10. Rory
RORY
‘Hey sexy.’
I try not to roll my eyes, but I don’t stop walking as Chad runs up next to me.
‘Hey Chad,’ I mumble.
‘Listen—’
‘Sorry, but I’ve been up all day and I’m tired, so I’m going home to sleep.’
Chad surprises me by grabbing my arm and shoving me against a tree. ‘No, I’ve had enough waiting. This is your last chance to say yes.’
My blood boils. ‘Then no, you ass—’ A hard backhand to my face has me shutting my mouth real quick. That’s when I notice another guy coming closer. I think about yelling for help, but it becomes obvious that he isn’t here to save me. Tanner.
‘Since you decided on the hard way…’ Chad punches me in the stomach, and I double over, trying not to puke.
‘We’ll do this the hard way.’ He shoves me back against the tree before punching me again.
This time he lets go, and I fall to the ground, clutching my side.
He takes a few menacing steps toward me, so I crawl to my knees and try to get up.
A swift kick to my side has me rolling on the ground.
‘Come on, sexy.’ He kneels, grabs my hair, and pulls my head back. ‘You’re making this too easy.’
Making a choice, I slam my head back into his and pause. Fuck, that hurt! I try to shake away the stars and scramble to my feet.
‘What are you waiting for?’ Chad yells at Tanner while holding his bloody nose.
I’m not waiting around to find out what he means, so I start running as fast as I can, which isn’t very fast because I’m dizzy…
and short, and out of shape. I’ll apologize to the gym gods later if they help me outrun these asshats now.
Too bad the gym gods are spiteful bitches cause the footsteps I hear from behind are gaining on me. Damn, what am I going to do?
If I can just make it inside somewhere—there! I run toward the dining hall, but just as I’m about to round the corner, something hard crashes into my chest and I fly backwards.
I lie there on the ground, blinded by the pain in my chest and the back of my head, but I can’t breathe. My chest won’t expand, I can’t get in air, I’m going to die right here and now.
‘Nice hit, Mitch,’ Chad says when he gets to us. ‘Now let’s get him somewhere more private.’
Maybe it would have been better if I had died right there. It would have saved me a lot of pain.
“Rory? Where are you going?” Brendan laughs when I run past him, but his smile falls when he sees me. “Shit, what happened? Did you get hurt? Where were you?” Both of his hands grip my shoulders lightly.
I try to answer him, but the words get stuck.
“What’s wrong?” I shake my head, and he gets it. “Okay, pixie, let’s get out of here.” He pulls me tight before kissing the top of my head and leading me toward the elevator.
We ride down in silence, but he stays close and puts my head on his chest so I can hear his heartbeat.
“Do you know what song I had stuck in my head all day today?”
I shake my head, but I think I know what he’s going to say.
“That damn theme park song.”
I start to hum the song, and he groans.
“Yes, that one. Over and over.”
He starts to sing the song softly. I hear it through his chest, and I relax. By the time we make it to the main floor, I’m feeling much better.
Once the doors open, I try to tell him what happened, but I’m still not ready. So I wait until we get into his car.
Taking a few deep breaths, I sigh. “I was in the bathroom when I had a flashback.” Mostly true. “But I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Because if someone here made you upset—”
“No, nothing like that. Look, can we just go home?”
“Of course.” He glares over his shoulder, so I place a hand on his.
“I’m fine. No one hurt me,” I reassure him.
“Maybe I shouldn’t bring you with me when I come here.”
“Brendan, I’m fine, and I like coming here.”
“Why, all you do is sit on the couch and wait for me? Or is that all you do?” He turns wild eyes on me. “Rory. These are dangerous people. I don’t want you getting mixed up with them.”
“Dangerous?”
“Aw, shit.” He runs a hand down his face. “I didn’t mean dangerous dangerous, I mean they’re dangerous businessmen.”
I give him a questioning look. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You know what, never mind.”
“You can’t just tell me they’re dangerous and leave it at that.”
“I’m hungry. Are you hungry? How about we get ice cream for dinner?”
My heart leaps for a second. “No, wait, don’t distract me.”
“Rory.”
“Are they going to hurt you? Do you owe them something? Is it a mob thing?” I whisper the word mob, and Brendan laughs.
“No, pixie. It isn’t a mob thing, but they are helping me with something, and in return, I help them with medical issues.”
“So it is a mob thing!” I gasp.
“Why would you think that?”
“Cause they would go to a normal doctor for normal issues. But for illegal issues—” I whisper.
He squeezes my shoulders with a chuckle. “I am a normal doctor. Come on, let’s go get dinner.”
“You said ice cream for dinner.”
“That was before, when I was trying to distract you.”
“Fine,” I huff. “Then I want nuggets.”
“You’re going to turn into a nugget one of these days,” he teases.
“I might.” I put my hands into my pocket and realize that I still have Lex’s present.
Damn. Next time.
Revenge or Justice?
Mitchell Stevens was brutally attacked in his home last night, much in the same way his friend and fellow accused was attacked. He suffered severe injuries, including a broken jaw, broken arm, and you guessed it, four broken ribs.
It’s for me. Whoever it is is getting revenge for me.
Mitchell also posted on his accounts “Just got my ass owned by the biggest dildo ever, and it came with a free wax!”
This time I can’t help my laugh.
“Rory?” Brendan calls.
“Yeah?” I answer but don’t look up from my phone.
In a statement, the police chief said, ‘We do not condone vigilante justice. People need to realize that all actions have consequences. Even ones that might seem well intended. It is our job to see to it that those who break the law are held accountable. Never take the law into your own hands.’
“Detective Markowski wants to speak with us again.”
I roll my eyes. “Can’t he come here?” I whine. “I hate the police station.”
“Yes, he’ll be here shortly.”
“Good.”
“Why don’t you go get dressed?”
“Okay,” I huff and head upstairs.
By the time I’m out of the shower and dressed, I can hear voices downstairs.
Jason nods and extends a hand. “Nice to see you again Rory.”
“I wish I could say the same,” I mumble and stare at his hand, which he drops quickly.
“I’m only here to ask some questions.”
“Fine.”
“You remember my partner, Rebecca?”
I give her a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re still working on this case.”
“Me too.” She points to the couches. “Shall we sit?”
Once we’re all settled, Jason starts. “Can you tell me where you both were last night?”
“We went to dinner and then came home,” Brendan snips.
“Can you prove that?”
“We went to Nugget Nirvana around six, and we were there for about an hour before we went to How Many Licks for ice cream, and then we came home. You can check our security system.”
“Thank you, we will. Now, do either of you own any firearms?”
“No,” Brendan says firmly.
“No.” I pout.
“Why do you sound upset by that fact?”
“Because I wanted one after what happened to me, but they’re dangerous, and I need to take classes before I can get one.” And honestly, I’m still scared of them.
“Did you want the gun to get revenge?”
“No, I wanted the gun to protect myself, so I don’t get raped by three men who were twice my size… Again.”
“I’m sorry, I know this must be hard for you,” Jason placates me.
“Yes, apologizing and minimizing my suffering makes me feel better. Why don’t you tell me that your thoughts and prayers are with me too?” I hope he can feel my sarcasm.
Jason wants to laugh, I can see it, but he’s trying to be professional. “You are a feisty one.” His voice sounds proud.
“I’m tired of saying thank you and smiling like nothing’s wrong. I was raped and those men are now free, and when someone tries to even the score, I’m the one getting accused of it.”
“No one is accusing you, Rory,” Jason soothes.
“Then why are you here?” Brendan asks.
“Following all leads.”
“Well, I’m a doctor who took an oath to do no harm, and Rory was studying to be a nurse before he was attacked on the college campus.”
“I understand. You have any questions, Rebecca?”
She nods. “Do you have any idea who could be behind this? Did anyone online give you any hint that they might want justice for you?”
“Thousands of people have threatened them and me on my socials. I’ll give you all my logins and you can sift through them.”
“That would be helpful,” she admits. “Why would you help us, though? Don’t you want your attackers to be punished?”
“I have nothing to hide, and vigilante justice is only okay in Gotham City.” I pause. “I don’t want people being hurt because of me.”
Rebecca nods and gives me a soft smile before turning to Jason. “I’m good.”
Jason stands. “Thanks for your time.” He turns to my brother. “Brendan, a word please?”
He rolls his eyes but follows him out the front door. Now I roll my eyes. I’m getting pretty sick of everyone talking around me, not to me.
“So how are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
“Listen. This isn’t widely known yet, but the lead foreman of your trial went missing six days ago.”
“So… Oh shit!” My brain snaps online. “The bald homophobic asshat?”
She snickers but then gets serious. “Yes, that man. No one even knew he was missing until he didn’t show up for work. When we started digging in his finances, it looks like was paid a large sum of money about six months ago.”
“I bet he got paid off by Chad’s parents,” I scoff.
“Possibly, but a man that influential could definitely afford to buy a jury.”
“Should I be worried?”
“My instincts are telling me that whoever’s doing this is doing it on your behalf, so they wouldn’t want to hurt you.”
“I didn’t ask anyone to do this for me.”
“We know that, but some powerful people are demanding answers.”
“Those powerful people can fuck right off into the sun.”
She lets out a chuckle. “I just want to warn you to stay safe. Like I said, I don’t think they’re after you, but it’s best to be careful.”
“Okay, I will.” It’s not like I ever go out alone.
She stands when Brendan comes back in the room, and he looks pissed. “It was nice to see you, Rory.”
“You too.” She waves and closes the door on her way out.
“Do they have any leads?” I ask Brendan.
“Yes and no.” He runs his fingers through his jet-black hair. I’ve always been so jealous of his hair. It’s wavy and dark, not straight and mousy like mine.
Maybe I should dye it red, or pink! A soft pink would look nice on me.
“They know that it has to be someone with strong connections. We don’t have that kind of pull. Not to mention we don’t have enough funds to hire someone to do this for us.”
“Bren, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not. I can get a job or finish school.”
“Are you ready for either of those things?” he asks softly, already knowing the answer.
“Ugh, fine, then I’ll stop eating. I just want to help.”
“No one can begin to know the hell you went through. You need time to heal and process. We’re fine for money.
I just don’t have enough to hire a hitman,” he teases.
I smile before frowning again. Would he hire a hitman?
“Listen, pixie. You are the most important thing in the world to me. I don’t care about this house or cars or my retirement.
I did what I thought was right, and just because it didn’t work out, that doesn’t mean that I wasted my money.
” He tilts my chin up. “I’d do anything for you. ”
I throw myself into his arms. “I’d do anything for you too.”
Taking my keys off the hook by the door, I check myself.
“I’ve got my wallet, keys, phone, taser, and, of course, you, S’mores.” She gets another tight snuggle before I buckle her into the passenger seat. “Alright, let’s do this.”
Driving feels a little weird because I haven’t driven since the ordeal, but it’s just like riding a bike. The best part about driving is I’m safe in the car. I’m not walking, even though I could walk to Graveyard Grind from our house.
The drive takes about five minutes, and then I’m trying to assure myself that it’s safe to get out of the car. There are lots of people around.
I can scream for help if something happens.
Okay. Mentally pumped up, I get out of my car… I get out of my car… Get out of the car, Rory, I order myself, but I don’t move.
Maybe today isn’t the right day for this trip.
Yeah.
I made it this far. Tomorrow maybe I can actually go inside.
Is that person walking up to my car?
He is! Oh shit!
He’s huge with big shoulders in a perfectly tailored suit. I’m about to gun it out of the parking lot when he stops well in front of my car so I can see him through the windshield and a sigh escapes me.
It’s Lex.
What’s he doing here?
“Hey, rabbit. Are you alright?”
“Yeah. I was just going to get some coffee.”
“I’m glad that I ran into you.”
“You are?”
“Yeah, I was out and needed some coffee. This was the closest spot, but I don’t know what’s good. Maybe you can tell me.”
“I can! My bestie works here, so I know all of the best drinks.”
“Perfect. Will you come in with me?”
“Okay.” Lex is safe, so I roll up the window, turn off the car, and unbuckle. He opens the door for me like a gentleman, and I swoon, but then feel slightly embarrassed when he sees S’mores buckled in the passenger’s seat.
“Looks like you’re taking very good care of my gift.”
He seems pleased, but I’m still embarrassed.
“She’s very soft.” I reach back into the car. “Oh! And I happen to have your gift.”
“Thank you. Should I open it now or wait?”
I shrug and look down at the ground. I hope he doesn’t think it’s stupid. It took me a long time to get it right. I sketched the picture he liked of me with the lantern at the park, and I shaded it with pastels in muted colors.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment and just stares at the picture.
Maybe I fucked up. What grown-ass straight man wants a picture of a messed-up gay boy?
“You don’t have to hang it up or anything. You said it was your favorite,” I defend but then rush to assure him. “But that doesn’t mean you want a picture of me—”
“Thank you, rabbit.” He pulls me into a hug. I freeze and then relax into him. He feels safe, and his smell reminds me of sweet cream. “I love it.”
“Really?!” I ask excitedly, and his gaze drops to my lips. They are really good lips, I get many compliments on them.
“I’ll put it on my desk at work.”
That’s makes my heart flutter, but also reminds me. “What do you do for work?”
He points to the coffee shop. “Why don’t we go in and order and I’ll tell you.”