Page 30

CHAPTER 30

Rodney

Things have been a bit tense since the fall. Andry and Aries ganged up on me, demanding I rest as much as possible. They even go so far as to email my professors to get my assignments so I can take a few days off.

It’s nearly a week later before I’m back on campus. Even then, it’s a battle to go alone since my boyfriend is now trying to take on the role of bodyguard as well.

I shake my head and smile as I make my way toward the quad. It’s the best way to cut through to get to my next class. This time of day will be packed full of other students, but it’ll be worth it if it means I don’t have to add ten minutes to my journey.

Despite my face being a mottled mess of bruises, I don’t attract too many looks. For the first time since we started the social media blitz, I’m invisible again.

It’s kind of nice.

But at the same time, this is really fucking odd. Something is up. I’m just not sure what it is.

Halfway across the quad, I get my answer.

Five guys approach me. And no, I don’t mean the fast-food place.

I recognize them all as the group who follows Liam around. My eyes search for him in the people moving around us, but I don’t spot him. It’s odd to see them without him though.

“Hey, Rodney,” one of them says.

“Um, hey?”

“We just wanted to apologize for being assholes before. It’s not that we hated you or anything. Liam told us we wouldn’t get playtime if we didn’t go along with what he said.”

I nod as though I understand what they’re talking about. I mean, I have some idea.

What I don’t understand is why they’re telling me this.

“OK. Thanks, I guess.”

A different guy speaks up next. “We don’t want any trouble. I hope we can let bygones be bygones.”

I nod. “Sure. Whatever. I really need to get to class though.”

The group splits down the middle to let me pass. I pivot my head side to side, watching to make sure this isn’t a trap.

I’m past them when I hear one whisper, “Do you think he’ll tell them we apologized? I don’t want to end up like Liam.”

“Shhhh! Don’t mention him. It might be bad luck.”

Before I can turn to ask what the heck they’re talking about, they break into a jog across the grass. It’s almost like the group wants to get away from me as quickly as possible.

The rest of the day goes about the same. It’s like there’s some kind of force field around me preventing anyone from getting close, or in some cases, acknowledging me at all.

My phone rings as I’m getting out of class. It’s an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Is this Rodney Merry?” asks a deep male voice.

“Yes. May I ask who this is?”

The man laughs. “My name is Hollis. I’m with campus police. Can you come by to sign off on the submitted paperwork? We’d like to get the decision finalized today.”

“Um, yeah. Sure. I’ll be right over.”

I’d question what paperwork he means, but I have a good idea. This is about Liam. Andry must have turned everything in while I was resting at home.

The campus police office is busy when I step through the door. People move around the space with familiarity as they chat loudly with one another.

“I’m here to see Hollis,” I tell the man sitting at what appears to be a reception desk. Or maybe it’s a regular desk, and I’m about to look like an idiot. Honestly, I’m not sure.

“Yo, Hollis!” the guy shouts.

A few heads turn, but it’s one in particular that gets my attention. He’s nothing like I expect a campus police officer to look like. Model-like features give off the vibes of someone who should be at a photoshoot on a beach rather than in a uniform at a small college.

It’s hard not to stare when his face is the perfect kind of symmetrical. I’m no artist, yet even I notice.

“Rodney?”

I nod. “And you’re Hollis?”

Dumb question. Of course he is.

“Yeah, that’s me. Come to my desk, and we’ll wrap this up.”

We move to a space set aside from the rest of the room. It’s almost like he holds some kind of authority, but I can tell by the back slaps and waves the others throw his way that he’s also part of the team too.

This man is well liked.

“Have a seat for me, Rodney.” He points to the empty chair beside his desk.

I almost hesitate to accept. This is the spot where the criminals always sit on the tv shows about cops.

But I didn’t do anything wrong.

At least, I don’t think I did.

“You said I needed to sign something?”

He nods as he shuffles through papers on his desk. “Yes, sir. We’ve got everything handled on the back end; however, for it all to be finalized and closed out, I need your John Hancock on this one.”

Hollis chuckles at his joke, which eases a bit of my tension. If he can make corny puns like that, then I guess I’m not in much trouble.

He hands over a stack of papers that look extra official. I read over them before immediately signing anything. Aries taught me that long ago when he was drafted.

The fine print can really bite you in the ass if you aren’t careful.

With each word I read, dread rises in me. To see my history with Liam laid out so plainly on paper like this is frustrating.

Why didn’t I report him before?

Why did I let it get this bad?

And worst of all — if I didn’t have Andry, would I have just kept on going with it all?

“You ok?” Hollis asks.

I shake my head. “It’s embarrassing to have to do this.”

“Hey! No, none of that. You shouldn’t be embarrassed. This isn’t a reflection of you. He’s the person who chose to make bad decisions.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to remember that, I guess.”

Hollis hands me a pen. “If all is good on this, just sign the last page. There are a few spots.”

I do as he asks before handing everything back over. “Not sure how much this helps, but I do appreciate you. It’s been a long time coming.”

He gives me a confused look. “I don’t know how much more can come of it besides jail time. The board held an emergency meeting to expel him, and from what I know, he’s also blacklisted from any future NHL teams.”

My jaw drops at his words. I sputter for a second before finding my voice.

“That can’t be possible. All of that happened in the last few days?”

“Sure did. It was a huge deal around campus. I imagine you were resting through it, huh?”

“Yeah, I was. No one mentioned a word to me.”

He chuckles. “Trust me, it did happen. We escorted him off campus and everything. Word around town is he’s no longer allowed in Bellport at all. That’s just rumor though.”

Maybe this is why Hollis is well liked by his peers. He clearly knows all the juicy gossip.

“Thanks for the update. I can rest a bit easier knowing he’s gone.”

I leave with a pep to my step. Though, there’s also some hesitation on my part because I’m cautious of all this good news. I don’t think Liam getting this intense of a punishment is a coincidence.

* * *

“Oh, hey Rodney! Come on in,” Kendall says when he opens the door to his place.

I smile as I slip past him.

He’s one of Andry’s new roommates. There are actually several of them, but it works since the house they’re leasing is roomy enough.

When my boyfriend first mentioned this place as an alternative to the sports house, I didn’t know what to think. It didn’t seem all that smart to just move in with strangers, especially when they outnumber you.

But then we met Kendall and his friends.

They’re all so kind. And there’s something in the way they connect that makes me feel safer just being around them. Like I can simply be myself, maybe even call Andry Daddy, and they wouldn’t bat an eye at it.

“Andry! Company!” Kendall yells once he closes the door. He winks at me before skipping down the hall.

I wait in the entry since I’m too keyed up to go anywhere else. Confrontation has never been my strong suit. Add in that I’m about to question my boyfriend about my former bully, and you’ve got a recipe for some serious anxiety on my end.

Heavy footsteps let me know I’ve run out of time to worry. When I look over at the stairs, I find Andry smiling brightly.

“Hey, little genius. I didn’t expect to see you yet.” Strong arms pull me into his chest.

I want to hold my ground. I want to question him about what happened.

But a single whiff of him has me melting.

There’s nothing as perfect as this spot right here.

“Daddy,” I whisper softly.

He shivers at the word, pulling back just enough to look me in the eye. His gaze is hungry, though it dims at whatever he sees in my expression.

“Come up to my room. We can talk there.”

I follow him up the stairs to the last room on the left side of the hall. As soon as he shuts the door behind us, I drop to the edge of the bed.

“Campus police called me today,” I start. “They said I had to come by to sign some paperwork. So I did.”

He nods. “Ok. That’s good. Did they give you any trouble? What were their names?”

“No. There wasn’t any trouble.”

The firm way he demands to know who might have made me uncomfortable only furthers my suspicion he had something to do with Liam’s disappearing act.

Direct is best with my Daddy, so I don’t waste any more time. I just blurt out, “Did you do something to Liam?”

“Describe what you mean by something .”

“As in, did you get him expelled? Did you call in favors and stuff? You don’t even know that many people!” I have to fight to keep my voice at a reasonable volume.

“Little genius,” he says softly as he drops to his knees in front of me.

I spread my legs to make room for him. I might be upset, but I’m not going to give up a chance to be close to him.

“You were healing before. I didn’t want to tell you anything that might have upset you.”

“Then tell me now. I want the truth.”

He takes a deep breath, his gaze locked with mine. “The truth? I refused to let someone who hurt you so badly continue to be a threat. I reached out to the guys, and we took care of it. He’s no longer a problem.”

“The guys? As in my brother and his friends?”

He nods. “Bellamy formed a plan, and we executed it perfectly. They also reached out to some contacts to make sure he can’t do this anywhere else. His time on the ice is done. He’ll have to choose a new path.”

My jaw drops.

This is even bigger than I thought.

And funnily enough, part of me has the itch to call up Hollis to tell him his information is correct. I can’t do that though because it implies I know who did everything. It’s best if I keep these secrets to myself.

“That seems excessive,” I admit aloud. “Him not being on campus would have been enough.”

He shakes his head quickly as his hands land on my thighs. The touch is distracting at first. It’s only as he speaks that my focus settles.

“I wanted to do so much more. He deserved the pain and suffering you’ve been through. Him and the others. Aries insisted I shouldn’t go after them all since I need the team to be able to play. Besides, the warehouse isn’t built for that type of project.”

“Warehouse?”

“Don’t worry about that part,” he replies quickly. Almost too quickly.

There’s something he isn’t telling me. While I should be worried about it, all I feel is a deep sort of relief. Liam is really gone. He won’t bother me ever again. The guys who hung around him said they’ll leave me alone too.

It’s as if everything is finally working out.

And I suspect it’s all thanks to the man in front of me.

The man I get to call Daddy.