Page 89 of Troublemaker
I turned to him. “Are you really going to let a faculty member speak to a young student that way?”
He winced. “I don’t love her language, but I like a student assaulting a faculty member even less.”
The cop was holdingout handcuffs, clearly meant for Lucy. So I immediately dismissed the professor and Saul, turning to him instead.
“Don’t you come near her,” I warned. “You even think about it, and you’ll have to haul me in, too.”
“Then I’ll have to haul you in,” the officer said solemnly. “Because?—”
“Because I’m pressing charges,” the professor spat. “And when I’m done with her, she won’t be a student at Tabb anymore. She won’t be a studentanywhere.”
Rage burned through me, and it was only Lucy tugging on the back of my tux jacket that kept me from grabbing the professor by the throat, woman or not. I was going to destroy her if she even tried to hurt Lucy. I’d meant that before, and I meant it now.
“Unfortunately, we’ll need to bring her into the station to get a statement,” the officer said, clearly uncomfortable to be in the middle of all this drama. “You’re welcome to follow us there, but she’ll have to come in the back of my car?—”
“Then I’m coming with you,” I told him flatly. “Lucy goes nowhere without me.”
More gasps.
“That’s not how that works, unless we’re arresting you, too…”
Taking three steps forward, I once again faced the president of the university—the university where I worked, the one that paid each and every one of my bills.
And punched him in the face to a chorus of gasps.
The gasps in the ballroom turned into screams, as Saul stumbled to his feet, blood trickling from his mouth.
“Blake, what the hell did you do?” Lucy asked, trembling.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, it’ll all be okay,” I promised.
“Arrest him, too,” Saul said, disappointment in his eyes as he spat out blood. “Blake, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but between getting involved with a student you never should have touched, and becoming violent to protect her, you aren’t the man I thought you were.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I’m better.Shemakes me better.”
It was true. I’d fought so long and so hard against losing control, I hadn’t realized what I’d gained. I’d give up everything else if it meant keeping Lucy by my side, safe and happy.
So I was glad when the cop, only having one set of handcuffs, used them on me instead of her before marching us both out of the ballroom and the building, directly into the back of his car. At least we got to ride together, Lucy leaning her head against my shoulder, as we prepared to face what came next.
They separatedus at the station, but they gave me my one phone call. I immediately called Micah, telling him I needed a favor from his brother Marcus.
“He’ll say you owe him one,” Micah warned. “And he always, always makes you pay.”
But I didn’t care, so he said he’d take care of it.
A few hours later, after pacing back and forth in lockup, worrying about Lucy and losing my shit that I couldn’t get to her, an officer appeared, opening the metal barred door.
“Your lawyer’s here,” he said stiffly, and I followed him out, down the hall, into a small dark room.
“Where the hell is Lucy Braverman?” I asked.
He didn’t answer, just left me there.
Moments later, a woman and man entered the room, the woman holding a briefcase, the man an easy smirk—the kind of a smirk you only smiled if you were worth billions of dollars and had nothing to worry about, ever.
That was Marcus, which meant the woman must be?—
“Ilana Brandeis,” she said formally. “And before you ask, I’ve already seen Lucy. She’s fine.”
