new thing where I don't do dumb shit, like make myself an easy target."
"Ooh," she replied, her tone teasing, "that sounds like a smart idea. And yeah, totally fine. I'm coming around to their usefulness in keeping you breathing, you know?"
I laughed, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. "Alright, well then it's a date. Just don't tell Scott if you see him, okay? I'm steering clear of his crazy ass."
Bree wrinkled her nose, horrified. "Girl, no. Scott is dead to me. Not that he's reached out at all, but if he did, I wouldn't fucking answer."
"Miss Danvers," a voice called from farther down the corridor, and I turned to find Professor Barker striding toward us with his briefcase tucked under his arm. "What excellent timing. This way, please." He passed Bree and I by about twenty feet, then stopped to unlock his office door.
"Uh... I was actually on my way to—" I started to protest, but he didn't seem to be in the mood for my excuses.
"To my office," he snapped, cutting me off. "I've already cleared it with Professor Chang; you won't be missed in her economics lecture."
Bree shot me a look like she was asking if I needed help. I shook my head, though, sighing. I could handle Professor Barker alone. It just might result in me getting kicked out of the university if I needed to shed his blood.
"I'll catch you later, Bree," I told my friend, reluctantly entering Professor Barker's office and flinching when he slammed the door after us. On the plus side, he didn't lock it, so that had to be a good sign. Right?
"Take a seat, Miss Danvers," he told me, hovering way too close to my shoulder for comfort. I did as I was told, just to create some breathing room.
He took his time circling around to the other side of his desk, like he thought he could somehow intimidate me with his silence. Clearly, he had no idea what level of scary I interacted with on a daily basis. In comparison, a lecherous professor who preyed on his female students? Pathetic.
Eventually he sat in his chair, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his desk with his fingers linked. His gaze did a slow track down my body, hovering way too long over my breasts and legs to be professional interest. It was almost comical.
"Look," I said, breaking the silence with a bored voice, "if this is the part where you ask me to suck your cock in exchange for a passing grade, you're barking way up the wrong tree." I paused, then smiled. "No pun intended."
An innocent man would have been horrified by my blunt accusation, but Professor Barker just narrowed his gaze at me, assessing.
"I have no idea what you're referring to, Miss Danvers," he lied, a slick smile on his face. "Despite your poor attendance, you're still maintaining a decent grade in my course."
I gave him a deadpan glare, folding my arms under my breasts. His gaze dropped, almost like a reflex. "Oh yeah? So why am I here, Professor Barker?"
That fake smile spread across his lips again. "I had some questions I wanted to ask you for a personal project. You'll earn extra credit for your participation, of course. Despite the fact that you're not failing my course yet, you could really use the help."
My curiosity sparked, even though I was still getting major creep vibes off him. "What's the project?"
"Just a personal study I'm putting together on the history of unsolved crimes in Shadow Grove. Did you know, Miss Danvers, that our city has one of the highest rates of unsolved crimes in the whole country? Why do you think that is?" He steepled his fingers and leaned forward, intent on my answer.
I raised my brows. "I didn't know that. Perhaps our police are understaffed?" Or being paid off by the gangs to turn a blind eye. One or the other.
Professor Barker blinked at me, like he could hardly believe I was giving that bullshit answer with a straight face. But that begged the question, what made him think I knew more than I was giving away?
"Really, Miss Danvers? Your own mother was murdered here in Shadow Grove, her killer never charged, yet you're not concerned?" His tone took a waspish edge, like he was pissed I wasn't just spilling my guts.
My glare hardened. "What do you know about my mother's murder, Professor Barker? You look like you'd have been around her age. Did you know