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Gabriel shoved me, and I stumbled back a few steps, laughing. He slammed the door in my face.
I jumped into the Ford pickup truck I’d purchased, a ten-year-old squeaking wreck. But I couldn’t drive my Maserati, or my Ferrari, or even my Porsche. I was a collector, and my garage was full of expensive cars I’d driven only once or twice.
And none of them would have been suitable. Besides, the truck was growing on me. If only the passenger-side window would close, I’d be a happy man.
When I joined the pickup line outside Lenny’s school, I was running a few minutes behind. Since Lenny was so small, it was hard to spot him. I hoped he’d see my truck, since it was impossible to miss.
There was a commotion off to the side, and I watched three boys shove someone to the ground. Heaving a deep sigh, knowing I’d regret getting involved, I got out of the truck anyway.
“Get the fuck off him.” My growled command went unheard, the heckling too loud.
I pulled the closest boy by the back of his sweater. He turned around, startled, fists raised.
I raised a brow, not moving away. “Fucking try it, dipshit.”
I must have looked as angry as I felt because he immediately backed down. I hated bullies.
The gap was enough for me to make out a familiar beanie and a black T-shirt with a white skull on it.
Furious, I pushed the remaining two boys out of the way. Lenny was on the ground, and he was holding his arm. I helped him up, but he refused to meet my eyes.
The boys who’d been beating him up had disappeared. Cowards.
Checking Lenny over, making sure nothing was broken, I led him to my truck that was blocking the line. “Do you need to go to the ER?”
A woman in her fifties rushed up to us, heaving out loud gasps of breaths. “Sir, you can’t park there. This is the pickup line.”
“If you did your job, I wouldn’t have had to park there. Did nobody see that three students were beating up Lenny?”
Gasping for words, the woman fanned her face. “I’m sure you’re mistaken.” She turned to Lenny, who studiously avoided meeting anyone’s gaze. “Isn’t that right? Nothing happened.”
“Nothing happened,” Lenny repeated.
My eyes narrowed and my body tensed up. “What the fuck is going on here? Are you brain-dead?”
My words finally put some motion back into Lenny. He let out a startled squeak and pulled me away. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Hempel. He didn’t mean it. I tripped and fell. We better go move the car.”
Fuming, I got in the truck. As much as I wanted to tell the woman where to stick it, I knew this wasn’t the time or place. But I could be patient. Tightening my hands on the steering wheel, I took a deep breath.
Putting my truck into Drive, I made my way back onto the street. Everyone who’d been in front of me had already left, giving us a clear way to get out. “Why didn’t you tell her what those guys were doing to you?”
Lenny looked at his hands, his little shoulders shaking when he took a shuddering inhale. “One of them is her son. And she’s the principal. If I’d said anything, I’d only end up getting more detention.”
I gritted my teeth. “How often does this happen?”
“Every few weeks.”
I punched the wheel, and Lenny flinched. “Why haven’t you told me or Ariel?”
“It’s okay. I can handle it.”
Raising a brow, I growled, “You can handle getting beat up all the time?”
He shrugged. But I wasn’t done. There was nothing I hated more than bullies. “Promise me you’ll tell me if it happens again.”
“But you won’t tell Ariel?”
I understood his need to not worry her. But she had to know. “I can’t promise that. But I’ll give you a few days to tell her yourself. And if you don’t, I’ll have to tell her. She’d want to know.”
