Page 14 of The Lawyer’s Quandary

Greg leaned over the bed and kissed him before finding his things. “I’ll call you later. I promise. But I’d better go.” At least they had thought at some point yesterday to bring Greg’s car to the house.

“I know,” Mark said, wishing he didn’t have to leave. He hadn’t had a weekend as amazing as this in a long time, and he hated for it to end. But the week was calling, and they both had work to do.

Greg dressed and said a quick goodbye before hurrying out, and Mark showered and dressed before going to campus for an early meeting.

Steven, Connors, and Wilson met him at the aquatic center with two other guys. They seemed shy, and Mark knew almost instantly why they were here. “The same as you?” Mark asked Steven, who nodded. “Then it’s likely there are a lot more.”

“I want to beat that man until he’s dead,” one of the new guys said with white-hot fire in his eyes. “It was last year. I never speak to him and stay away. I thought it was only me.”

“Nope.”

“So why are we here?” he asked.

“To take him down. We have a plan, and we’ll tell you when we have something,” Steven told them and handed both guys cards Greg must have given him.

“This is the lawyer we’re working with. He’s a really good guy, and he’s working for us.

Not Bates or the college. Call him.” It seemed that Connors or Wilson had found these two, though they all clearly knew each other.

“And say nothing to anyone before talking to Greg.”

They nodded and left, pulling out their phones.

“What is the plan?” Connors asked.

“Bates is back today. Everyone is going to go into welcome-back mode. But you have a couple big games coming up. So, go in to Bates and tell him that you really need his help. You have to be ready for the game and your ankle is hurting. Ask him to tape it. If he agrees, just text that you have to postpone our water training. I’ll monitor the camera.

Set a special tone for me on your phone, and as soon as I have something, I’ll text back okay .

” Then you get the hell out of there. Got it? Don’t wait or be polite. Just get out.”

“I got it.” Steven was as serious as a heart attack. “I don’t want to spend one more second in his presence than I have to.”

“What do we do?” Wilson asked.

“Just stay away. We don’t want him to become suspicious if we appear in packs,” Steven answered. “Just go about your normal routine.”

“But what if something goes wrong?”

“Give me your numbers, and I’ll message you, and you both come running,” Mark answered. “You’re the cavalry, though hopefully, it won’t come to that. Okay, we all know the plan. Now, let’s make this happen, get what we need, and get the hell out of Dodge.” The last part was for effect.

The guys left, and Mark spent the rest of the morning working with his top swimmers. They had classes for part of the day, but for the rest of it, he was damned busy. But he kept his phone nearby at all times. Finally, he received a text.

“A session at four?” Mark’s heart beat faster as he read the message.

It was just after three, which meant he had to finish up in half an hour.

That would probably be good, but he was still anxious.

What if this plan went wrong? What if Bates had already found the camera and removed it?

Mark read the text again and then sent a message to Greg and got an immediate response.

I’m leaving the office now.

Mark hadn’t been sure what he had expected, but he should have known that even with the indecision around what they were doing and his own efforts to try to insulate Greg from what Greg clearly felt was a moral dilemma, he was on his way. Greg wasn’t going to let him or anyone hang in the wind.

Come to my office , Mark sent, and put his phone away. At least he had someone to watch all their backs. Greg was pretty amazing, and he was damned lucky to have someone like him in his life.

“How was that?” asked William, the swimmer he was working with to prep for an Olympic trial event in a month.

“You’re improving, but you have a hitch in your stroke.

Bring your arm over faster. It’s slowing down, and that’s costing you strokes.

” He pulled his attention back where it was supposed to be.

“Go again.” He waited as William began and met him at the other end of the pool.

“Much better and you were a second faster. How did it feel?”

“Weird, but better at the same time.”

“Remember not to let yourself get into autopilot. If you do that, then sloppiness creeps in. Think about what you’re doing.

Get into a good rhythm, and then breathe and propel yourself with purpose.

” He grinned and set William to doing four more laps, which were fast as hell.

“Good. That’s enough for today. But keep practicing to make sure the movement gets back into your muscle memory.

” He let William finish his workout and returned to his office.

Once he had closed the door, he brought up the camera on his iPad.

Bates’s office was empty, and Mark checked the time.

It was ten till four, so he made a pass through his email and answered what he needed to.

As he finished, he saw movement in Bates’s office.

Mark started recording on the iPad as Steven entered the office.

He pulled out his phone, and soon Mark dinged that he needed to postpone their work in the water.

Then he set it aside and sat in a wooden chair, lifting his leg so Bates could tape the ankle.

A knock on Mark’s door startled him, and he peered out and then let Greg inside. “Am I late?”

Mark closed the door and kissed him as some of the tension that had sent his stomach lurching calmed down. “No. Steven just arrived in the office. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Steven is wound tight as a drum.”

“I still hate this, but I have to admire Steven for having the strength to put himself in this position. Part of me is screaming that this isn’t right and is telling me to run over there and get him the hell out, and part of me wants to get the evidence we need to kick this asshole off this campus and every other one in America. ” Greg watched the screen and shivered.

Mark turned to the screen and then looked at Greg, the tension in him so tight, he could probably play music on his muscles.

“Text him to get out of there,” Greg told him, and Mark yanked open this office door and hurried out of the office, heading toward the doors of the aquatic center. The building with Bates’s office was right next door, and he had reached the front doors when he heard Greg’s voice. “Come back, now!”

He skidded to a halt and reversed direction, returning to the office just as Steven yanked Bates’s office door open and sprinted from the field of vision.

“What the hell happened?” Mark asked, but all he could see was a toppled chair and a bunch of unrolled tape.

“Message him now,” Greg snapped.

Mark typed a message to Steven. Greg and I are in my office.

He sent it as the front door of the aquatic center banged open.

Mark hurried back out into the hall as Steven raced down to him.

Steven clutched him into a hug, and Mark closed his arms around him, holding Steven as he shook from head to toe.

“I fucking did it,” Steven whispered over and over. “I did it.”

Mark turned to Greg, who wound the recording back a few minutes. Sure enough, Bates made a play for Steven. Only this time he kissed him and pressed him back against the chair. That was clearly a violation, but what happened next shocked him.

Steven lunged forward, pushing Bates off him, and then backhanded him hard. Bates went down, the tape flying into the air as Steven stood over him for a second. Bates had disappeared from the camera angle, but Steven lunged for the door and was gone.

“Fucking hell,” Greg said softly, and turned to Steven. “What you did was brave as all hell.”

“I did it. I stood up to the bastard,” Steven said.

Greg nodded. “Yes, you did, and I’m so damned proud of you.” Steven sat in one of the chairs, his foot bouncing, and Mark gave Steven some space. “And I hate to sound cold, but I need a copy of that recording. Send it to me now.” He sounded worried and maybe a little frightened.

“What’s going on in your head?” Mark asked as he formatted and sent a copy to Greg from his iPad, using an internet email account.

“I need you to go over to the rec center under the guise of welcoming Bates back and see how he’s reacting to all this.

And as soon as you possibly can, get that camera out of the office.

Steven hit his assistant coach. The clock on this is already ticking.

I’m going to stay here with Steven, and we’re going to call the other players and get them over here so we can explain our plan going forward. ”

“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Mark hurried out of the office and out of the building, forcing himself to walk at a normal pace between the buildings and to Bates’s office in the rec center, where he stuck his head inside.

“Welcome back. You gave us all a scare,” he said, playing ignorant.

Bates turned to him, a red welt forming in his cheek. “What happened?”

The office had been put back to rights, and Bates sat at his computer.

“One of my players just took a swing at me while I was taping his ankle.” He seemed furious.

“I’m sending a note to HR, admissions, and the provost right now with a formal complaint.

What a way to come back from being sick.

” He didn’t even look up from his screen as he typed furiously.

“I know this is a shock and all. Do you need something to drink? Maybe some water and a chance to give yourself a little time to think?” Mark wanted to get Bates away from his office, because as soon as anyone saw that tape, they would come looking for the camera, and he needed to get it the hell out of there.

Bates shook his head, and Mark was running out of ideas.

“Bates,” Coach Littleton said from behind him, and Bates turned. “Hey, Mark. Is there something you need?”

“No. I was just seeing how he’s doing since he’d been out.”

Littleton nodded and shifted his gaze to Bates. “Can you come to my office? I have some things to go over.” He turned and left. Bates groaned and locked his computer before hurrying out of the office.

Mark waited until they were out of sight, closed the door, and used the wooden chair to stand on so he could lift the false ceiling. After using his sleeve to cover his hand, he got the tiny camera and slipped it into his pocket.

Once the office was the way he found it, he opened the door, checked the hall, and walked out, heading for the exit.

“What’s going on?” Greg asked as soon as he stepped into his now very full office.

“It’s as we thought. He’s already making a complaint. Guys, take Steven back home and do your best to act as normal as possible. Let him make his complaint. These things take time to percolate through the system. Steven, you contact me as soon as you hear anything.”

“But what if they try to take him or something?” Connors asked.

“Isn’t there some sort of disciplinary hearing with the provost or student dean?” Greg asked. “What’s the process?”

“It’s all through the provost’s office. They will receive the complaint, and one of the first things they will do is launch an investigation.”

“Okay. All that takes some time, but I suspect in this case, it could happen in the next few days. I really need to think about how I want to use the information we have at our disposal. I hate being at the mercy of someone else. It’s always best to be the one in control.

Not that I don’t understand his reaction, because I really do.

But Steven hitting Bates changes everything.

” His mind went a million miles an hour as the players filed out of Mark’s office.

Mark understood that. “What do we do now?”

Greg moved closer. “I can’t tell you what to do with the equipment. That is something that is up to you. The same goes with your phone and iPad. But make sure you have a copy of that video saved off.”

“There is nothing on any of the school systems,” Mark said. “I’ll take care of everything, and you don’t need to know about any of it.”

“Excellent,” Greg said with a smile. “Now I need to go and get off campus before any of this hits the fan. But call me as soon as something happens, and I’ll get here as fast as I can.” Greg gave him a quick kiss and then left the building.

Mark sent to the video to his main personal email directly from his iPad, and then deleted the applications from all his devices, making sure he was not connected to the Wi-Fi.

Then he left the campus and headed home, stopping along the way to disable the camera and dump it in the trash. Now came the hardest part: waiting.