Page 176 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 10

"But, I can't. I have a class at 2."

I pulled my satchel over my shoulder. "So skip it."

"You're a terrible influence, Professor Hunter."

I was. Of course I was. But I didn’t have enough control to stop now. "I don't think you really believe that. I'll see you at 1." I winked at her and walked out of the room.

I was barely down the hall when my phone started to ring. Thinking it was Penny with some smart remark, I pulled it out. But there was an unknown number on my screen. I didn’t even recognize the area code. Barely anyone had my cell number though, so it had to be someone I knew.Hopefully.My number being leaked to the public would be a nightmare.

I answered the call as I made my way outside. “Hello?” I said instead of offering my name, just in case it was the paparazzi or someone else equally annoying. I didn’t want to risk anyone thinking they actually got my number.

“James, fuck, finally,” Rob said. “I couldn’t remember your new number and I’ve been stuck in here for days.”

“Stuck where?” There was a distance to his voice. I knew he was thousands of miles away, but when he’d called me the other day his voice had been clearer.

“I messed up. You know what…no. I didn’t mess up. This fucking country is messed up. It’s not my fault.”

How many times had I heard that before? “Where are you?” I repeated, but I was worried I knew the answer.

“I was just trying to help.”

“Rob, where are you?”

“I think it’s called La Reforma or something like that?”

Fuck.I went into Lerner Hall and up the stairs to my office. Only one establishment would have the word reforma in it, but I waited for him to say it. I closed my office door behind me. He was going to make me late for my next class, but I didn’t want anyone to overhear my conversation with him.

“They’re just holding me because I don’t have cash on me to pay the stupid fine,” Rob said. “Can you figure out where to send $10,000 to get me out?”

I sunk into my desk chair. “Why’d you get arrested?”

“There’s a water shortage here. People are dying. I was doing my part.”

He wasn’t doing his part if he was rotting away in jail. And I hadn’t asked him what cause he was currently aligned with. “But why are you in prison?”

“There was a protest.”

A peaceful protest didn’t get you locked up owing ten grand.

“It got a little more intense than I realized it was going to be,” he added when I didn’t respond.

I opened my laptop and typed in “protests in Costa Rica.” Tons of news articles popped up. But they weren’t about peaceful protests. “A riot?” I asked. “You took part in a fucking riot in a foreign country? What the hell were you thinking? You’re lucky you even got a phone call.”

“Are you going to bail me out or not?”

I wasn’t surprised by the anger in his voice. He didn’t need a lecture. Sitting in a foreign prison was probably enough of a wake-up call. “I’ll figure it out. Please tell me you’re coming home when you get out.”

“I don’t have a home.”

There was an awkward silence. I could invite him here. I certainly had the room. But I was finally learning how to behappy again. I didn’t need my brother coming here messing up my fresh start. Rob wasn’t exactly a great influence. I sighed. That wasn’t true. I was pretty sure I was the bad influence, not him. No, I wasn’t sitting in a jail cell right now. But I was fucking my student. I couldn’t exactly judge his moral compass when mine was clearly broken.

“I gotta go,” he said. “My phone time’s up.”

Before I could say goodbye, the line went dead. I dropped my forehead into my hands. I was a shitty brother. It would have been easier to hand this task off to Ian. He’d be able to figure out where to wire the money and make sure Rob got out of jail okay. I’d wanted to take the morning to plan out Penny’s perfect date. But I had time for both. And Rob always made time for me when I needed him.

Obsessed - Chapter 27

Monday