I shake my head, inhaling a deep breath. “No. If we leave, they win.”
Kenz squeezes my shoulders one more time before returning to her seat. She glares over at Zach before facing the table. “There’s got to be a way to get that guy to back off.”
Izzy clears her throat and leans forward. “When I was dating Eric, Zach creeped the fuck out of me.”
“How?” I drink some more coffee, trying to ignore the buzzing feeling of having my predator in my peripheral vision. I’m tempted to ask someone to switch places so I can keep my eyes on him, but at the same time, that gives him too much power.
“He caught us having sex.” Izzy glances over at Zach. “And instead of leaving, he’d watch and Eric wouldn’t stop even if I wanted to. Eric would get a little rougher and?—”
Nat takes Izzy’s hand and squeezes it for support. I swallow. I’m not sure I want to hear any of this, but I need to know my enemy. Who is this guy that the horsemen really haven’t begun to punish? Why does he get a pass after what he did?
Maybe that’s what I should be focusing on. They punished Grant for calling out and then the betting thing. They punished Ethan for asking about them sharing me. But Zach trapped me in a closet and threatened to rape me and... nothing.
Sure, they’re watching him, but how much power does this guy have? They haven’t even really punished the Cheermonsters either, besides making Sidney stink, which probably barely dented her social capital. I glance Sidney’s way. She’s still watching me with that calculating look.
“You don’t have to talk about it, Izzy,” Nat says.
“No, it’s better all of us know what we’re dealing with.” Izzy straightens and meets my eyes. “There were nights that I slept over with Eric.”
She pauses and looks down at her hands. “He liked to have sex with me while I slept, so he always asked me to take something before bed. Eric could be sweet and kind and so tender. It really wasn’t hard to fall in love with him and to trust him.”
My skin crawls. I don’t know if I want to hear what happened.
She blows out a breath and shakes her hands. “Fuck.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” I shake my head.
“You need to know if he’s coming after you.” Izzy’s blue eyes swim with unshed tears. “I woke up one morning with bruises on my hips and feeling more sore than usual. I won’t say that Eric was gentle all the time, but he didn’t really hurt me.”
My stomach churns violently. The implication and what I know about Zach... fuck.
“Why didn’t you report it?” Kenz asks quietly.
Izzy shrugs and touches her throat. “I took the drug knowing what it would do. I trusted Eric to keep me safe.”
“Wait, you broke up with Eric because he cheated on you? Not for that?” I try to keep my tone level, but she stayed with him?
“I was in love. It’s crazy the things you do when you’re in love.” Izzy smiles and a tear slips down her cheek. “Eric told me he got carried away, but the next time I saw Zach... the look he gave me... I knew.”
My heart thumps heavy against my breastbone. I can’t imagine my guys allowing anyone to touch me, to hurt me the way Zach hurt Izzy.
“It’s not too late to report him.” Kenz looks straight into Izzy’s eyes. “He shouldn’t get away with it.”
“There’s no evidence.” Izzy shakes her head and smiles warily. “It would be my word against his and I don’t actually have a memory of him... doing anything. Besides, he’s untouchable. His parents are stupid wealthy. He’s got a full ride to play basketball in college. They’re already talking NBA for him.”
“None of this is your fault.” Kenz looks around the table at the other girls. “It’s never on us if someone takes advantage of us.”
“In this town.” Penny scoffs. “The powerful remain powerful while the weak get taken advantage of.”
Like my guys. They want something they go after it relentlessly, but if I hadn’t given them the green light, they would have stopped. They gave me shitty options but at least they gave me options. Mostly.
Izzy dabs at her eyes with a napkin while Nat rubs her back. It’s time Zach pays for what he’s done.
CHAPTER 25
The Feint
Harper
