“Stop,” Regan said. She was trying to avoid looking at Lucas’s face because his fear was real, palpable. She couldn’t let his panic direct her actions. She would have to take Rachel down. But she had to get her in a position where Lucas had a minimal chance of serious injury. Right now, she was most concerned about their proximity to the mine entrance. The mine was dangerous, and Rachel knew it. Worse, Rachel had been here before and might be able to disappear into the mine—with Lucas in tow.

Regan couldn’t let that happen.

She said, “You stab him, I shoot you.”

“You don’t even have a gun in your hand.”

“I can draw faster than you can blink.”

Rachel looked at her, skeptical, but also worried.

“Rachel, this ends one of two ways. Either you live or you die. It’s your choice.”

“He ruined everything!”

Now Rachel was in the explanation-and-denial phase. Regan waited for her to continue.

She didn’t have to wait long.

“I was protecting Sigma Rho from those who would destroy it. You don’t understand how hard it is to build something good, something worthwhile. Something that lasts.”

“And you do?” Regan countered. She kept a close watch on Rachel’s hand, the one with the knife against Lucas. As Rachel moved backward, Regan moved forward. “Let me tell you what I know. You got a bunch of underage sorority girls drunk and stoned. One of the girls freaked out and died in an accident. You couldn’t stand the thought that you might have to take responsibility for your actions, so you disposed of the body and threatened the girls to keep quiet.”

“Adele’s death was an accident.”

“Yes. And if you had reported it you might have been fired, or maybe not, but none of those girls would have suffered. None of them would have died. But you couldn’t do that. You couldn’t take responsibility, and when Candace couldn’t live with the guilt of what you all did, you killed her. You strangled her and drowned her at the aquatics center, then moved her body in an attempt to thwart the investigation.”

Rachel scowled. “Taylor killed her.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You can’t prove anything.”

“Convenient, because Taylor is dead.”

“She killed herself out of guilt.”

“The police are looking at Taylor’s death as a possible homicide.”

“No one can prove anything.”

“Then, why are you running? Why did you kidnap Lucas if no one can prove anything?”

Rachel hesitated. Then she said, “People lie. And some people want to hurt me. They lie about me because they’re jealous. I have to protect myself!”

“Let him go.”

“That stupid, stupid podcast. He needs to pay for stirring up all that shit.”