Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
LEON
I’ve been sitting on my bike in the shadows of the adjacent parking lot for twenty minutes, engine off, watching the Burger Palace like a fucking stalker.
Bailey would lose her shit if she knew I was here, but I couldn’t help myself.
The thought of her walking out to an empty parking lot alone at night makes me sick to my stomach.
When I see those three assholes walk from the front lot to the back and corner her, every rational thought in my head evaporates. Pure rage floods my system as Bailey backs away from them, and retreats into some other car like a trapped animal.
So much for giving people the benefit of the doubt. Too often my instincts are spot on. If it looks like a predator, walks like a predator, talks like a predator… it’s usually a predator.
I start the bike and roar into the lot, not giving a damn that Bailey will know I was here. The three pieces of shit back away as I cut my engine. Not so confident now, are you? I take off my helmet slowly, giving them an extra second to wonder who the fuck I am.
It takes everything in me not to lunge for them right away. Especially that tall one in the cap… I saw him run after Bailey first. He’ll fucking pay.
“Is there a problem here?”
The tall one holds onto the car for balance. Wasted, I knew it. “Nah, man, we’re just having some fun with our friend.”
“Your friend?” I take a step closer, and the three exchange glances.
Through the car windows, I can make out Bailey’s silhouette.
She’s pressed against the opposite door, clearly terrified.
“Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve got her trapped in that car. That’s not friendly behavior.”
“She’s being dramatic,” the shorter one says, backing away. “We were just trying to be nice.”
My laugh is cold. “Nice. Right.” I look directly into the window, somehow finding Bailey’s eyes through the smudged glass. “Bailey, you okay in there?”
I hear a muffled sob, and something inside me breaks. That sound flips a switch and gone is the semi-calm version of me. I need violence. But not now… not with her watching, scared out of her mind.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I say, making my voice razor-sharp as I memorize each of their faces in the dim light. “You three are going to get in your car and drive away. Right now.”
“Or what?” Baseball Cap tries to sound tough, but there’s uncertainty in his voice now.
I take another step forward and lift the hem of my shirt, flashing my weapon. I’m close enough to smell the beer on their breaths, as I spit venom in their faces. “Or I make sure you regret ever coming near her.”
The quiet one swallows hard. Baseball Cap and Small Eyes look at each other, silently communicating their options. I might be outnumbered, but my presence has shifted the entire dynamic.
“Whatever, psycho,” Baseball Cap finally says. “She’s not even that hot.”
That does it. The careful control I’ve been struggling to maintain snaps like a dislocated joint.
Something I’d very much like to do to him right now.
But instead, I continue to memorize his face, burn it into my memory along with every detail I can capture about his friends.
The logo on Small Eyes shirt. University Athletics.
The scar on Tall Boy’s chin. The license plate number as they walk toward their beat up Jeep. HDR 4792.
I don’t move until their car starts and they drive out of the lot, taillights disappearing into the night.
But I’ll see them again soon.
Right now though, Bailey needs me. I tap gently on the car window.
“Bailey? Can you unlock the door for me?”
The locks click, and I slide into the cluttered passenger seat. She’s curled up against the driver’s door, shaking so hard her teeth are chattering, and tears are streaming down her face.
“Hey,” I say softly, not reaching for her yet. “You’re safe. They’re gone.”
“I’m sorry,” she gasps between sobs. “I’m sorry, you were right, I wasn’t ready—”
“Stop.” I keep my voice gentle but firm. “You have nothing to apologize for. Those pieces of shit had no right to come near you.”
She looks at me with red, swollen eyes. “How did you know?”
I rub the back of my neck, knowing she’s not going to like my answer. “I was already here. Waiting in the parking lot next door.”
Her jaw slackens. “You followed me.”
“I was worried.” The words sound inadequate even to my own ears. “I know you wanted to do this on your own, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you walking out here alone. I drove myself crazy… I’m sorry.”
She stares at me for a long time, and I brace myself for her anger. Instead, she launches herself across the center console and into my arms, sobbing against my chest.
“Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you for coming.”
I hold her tight, feeling the aftershocks of tremors in her small frame, and that cold rage starts building again. Those fuckers put their hands on her. Made her afraid. Made her feel helpless.
“Can you drive?” I ask after her breathing starts to even out.
She nods against my chest. “I think so.”
“Let’s get your stuff, then you can follow me home. Stay right behind me, okay?”
“Okay.”
I help her out of the car—her manager Derek’s, she tells me as we walk back toward the employee door.
I refuse to let her go inside alone, and we pass the office where Derek is laughing at a YouTube video behind the partially closed door.
I clutch my fists to stop myself from going in there and wringing his neck for being such a useless shithead.
“Don’t,” Bailey wraps her hand around my arm. “It’s not his fault.”
I guess I’m not that great at hiding my feelings. I nod, stuffing my anger down deep so it can stew and grow until I can release it on those three fucking predators.
Bailey grabs her purse and keys from behind the counter while I keep watch by the back door, scanning the parking lot for any sign those assholes might come back.
They won’t. I could see it in their eyes when they drove off.
But my protective instincts are in overdrive right now, so I can’t help but stay vigilant.
“Got everything?” I ask as she rejoins me.
She nods, clutching her purse against her chest like armor. “Yeah.”
I walk her to her car—a small used Honda that her parents helped her buy a few weeks ago. She gets in and starts the engine while I fire up my bike. I pull out first, checking my mirrors constantly to make sure she’s still behind me as we wind through the dark streets toward home.
But with every stoplight and turn, my mind keeps circling back to those three guys. To the way they cornered her. To that final insult as they walked away.
By the time we pull into the driveway, I’ve made a decision.
I hold Bailey’s still shaking hand and help her into the house, get her settled with a cup of tea and tell John and Amanda that she had a panic attack but she’s okay now.
It doesn’t stop them from coming out of their bedroom to hover over her.
If she’s pissed at me for involving them, I’m sure I’ll hear about it tomorrow.
“I’m going to put my bike in the garage,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
Instead, I head straight to my laptop.
License plate HDR 4792 gives me everything I need. Twenty minutes of searching through DMV records and I have a name. Brayden Hutchins, twenty-one, registered address is ten minutes from Burger Palace.
From there, it’s child’s play to find his social media accounts. Brayden’s not very careful about his privacy settings. His Instagram shows him with the same two friends from tonight, tagged as Easton Stewart and Gabe Morrison.
I spend the next hour digging deeper. Brayden’s a business major on academic probation. Gabe is pre-med with a pristine GPA he’s probably desperate to protect. Easton’s on a partial athletic scholarship from the wrestling team.
They all have something to lose, and that’s just from me scratching the surface. I’m sure the deeper I dig, the more I can find.
I scroll through months of their posts, looking for more ammunition. It doesn’t take long to find what I need. Photos from parties, comments they probably forgot they made, tagged posts from other students involved in various scandals on campus.
By midnight, I have enough information to destroy all three of their futures. A few anonymous tips to the right people, some strategically leaked screenshots, and their lives will implode. Academic suspension, scholarship revoked, medical school dreams crushed.
But that’s not enough. They need to understand consequences in a more immediate, physical way.
I close the laptop and grab my keys.
First, I drive by Brayden’s house, searching for his Jeep. It’s not there and the other two don’t live as close. I doubt they finished their night early and there’s only one place in town three drunk college kids would be. I twist the throttle and gun it toward O’Connell’s Pub.
The Jeep is right there in the lot, parked crooked as fuck. A little work with my blade and two of his tires are slashed.
You’re not going anywhere tonight, Brayden.
I wait next to it, and like clockwork, the three come stumbling out a half hour later.
It must be my lucky night because they don’t come toward the Jeep, but instead head a few feet away from the pub’s door, toward a dark area on the side of the building.
Pulling out smokes, they fumble to get them lit, laughing about some bullshit loud enough for me to hear.
It’s time.
“Having a good night, mates?” I ask once I reach them.
They turn, and I see the moment recognition hits Brayden’s face. “Oh shit. It’s the boyfriend.”
“That’s right.” I move closer, and they inch toward each other on instinct. “That business earlier isn’t sitting well with me. It seemed you lot thought my girl was just being dramatic?”
“Look man, we don’t want any trouble,” Gabe says. “We were just having some fun.”
Ah, the quiet one finally speaks up.
“Fun.” I repeat the word but it tastes sour in my mouth. “Let me tell you what I think happened. You three saw a beautiful young woman alone in a dark parking lot and thought you could intimidate her. Thought you could corner her and make her do whatever you wanted.”
“That’s not—” Easton starts, but I cut him off.
“I’m not done.” My voice comes out in a harsh whisper. “See, here’s the kicker, boys. That woman you decided to terrorize? She’s been through more hell than your privileged little minds can imagine. And you assholes thought it would be fun to add to it.”
Brayden tries to puff up his chest. “Calm down. We didn’t do anything illegal, dude. We were just talking to her.”
I move fast, grabbing Brayden by the front of his shirt and slamming him against the brick wall. His skull connects with a crack, knocking his precious cap onto the ground.
“Just talking?” I say with my face inches from his. “Then why was she locked in a car having a fucking panic attack?”
I release him and step back as he stumbles, grabbing the back of his head. When he brings his hand into the light, it’s covered in crimson.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I tell all three of them. “You’re going to remember this conversation every time you think about approaching a woman who doesn’t want to talk to you. You’re going to remember what it feels like to be scared and cornered.”
Gabe is shuffling backwards, but I grab his wrist and squeeze until I feel bones grind together. “Especially you, pre-med. Lot of pressure maintaining that GPA, isn’t there?”
His eyes widen as my words sink in.
I shove him away and turn to Easton. “Athletic scholarship’s nice. Be a shame if something happened to it.”
“You’re fucking crazy,” Brayden says, wiping more blood from his head.
“Maybe.” I straighten my jacket. “But I’m the kind of crazy that doesn’t forget. Ever.”
I start to walk away, then pause. “Oh, and mates? When you wake up tomorrow, don’t be surprised if you get some news. A little gift from me. Consider it a reminder that actions have consequences.”
I leave them there, against the wall, whispering among themselves, knowing they’ll spend the rest of the night wondering what I meant… calling me a crazy bastard. But by morning, they’ll start finding out that I’m not just a crazy bastard, but someone who can ruin lives.
Some people only learn when they get the shit scared out of them. Let’s hope for those three pricks it’s a lesson that only needs to get taught once.
Bailey will never find out about this. She doesn’t need to carry that weight. This was on me—my need for vengeance on her behalf. Tonight, she needs comfort, and I’ll make sure she has it.
I hop back onto my bike with a grin, knowing that those three will lose sleep tonight. Maybe I didn’t end their pathetic lives like I very much wanted to, but it’s something.