Chapter 10
Ten
Ashton
“I don’t want to do this,” Harper says, refusing to pick up the gun from the table.
Dante insisted I take her and Luca to the shooting range to help clear her head. The place is owned by the Ricci Mafia; it’s a private shooting club which caters to the family as well as private clientele on occasion.
Today, it’s just us, which makes it easier.
I don’t have to worry about Harper having a panic attack and anyone questioning her mental health while brandishing a gun.
Besides, there’s always the fear she might crack, break down, start bawling and talking about the shit that happened on Thursday night.
Am I worried?
Hell, yes. It hasn’t even been a week since the shooting.
Bringing her here, honestly, I think it’s a shit idea. Dante is just trying to get Harper and Luca out of his hair for the weekend. Why he thinks she is mafia material is beyond my understanding. I’m not a Don, though, so maybe he sees something I don’t.
All I see is fragility.
She’s weak.
Broken.
There’s no way she could pull the trigger if it weren’t one hundred percent in self-defense.
She doesn’t have the blood for murder.
Or the stomach.
“Pick up the gun.” I grit my teeth and nod toward the weapon that’s hers.
“Can’t we just go back to the house?” Harper glances from me to Luca, her eyes pleading with him to do something.
Luca’s jaw is tight and his eyes are narrowed on me. “She’s not ready.”
“She needs to get ready.” I check the gun that’s hers, making sure it’s loaded before handing it to her, safety on. “Take the fucking gun, Harper.”
“Yeah, that’s real smart, curse at someone and then demand they take the gun,” she mutters under her breath. She reaches out for the gun, and I notice the slight tremble in her hand.
She’s desperate to hide it, but I see right through the insecurities and fear.
The girl shot a man to protect her son, two days ago.
I’m sure she’s mentally going through hell. One glance at her, and I’d say she hasn’t slept since the shooting. There are dark circles under her eyes, and when she meets my stare, her eyes are glassy, distant.
“Don’t fuck this up and shoot yourself or one of us.”
“Asshole,” she grumbles at me, not the least bit under her breath.
No, it’s intended for me to hear her.
But I ignore it.
Harper has been through enough this week. I don’t need to add more drama to her list of shit that’s bad.
I have my own list of problems, mainly college and the fucking disciplinary letter that I received from the Student Conduct Office.
I have a meeting with them on Monday afternoon.
Nova promised to accompany me as a witness, and while she didn’t see the assault, she is the one being harassed by that pig, Henry. Her testimony will go a long way.
“Get your head screwed on and focus, Harper.” I suck in a sharp breath, trying to keep my temper even. The girl has a sailor’s mouth, and I don’t need to get worked up over her.
She’s not my girlfriend or wife for that matter.
Thank God.
Not that I don’t love Zeke, but I’m not husband material. To me, having a family is a complication when you’re mafia. They get in the way.
“I am focusing,” Harper says as she takes the gun and her breathing quickens.
She’s wearing headphones to block out the sound of gunshots, and she mutters something, this time unintelligible.
“Safety off,” I remind her.
“I know how to shoot a fucking gun,” she bites at me and then cocks off the safety, aims, and uses two hands to steady the shot, trying for the target. She hits the white paper at least but is nowhere near the body.
“Well, that’s something.”
She tries again.
And again.
More crappy shots.
The thing is she hasn’t been shooting for months, or even years. I took her to the shooting range and taught her the basics recently, once.
This is only her second time. I should be going easy on her, but I can’t. Not when she needs to be able to protect herself, defend her family, should the need arise again.
“Reload and do it again.” I’m firm and she huffs and does as she’s told, but she’s still off.
She’s never been a good shot.
Luca, at least, had a little better aim.
“Are you looking down the sight?” I remind her.
“I am, but the gun’s recoil is forcing me to miss every damn shot.” She’s getting frustrated, which isn’t helping.
Luca watches with patience, but he’s been quiet, letting me take the lead. “Can I make a suggestion?”
Exhaling, I nod at him. “Go for it.”
“Work on hitting the target at six feet. Then we move it to fifteen and twenty-five feet.”
Luca is right, not that I’d give him credit for that advice. The target is at twenty-five feet currently because that’s where it was already set. I’m not training her for a home invasion. I’m getting her ready to work for Dante. She’s going to need decent aim to do her damn job.
But perhaps putting the target closer, letting her aim and hit it at six feet, will also be far more encouraging.
We make the changes, and Harper aims and shoots again, this time hitting the edge of the outline. It’s not perfect, but already, she’s vastly improving.
“How was target practice?” Dante asks.
“About as expected,” I say. “Was there something else?” I can’t imagine that he brought me into his office after dinner to discuss what happened at the shooting range.
Answer: not much.
Harper did manage to hit the target at six feet, but her aim still needs work.
“Yes, I wanted you to know that I had my men pay Henry Bennett a visit.”
A lump forms in my throat and I swallow anxiously. “Oh.”
I had been hoping Dante forgot about the incident regarding Nova and the teaching assistant. Foolish of me, considering her father is Dante’s second in command.
“Let’s just say he won’t be harassing any more students.”
I open my mouth and quickly shut it.
“Out with it.” Dante notices my discomfort and that I’m holding back from speaking my mind. He’s good at reading people. A little too good at times, like right now. I’d rather not say what’s on my mind. “Ashton.”
“On Monday, I’m scheduled for an administrative hearing, to discuss the incident.”
“I’m aware.” Dante’s expression is grim. “Moreno and I will both be attending.”
“Sir, that isn’t necessary—”
“It absolutely is necessary, considering the incident involved Moreno’s daughter. Do you think he’s going to just sit there and accept the fact that Nova is being harassed by her teaching assistant?”
Well, when he puts it like that—
“Her father is going to want to support her during this incident. Have you called your old man and spoken with him recently?”
“No, sir.” I haven’t spoken to my father in a few weeks. With the hockey season taking priority and working for Dante, I’ve been a bit busy.
“Perhaps you should inform him of what’s going on.”
I don’t see the point. It’ll just infuriate him that I’m mixed up in trouble. “Why?”
“He’s your father, Ashton. He’ll want to know.”
I’m not sure that’s entirely true, but I keep my mouth shut. No sense in stirring up trouble.
“Tell me, Ashton, do you think Harper has it in her to be one of us?” Dante strokes his jaw, waiting for me to answer.
His question catches me by surprise.
Does she have what it takes to be mafia?
“She killed Santino to protect her son. I think if she needs to pull the trigger, she will. She just needs more hours at the shooting range.”
He rolls his lips together, seemingly unconvinced. “I’ll take what you said into consideration.”
His words weigh heavily on me.
“Do keep this conversation between us, Ashton.”
A shiver courses through my body as I nod. “Of course, sir.”
I don’t call my father. There’s no reason to worry him. I’m not overly concerned. Perhaps I should be, but I know at the end of the day, I’m not the one at fault.
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have punched that asshole, but he had it coming. Harassing Nova, saying those awful things about what he wanted to do with her alone, he deserved a beating. He’s lucky I didn’t throw him into oncoming traffic.
At the hearing on Monday, Nova gives her account of what happened, I give my testimony, and the asshole who initiated the report, Henry, doesn’t show up.
Had Moreno and Dante hanging by the door scared him away?
Unfortunately, the charges aren’t dismissed or dropped outright. The Student Conduct Administrator makes the final decision, and he reviews all the evidence and testimony before making his decision. Turns out, it takes a few days, the outcome delivered by letter.
The waiting part is the worst.
But I still attend school and hockey practice, leading up to our Saturday game next week. While I want to skip criminology class, so long as Nova is attending, I don’t want Henry in the same room as her. Which means I’m forced to show up, at least until the outcome of the hearing is decided.
The big question is will I be able to play in Saturday’s game, or will I be expelled from Evergreen University?
Nova slides her hand into mine as we head into the classroom for Criminology. It’s not a lecture hall by any standards. The room is quite cozy, which makes it impossible to keep far away from Henry.
Against my will, she heads to the front row and I’m forced to follow.
I hate sitting up close, but maybe she’s on to something. Henry is unlikely to be harassing Nova if she’s sitting in front of the professor. At least, I hope that’s the case.
I pull out my notebook, prepared to actually take notes and pay attention. The professor keeps a watchful gaze on me, and I can’t say I’m surprised. She may not have been at the hearing, but by now she knows about it.
I’m unsure how many other students have heard.
The professor strolls up to Nova, leaning forward, keeping her voice low. “Henry is no longer my teaching assistant. You can rest assured that I take the matter very seriously and I have reviewed the evidence that you provided at the hearing.”
“Oh,” Nova whispers, her eyes wide.
“We can discuss the specifics after class, but your grade will not reflect any quizzes or exams that Henry touched.”
“Thank you,” Nova says sheepishly, her cheeks reddening as she downcast her gaze.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of, and you,” she says, coming to stand in front of me.
My mouth goes dry as I stare up at her, hoping she’s not about to berate me for what I did to Henry.
“While I don’t tolerate any act of violence or assault, I did speak with the Student Conduct Administrator on your behalf, and in addition, I have filed a complaint against Henry for student misconduct.”
“Thank you,” I say.
The professor begins the lecture by informing the class about Henry’s dismissal and that if any other students experienced anything inappropriate to please seek her out during this week’s office hours.
The ordinarily silent classroom erupts in murmurs, and the professor puts an immediate end to it, making everyone pull out a piece of blank paper for a pop quiz.
After class, Nova stays to speak with the professor, and I wait in the hallway outside, giving the two of them time to talk.
I glance at my watch, two minutes turns to ten, and then Nova hurries out of the classroom, rushing right past me.
“Everything all right?” I ask, catching up with her.
She slings her bag over her shoulder. “Yeah, I’m good. She just wanted to hear if there was anything I left out of the testimony.”
“Was there?” I didn’t think anything else transpired that I hadn’t known about.
Nova shakes her head and smiles. “No.”
“And that took ten minutes?”
The smile on Nova’s face grows. “No, she just wanted me to know that I could come to her if I had any issue with anyone else in her class or any other class. That she felt terrible she hadn’t seen the signs or known what was going on.
I felt like I spent those ten minutes reassuring her I was fine. ” Nova nudges me as we walk together.
I lead her toward her next class, keeping an eye on my watch, making sure she’s not late as we hurry across campus. “Do you want to grab dinner tonight, just you and me?” I ask, nudging her.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” Nova grins, glancing up at me. “Hmm, let me think about it.”
We approach the building for her next class, and she turns and throws her arms around my neck, planting a kiss on my lips. “Yes,” she whispers, pulling back. I didn’t have any doubts, since she’s my girlfriend.
“Good, I’ll stop by your place?” I offer and wink at her.
She snorts and smacks my arm. “You don’t have a car, and my place is literally just across the hallway. I’ll see you later.”
I grab her jacket, pulling her to me for one more kiss before she hurries to her last class for the afternoon.
Watching her walk inside, I want to make tonight memorable, in the best way possible. We’ve all been through a lot lately. She deserves the perfect date night.