“This late, she wears out easily,” he said quietly.
“You didn’t need to come. I’m sorry,” I told him.
“Course we did,” he said gruffly. “You’ve been through hell, but they’ll sort it out.”
“Their way?” I asked, and I heard the contempt in my own voice.
“You always judged us wrong,” Jer said with a sigh. “In college, no one was listening to those girls, no one. Except us. You know why? One of the fuckers was the son of the head of campus security. His daddy wasn’t listening to girls with short skirts and tight tops.” Jer looked down at his wife. “It doesn’t matter how the girl looks or who she is; when your son’s a piece of shit, your son’s a piece of shit, and you do the right thing.”
“I know,” I said, and Ididknow. I had listened and paid attention after the night with Dave. I may have thought at thetime that the Devils were immoral bastards with empty souls, but they did keep order on the campus. Yes, some incidents slipped through, but in my years of being there, Cardinal Saints College was a safe campus. “And you went to the police, after you were finished.”
“We did.”
“Will they do that today?” I asked.
“If someone put a knife to Chrissy’s throat when she was sleeping and cut her . . . when I got my hands on him,” Jer looked me dead in the eye, “I’m not pulling my punches.”
“That’s different. She’s your wife.”
“And you’re Onyx’s girl,” he told me flatly. “Don’t even argue,weall saw this coming for years.” He gave me a wide grin. “If you think you and him bouncing off each other like you do was anything other than old-fashioned passion, you’re delusional.” Jer laughed at my stunned expression. “Go rest. You look tired, and she won’t be awake for a while. I got you covered.”
I hesitated, my mind refusing to process that Onyx and I were a “sure thing” at any time in our lives. However, I couldn’t deny I was worried for him, forthem, now. “Onyx and Cooper, they’ll be okay?”
“Charlie’s with them.”
That did make me feel a little better. Three was better than two, right? “I’ll go change,” I said as I realized I was still in my pantsuit.
“Lay down. I won’t tell anyone,” he added with a wink.
I smiled. “You’re a good guy, Jeremy Pittman,” I told him. “Amazing tight end player,” I added. “Pity about the carrots.”
His soft laughter followed me up the stairs, and when I looked in the room I was using, I couldn’t find my clothes and went looking in Onyx’s room. Finding my overnight bag, I changed into sweats and a long-sleeved T-shirt. I looked at hisbed and contemplated going back to the other room, but he had put my things in his bedroom, no doubt for his guests’ benefit, but still, I crawled onto his bed and inhaled his pillow.
It smelled so good.
I was worried for him. For all of them. But the boy . . . Was I being naïve? He was just a kid, and I was worried for him more than I was the three grown men seeking him out.
Going to my purse, I pulled out my cell phone. Should I call the police? Warn them? Rubbing my head, I didn’t know what to do. This wasn’t right. They weren’t the law. As I struggled with my own moral compass, my cell rang, causing me to jump with fright.
“Jesus, Angel, it’s only the phone,” I scolded myself, taking a deep breath to calm down. “Hi, this is Angel.”
“Miss Balan?”
“Yes?” I asked as I checked the caller ID.
“I need your help, Miss Balan.”
“Who is this?” I asked as I sat on Onyx’s bed.
“It’s Ronnie Christie, ma’am. You knew . . . you knew my brother.”
“I did,” I told him as I stood. “What’s wrong, Ronnie?”
“He’s going to kill me if you don’t come here.”
“Come where?” Fear froze me, and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. “Onyx?” I gasped when I could speak.
“Who?”
“Who’s going to hurt you?” I asked him as I slipped on sneakers. When he told me where he was and who had him, I ran for the door.
