Page 60 of The Wrong One

Cam looked at me and gave me a nod, telling me it was better if I called Security. Ramsey couldn’t afford to get into a fight on school grounds. It would jeopardize everything Cam and Ramsey had built. There was a zero-tolerance policy. They would be kicked off the campus. All of their research and their advances would be lost.

Ramsey was in Patrick’s face. Cam seemed ready to break it up, but I had a feeling he would let Ramsey get in a few hits before he pulled him off. The two were snarling at each other like rabid dogs. As I dialed the number for campus security, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of excitement. It had been a while since I had seen Ramsey in action. My brother had been in more than his fair share of fights back in the day. I knew what he could do, and while there was a tiny part of me that would love Patrick to get a little taste of the pain he gave me, it couldn’t be like this. I quickly pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand. I needed to get Security here before things got out of hand.

When I looked up again, Ramsey and Patrick were still in each other’s faces. Ramsey’s fists were clenched at his sides, and I could see the muscles in his jaw working. Patrick was still posturing, but I could tell that he was starting to feel a little bit nervous.

I took a step forward, ready to intervene if things got physical. But before I could say anything, Ramsey suddenly lunged forward, his hand shooting out to grab Patrick’s throat.

I gasped in shock as Patrick’s eyes widened in fear. Ramsey was strong, and I knew he could easily crush Patrick’s windpipe if he wanted to. For a moment, I thought he might actually kill him. Cam stepped forward, ready to intervene if needed. But then, just as suddenly as he had attacked, Ramsey released his grip and stepped back. Patrick stumbled backward, coughing and gasping for air.

“I’ll let you go this time,” Ramsey growled, his eyes locked on Patrick’s. “But if I ever catch you messing with my sister again, I won’t be so merciful. She doesn’t want to see you. You have no reason to ever step foot in Boston. Don’t come back.”

Patrick sneered at me, disgust written all over his face. “You’re both trash,” he said. “I knew you were looking for a reason to come back here. You always had the hots for that asshole.” He pointed at Cam and shook his head. “Fucking your brother’s best friend, real classy, Izzy. How long has it been going on? Were you two fucking the whole time? Are you the guy she talks about from high school? It is you. I should have known. I should have seen it the first time she slipped up and said your name.”

I was going to puke. He was spilling secrets I wasn’t ready to have revealed. I felt the anger rising in me like a tidal wave. How dare he talk to me like that! I was done letting Patrick walk all over me. I took a step forward, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when Cam stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“Leave it, Izzy,” he said, his voice low and controlled. “He’s not worth it.”

I hesitated for a moment before nodding, realizing that Cam was right. Patrick wasn’t worth my time or energy. I turned on my heel and walked out to the hall to flag Security in. If Ramsey wanted to shred him, so be it. It was better Ramsey go after Patrick than Cam. Now that Patrick had opened his big mouth, there was no deciding when to tell Ramsey our secret. The expression on Ramsey’s face told me all I needed to know. He had figured it out. I couldn’t explain how Patrick knew, but it wasn’t good.

Security strolled down the hallway like there wasn’t a volatile disaster ready to erupt. “In there,” I pointed. “The guy wearing a blue shirt. He’s threatening me and my partners. He’s violent.”

Security rushed past me. I should have felt relief, but I knew it was only just starting. Shit was about to hit the fan.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Cam

Patrick scrambled back, still clutching his throat when Ramsey lunged at him again. He shot Ramsey a venomous look before backing away, clearly eager to put as much distance between himself and Ramsey as possible. The guy thought he was such tough shit.

I let out a sigh of relief, realizing that I had been holding my breath the entire time. “Thanks for not killing him,” Izzy said to Ramsey as Security stepped up to grab Patrick.

Ramsey shrugged nonchalantly, his demeanor already shifting back to his usual calm and collected self, except he wasn’t calm or collected. He was pissed. The words Patrick had spewed hung in the room. My stomach felt like it was an open pit. I watched Patrick get dragged about by security, bitching and moaning the whole way. He was throwing around more empty, idle threats about suing Ramsey and so on. Security promised to get him all the way off campus.

Izzy was trying to hide behind the desk. I wasn’t going to let her take the hit on this. I was the one to blame. I would take responsibility for falling in love with his sister.

“Is it true?” Ramsey asked. “Are you screwing around with my sister?”

“Look, Ramsey,” I started. “I hope you can hear me out before jumping to conclusions.”

His brow furrowed, anger flashing in his eyes. “It’s true.”

“Yes,” I admitted.

Ramsey’s eyes were colored in hurt. He looked from me to his sister. “What the fuck?” he growled. “You, Cam? You been messing with my sister?”

“It’s not like that,” I said. “We’ve been spending time together.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

I looked at Izzy. I hated that she was dealing with one arrow after another. This was not how this was supposed to unfold.

“Izzy, are you hooking up with Cam?” Ramsey asked.

“It’s not like that,” I interjected. “It’s not a hookup. It’s more than that. I’ve fallen for her. I wanted to tell you. We both did. But we were trying to figure out how to say it. We didn’t want you to get pissed or try and tell us we couldn’t see each other. I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong.”

The room fell silent, the weight of my confession hanging heavy in the air. I braced myself for his reaction, unsure of what would come next. Seconds stretched into eternity, and Ramsey’s expression shifted from anger to disbelief.

“You’ve been seeing Izzy?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper. “Behind my back?”

---