Page 51 of Heartbreak Kings
“Like many cowardly men, he blames the nearest convenient woman for his problems.” Daniel swirled his wine in his glass and then took a sip. “You know, if it makes things easier on you, I’m happy to bite the bullet and help you explain things to your mother.”
“You are?” I smiled with relief, instantly distracted from my simmering resentment. “Thank you. I didn’t really know how to ask anyone.”
“We’ll need a plan. Fortunately, it’s a good while before summer break.”
We talked about it through the rest of dinner and on the way back. There was no sign of Carmody in the parking lot. “Thanks for staying with me tonight,” I said as we rode the elevator upstairs.
“My pleasure. So, what are you putting on your blog about Carmody’s stalking?” Daniel didn’t sound concerned about it. Blake’s controlling streak was sexy as hell in bed, but I kept having to push back against it when it came to Carmody. Hopefully cutting ties between him and the fraternity would help keep the frat’s nose clean once Carmody’s jailing made the news.
“The truth. Well, the parts I feel like sharing. He’s stalking me, I’m having friends stay with me at night in case he violates his protection order again, and I’m calling the cops about the violation and sending them the photo. Which I will also post online.” It was a great photo. Carmody running out with a panicked look on his face, holding his battered hat, trench coat flapping behind him.
Daniel chuckled. “I want to watch you put this together. Are you doing a video as well?”
My smile faded as we stepped out of the elevator on my floor. “No. I’ve been too busy.” Literally getting busy. At this point, I had gotten laid—and gotten deep, proper sleep—so much that schoolwork felt like a breeze and Carmody felt like trivia, but I was flaking off on some of my responsibilities. “Still, I have the best excuse possible.”
That made him laugh as he followed me down the hall. “Are we making life harder on you?”
“Not really. But I do sometimes wonder how I’m going to keep up with all of you.” Though, if that turned out to be the biggest problem in our complicated relationship, I knew I would be lucky.
“Just trust us. We’re supposed to be taking care of one another, not just you taking care of us. If you’re getting worn out, we’re not treating you right.” He stood by as I unlocked my dorm room door, then followed me in, glancing around. “Not the largest, but it’s lovely. Especially given that it does double duty as your broadcast studio.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve done well with less for most of my life,” I acknowledged without resentment, only amusement that it surprised him.
“We need to get you into your own apartment. I’d suggest moving you in to the fraternity house, but…”
“But that’s for fraternity members,” I finished for him as I took off my coat and hung it up in my closet. “I’m fine here. I don’t want to spend money on rent when I can have a room and my own bathroom that the scholarship covers.”
He pulled a face, and I snorted and shook my head as I took his coat and hung it up too. “You deserve better.”
“There are a ton of people out there who deserve better than they get, Daniel. And many who get better than they deserve.” Like Carmody, for example. “I’m fine here for now.”
“Just thinking it might be better if Carmody couldn’t find you so easily.” He winced as he settled into the one chair, and I perched on the edge of my bed. He didn’t make a move toward me, content just to talk for now.
“Hiding from him isn’t the answer. He won’t stop, even if he doesn’t have the balls to face me directly. He needs to be in jail. He violated the protection order by stalking me. I have evidence on my phone. I should make the call now.”
He didn’t stop me as I called the police and reported the violation. I forwarded them the photograph and received a promise that they would enter it into evidence and that they would send a car to pick Carmody up. It took all of fifteen minutes, but by the end of that time, I felt drained.
“That’s it,” I sighed, rubbing my temple. Daniel moved over onto the bed, appearing concerned as he reached for me.
Outside, something slammed against the window below ours. I heard an astonished curse from my downstairs neighbor and turned to the window, peering out through the slats of the blinds just as orange light bloomed from below. Daniel leaned over beside me to check.
A small crowd with something that looked like a very large slingshot was standing on the strip of lawn between the sidewalk and the parking lot. The slingshot was stuck into it and leaned far back, while two of the guys pulled the strap back and another grabbed one bottle from a small cluster of them and lit the rag hanging from its neck.
The bushes at the base of my column of windows were on fire, the falling snow keeping the flaming patch from spreading. “You got to be fucking kidding me,” I breathed.
I felt the bed shift next to me—and a second later, my dorm door slammed shut. I rolled over. Daniel had left without his coat.
My downstairs neighbor was at his window, screaming out at the maniacs slinging Molotov cocktails at us. “What the fuck are you assholes doing? I’m calling campus security.”
They let another one fly. It arced toward my window—and a gust of wind smashed it against the stucco-coated cinder block beside the glass. The burning alcohol drizzled down, sizzling as the snow hit it, leaving nothing behind but a scorch mark.
These bastards are insane.I grabbed my phone and camera and dialed 9-1-1 while I filmed.
I had barely gotten the number dialed in when I saw Daniel sprint out toward the group and run full tilt into the guy holding the Molotov.
The burning bottle dropped into the others, and they went up, sending the guys operating the slingshot scattering and setting it on fire. Daniel started beating the boy down hard, ignoring the flames almost at his feet, while I stared in astonishment. I could hear his furious German four stories up.
The other guys tried to pull Daniel off him, while from a nearby car, I saw Carmody hurrying forward, flailing his arms and yelling at them. Then he saw something at the far end of the lot and ran for it, lumbering back between the cars and vanishing as the others scattered like frightened rats. The one in Daniel’s grip twisted free and stumbled off, holding his nose, leaving dark splotches on the snow behind him.
