The Campus Jock: A College Bad Boy Romance

by Serena Silver

“Are you sure we can trust him? I mean, secretive Russian guy with special forces training kind of sounds like a guy who should be on the suspect list.”

  “We can trust him. I trust him at least, and that should be enough for you.” Luke pulled a phone out of his pocket.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Sending him a text. We can’t run tests on everything. We don’t have the knowledge base for that. He does.”

  “And if he’s the killer, he can just make up whatever he wants the results to say!” Tiffany’s lips tightened into a thin line.

  “We have to trust someone, Tiff. Dad has convinced himself it was you, so if you want help clearing your name, we’re going to need someone in our corner.”

  Tiff? He had never called her that before. “Fine.” She gave in, but that didn’t mean she still didn’t have suspicions about Sergei.

  After a few moments, Luke’s phone chimed quietly. “He said he’s going to test the robe now.”

  “Maybe if we could decide on a suspect, that would give us a better idea of who did it and narrow down how it was done.”

  “With Margarite, the thought had crossed my mind that it had just been suicide, but with Alaric and Charles, too, it can’t be that.”

  “Who stands to gain the most from the deaths of your siblings?” Tiffany had to consider the reality of the situation. Most murders were either committed to get money, part of a crime of passion or revenge, or accidental. So far, none of the deaths seemed to fall into the last category.

  “The way it stands right now, Adeline and I would inherit the all of father’s estates if that’s what you’re getting at. But I don’t think Adeline could be capable of something like this.”

  “I don’t either.”

  Luke pulled his hand away from hers, “You’re not implying that I—”

  “No, no, of course not. I just think we need to examine all of the angles.” Tiffany looked away from him, “If you and Adeline died as well…who would get the estate then?”

  “I honestly have no idea. I don’t think dad really planned for that. With five children, it’s pretty slim odds that something would happen to all of us.”

  Tiffany raised an eyebrow, “Well, I think someone is working on increasing those odds. What about Isabella? She had access to everyone, and she moves bout pretty freely here.”

  “No way. She’s been with us since Adie and Alaric were born. Even if she didn’t always like Margarite or Charles, she would have never hurt one of the twins.”

  “Luke, you’ve crossed off our two biggest suspects just because you’ve known them a long time. If you don’t think they did it, then I’m running out of ideas.”

  “What about some of my dad’s associates? Maybe the plan isn’t just to get rid of the heirs to the Krieger family. Maybe the plan is to take us all out.”

  “If they started with his kids, then by the time they got to him, he would already be emotionally unstable. Easier to take him out. That could be it.” Tiffany grabbed his face and kissed him quickly.

  Luke blinked a few times and looked at her a little dazed, “What was that for?”

  “For coming up with a good idea.”

  “Well, come back over here. I think I have a few more good ideas.” His crooked smile made her laugh.

  Tiffany leaned in closer, and before their lips touched, she placed one finger on his lips and gently pushed his chest away with her other hand. “There’s time for that later. Right now, we need to figure out which of your father’s business associates are trying to poison you.”

  There was a knock on the door, “It’s Sergei.” The Russian announced himself through the wooden door.

  Luke stood up and walked to the door. He quickly ushered the older man inside. “Well? Anything?”

  “Charles’s robe was poison free. As were their toothbrushes.”

  “Seriously?” Tiffany threw a slightly annoyed look at Luke.

  He shrugged his shoulders, “Well at least now we know for sure.” Luke turned his attention to Sergei, “Are any of dad’s business associates unhappy with him? Can you think of anyone with a grudge?”

  “Not many people are ever happy with your father at any given time. Paul may be unhappier than others.”

  “Why do you say that?” Tiffany edged closer to the Russian.

  “Because of Alina.”

  “Who is Alina?” She looked back and forth from Luke to Sergei.

  Luke was the first to answer her. “Alina is—was—father’s last wife. They split up after Josephine passed away.”

  “Who was Josephine?”

  Luke walked over to the door and opened it up. He checked to make sure the hallway was clear before he motioned for Tiffany to join him. He pointed to one of the portraits on the wall. A young girl dressed in a white dress with dark curls gazed out at them from a frame. There was only one of her. She had gotten lost in the sea of paintings when Tiffany had walked passed them before, almost as if she were an afterthought.

  “She died in a boating accident when she was six.”

  “That’s terrible.” The girl’s eyes seemed to stare into her.

  The two of them walked back into the room before Ian saw them in the hallway. Luke shut the door quietly behind them. “Has Paul done anything out of the ordinary? He wasn’t at the meeting I had to sit in on.”

  “Wait,” Tiffany still didn’t really understand, “Why would this Paul guy care about your dad’s ex-wife?”

  “There were rumors going around that Paul had tried to get romantically involved with Alina before and after Josephine, but she wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”

  “Geez. Why would your dad keep someone like that around?”

  Luke sighed, “Because Paul is the best at what he does. Father has always been exceptionally talented at compartmentalizing work and family. As long as Alina didn’t return Paul’s advances, he didn’t see much point in reproaching him. He thought it made his family seem stronger since no matter what Paul tried, Alina remained devoted.”

  “So, you think this guy is getting back at your dad for being an obstacle between Alina and himself?”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “But that still doesn’t explain how he’s delivering the poison.”

  Chapter Ten: Delivery

  Ian was cradling Adeline in his arms when Sergei knocked on her door, “Come in.” Sergei opened the door. Luke and Tiffany stood behind him. “Do you want to tell me what the hell she’s here for?” Ian’s eyes raked against Tiffany with hatred. His nostrils flared angrily.

  “Sir, they think they may have figured out who the poisoner is.”

  “So you bring her here? Adeline could be the next victim. I will not lose another child!”

  “Father, just hear us out. We think maybe Paul is behind it.”

  “Paul?” Ian scoffed. “Paul is one of the hardest workers we have. What would he have to gain from this? No.” Ian waved them away. “Keep her away from Adeline. Luke, if you want to put yourself at risk by keeping company with her, then that is your decision, but I will not have you putting your sister in danger.”

  Sergei ushered them out of the door and back to Tiffany’s room. “I will keep looking for evidence, but perhaps it would be best if you still in your room, for now, Miss Page.”

  Luke followed her into her room as Sergei began his search of the house. Tiffany paced back and forth, “This is ridiculous. He is being pigheaded and wasting time that could be spent finding out about the real killer! He didn’t even want to listen to us!”

  “Right now, I think we need to have faith in Sergei. There isn’t much more we can do for now.”

  Tiffany tossed and turned all night. Luke slept in her room with her, but her constant moving kept waking him up. About the time he had finally fallen asleep, the bedroom door was thrown open.

  “Adeline is fine!” Ian Krieger stood in the doorway. “I knew it was you!”

  Tiffany jolted awake and instinctively g
rabbed for Luke’s arm. It took a few moments for her mind to process what was being said. Adeline was all right? That was wonderful! Unfortunately, it also only confirmed Ian’s suspicions.

  “Hold her downstairs until the police arrive.”

  Sergei moved into the room, “Sir, I think it will take more than circumstantial evidence to—”

  “Do I pay you to do what I say, or do I pay you to talk back to me?”

  Sergei bowed up his chest, “You pay me to keep your family looking good in the eyes of the public, and if you send this innocent girl to prison for something she did not do, I do not think the press would look at you kindly.”

  Tiffany smiled at the older man and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  Luke stood up, “Father, Ser…Sergei is…I don’t feel so good.” Luke swayed before dropping to his knees.

  Tiffany scrambled over to him. She cupped his face in her hands, “No. No, what’s going on?”

  “Get her away from him!” Ian grabbed Tiffany’s arm and ripped her away from his son. He threw her across the room where she stumbled into Sergei. “Get her out of here!”

  “No! Luke!” Tiffany fought against Sergei’s arms. He was much stronger than he looked. As he hefted her out of the room, Tiffany saw Luke’s eyes closed as he finished collapsing onto the floor. She struggled harder, but her kicking and screaming seemed to have no effect on Sergei’s grip.

  He put her on her feet in the studio and held out his hands, “You’re not helping the situation! That boy in there is one of the only people I care about in this world. If you have done something to him, you must tell me!”

  “I haven’t done anything! I swear to you!”

  “This does not look good. He was with you all night. What happened? He must have done something different than you. What was it?”

  Tiffany paced back and forth angrily in the studio, “He didn’t do anything different than me! We touched the same things! We slept in the bed! We did everything the—” Tiffany stopped midsentence. Her eyes landed on the chairs resting against the wall. She spun around to face Sergei, “That’s it! That has to be it. Each of them used a different chair! The only one who didn’t use a chair was Adeline! She sat on the floor. You have to test the chairs.”

  “There’s no time to test all of them. Which one did Luke use?”

  “The wicker one.” She pointed back towards the wooden chair.

  Sergei rushed forward and pulled off his jacket. He wrapped part of the chair in the fabric and delivered a smashing kick. Pieces of the wood came away in his hand. He ran out of the studio to test for poisons. Tiffany followed behind him. Their footsteps echoed down the hallway. He descended another staircase past Margarite’s room. Tiffany had never been in this section of the house.

  At the bottom of the landing, there was a dark door. Sergei kicked it open. His hands were still carrying the wicker pieces. The room beyond the door was full of different plants and chemicals. Microscopes lined a table along with other scientific containers. A mini fridge held vials of various liquids. Tiffany watched as he dropped the pieces of wicker into different test tubes. His hands worked quickly to pour different solutions into each tube.

  “Come on, come on!” He agitated each tube to ensure the liquid covered as much of the exposed wood as possible.

  As he poured the final solution, the reaction between the wood and the chemical turned the liquid a bright pink. Sergei let out a brief laugh of relief as he grabbed a vial from the small refrigerator and a syringe. He ran past Tiffany and took the stairs two at a time.

  By the time she had followed him back up to the room she had been staying in, Sergei had already loaded a syringe full of the antidote. “What are you doing?” Ian cradled Luke’s head in his lap.

  Sergei didn’t answer him. He quickly pulled off his necktie and wrapped it around Luke’s upper arm. The Russian tapped Luke’s vein a few times before he plunged the needle into the young man’s inner elbow.

  Once the liquid was fully injected, Sergei massaged the area and removed his tie. Blood carrying the antidote moved through Luke’s body. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open. It looked like he was still struggling to breathe, but the color was coming back to his cheeks.

  Ian clutched his son close to him. “What did you give him?”

  “The chair he used for his portrait was poisoned. I gave him the antidote.”

  “How did you figure it out?”

  “I didn’t.” Sergei turned and motioned for Tiffany to come closer, “She did.”

  “It had to be something that each of them had used, and it was in the order they had their portraits done in. It was the only thing that made sense. Adeline was the only one who didn’t use any of them. She just sat on the floor.” Tiffany edged closer. She wanted to rush to Luke, to comfort him, but she didn’t want to get too close to his father.

  “I know who did it.” Ian’s face darkened with the anger of a man who had just lost three children.

  Chapter Eleven: Revenge

  Ian sat on the stairs that led out of the foyer to the second floor. His face was haggard. A woman knocked as she opened the front door, “Hello? Ian? Oh, Ian.” She walked to him slowly. Her heels clicked across the floor, and the dark curls around her face bounced with each step.

  “Alina, thank you for coming.”

  “Of course.” She reached out to touch his hand with tenderness. “Whatever you need.”

  Ian placed his hand on hers, “I really only need one thing.” His hand clamped down on her wrist. Alina struggled to pull her hand out of his grasp, but she couldn’t break free. “I need to know why you did it.”

  “Let go of me.” Her sympathy melted away until only hatred remained.

  “Tell me why, Alina!”

  The woman shoved her free hand into her purse and pulled out a gun. She pressed the tip of the barrel into Ian’s forehead, “I said let go of me.”

  Ian released her arm, but she kept the gun pressed firmly to his head, “Before you kill me, tell me why you did this to them. Why did you kill my children?”

  “Why?” Alina scoffed. “I’m a little offended that you don’t already know, or have you just already forgotten her?” Her voice trembled in anguish.

  “I have never forgotten Josephine.”

  “Don’t say her name!” Alina screamed at him. Her finger trembled on the trigger. “You were the one watching her.”

  “I would never have hurt her on purpose. I loved her, too. It was an accident.”

  “An Accident? My little girl died because you weren’t paying attention. And now, all your children are dead because you didn’t pay attention. Do you know who did pay attention, though? Do you? Paul. How do you think I got the poisons? I don’t have access to that kind of stuff, but he does. He would do anything for me. Do you have any idea how many people stay at your hotel from all over the world, or how many of them have access to horrible toxins? We spent years getting all of it together just so when you did your ridiculous portraits again I could send you chairs from my store to use as an act of good will. And now? Now I get to finish what I started!” A cruel smile spread across her lips as she prepared to pull the trigger.

  “Stop right there, ma’am.” A policeman emerged from behind Alina to her left. Another flanked her from the right. “Put the gun down.”

  Alina’s eyes glowed with rage. Her finger jerked against the trigger. Nothing happened. She released a primordial scream as her gun jammed. The officers tackled her, pinning her to the ground. Alina cackled, “At least I got your children, Ian.”

  Luke and Adeline stepped into the foyer from the study. Luke wrapped his arm around his sister, “No, you didn’t.”

  “What? But—” Alina stared at them as if she had seen a ghost.

  “Did you get what you needed?” Ian stood up from the stairs and walked over to the officers who were cuffing Alina.

  “Yes, sir. Should be enough for a conviction.” They hauled Alina to her feet. She struggled to walk in her
heels as they shoved her forward. “Alina Kline, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of your ex-husband, Ian Krieger, his son Luke Krieger, and his daughter Adeline Krieger, as well as conspiracy and murder against Margarite Krieger, Alaric Krieger, and Charles Krieger. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

  Tiffany stepped out of the study and laced her fingers through Luke’s free hand. They watched as Alina was shoved into the patrol car. Red and blue lights flashed from the driveway as the car drove away.

  Ian closed the front door and stood in front of Tiffany, “Miss Page, I owe you an apology. Thank you for helping us, even when I was horrible to you. I hope you will let me make it up to you.”

  “Thank you.” Tiffany tilted her head in acknowledgment of his apology. It took a lot for a man like Ian Krieger to admit he was wrong.

  “I think I need to get some sleep.” Luke’s face was pale. He squeezed Tiffany’s hand.

  “Are you ok?” Concern flared up in her eyes.

  “Just still recovering.” He smiled sweetly and draped his arm over her shoulder.

  Tiffany helped Luke up the steps. He was heavier that she realized. Once they were in his room, Tiffany dimmed the lights and lay beside him. Her head listened to the slow rhythm of his heart. She pressed her lips to his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head before they fell asleep. Exhaustion overcame them.

  The next day, Sergei knocked on the door, “Miss Page, it is time for your apology.”

  Chapter Twelve: An Apology Done Right

  Ian Krieger had three dresses sent up for Tiffany to choose from. She trailed her fingers along the fabrics. Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck, “I like the brown one. Brings out your eyes.”

  “Brown it is then.” The slinky dress slid over her head and cascaded down her body. Tiffany tugged it into place and tidied up her hair. He was right. The fabric brought out her eyes and made the golden flecks glint brighter in her coffee-colored eyes. “What exactly is your dad up to?”

  “He’s taking us to an art gallery.”