Julian (Trinity Academy Book 4)

by Michelle Heard

  Overwhelmed from all that’s happened, tears escape my eyes, and I bury my face in Miss Sebastian’s neck. “It’s not your fault,” I croak past the lump in my throat.

  She pulls back and frames my face. Her eyes look so sad, it’s killing me on the inside.

  Miss Sebastian, who is the light in our lives and always makes us laugh – even she doesn’t believe me.

  “I didn’t do it,” I plead with her. “I wouldn’t hurt myself. You have to believe me.”

  She caresses the side of my head and says, “I believe you.”

  Her eyes still look bruised, and it makes me shake my head. “You don’t. I can see it on your face.”

  She lifts her chin, and when a tear streaks over her cheek, I reach up to wipe it away. “Let’s wait for the results of the toxicology screen.”

  I pull away from her and cover my face as another wave of hopelessness hits.

  I should be praying the results are negative, that there’s not some creep out there trying to hurt me. Instead, I find myself hoping with all my might it’s positive so that my family and friends will believe me.

  Chapter 12

  She’s mine!

  She’s mine to keep forever.

  Julian

  I run into the hospital, still not believing what Falcon told me.

  Jamie wouldn’t try to commit suicide. She’s a fighter.

  Hell, I should know, having gone up against her.

  When I reach the room she’s in, I pause to take a deep breath. Straightening my jacket, I take another breath, then knock on the door.

  “Come in,” someone calls from the other side.

  I push the door open and stepping inside, I see Miss Sebastian sitting next to the bed, her face pale from the shock she’s been dealt.

  My eyes dart to Jamie, who’s sitting with her head bowed, her shoulders hanging. I glance down at the bandage, and it’s a screaming reality that what I’ve been told is true. The realization makes a shockwave ripple through me.

  “I’ll give you a moment alone,” Miss Sebastian says. Walking to the door, she adds, “I’m right outside.”

  I wait for the door to close behind her before I walk closer to the bed.

  What do I say?

  Do I hug her?

  Fuck.

  “How do you feel?” I go with the most basic question.

  Jamie doesn’t look up and just shakes her head.

  I sit down on the chair next to her bed and hesitate for a second before I reach for her hand. I give it a squeeze, and ask, “Is there anything I can do?”

  She lets out a bitter sounding chuckle, and then she lifts her head, pinning me with red-rimmed eyes.

  “Everyone keeps asking me that question.” A cynical smile plays around her mouth.

  I hate seeing her like this. We might not have been on the best of terms, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.

  “They keep asking, and when I say all I need is for them to believe me, they won’t.” She shakes her head, sluggishly.

  “Believe what?” I ask.

  She brings her eyes back to mine and stares at me for a while. “I didn’t do it. I’m hoping the toxicology test shows I’ve been drugged and that I’m not unstable like everyone is thinking.”

  I see a spark of a challenge and swallow hard.

  Do I believe her?

  My eyes drop to the bandage. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I don’t know what happened, Julian. That’s the problem. The last thing I remember, I was working on my paper. The next moment I wake up here, and everyone thinks I tried to commit suicide.”

  Jamie frowns, and I see the fear blossoming on her face. “It’s the same as the night I had food poisoning. I don’t remember what happened, just like then.”

  My eyes lock on hers, and I hold her hand tighter as a new worry bleeds through me. “So, you think someone is drugging you?”

  Fuck, if that’s what happened…

  It takes me a moment to absorb the fact, and it makes a new wave of shock explode inside of me, leaving me feeling confounded.

  “It’s a possibility.” Placing her other hand over mine, she gives me a pleading look. “Please look into it. Can you check the security footage from the dorm?”

  Her breaths begin to speed up, and wanting to calm her down, I pull my hand free and wrap my arms around her. “I’ll have the security team check everything.”

  She grabs hold of my back and muffles a sob against my neck. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  I close my eyes because hearing how desperate she is for someone to believe in her is gutting me. I just hope I can find something. Otherwise, we have a big problem if Jamie did really try to kill herself and doesn’t remember any of it.

  “Are you sure?” I ask the head of security after he told me they didn’t see anything out of place last night. “Show me the footage.”

  “Right through here, Sir.” He gestures to the monitor room.

  I take the offered seat and watch the screen as the footage from the night of the incident plays.

  Please. Let there be something.

  I spend hours going through footage of the cameras we have in and around the dorm. By the time I finish, and there’s nothing more I can do, my heart feels heavy.

  Not knowing what to think, I feel like a zombie when I walk away from the security center toward my car. Driving to the hospital, the heaviness only grows until it feels like it might suffocate me.

  I’ve been in situations before where I had to tell someone something they didn’t want to hear, but this time it’s different. I can’t be a chairman and hide behind my title. Jamie deserves more than that.

  Walking into the hospital, I clench my fists, and when I get to her room, I close my eyes for a moment before I push the door open and walk inside.

  “Julian!” At the sight of me, a hopeful look instantly blooms on her face. “Did you find anything?”

  I glance at Miss Sebastian, and when I see the same expression of hope on her face, I feel awful that I’m about to let them down.

  Sitting on the side of the bed, I take hold of Jamie’s hand before I raise my eyes to hers.

  I don’t know what she sees on my face, but it makes her shake her head. “No.” Her chin begins to quiver, and all I can do is pull her into a hug. “The toxicology report will show there’s something because it wasn’t me,” she says, holding onto the last bit of hope she has.

  “Shh…” I hold her tighter and press a kiss to her temple. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll all help you get through this.”

  Shoving hard at my chest, she pulls away from me. “Leave.”

  “Jamie…”

  “Leave!” she screams. “I want everyone to leave. Just leave.”

  I look over to Miss Sebastian, not sure how I should handle this.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Miss Sebastian states. “You can’t be on your own right now.”

  “I didn’t try to kill myself,” Jamie shouts and grabbing hold of her shirt, she bends over as a cry rips through her.

  A nurse comes rushing into the room, and the moment Jamie lays eyes on her, she darts to the other side of the bed to try to get off.

  Miss Sebastian shoots up and grabs hold of Jamie’s shoulders as I move out of the way so the nurse can get to her.

  A scream echoes in the room as the nurse injects Jamie with something to calm her, and all I can do is stand by and watch.

  I haven’t felt this helpless in a long while. Five and a half years to be exact.

  The nurse leaves after Jamie quiets down. She stares blankly at the ceiling as I sit down on the bed beside her and take her hand again.

  Reaching my other hand to her face, I brush some of her hair away and whisper, “We’re going to help you. You’re not alone.”

  Chapter 13

  Jamie

  Waiting for the results is torturous. The last forty-eight hours have easily been the worst of my life, and that’s saying a lot. />
  When a nurse enters the room and attaches a document to the clipboard at the foot of my bed, she says, “The doctor will explain the results when he makes his rounds.”

  I wait for her to leave then look at Miss Sebastian and Leigh, who is Jaxson’s wife. The whole group arrived from Los Angeles this morning and are taking turns in groups of four to visit with me.

  Having Leigh nearby is a great comfort because she’s the most logical one of my friends, being a doctor herself.

  “Please, will you look, Leigh? I can’t wait for the doctor to come.”

  “Of course.” She picks up the clipboard, holding all my medical details, and looks at the report. Miss Sebastian joins her, glancing over Leigh’s shoulder.

  The silence is becoming unbearable, but then Leigh clears her throat. “It came back negative.”

  A breath rushes from my lungs as pins and needles spread over my body.

  I begin to shake my head, but then Leigh says, “It doesn’t mean anything, Jamie. If you were drugged, there’s actually a low chance of it being detected in your blood. Most drugs work out of your system in eight hours.”

  “Really?” I ask, feeling hopeful.

  “The tests show nothing?” Della asks, a worried expression making her look older than her twenty-nine years.

  Leigh first places the clipboard back and then looks at me. “As a friend, I’d like to believe something more sinister is at play. Jamie has never shown any signs of being unstable, and it’s just hard for me to believe she would try to end her life so suddenly.” She turns her gaze to my sister, “Della, you would’ve seen signs, at the very least, some form of depression.”

  “She’s right,” Miss Sebastian confirms. “Honestly, Jamie is the sanest person in our group.”

  Tears well in my eyes because Miss Sebastian and Leigh are at least giving me the benefit of the doubt.

  “That…” Della swallows hard as fear tightens her features. “That means someone tried to kill her?” Her breaths begin to speed up quickly, and it has Carter placing an arm around her shoulder.

  He glances at me and seeing fear on Carter’s face only makes my own apprehension grow. He’s the strongest man I know and if he’s scared for me…

  The door to my room opens, and when Julian, Falcon, and Layla walk in, the conversation pauses for a moment so everyone can greet each other.

  “Have you received the toxicology report? Julian asks Carter.

  Carter nods. “Nothing showed up.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything,” I jump in, feeling highly defensive. “Leigh said it could’ve worked out of my system already.”

  “Let me think for a moment,” Leigh mutters, and it makes my eyes lock on her. After a moment, she looks at Miss Sebastian. “It’s too late for a urine sample, but we could still do a hair analysis.”

  “It’s worth a chance,” Miss Sebastian confirms, being a nurse herself. Getting up, she gives me an apologetic look. “This might sting a little.”

  “You can shave me bald if it will help get to the bottom of this mess,” I try to joke even though my heart feels heavy with worry and fear.

  Miss Sebastian pulls a couple of strands out, then says, “I’ll send the request to the lab at our hospital and let you know as soon as we hear back.”

  “Thank you.”

  I glance around the room, and seeing all the concerned faces makes the gravity of the situation hit hard.

  Someone actually tried to kill me.

  Oh, God.

  Dressed in the jeans and t-shirt Layla brought me, I sit and watch everyone argue about what to do with me.

  “I’m right here, and I can decide for myself,” I snap when things begin to get ridiculous. “I’m staying so I can continue with my studies. I’m not going to let whatever’s happening derail my life.”

  Everyone turns their attention to me, looks of shock and frustration warring on their faces.

  Focusing on Carter and Della, I continue, “I understand you’re worried, but Della, you’re in your final trimester. You can’t fly up and down at the drop of a hat, and Danny and Christopher need their mom.” I take a breath before I lock eyes with Carter. “I know you want to keep me safe, and I appreciate it, but you have a company to run. You both need to go back to New York. I’m not alone here. Julian and Mason said they would increase the security on campus, and I’ll be more careful.”

  Carter shakes his head, clearly unhappy about my decision. “We can’t just leave you here and go on with our lives as if nothing has happened. A crazy fucker tried to kill you, Jamie. It’s my responsibility to make sure you’re safe.”

  “And I love you for it, but I’m not going to stop living just because there’s some creep out there.”

  Carter comes to sit on the bed, and I reach for his hand.

  “I made you a promise, Jamie.”

  “You’re not breaking it,” I plead.

  With a torn expression, he looks at Della.

  “We can move her in with Layla and Kingsley,” Mason offers.

  “What about Preston?” I ask. “I don’t want to upset how things are at Trinity.”

  “Preston won’t mind,” Julian answers.

  “I’m sure it’s hell for him to live with Kingsley and Layla,” Mason adds, the corner of his mouth lifting.

  “Yeah, we might be driving him slightly round the bend,” Kingsley jokes.

  “You really won’t mind?” I ask, just to be certain I won’t be intruding.

  “Of course not,” Layla says. “Your safety comes first.”

  Looking back to Carter, I give him a pleading look. “I’ll be fine. Living with Layla and Kingsley, I won’t be alone at night.” I quickly remind him, “And there will be increased security.”

  “I also spend some evenings at the music department,” Julian says, then looking at me, he continues, “I could take over with giving the piano lessons you wanted?”

  “You want to teach me how to play the piano?” I ask skeptically. Even though things have calmed down between us, I didn’t think Julian would want to spend time with me.

  “Just until we get to the bottom of what’s happening,” he quickly adds. “Trinity Academy is our responsibility, after all.

  “Nah, admit you just want to spend time with me,” I tease, not able to resist the chance to mess with Julian.

  Everyone begins to chuckle, except for Carter, who’s eyes are darting between Julian and me.

  “Geez, I’m joking,” I mumble at Carter. “Don’t go into overprotective big brother mode.”

  After a moment, Carter finally agrees, “Fine, we’ll let you stay on the condition of increased security and that you’ll move into the suite with Layla and Kingsley.”

  Smiling gratefully, I lean over and give him a tight hug. “I’ll even drive you crazy and call every night.”

  A warm smile settles around Carter’s mouth. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Knowing I can finally go back to the dorm, I’m filled with a weird sense of relief and dread.

  I hope I’m making the right choice, and I don’t end up dead in a ditch because I refused to stop studying.

  Chapter 14

  Julian

  I’m relieved Preston is okay with swapping suites with Jamie.

  “We appreciate it,” I say to him as he carries a box out of the room Jamie will be moving into.

  “I don’t mind, Sir. I’ll do anything to help keep Jamie safe.”

  “Call me Julian,” I tell him for the third time.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Falcon lets out a chuckle. “Give him time to get used to the idea.”

  Preston places the box by the front door, then shoving his hands in his pockets, he looks down at his feet. “Honestly, I’d feel uncomfortable calling you by your first name. You are the chairman of CRC Holdings.”

  “I’m no different from Falcon,” I try to reason with him.

  Falcon laughs, “We’re nothing alike, Julian. You scare people for
a living. I’m the loving and caring brother.”

  “Says who?” Layla jumps in. “You’re intimidating as well. It’s a family trademark y’all have.”

  Falcon leans closer to her. “Am I not loving enough?”

  “Ah… that’s a conversation for another time,” Layla quickly puts an end to the topic.

  I find myself smiling, and when Jamie walks into the suite with a box, I rush over to her. “Why are you carrying this? Let the staff take care of moving the boxes.”

  “Aww… it almost sounds like you care about me,” she taunts me.

  “I just don’t need you getting injured again on Trinity grounds,” I mutter as I place the box down by the bedroom door, but instantly regret my words. “I mean, we just want to keep you safe.”

  “Hmm… right.” Jamie smiles at me, but the worry she’s been carrying around with her dims it.

  Miss Sebastian comes walking into the room with a little, colorful unicorn sculpture. “Where can I put this?”

  “Trust you to make sure I don’t forget to bring my Christmas gift you gave me,” Jamie teases her.

  “Of course, you need some color in your life, now more than ever,” Miss Sebastian defends her actions.

  Rhett follows after Miss Sebastian with another box, which has me saying, “Let’s sit down while the staff takes care of moving everything between the two suites. Mason and Lake will be back any moment with the take-out we ordered.”

  Only Rhett and Miss Sebastian stayed behind. The rest of Jamie’s family and friends needed to get back to work.

  I had to reassure Carter I’d protect Jamie before he and Della would leave to catch their flight back to New York. They mentioned they would fly out again this coming weekend to spend some more time with Jamie.

  Miss Sebastian begins to look around the suite, saying, “This place could do with a little color. I need to add my dazzling touch, so all this blandness won’t mess with Jamie’s juju.”