Page 16 of Forbidden Valentine

“Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. I am sure you must be worried,” I say simply.

“You could start by telling the truth,” he says.

“I am,” I say. “Your son tried to drug me after I rejected his advances, so I left the date and texted Professor Vega.”

“Here is the text with the timestamp, if you are curious,” Gunner says, holding up his phone.

“Do you really think it’s appropriate for you to be allowing female students to be staying at your house?” he asks with a frown. “What would the dean think?”

“He is aware that I have opened my home to students who feel unsafe or are too intoxicated to return to campus. It is widelyknown that I will help students where I can,” he says. “The only thing inappropriate here is your son’s actions and your attitude. If you are concerned about your son’s whereabouts, I suggest you go to the police and file a missing persons report.”

“I have,” he frowns.

“And what did they tell you?” Gunner asks, sounding curious.

“They said he was an adult,” he says. “I won’t let this go.”

“Mr. Jensen, he is your son. I may not be a parent, but I do understand your desire to protect him. We would do anything for those that we care about,” Gunner says. “If I hear anything, you will be my first call. Okay?”

“Okay,” he says, glaring at me.

“Have a good day,” Gunner says dismissively. When Charlie’s father leaves the office, we sit in silence for a while before Gunner gets up and shuts the office door.

“He’s not going to stop,” I say as he hugs me.

“There is nothing to find. The guy cleaned the alleyway I told you about, Jude. He had a bit of a situation himself with Veronica, but he helped make sure you were good,” he says.

“Yeah, she told me about that on the way to campus,” I say. “Blaise was a fucking creep, so I am glad that has been taken care of. Can Jude be trusted?”

“Yeah. Jude and Veronica are… very similar,” he laughs. “He’s a good guy.”

“What now?”

“Now… You get your car and come back to the house,” he says with a sweet smile. “Just remember that we always have to leave campus separately and arrive separately. Once you graduate, we can be public if you want.”

“We can play it by ear. I do not want to trigger his dad anymore than I already have,” I say.

We are curled upon the couch watching a movie. Gunner has been typing on his phone for a while now. It seems important so I do not interrupt. Spending the afternoon with him has been wonderful. The longer I am around him the harder I fall.

“So… we might have a problem,” Gunner says as he sets his phone down.

“What?” I ask.

“So, Jude was checking in on Charlie’s father. It looks like he is just as bad as his son. He thinks that there is a good chance that Charles is going to try and come after you,” he explains.

“Like legally?”

“No, baby, like how Charlie did. Jude didn’t explain much, but he said that he is going to handle it,” Gunner says.

“By ‘handle it’ you mean murder him and feed him to the pigs?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he smiles. “Jude and Veronica are handling that right now. They will be down at the barn sometime tonight or tomorrow.”

“Oh… So, they are a thing?” I ask.

“Yeah. Veronica is being a bit of a pain it seems, but they’re working it out,” he says.

“By a pain, I think you mean to say that she’s being a fucking brat, and he’s trying to break her,” I laugh. “It is about time someone broke that girl. He is in for a fight, though. She is mouthy.”

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