Chapter 13 - The Gym Door
I called 911, then Nina. She was already on her way to the school. I didn't drive like a movie hero. I pulled over because my hands were shaking too much to steer and gave the dispatcher every detail I knew.
Olivia had stayed late for debate practice. Coach Bell found her in the gym equipment room, frightened but unharmed, with two younger students beside her. A dark SUV had followed her on the sidewalk. A man approached and asked for her phone, claiming he worked for our family. She refused, ran inside, and locked the door.
School security recorded the license plate. Police traced the driver to a private investigator hired by Nolan. He had claimed Olivia's phone was "family property."
By the time I arrived, Olivia was sitting between Nina and Coach Bell. She stood when she saw me but didn't come close.
"I thought he was going to take the video," she said.
"You were smart to go inside."
"I was scared."
"You can be both."
Clara arrived moments later. Olivia went straight into her arms. I watched, feeling a kind of relief that hurt. She knew whom to run to.
Moreno arranged additional safety measures through the school and gave us a direct contact for new incidents. We discussed how Olivia could travel without sharing her routine publicly. Nobody told her she was being dramatic. Nobody asked her to protect adult reputations.
Outside, Clara faced me beneath the parking-lot lights. "This needs to stop. Not just the threats. All of it. Vanessa treated our children like pieces on a board. And you made it easy for her."
"I did," I said.
May you like
She studied me, waiting for an excuse that didn't come. "Then help me make sure the kids are safe. After that, we can talk about the rest."
My phone buzzed with a message from Priya: The forensic team traced Ridgepoint's payments. One of the accounts belongs to Nolan Briggs.
