Chapter 29 Gray
“Tell me what’s happening?” I demanded of Jett, who held his hand up to shut me up. I was going to break his hand soon.
“What, wait. Stop!” Jett said firmly. “Calm down, tell me again.” Ash and I stood like spare parts as he listened, and then I saw his eyes widen slightly. “Ah shit.”
“Brother,” I warned him quietly.
“Okay, hang on, I need to tell Gray, just tell her . . . tell her to calm down.” Jett put his phone down and looked at me. “Quinn’s fine.”
“But.”
“The janitor isn’t.”
“Why?” Ash asked as he looked between us.
“She punched him. Twice. And may have kicked him in the balls.”
“Why?” I asked as I felt my palms itch to hit something in frustration.
“Do not freak out,” Jett warned me.
“Too late.”
“It’s the guy from the bar.”
“No!” Ash grabbed me as I launched forward.
“I just need the phone,” I demanded of my brother through clenched teeth.
Wordlessly, he handed it over. “Ava? Let me talk to her.” I heard the phone get passed over. “Baby?”
“I may have overreacted,” she said sheepishly.
My eyes closed as I heard her voice, and I gripped my brother’s arm tightly. “I’m sure you didn’t.”
“I just was freaked out, and I saw him, and he said something smarmy, and I punched him, and then I hit him again, and then I may have accidentally kicked him . . .”
“In his balls.”
“Possibly.”
“Quinn . . .” My head tilted back as I looked upward, thanking the heavens. She was okay.
“He’s called his boss, who’s called his boss, which means he called Dean Porter.”
“Fuck,” I hissed as I looked at Jett and saw he was on Ash’s phone and realized he would be calling Ava from it.
I saw Jett nod and Ash looking between the two of us with increasing frustration.
Jett saw it too and quickly filled him in, and then I saw Ash rub the back of his neck as he looked at me, and I shook my head in despair.
“So, what’s he called the boss for?” I knew what it was even before she spoke.
“Assault.”
“Fuck’s sake.”
“I’m sorry,” Quinn’s voice was low and miserable.
“Okay, are you listening?” I told her as I pulled Jett closer to me.
“You tell them of the run-in you had previously, tell them he assaulted you then, but you were in Cardinal and didn’t know he worked here.
Tell them you were scared, tell them you heard movement, exaggerate it.
Then tell him what he said and that your adrenaline and terror at being trapped caused you to overreact.
You believed he was trying to harm you.”
“Not all of that is untrue,” she said softly.
“I know, babe, I know, but you need to act it up for Dean Prick, he’ll love this.” I saw Jett nod in agreement, and I looked at Ash, who was focused on me, mouthing my brother’s name. “I need to call Onyx.”
“No.”
“Quinn, I need to. Dad won’t make the drive in time. Onyx is closer than you think, he’s had run-ins with Porter before, and he knows about the guy from the bar. Trust me.”
“Gray . . .”
“Trust me.”
Ash took the phone from me. “Quinn, it’s Ash. It’s either Onyx fixes it or you get suspended, possibly charged. Is your pride really going to fuck you over?”
I didn’t hear her reply, but Ash gave me a wink, and then he was taking his phone off Jett as he handed me back to Quinn.
“You okay?”
“Ash just owned my ass,” Quinn muttered.
“Well, I’m going to ignore that,” I teased her as I gave my cousin a grateful smile. “Ash is calling Onyx, so give Ava her phone back. Don’t say much until Onyx is there. And Quinn, when you get home, charge the fucking phone.”
I smiled briefly at her grunt of laughter, and then she handed the phone back to Ava.
I didn’t listen as Jett spoke to Ava or as Ash contacted my brother.
I felt my legs turn to jelly, and I slumped down against the wall as I dropped my head into my hands and breathed deeply in and out while my brother and my cousin took over so I could catch my breath.
Cold hands touched mine, and I looked up at Ash, who was crouched down in front of me. “You got it together?” he asked me quietly.
“She has to stop scaring the shit out of me,” I said to him honestly. “The woman’s going to be the death of me.”
“She’s okay,” he assured me as he stayed level with me.
“Yeah.” Leaning my head against the wall, I looked up at Jett, who was watching me as he spoke to Ava. “What are the chances?” I asked them both.
“Too slim for my liking,” Ash answered immediately.
“Ava will tell the dean she had the arrangement with one of the janitors, and I guess we can only surmise that douchebag thought he’d scare her when he saw her in there alone.
” Ash looked at me and then over his shoulder at Jett. “Why was she alone?”
“Because she has zero patience and a stubborn streak that makes me want to strangle her,” I growled as I picked at my splint. “This fucking thing needs to come off so I can tan her hide.”
Ash burst out laughing. “You’re going to spank her?”
“She fucking needs it,” I said grimly as I stood, and he followed me up. “Hey, thanks,” I told him honestly. “I know it’s awkward, but I needed that.”
“It’s my job to rein you in,” Ash said with a grim smile. “Knew you were about to lose it, can’t let that happen. Not when they’re okay.”
“Yeah.” I moved my head from side to side as I let out a deep breath. “Onyx no trouble?”
“I think you’re going to owe him a sacrifice,” Ash said with a grin. “He had a few choice words to say, but he’s heading there now.”
Jett said goodbye to Ava and then pulled me under his arm for a brief brotherly hug.
“I swear to Christ, those girls are trying to kill us,” he muttered as he let me go.
“Fuck, that was intense.” He reached out and gripped Ash’s arm, touching base with us both.
“You okay?” he asked our cousin, who nodded and gave him a tight smile.
“Well, we missed the pep talk, and Coach is probably going to suspend us all,” I said as I looked back at the conference room we had walked out of during the pre-game meeting.
“Maybe we should injure me too,” Ash said as he rotated his shoulder. “Before my teammates do.”
We all gave a laugh, but our thoughts were back at campus. “How long for Onyx?” I asked Jett.
“He’ll be there in about half an hour. Quinn knows how to stall. She’ll wait for him.”
“It’s going to kill her.” Ash grinned widely.
“The guy’s going to say sue, I just know it,” I spoke to Jett, and he nodded in agreement. “Aw, man, her old man’s going to blame me.” I groaned out loud, and I saw Jett’s amused grin.
“Are you three girls done?” Coach barked from the open door to the meeting room. “Were we boring you?” he asked snidely.
“Sorry, Coach,” the three of us all spoke at once as we headed back into the room.
Once we were settled back in, I returned the hostile stares from some of my teammates and the curious Are you okay looks from the others.
Thankfully, there were more of the latter than the former; however, I saw Ash taking note of the ones who were pissed.
Hiding my smile, I nudged Jett, who looked up and noticed too.
Ash was always mistaken for the friendliest of us, which is why he caused a bit of a shock to some when he punched them in the face.
Or slept with their girl.
Or both.
Ash wasn’t keen on boundaries. I guess I knew that better than anyone, but still, he was a force to be reckoned with when you pissed him off, and some of our teammates had just pissed him off.
Coach went over the game plan for tomorrow, for the benefit of those in the back, and I caught Jett’s hand before he flipped him off. Ten minutes later, Jett showed me his screen.
Onyx: I’m here. So’s the dean, she’s fine as far as I can see. Her victim, not so much.
I grinned at Jett as he passed the phone to Ash, who snorted out a laugh and failed to cover it as a cough quickly enough.
“Are you three serious?” Coach Bowers barked at us. “Do you want to be back at campus instead of here with your teammates?”
The fact my immediate answer was yes worried me. What the fuck? Football was life. Wasn’t it? I’d told Quinn she was more important, and I hadn’t lied, but that’s because I knew she understood my ambitions as much as anyone.
I tried my best to focus on the game plan, the pep talk, the team spirit.
All I could think of was her. Was she okay?
Was Onyx being civil to her? She had been scared.
My entire being was itching to leave, to drive back and be with her, but I couldn’t.
I shouldn’t. My team needed me here; this is where I had to be if I wanted the NFL.
Quinn knew this. Accepted it. Encouraged it.
“What’s wrong?” Jett asked me quietly, his voice pitched low enough that even Ash couldn’t hear.
“I’m slipping,” I said honestly. “This? Here? Isn’t my focus.”
“It is.” He cast a sideways look at me and raised an eyebrow. “We’ll talk.”
Finally, Coach stopped talking, and I refused after-meeting refreshments and headed to my room to check in with Onyx and Quinn. Jett followed me, and Ash, once again, took one for the Devils as he stayed back to chat with our teammates.
Inside the room Jett and I were sharing, I immediately texted Onyx.
Me: Sorted?
There was no answer, and I decided he must still be negotiating.
That was basically what it was: a negotiation to see how much the dick wanted to shut up and fuck off.
He could press charges, and her future was ruined.
Even I knew her claims of harassment would be thin.
He had a strong case, and I needed the enigmatic persuasion that was my older brother to convince the fucker otherwise.
Plus, Dean Porter had to be dealt with. I hoped he listened to the harassment side more than the authorities would.
“So, what’s going on?” Jett asked casually as he took two bottles of water from the mini fridge.
“I don’t think I want to be here.”
“Tomorrow’s game or the team?” Jett queried as he handed me a water and then sat in the other seat in the room.
“Both?”
“Bullshit.”
I blinked. “Wow, glad you listened.”
“Shut up and you listen.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he regarded me solemnly.
“You love the game, it’s in our blood. The last few weeks have been hard, really fucking hard emotionally.
You’re reeling. She’s your girl, and she’s been hurting.
You’ve both been hurting, and I know, you want to be with her now to know she’s okay, to see for yourself.
And when she’s back at her apartment tonight and is FaceTiming you, you’ll feel better. ”
“Yeah.” I nodded as if I agreed with him, but didn’t meet his eyes.
“You have some fucked-up illusion that you have to prove you’re better than me,” Jett said harshly, ignoring my startled look. “Don’t let all the doubters who believe you’re second best be right by quitting like a little bitch.”
“You saying if this was Ava, you wouldn’t be crawling in your skin to be with her?”
“I would probably be halfway back to campus,” he said honestly.
“But I would be an idiot, and my twin would have kicked my ass before I made it out of the hotel. What can you do?” he asked with a hard stare.
“She took care of herself, and our brother is there; he won’t let anyone fuck her over, despite his own problems with her.
All you would be is a hug and someone to sleep with.
Ava and Mia will spend the night with her; she won’t be alone. ”
“Someone to sleep with?”
“You know what I mean. What you would be racing back for is being given to her now. She knows you’re committed here. She understands.”
“But—”
“There is no but,” he cut me off. “This is our dream. Her dream. For us. She will lose it if you rush back to her. She needs to remember she has strength inside her.”
“She does,” I murmured.
“And she’s been hiding, and we’re forcing her to face the things she’s chosen to ignore.
The guy tonight? I think it’s a really unlucky coincidence, but Quinn needs to remember she’s a Devil, not a coward.
And you need to remember she came through what happened herself.
She needs to remember she’s fucking awesome. ”
I grinned at him and his passion. “She is.”
“Do not lose focus on your dream. Quinn is part of it; it’s not a ‘one or the other.’ Not anymore.”
Drinking my water, I thought about what he had said to me. He was right, but that didn’t make the urge to see her, hold her, any less.
“I just need to speak to her,” I told him.
“I know.”
“Onyx is going to make us pay for this favor,” I said with a heavy groan.
“For years,” Jett agreed.
“Ugh, this sucks.” Getting up, I lay on my bed. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
“I don’t think you’re better than me by the way.”
“Okay. Neither do I.” His look was assessing. “Then who are you trying to prove that to?”
“Everyone else,” I said quietly as I closed my eyes, even though I could feel his stare.
“Fuck everyone else,” Jett snorted as he flopped down on the bed beside me.
“Thought that was Ash’s job?” I grinned and we both laughed as we waited for an update from my brother.