Page 34 of Heartbreak Kings
“I wonder if they did something.” Billy sounded a little distracted. “I hope they’re smart enough not to want that kind of trouble.”
“That’s a nice thought. I’m not sure about those guys. They’re a little hard to read. But they seemed to take me seriously, and nobody’s run up on me or left notes on my door since they promised to step in.” I didn’t know if it was because of my threat or because of their interest in me. But it was still a somewhat hopeful sign.
Isn’t it?
“That Carmody guy, though, he’s never going to stop until he sees real consequences. Maybe not even then. He may need to be locked up.” The thought of it made me ill. In a perfect world, his smelly, woman-hating ass would already be in jail for harassment. Instead, I had to wait until he literally tried to hurt me, break into my dorm, or otherwise make good on his threats before the cops would do a thing.
“Too bad you can’t just sic a lawyer on him. Maybe get a protection order?” I heard him drum his fingers thoughtfully.
“If we end up sharing any classes, that will become difficult to enforce.” I sighed wistfully. “Maybe I could keep him the hell away from my dorm or anyplace outside of class. Not sure how it works.”
“Well, I know you’ve got some spectacular research skills, so why not put them to use?” He sounded even more distracted.
“You know what, that’s a good idea. I’ll do that while I’m figuring out what to put in my update.” I didn’t know how that would reflect on Alpha Omega or the Gentlemen, though. I considered contacting Blake about it.
Wait, why does he get a say in what I do to protect myself from a pledge he’s so far failed to rein in? He’s lucky if I tell him about it at all.
“Okay, sweetie. Well, the boyfriend’s texting me, so I’d better get back to him. You going to be okay?” His voice was soft and apologetic.
“No problem,” I replied cheerily. “You have a good night, okay?”
A wave of loneliness hit after I signed off. Normally, I was too busy to be lonely. I could have distracted myself with studying or working on a video or blog entry, but I thought more and more about the possibility of getting a protection order against Carmody. That way, I wouldn’t have to wait until he harmed me before I got the police involved. All I had to do was wait until he violated the protection order. But that might affect more people than just him.
I resented having to run this by the Gentlemen before I went through with it. They didn’t deserve to have that much input in my decisions. But I didn’t want anyone caught up in the problem who wasn’t directly involved.
I’d warn them. That’s it. I wouldn’t ask permission. Not even from Blake. Even if his commanding voice and manner made me weak in the knees, he still didn’t call the shots in my day-to-day life. I did.
I checked the law online. The protection order could be conditional. It could prevent Carmody from approaching me within a set number of feet. That would allow us both to walk around campus or even take classes together without his being allowed to confront me. Not that he seemed to enjoy doing that without a crowd at his back. I wondered if he would even say anything in person if he were alone.
I called Blake. He picked up almost at once.
“Hello, Sabine. I didn’t expect to hear from you this late.” He didn’t sound annoyed, only curious. “Is something wrong?”
I forced myself not to apologize for bothering him. “Fewer things are wrong than usual, but I still need to tell you what’s going on. It’s about Carmody.”
I heard him suck in air. Now, he sounded annoyed. “What did he do this time? I heard he was still demonstrating outside your dormitory.”
“That’s part of it. But I’m more worried about him escalating, as he did with that professor. He’s losing supporters. His crowd is smaller every time I walk out, but he just seems more furious.” I felt a little silly trying to explain my concerns. “I really want to deal with him—”
“I told you we would handle him,” he reminded impatiently.
“Except you’re not handling him,” I cut in. “He’s still there, he’s just as crazy, he’s escalating even as he loses support, and I’m honestly dreading what he’s going to do next. I haven’t even been online in a few days because of the shit he’s been sending me.”
“Block him and move on. I’ll handle him personally,” he repeated.
“No,” I responded flatly.
“No?” He sounded genuinely offended.
“No. You may have gotten through to some others, but Carmody is crazy, and if you have been talking to him, he isn’t listening. And you were already plotting to drive me out, remember? That’s not a good way of getting anyone to trust you. It’s presumptuous as hell to just expect me to take you at your word. How good is your word, really?”
“Better than you think, apparently. So, if you’re not relying on me to handle him, what do you plan to do?”
“I’m looking into getting a limited protection order.”I should have said Iamgetting a protection order. I hate how I soften around him.
“Though that is possible, his parents are wealthy and overprotective, which means they’ll come armed with a lawyer. You might be in for a protracted fight.” He went quiet for a few seconds, and I heard the tapping of computer keys. “But if you insist on going through with it, my family has a lawyer. I could retain him for you.”
My jaw dropped. “Oh wow.”Why was he doing this? Out of interest? To minimize fallout? Or because he wanted me to rely on him and his protection, no matter what I did?
