Chapter 6 - The Price of Silence
Avery called Lila back twelve times.
No answer.
By morning, Lila had disappeared from campus.
Her roommate claimed she had gone home to recover.
Her parents refused to speak to anyone.
Assistant coach Vale told the team that Lila needed privacy.
That only made Avery more certain something was wrong.
Then the university investigation turned uglier.
A photograph appeared online.
It showed Avery standing over Lila during practice with her finger pointed toward her face.
The caption read:
CAPTAIN THREATENED VICTIM HOURS BEFORE FALL.
Avery remembered the moment.
Lila had been crying.
Avery had asked what was wrong.
Someone had captured half a second and turned concern into aggression.
Hannah studied the image.
“Who took this?”
“Probably Brooke.”
Brooke had been everywhere that week.
Always near Lila.
Always near Vale.
Avery confronted her outside the library.
Brooke tried to walk away.
Avery blocked her path.
“You've been feeding people photographs.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“You were standing behind me when this was taken.”
Brooke's face changed.
Only slightly.
Enough.
Avery lowered her voice.
“What does Vale have on you?”
Brooke laughed.
“You really think everything is some conspiracy?”
“I think you're scared.”
Brooke's eyes hardened.
“I'm not scared of you.”
“I didn't say you were.”
Brooke looked away.
Avery continued.
“You defended Lila before anyone knew what happened.”
“You made statements before investigators interviewed the team.”
“And you knew about the stadium camera.”
Brooke's face went white.
Avery stepped closer.
“What did it record?”
Brooke whispered, “Nothing that matters.”
“That isn't what Vale thinks.”
Brooke pushed past her.
Avery caught one final sentence.
“You have no idea what they can take from us.”
That evening, Hannah found Brooke's scholarship agreement.
It wasn't standard.
An outside foundation paid nearly all of her tuition.
The foundation's director was Charles Jensen.
Brooke's father.
One of Westbridge University's largest athletic donors.
And one of Vale's business partners.
Avery finally understood.
This wasn't just stolen fundraiser money.
Vale had built a private network around the team.
Scholarships.
Donors.
Recruiting.
Payments.
And Lila had somehow discovered it.
Then Avery found something even worse.
A bank transfer connected to the missing fundraiser money.
Nine thousand four hundred dollars.
May you like
Sent to a company called Hart Performance Consulting.
Lila's father's company.
