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“It’s fine. I need to go and get Mom ready, that’s all. I’ll talk to you later,” she rushes out, giving me another forced smile before she slips from my grasp again and runs to her car, but not before she looks over my shoulder, and her expression falls.
I watch her get in her car and take off down the drive before I turn around and see my father-in-law standing there in the open doorway. He hasn’t looked at me once, his eyes still on Lacy’s car, even though it’s barely visible. I see his eyes crease, and his mouth turns up in a sick smirk, and then it clicks. My stomach drops, and my anger rises.
“Did you tell me you are lecturing at Willowstone at the moment, Gordon?” I ask as I tentatively step toward him, and only now does he look at me, giving me a smarmy smile. I don’t know how I know, but I do. I spot Sawyer and Connor, as well as Gloria behind him, probably wondering what is going on.
“I lead their statistic faculty,” he says, nodding, pocketing his hands and rocking back on his heels like the arrogant son of bitch he is. I see red.
I stride toward him, and without any warning, I throw my fist at his cheek so hard, I feel like I broke my own hand.
“You sick son of a bitch,” I yell as he falls, his knees hitting the ground in front of me as I hear the scream from his wife.
“I’ll charge you with assault!” he splutters at me as he tries to get up, and I lunge at him again.
“What the hell?” Connor says, grabbing me from behind, pulling me back. I shout and kick and elbow Connor in the torso, trying to get out of his hold, because I want to pummel this sick, preying asshole into the ground. I can’t even see straight, I’m so enraged.
“You’re a fucking pedophile!” I yell, feeling like I am out of my own body. I have never been this angry. Ever.
“She was of age!” he barks at me, and I freeze. Gloria gasps in horror. He isn’t denying it. I see Sawyer out straighten the corner of my eye, paying very close attention now, the lawyer in him kicking in.
“She was your college student. You groomed her!” I shout or growl; I don’t even know what I sound like at this point. I see my mom and dad come out from their place and walk swiftly toward us, hearing the commotion.
“She wanted it. They all do,” he says quietly, but not quietly enough, by the looks Sawyer and Connor have on their faces. Connor’s grip on me loosens, and while I haven’t actually said Lacy’s name, it’s apparent exactly who I am talking about. Connor steps forward, fists tightening.
“I think you both need to leave,” Sawyer says, stepping in between Gordon, Connor, and me, aware things are not going to get any better.
“What is he talking about? What is going on?” Gloria asks as I see my mom rush inside, no doubt going to find Harvey as my father stands watching.
“Do we need to call the police?” my father asks, looking at Gordon. Two totally different men. My fatheris strong, solid, a workhorse. Jeans and a casual shirt are his daily attire. My father-in-law is in a suit and wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if he tried. One contributes, one just takes.
“Yes! We do. Your son assaulted my husband!” Gloria screams. The entitlement of these fucking people is astounding.
“No. No police,” Gordon says, wiping the blood from his lip, which I busted open. Pity there isn’t a doctor in town who will see to his injuries because he sure as fuck isn’t welcome at my hospital.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” I say, looking at his wife, who looks stricken, but I don’t hold back. I can’t. “Gloria, your husband preys on college students. Gives them good grades for sexual acts. When they don’t comply, he fails them and then stalks them until they agree to come back and make up their grades at a special summer school. It probably makes them a little more accessible, doesn’t it, Gordon? Since the number of staff at the school over the summer break reduces quite a bit. Less people. Less eyes?”
Not even acknowledging me, he grabs his wife’s elbow and leads her toward their car. His eyes flame as he glances at me, and I can tell I’m right.
“Fuck, how long have you been doing this? How many young women have you assaulted?” I ask, and I see Sawyer on the phone, no doubt to the authorities. We will let them go for now; we can’t hold them, but they won’t get far. It’s all out now, and he needs to be dealt with. His game is up.
“I have no fucking idea what you are talking about,and if you don’t stop with this nonsense, I will sue you for defamation!” he yells, and he knows he’s fucked. He knows I will stop at nothing to end him and that I have deep enough pockets to do it.
“Sounds like that will be the least of your problems,” Connor says, coming to stand next to me with his arms crossed over his chest. Connor is massive. Bigger than Tanner. Tall, broad, and the one person I don’t ever want to get in a fight with. Clearly, Gordon agrees, because his mouth is now tightly closed, and he gets in his car, barking at his wife to do the same. They drive out of my place so quickly their tires almost screech.
“I called the police. He won’t get far,” my mom says, and I turn, seeing her standing in the doorway. She wasn’t here for all of it, but I don’t have to tell her. She knows. They all do.
I just hope Lacy will forgive me for what I have done. Because I promised her I wouldn’t do anything until she was ready. Now, I’ve broken that promise.
41
LACY
My cell phone has been ringing off the hook since Mom and I got here.
“Are you going to answer that?” My mom sighs, as sick of the ringing as I am. I continue to ignore it but turn my volume down, not wanting to hear it again either.
“No. It’s just Hudson. He is worried,” I tell her, plastering a fake smile on my face. My hands won’t stop shaking, and my stomach rolls and twists so much that I’m sure if I had eaten breakfast today, I would have already brought it back up.
“Why don’t you answer him?” she asks, knowing something is amiss.