Love's Cruel Redemption (The Ghost Bird #12)(34)

“What are you doing when you aren’t teaching?” Dr. Green asked. There was a slight muffling like clothing shifting around the phone. I got the feeling he’d called Mr. Blackbourne to have him listen in but his phone was probably still in his pocket. She probably didn’t know.

“Sometimes I’m here to supervise after school. I run the ticket booth and some security at sport games. And then after school...he has me look in on some students. Sometimes faculty. He sends word sometimes at odd hours of the night to go check on someone. Not really check on. Mostly I sit in my car and leave a report with him about what I saw.”

“Why?” Dr. Green asked. “He shouldn’t be doing that. And why look in on people after hours?”

I thought it almost amusing how well he could pretend we didn’t know Hendricks was doing this.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I know I’m not the only one. And now someone’s been parking outside of my house at night.”

“He’s having you monitored?”

“Yes,” she said. “And then I can’t sleep. I don’t know why it’s happening. But I was wondering...I know it is forward of me, but I wondered if your school might have any openings. The one you and Mr. Blackbourne work for. I’ve heard a few things...”

The conversation continued with Dr. Green consoling the woman, promising to help her. Meanwhile, Victor got up, went to the laptop, and started typing. Kota went over with him, looking over his shoulder.

The others pulled away, to the far side of the room, circling Mr. Blackbourne to continue to listen quietly.

I went to Victor and Kota. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, but when no one said to do otherwise, I figured it was okay to join them.

Victor was pulling up video monitoring to get a look at where Dr. Green was. They were in the office Dr. Green and Mr. Blackbourne shared. Dr. Green was leaning against the desk. The teacher had her back to the camera, but I recognized Ms. Johnson, my old English teacher.

Kota checked his phone for the time. Leaning into Victor, he whispered, “Bell’s going to ring soon.”

Victor kept his gaze on the woman and another window that he had off to the side, something filled with numbers and buttons. “I’ve got her marked for observation,” he said softly. “But it’ll be better just to talk to her. She seems willing.”

“Part of the plan,” Kota said. “We expected dissention.”

“This was planned?” I asked. “What’s next?”

Victor turned his eyes on me with a wild look that sparked a flame. “Over the edge,” he said. “Let his own network fall into chaos. Drive him out.”

“How?” I asked.

He turned a little, put his arm on the piano top to lean against and smiled. “You want to help?”

I nodded repeatedly. Of course I did. This was the group’s job. I was part of the group.

“I don’t know if now is a good time,” Kota murmured.

“She’s one of us,” Victor said. “And she’s perfect.” He turned his attention back to me. “You don’t have to go alone, but you should be visible to Mr. Hendricks around school. Make him feel uncomfortable, like you’re watching him.”

“Play his own game?” I asked. “Like how he has us watched?”

“Exactly,” he said. “I’ll give you an earpiece. You come here during class times. But any time between classes or at lunch, you stay in view. Make it very obvious you’re watching him. But if he confronts you...”

“Don’t let him,” Kota said a little too sharply. He turned to check if he was too loud. He lowered his tone and then leaned into Victor and me. “Don’t ever let him approach you. Ever. Never go somewhere that he can corner you. You don’t even talk to him. Just make him uncomfortable.”

“It might be good your sister isn’t here,” Victor said. “This might be good timing.”

“We’ll have to concoct a way to keep Marie away from school until we can figure out how to get her out. And we don’t know what that means for you,” Kota said.

I didn’t have a problem with Marie getting out. Danielle worried me more. “What about Danielle?”

“She’s still sixteen. Legally, she can’t yet. So we’ll have to come up with something else, or help her change her mind.”

What would she tell her parents when they found out she dropped out of school, anyway? Or did she expect to go to the Academy school we pretended to go to?

Only, she didn’t strike me as the academic type, either.

I observed the monitoring of Ms. Johnson, leaning into Victor as I watched. Victor’s hand reached out to mine, his pinkie brushing the back of my hand as we stood together.

I kept my attention on the laptop, but I turned my hand, hooking my pinkie into his. In a way, it was like Victor was supporting me, telling me with a touch whatever happened, he was with me. I believed him.

I wished I felt as confident about the others. It would make concentrating on Ms. Johnson and Hendricks a whole lot easier. I realized then why they often said family first, Academy second as a rule. It was probably why Mr. Blackbourne was eager to help us get a house.

But Hendricks was in the way of that.

It made me more determined to take him down.