.

I sighed and looked toward the direction the man had run, but he was already gone.

I helped Alina to her feet as the students bent down to gather the papers scattered across the floor.

“It's okay,” I told them. “You can leave them.”

“We want to help.”

“It's fine,” I repeated as I bent down to gather the papers.

“They're only trying to help,” Alina said.

“I know. But I can handle it myself.”

Who sent that man?

Antonio?

Or another mafia group?

I slipped my hand into my coat pocket to grab my phone and call Kyle, but my fingers brushed against something else.

I pulled it out.

A flash drive.

I looked ahead, then back at the flash drive in my hand.

That guy had slipped it into my pocket.

Now I needed to find out what was on it.