Truth or Dare by Reshonda Tate Billingsley Page B

be out of there,” Evian said.
    She’d laid with her head in Shay’s lap the whole ride back to the hotel. I had sat up front with Quincy so I hadn’t seen her crying, but I had definitely been able to hear that she hadn’t been as overboard as she was right now.
    Quincy was still filming. He was a true cameraman. Nothing got in the way of him getting his video.
    â€œYou can stop filming now,” I told him.
    â€œNaw, Tamara told me to make sure I got everything,” he replied.
    â€œWe got enough,” I repeated.
    â€œLook, I’m just doing my job,” he said, moving out of the way so he could continue filming. He was actually working my nerves, too.
    Hotel security came racing over, and Evian’s tears went up a notch.
    â€œOkay, ma’am, please tell us what happened,” one of the security officers said.
    Evian took a deep breath, like she was trying to calm herself down.
    â€œThe other day, I was at the bar,” she began. “I don’t know what happened, but the next thing I knew, I was being grabbed.”
    I raised an eyebrow. Grabbed? We’d asked everyone about her and no one had mentioned anything about seeing her being grabbed.
    â€œMa’am, I need to get more details,” the security officer said. “What did the person that grabbed you look like? Exactly where in the hotel were you? Did anyone see you?”
    Suddenly, Evian let out a loud sob. “I can’t! I just can’t talk about this anymore. I just want to go home. I thought I was going to die!”
    â€œNot now,” Miss Martin told the security officer as she pushed him back.
    â€œPolice are on the way,” another security officer said.
    â€œI don’t want to press charges,” Evian cried. “I just want to go home.”
    â€œOh, my God,” Shay said, hugging Evian. “Can’t you see she’s been through enough?”
    â€œMa’am, it’s just a few questions,” the security officer said.
    Evian clutched Miss Martin tightly. “Please, Miss Martin. I promise if you just let me go home, my daddy won’t sue you or the school.”
    At the mention of suing, Miss Martin tensed up. She knew that she probably would be in big trouble if this got out. She’d be smart to keep Evian calm. “Okay, that’s it,” Miss Martin said firmly. “We’re done. This poor thing has been through the wringer. She’s safe now, and I just want her to rest until we leave in the morning. I will get her settled, then I’ll come give a report.”
    Oh, Evian was good. I’d seen firsthand what she’d endured, so it wasn’t that I didn’t believe her. I just couldn’t believe how she was taking this to a whole other level. And I had the strangest feeling that this was only the beginning.

Chapter 16
    â€œW hat’s up, cuz?” Travis said as I walked in the house. Instead of helping me with my bags though, he plopped down on the sofa. “Tell me everything I missed.” He crossed his legs and put them up on my mom’s Italian marble table.
    â€œYou’re about to be missing those feet if you don’t get them off my mom’s coffee table,” I told him.
    He laughed. “Since you’ve been gone, I’ve gotten auntie and uncle wrapped around my finger.”
    â€œI thought you were going home?” I asked.
    The look on his face turned sad. “I did. But mama wanted me to come back early because she’s in the hospital and said she didn’t want me to spend all my days cooped up with her.”
    â€œHospital? Is she okay?”
    Travis nodded. “Yeah, she’s fine now. She’s getting her treatment thanks to your dad, and hopefully, she’ll be back to normal in no time.”
    â€œThat’s good,” I said, dropping my purse onto the counter. “But I’m going to lie down. I need to decompress after the horrible week I