6. Rory
RORY
I groan and turn off my phone.
It’s been ringing and buzzing nonstop since the press got a hold of Tanner’s story. It didn’t take long before the details of the ordeal were leaked.
I wonder why it didn’t get picked up before.
Probably because no one cares about some little twink getting attacked.
Hell, they probably think I did ask for it.
“It’s not fair,” I huff.
“Sorry, pixie. Everyone wants a piece of the story now.”
“Yeah, some rich boy gets beat to hell in retaliation and everyone shows a huge outpouring of support. Why don’t they support me?” I finish softly.
Brendan pulls me to a stop. “Haven’t you looked at your socials?”
“No. I’ve just been ignoring it cause there’s too much stuff to sift through.”
“Rory. Everyone is outraged for you.”
“What? Seriously?” I grab Brendan’s phone and look at the news feeds.
He chuffs a laugh. “You’ve got people all over the world in your corner.”
I smile and scroll.
Sure, there are some hateful comments, but overall, the outpouring of support is amazing.
Brendan takes his phone back and tucks me under his shoulder. “Let’s forget about all of this shit and enjoy our trip.”
“I can do that if we get some snacks.”
He laughs and pulls me to a food stand. “So, tomorrow is our last full day. I was thinking that we should focus on shopping.”
“Shopping? Bren, you’ve already spent so much money—”
“Believe me, bro, I know, but I was told to spend more money on you.”
“The group who planned this wants me to spend more money?”
“Yes.” Brendan grimaces.
It has to be the big boss. No non-profit is going to want to spend more money than necessary.
“Did they really say that?”
“Yes, and they’ve been very pushy about it.”
“Alright, but let’s wait until we’re done. I don’t want to carry everything around all day.”
“Smart.”
As the plane touches the ground, I can’t help but feel relieved to be home.
Sure, I had fun on vacation, but there is nothing like being in your own house. And I’m so tired of the extreme heat. Anyone who thinks that avoiding winter is worth that kind of humidity and heat is nuts.
“So, I didn’t want to tell you, but the police will be waiting for us when we land.”
“Okay.” I shrug.
“Okay? Just okay? Are you okay?” He sounds genuinely concerned.
“I’ve talked to the cops before, and we weren’t here.”
“Alright. Good.”
“Are you worried?” I ask.
“Me? No. Like you said, we weren’t here, but I don’t want them to make you feel like this was your fault somehow.”
I want to dismiss what he said. Obviously, it wasn’t my fault, but maybe it was. Someone clearly targeted Tanner in retribution for me.
“No. Don’t even think it.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were.” He raises an eyebrow in challenge.
“Ugh, fine,” I cave. “Maybe I was feeling a tiny bit like this was my fault.”
“Rory. Remember what the therapist said?”
“Eat more ice cream.”
He laughs and stands to grab our luggage now that the plane’s stopped moving. “No, she said—”
“I wasn’t asking to be attacked.”
“And?” he prompts.
“And their actions are their own.”
“Exactly, now let’s go talk to Becky.”
“Becky is here?” That makes me feel a little better.
“She wanted to make you feel more comfortable.”
“Dr. Byrnes, Rory,” Rebecca greets us.
“Becky. How are you? Oops, sorry. I know that we’re suspects and all, so I should be more professional.” I bow my head. “Detective Risch.”
Becky has been with me since the beginning. She was with me in the hospital and testified on my behalf, saying that this was not consensual and these men should be punished for what they did. Three other officers and detectives also defended me, and the fancy lawyer couldn’t trip them up.
She laughs lightly. “Not suspects, people of interest.”
“Alright, lead the way. I’m super tired and I want to get home.”
“We might have waited, but let’s just say that the victim’s parents are pushing to get this case wrapped up.”
Brendan scoffs. “Sure, they want justice for their son but don’t give a shit about anyone else.”
“Hypocrites, I know,” Becky says. “They also don’t like me heading this investigation, so of course I did. But I brought Jason here with me as an impartial third party.”
“I’m so impartial that even they can’t buy me, and it pisses them off.” Jason holds out his hand for me to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Rory.”
I put my head down now and scoot behind Brendan a little.
I don’t know this guy. He could be working with the parents to make me pay for something I didn’t do.
Becky winks at me, and I feel slightly better, but I still don’t take his hand. Only Brendan can touch me. Although, the big boss daddy touched my cheek and that didn’t give me the icks.
Brendan nudges me, so I say politely, “Nice to meet you too, sir.”
I hug my legs closer to my body. Being in this room again is bringing back some terrible memories. All of the questions over and over and over. The bright lights, the harsh smell of cleaning supplies, and the stupid mirror that makes me feel like a bug under a microscope.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Byrnes.” Jason comes in and sets down a folder.
“Hello, sir.”
“So we’ve brought you in for questioning today in the case of Tanner Krohn. Do you know this man?”
“Yes.” I want to throw in a duh and scream about how he attacked me, but staying calm will be the better option.
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“Right after he was found not guilty of raping me.”
“Ah, and are you upset by that fact?”
“Yes.” I grit my teeth and stay quiet.
“So would you say that you wanted to get revenge?”
“No! No one should ever have to go through what I did.”
“How do you know what he’s going through?”
“It’s all over social media.” Again, I try to keep the duh out of my voice.
“That’s true. Where were you on the night he was attacked?”
“Florida. It was so fun! But hot.”
“And when did you get back?”
“Just this morning, right before you picked us up at the airport.”
“Okay, so let me get right to it. Rory, did you attack Tanner?”
“No. I’m half his size, and he’s far stronger than me. Believe me, I know how strong he is, and I never want to go near any of them again.”
“Did your brother attack Tanner?”
“No. He was with me the whole trip.”
“Did you or your brother hire someone to attack those men?”
“Of course not. What do you think this is? A movie? How would we even find someone who was that heartless and not afraid to maim people?”
“But he was upset by the verdict. It would make sense that he wanted to get revenge for his brother.”
“Anyone would want to get revenge if someone they loved was attacked like I was.”
“Do you want revenge?” he asks again, and I want to smack him.
“I wanted justice. I wanted those monsters to be put away for what they did to me, so they couldn’t hurt anyone else.”
“And when that didn’t happen, you decided to take justice into your own hands?”
“No, and we weren’t here, so we couldn’t have done it. Now I’d like to go home please.”
He sighs and nods. “Alright. Thanks for coming in today, Mr. Byrnes.”
“You’re welcome.”
“We may be calling you, so keep your phone on you, please.”
“I’m twenty-two.” I laugh. “I always have my phone on me.”
He chuckles and lets me out of the room and into the lobby.
There are so many people here, and all of them look kind of rough, so I pull up my knees, ball myself up into my hoodie, and pray that no one notices me until Brendan is done.
It’s about fifteen minutes before Brendan comes out and sighs in relief when he sees me, pulling me into a hug.
“Are you okay? Were they too rough or did they make you upset with their questions?” I’m about to reassure him when he asks, “Do you need to stop and get ice cream?”
“Ice cream would make me feel better.” I sniffle, and he laughs.
“You faker.” Then he leads me out of the station with an arm around my shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”