Hailey's Truth (35 page)

Hailey met Jackson’s gaze as his voice vibrated with regret, realizing they weren’t just talking about her and Austin. Jackson’s eyes told her he was speaking from experience.

“Did you love her?”

He looked down at the sand. “Yeah, I loved her—still do. Four years later and I still do.”

Intrigued, Hailey scooted closer. “Have you talked to her?”

“No. It was a college thing. She moved on.”

“I’m sorry.” She rested her head on his shoulder, giving comfort as she took it. She let the subject drop, since Jackson clearly didn’t want to talk about. “I’m sorry you had to be out looking for me. I didn’t mean to stay gone so long. I know we aren’t supposed to leave the house without you or Austin, but I had to go. It felt like the walls were closing in, like I was suffocating.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe.”

She let out a deep sigh. “I guess we should get back.” She didn’t want to. She wanted to stay here where the waves were rough and wild, where the water was stunningly blue, where everything was simple.

“Yeah.” He looked at her again. “Dr. Lopez wants to see you.”

She winced. “That’s not good.”

“He likes you. You’re great at what you do. I’m sure you can smooth things over.”

“I hope so.” It would be tough fulfilling the remainder of the semester with Austin just a bedroom away, but she wanted to be here, wanted to see this through. Being busy, helping others, would give her a purpose, would give her a reason to keep going.

Jackson stood and held out his hand; she took it. They walked up the embankment together.

“You brought the van?”

“Heck yeah. We’re not far from Point North. We’re about three miles from the house.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“Positively.”

Hailey buckled her seatbelt as Jackson pulled onto the narrow road. Each mile closer sent her pulse scrambling, her stomach clenching. She pressed her hands together tightly as Jackson turned into the small drive. Hailey stayed where she was, trying to find the courage to take the first step.

“You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” She gave him a weak smile before she got out. Jackson took her hand, walked with her, opening the door to the house. The noisy din of a dozen people fixing breakfast stopped the moment she and Jackson stepped inside.

Hailey’s gaze automatically flew to Austin’s, held there for a moment before he turned away. She took a deep breath, willing the tears back. “Um, I wanted to say…” her voice shook. She cleared her throat, tried again. “I want to apologize. I realize I broke the rules. I’ve made everyone late for our first stop today. I had to go…” her voice trembled again—along with her lip—so she stopped.

Mia came up and drew Hailey into a hug. “You scared us, girlie. I’m glad you’re safe.”

The gesture of support almost broke her. She grabbed hold of Mia like a lifeline, held on as the first tear fell. “Thank you.” She breathed in a shuddering breath and shook her head before she pulled away. “I have to… I have to....” She gestured to the bedroom and hurried off. Once inside her room, she leaned against the closed door and shut her eyes. This wasn’t going to work. She couldn’t stay here.

Someone knocked.

Why couldn’t they give her five minutes? All she needed was five minutes to pull herself together. Squaring her shoulders, Hailey turned and opened the door. Her stomach lurched. Dr. Lopez stood before her.

“Hailey, I’m glad you are all right.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I left.”

“We will have to talk. We have strict rules about these very things.”

She nodded, swallowed. “Yes, I know.”

“Please meet me in my office as soon as you can.”

“If I could have a moment to change, to get the sand off me.”

“Ten minutes.”

She didn’t miss the hint of scolding, the disappointment. “Ten minutes,” she agreed.

As Doctor Lopez walked to his office, Hailey moved in the opposite direction. She passed the living room, spotted Austin on the porch and Jen right next to him. Hailey looked away, ignoring the slice of pain as she hurried into the bathroom. She couldn’t let it matter.

She struggled to keep going, to keep moving through the misery. She closed her eyes and welcomed the first numbing chink in her emotional coat of armor. She stepped into the shower, rinsed more than washed, dressed in shorts and a tank top, brushed her teeth. Then she took the dreaded walk down the hallway to knock on Dr. Lopez’s office door. She did it all in eight minutes flat.

“Come in.”

Hailey opened the door. She tried a smile and cleared her throat. “Thanks.”

“Come sit.” Dr. Lopez folded his hands on his desk and sighed. “Hailey, I’m afraid we have a problem here.”

She glanced down at her lap, at her fingers laced and clenched tight. “I imagine we must.”

“You left the apartment, which is very much against the rules. You signed a contract with the university stating that while you were here with Project Mexico, you would abide by all that we ask—for your safety and everyone else’s.” He slid a copy of the agreement in front of her. The paragraph in question was circled with bright red ink, her signature scrawled several lines below.

“Dr. Lopez, I remember signing this paper. I realize I broke the rules. I can only be sorry and ask if there’s anything I can do to make things right.”

“Your housemates were in danger throughout the night as a result of your actions. The University was put in great legal jeopardy. It is never ideal to have only one guard, but during these violent times on the island, it is downright unacceptable.”

“Yes, I understand.” It appeared as though she would not only lose Austin, but also an entire semester of credits. She swallowed hard, trying to hold back yet another bought of tears.

“Although this situation is quite severe, it is not this that troubles me the most.”

Hailey frowned. She’d only broken one rule, unless dating and sleeping with the bodyguard was a clause she’d missed. “Oh?”

“I’m quite troubled, and quite frankly sad that I must discuss my next point with you.”

She licked her lips, struggling to keep calm as disdain darkened the doctor’s eyes. “Dr. Lopez, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

He stared at her, studying. “A huge part of me believes you truly don’t. I wish I could go with that. I wish I could go with my gut, Hailey, but once again, I must follow the rules.”

She nodded, wanting him to get on with it already. Sighing, Dr. Lopez brought out a stack of yellow sheets from his desk. “Do you know what these are, Hailey?”

“Um, no, I don’t.”

“These are papers I’ve filled out for insurance purposes. It appears as though everyone within our apartment has had something disappear over the last few days. Everyone, except you.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand…” she trailed off as his implication sunk in. “You-you think I stole from the group, from my friends? I—I can’t even…” How could he believe such a thing? They’d worked side-by-side for over a month, yet he would believe that she took what didn’t belong to her?

“As I said before, I have a hard time believing this of you. You have such a deep kindness. You’re wonderful with the people, one of the best we’ve ever had here with our program. It was suggested to me that perhaps it wasn’t you, but someone you know.”

Her thoughts swirled so fast she couldn’t keep up with the conversation. She pressed her hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry, Dr. Lopez, I didn’t… Can you-can you start again?” Sweat popped against her skin. She stood, afraid she would vomit or pass out. “It’s very hot in here. Can we open a window, please?”

“Yes, yes.” Dr. Lopez rushed to his feet and pushed the window up.

Hailey hurried over to the breeze blowing through the window, pressing her face against the screen. They thought she was a thief. Eleven people down the hall thought she had broken their trust, had taken their things.

She clasped her hands together, breathed deep, then turned to Dr. Lopez. “I would like you to come with me. I want you to search my things. I haven’t taken anything from anyone here. I never would.”

“Please sit for another moment.”

“Only if you agree to search through my things afterward.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“Yes, it is. It is to me.”

“Okay. Fine. Now, please sit.” He gestured to the chair. “As I was saying, Hailey, I’m not convinced you took anything, but I wonder if someone else may have—someone who visited over the last couple days.”

“You mean my brother.” A swift kick of anger replaced the surprise of his appalling accusation. “So, let me get this straight. Because I’m the only person who hasn’t reported something stolen, that automatically means either my brother or I did it? Has it ever occurred to you that someone else has been stealing, and told you they had something taken to throw you off?”

“Yes, in fact, I did think of that, but then I did something I don’t typically do. I went back through everyone’s files, got in contact with a few people, had criminal backgrounds reexamined—just to be certain the university didn’t overlook anything through their own.”

“Well, then you would’ve seen that I’ve never had so much as a speeding ticket.”

“I did note that in my report for the university. But something curious came up when I added a few more names to my list. Perhaps you would like to take a look.”

Hailey snapped up the paper Dr. Lopez held out, falling into her chair as she read the report, stared at the subject’s name: Jeremy Kagan.

She knew her brother had gone to jail for underage drinking and the bag of pot, but the rest was a punch to the gut—breaking and entering,
multiple
drug possession charges with intent to sell, four simple assault convictions, DUI, petty theft, possession of a deadly weapon. And he hadn’t simply gone to jail; he’d done two six-month stints in California State prison.

“I take it you weren’t aware of these facts.”

“Where did you get this?” Her voice trembled.

“Cozumel is a small island, but I do have connections that must remain anonymous.” Dr. Lopez laced his fingers. “Hailey, I believe we should finish the business at hand.”

She struggled to take her eyes off of her brother’s rap sheet. “Can I keep this?”

“Yes.”

Hailey folded the paper, set the page on the desk, and turned her eyes to focus on Dr. Lopez.

“Hailey, after talking with the Dean about the events of the past couple days and your disappearance last night, we have no choice but to ask you to leave Project Mexico.”

Even though she knew it was coming, it didn’t hurt any less. “If you think that’s best.”

“I do not think it’s best, but it is the only solution I can come up with. As I said before, you are truly one of the best participants we have ever had in our program. You have a gift, Hailey, a true gift with people. I have enjoyed working with you very much.”

She stood. “But not enough to stand with me. Not enough to believe me when I tell you I’ve had nothing to do with the disappearance of my teammates’ things.”

“The university will launch a full investigation. If it is unanimously agreed upon that you played no part in the thefts, you will only loose this semester’s credits. If we come to other findings, you could very well lose all credits taken at the university.”

She shook her head as she absorbed the next blow. “Are you telling me I may not be able to graduate next semester, that my entire academic record would be null and void?”

“That is indeed what I’m saying. We will expect you to vacate the premises within two hours. Because your integrity is in question, we will ask a member of the team to be with you while you pack. Please understand this was a hard decision to make. I will do what I can to see that you keep the credits you have earned.”

Hailey turned to the door on legs she wasn’t sure would carry her down the hall. She took one careful step at a time until she grabbed for her doorknob. As she gave it a twist, her stomach shuddered its revolt. With all the strength she could muster, she bolted to the bathroom, slammed the door, and instantly became violently ill.

When her belly finished heaving, she collapsed to the floor, staring at white tiles, brushing at the sweat beading on her forehead with trembling fingers.

Her life had turned upside-down in less than twenty-four hours. How would she get up and keep moving? Everything she’d worked for, everything she’d ever wanted was gone.

It was time to go home. She needed to go back to L.A., needed to be with Sarah, Ethan, and her sweet baby girls. She craved to be with people who knew who she was, because right now, she wasn’t sure herself. Thoughts of Kylee’s smiling face, of Emma’s little fingers and toes gave Hailey the strength to get up. She made it to the sink, rinsed her mouth, and began the chore of gathering up her things.

Someone knocked. “Hailey, are you okay?”

Mia.

Hailey walked to the door on jittery legs and opened it. “Come to make sure I don’t steal anything while I pack?”

Hurt flashed in Mia’s eyes. Hailey closed her own. “I’m sorry, Mia. That was unfair and completely unnecessary.”

Mia gave her a small smile. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’m out of sorts and spewing venom at people who don’t deserve it.”

“You’re forgiven.” Mia’s smile warmed.

Hailey brushed Mia’s arm and gave her a gentle squeeze before she went back to grab her tote bag and towel. She stepped from the bathroom, met Austin’s gaze. She cast her eyes down, adding more chinks to her armor.

Shaking it off, Hailey walked to her room. “I’m going to book my flight before I pack.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mia sat on Hailey’s bunk. “Hailey, I’ve been hearing the rumors. I want you to know I don’t believe a single one. I don’t believe for one second you took anything from anyone.”

Hailey closed her eyes, thankful for Mia’s wave of faith, and pulled her into a hug. “You have no idea how much that means to me right now. You truly have no idea.” She sniffed, fighting back tears that were only a blink away.

“Everything’ll be okay. I’m sure of it.”

Hailey wasn’t. “I hope so.”

She let Mia go, opened her laptop, and began to search for the first flight leaving Cozumel. After ten minutes, she found a plane with available seats departing later that evening. She winced at the price. That would cut into her savings. With no other choice, Hailey entered her credit card number and was quickly declined.