by Claire Raye
“You okay?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer me right away, a bit of worry pulling at his features. We know each other too well now to keep secrets and after I kept being run down by the car from him, we agreed we wouldn’t do that anymore.
“Seriously, Caleb, what’s worrying you?” I rest a hand on his cheek, urging him to tell me.
“I got a text from my boss. I think he’s going to fire me,” he admits.
“What makes you think that?”
“He sent me a text telling me he needed to talk to me. Asked if I could come in a little early today.” He lets out an exhausted sigh, the defeat finally taking its toll. He had been doing so well, but it does wear thin quickly.
“What did Ken say?” I ask, probing for more and wondering if this is just Caleb feeling like nothing good can ever happen.
“Just that he needs to talk to me and he added that I didn’t need to worry.”
“Well, if he said not to worry, then why are you?” I ask, pinching his side, trying to pull him out of his funk.
“Because it feels like I can’t catch a break.”
“How about I give you a break right now?” I ask, winking at him as I pull him toward our bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Caleb
I head over to work to talk to Ken, every possible worst-case scenario running through my mind about why he suddenly wants to talk to me. What else could it possibly be other than he’s heard about what happened, what’s still happening and has decided to fire me.
I’m an idiot for not telling him in the first place. For thinking I could hide something as massive as this. But that’s exactly what I did, preferring to try and ride it out and somehow stay employed until I found myself in court or worse yet, in jail.
Guess the unemployed part’s going to happen first though.
When I get to the bar, it’s still closed, so I head around to the back entrance and let myself in. I walk into the office, but it’s empty and so make my way to the staff room where I find Ken sitting at the table, a whole bunch of papers and invoices spread out in front of him.
“Isn’t that my job?” I say with a forced smile, trying for a joke to lighten the mood.
Ken looks up, gives me a quick smile before indicating the chair across from him. “Hey, Caleb, thanks for coming down early. Have a seat.”
I pull out the chair and sit down, wishing I could also have a beer at this point. Anything to take the edge off my nerves over what’s about to be said. “No problem. What’s up?”
Ken takes off his glasses, laying them on the table before resting his arms in front of him. “I just want to start by saying I really think you’ve done a great job here, Caleb.”
Fuck, he really is firing me.
“I know it’s not easy to come into a place, take over, and turn it around, but that’s exactly what you’ve done. Profits are up, costs are down and the staff are all working well. I really can’t commend you enough for this.”
I nod once. “But…?”
Ken gives me another smile. “But,” he continues, his eyes flicking to the papers on the desk in front of him.
I can only imagine what he’s thinking right now. How can I let a criminal manage my bar? What if he attacks a customer? What if he steals from me? Maybe he’s already stealing?
“I’ve been approached by—”
“I get it,” I immediately say, cutting him off. I don’t need to hear all the shit someone’s obviously been telling him and I sure as shit don’t need to hear Ken’s fake compliments or bullshit excuses about why he now has to let me go.
I push my chair out and stand, fixing a fake smile on my face as I say, “Thanks, Ken. I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” Then I turn to leave the room, heading toward the office to grab my things.
“Wait, Caleb,” Ken shouts, the sound of his chair scraping along the floor echoing into the hall. “Hold up.”
I stop, turning to face him, and see the confused look on his face. “What?” I ask. “You’re firing me, right? You’ve obviously heard about what I did and you don’t want me working here. I get it, seriously. It’s all good.”
Ken’s brows narrow as he stares back at me. “I’m not firing you,” he says.
“You’re not?”
“No,” he says with a laugh.
“Then what’s this about?”
Ken holds an arm out. “Come and sit down,” he says.
I walk back into the room, taking a seat across from him again. Ken shuffles the papers on the table in front of him into a neat pile before finally looking back up.
“Okay, so now we’ve established you’re not getting fired,” he says, smiling. “I do want to say that yes, I did hear about what happened, Caleb and while I’m not judging or assuming anything, it would’ve been good if you’d told me before I had to read about it in the news.”
I tip my head in acknowledgement, feeling like a complete asshole for him finding out like that. “Sorry about that.”
“I believe in the whole innocent till proven guilty thing, you know,” Ken continues.
I scoff. “Pity no one else does.”
Ken offers a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure none of this has been easy, especially in a small town like this,” he adds waving his hand around. “Are you doing okay?”
I shrug, running my thumbnail along a groove in the table. “It’s not ideal, obviously,” I say. “I mean the criminal charges have been dropped but I’m still looking at civil ones.”
Ken nods, letting out a breath. “Can’t be easy.”
I shake my head, not really wanting to talk about this shit with my boss. “So, if you’re not firing me, what did you want to talk to me about?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from the shit I’m dealing with.
Ken uncrosses his arms, flattening his palms on the table as he says, “I’ve decided to sell the bar.”
All of the air leaves my lungs in a rush. He may as well be firing me, because there’s a good chance that whoever buys this place isn’t going to want someone like me running it for them. Word travels fast in this place, especially when it involves a respected college professor from the local university getting the shit beaten out of him by some kid. It doesn’t matter that the charges have been dropped, people still assume I’m guilty and it’s an assumption that’s probably never going to go away, no matter what I do.
“Okay,” I reply, not sure what else I can say.
“Obviously this isn’t something you want to hear, but I will be making a case for the new owner to keep you on as the manager,” he says, smiling. “You’re an asset to this place, Caleb and the new owner would be a fool not to keep you on.”
“Yep,” I say, not really believing anything anymore. “Okay, well thanks for telling me,” I say, standing. “I should probably go and get ready for my shift.”
I push my chair back in, feeling the weight of Ken’s stare as he watches me. I avoid his gaze, moving to the doorway so I can just get the fuck out of here. Just as I step into the corridor though, Ken speaks.
“I hope you’re doing okay, Caleb,” he says, his voice sympathetic. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
I nod once without looking back, before walking out.
Time passes quickly with the lunch rush and by the time Adam and I are sitting down to have a break, I’ve forgotten about Ken’s plans to sell and instead am thinking about that car from the security footage. Wondering if Ed’s managed to find out who it belongs to.
“Your future sister-in-law move to town yet?” Adam asks as he takes a seat opposite me with a plate of nachos in one hand and a beer in the other.
I raise a brow at him. “You do remember she’s underage, right? So no serving her in here.”
Adam grins, giving me a mock salute as he shovels a mouthful of food into his mouth. “She’s only underage for drinking, boss and yes I remember.”
I shake my head at him, realizing it
probably won’t even matter soon. Whoever buys this place is probably going to want to put their own stamp on it and it’s unlikely to include any of the current staff, especially not the manager with the anger management issues and lawsuit hanging over his head.
“You’re hopeless,” I tell him.
Adam’s grin widens as he takes a mouthful of beer. “And you didn’t answer my question.”
I let out a laugh. “No, she’s not here yet,” I tell him. “Maybe next week, I think.”
“She staying with you?”
“No,” I say. “With another friend apparently.”
“You know where?”
“Jesus,” I say, laughing. “You’re really keen on this girl, aren’t you?”
Adam shrugs, trying to play it like he doesn’t care. “She seemed cool,” he says, taking another bite of his food. “And I like cool chicks.”
“You like easy, laid back, no strings attached chicks,” I tell him.
He lets out a laugh. “Yeah, that too.”
I roll my eyes. “As long as you remember that any mess you create is probably gonna blow back on me, okay? So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t totally fuck with my girlfriend’s sister.”
Adam chuckles. “Don’t worry, Caleb,” he says. “I haven’t had any complaints so far.”
Now I’m laughing as I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I reach in and grab it and see Ed’s name lighting up the screen.
“Hello?”
“Caleb, hi, it’s Ed,” he says, as though I don’t already know this.
“Did you find out something with the car?” I ask, not bothering with pleasantries.
I hear the sound of an exhale down the phone before Ed says, “Yeah we did. It’s his car.”
“Fuck!” I practically shout, standing from my chair. Adam gives me a strange look and I shake my head at him. “So what now?”
“Well,” Ed says, and I can tell he’s trying to decide what he should tell me, “I’ve also spoken to Meagan, the girl Ruby spoke to.”
“Yeah,” I say impatiently, wishing he’d just get to the point.
“And she corroborated the car and stalking allegations. Told me what had happened to her.”
I’m nodding, even though he can’t see me. “Ruby thinks there may be others.”
“Yes, I think so too,” Ed says. “I’m going to have my PI look into it and see if we can’t gather some more information.”
I can feel my heart pounding in my chest at this new development even as I try to tell myself not to get too excited because just like before, this could all turn out to be nothing.
“So what now?” I ask.
“Now,” Ed says, “we’re going to need to get formal statements. From Ruby and Meagan and anyone else we find. We need to build a case about a pattern of behavior that proves that what people are saying is true. It’s the best chance we have for getting this dropped and charges brought against him.”
“A pattern of behavior?” I practically shout. “The guy fucking stalks his students, attacks them, rapes them even.”
Adam’s eyes widen as he continues to stare up at me, still shoveling his food into his mouth as he sits seemingly mesmerized by this one-sided conversation he’s listening too. I turn away from him, shoving a rough hand through my hair as I wait for Ed to speak.
“I know you want this to be over quickly,” he eventually says. “But we do need to build a solid case here. If we really want to have the best chance of getting this suit dropped and of making him pay for what he’s done, you have to be patient, Caleb.”
“I know, I know,” I say. “I’m trying.”
“I know you are,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “Now, is Ruby with you? I haven’t been able to get hold of her and I want to chat about approaching other students.”
“Wait, what, you can’t get hold of her?” I ask, as a sudden wave of fear washes over me. “She’s at home, getting stuff ready for school.”
“Oh, okay, maybe she just didn’t hear her phone,” Ed says, as though it’s no big deal. “Have her call me when you see her, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply as I hang up without so much as a goodbye and then quickly scroll through to Ruby’s number.
“Dude, what the fuck was that about?” Adam asks.
I hold up a hand as if to say, wait a sec, as I listen to the ring tone. But Ruby doesn’t answer, the call eventually going to voicemail. I hang up without leaving a message before dialing Sie’s number.
“Hey, Caleb,” she says when she picks up.
“Are you at home or with Ruby?” I ask, not bothering to say hello.
“No. Reid and I are on campus getting stuff for school. Why? What’s up?”
“Fuck,” I exhale, turning back to Adam who’s still watching me, a confused look on his face now. “I can’t get hold of her.”
Sienna says something to someone who I assume is Reid before she says, “She was home when we left maybe thirty minutes ago. Maybe she just went for a run or whatever?”
I’m shaking my head even though Sie can’t see me because I know Ruby always takes her phone with her when she runs. Not just to listen to music, but ever since what happened with that asshole professor.
“Listen, Sie, I gotta go,” I say.
“Caleb, wait, what’s this about?” I can hear the urgency in her voice now, as though she’s finally realized something is going on.
“It’s his car, Sie,” I say, moving toward the door. “It’s that asshole’s car.”
Then I hang up and open the door, sprinting in the direction of our house, my phone to my ear as I once again try calling Ruby.
Trying like hell to stop the bile rising in my throat when this one doesn’t ring at all and goes straight to voicemail.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ruby
When I step foot on campus I immediately realize I forgot my phone, fishing through my purse to confirm what I already know. I can picture it sitting on my bed, buried slightly under a pile of clothes I tossed there with it.
“Damn it,” I mutter, slinging my purse across my body. It’s too late to run back now as I check the time on my watch.
Caleb is going to kill me if he realizes I’ve left my phone at home, always so protective and worried, and he probably has a right to be given the situation. Hopefully he doesn’t try to call or text me while I’m gone.
I head toward the counseling center to pick up a few more books and sign up to do some volunteer work. If I don’t get over there soon, I’ll be left with all the shitty times or worse, left trying to get my hours on my own.
I walk in and find it quiet, which isn’t unusual given classes haven’t started yet, but there is no one behind the counter. I wait a few minutes, looking around, listening to see if I can hear anyone in the back. There are certified counselors on staff who may be meeting with someone right now and since the classes don’t start for a few more days, the student receptionist is obviously not working.
I call out, “Hello? Anyone here?” The room answers back with silence and just as I’m about to leave, I hear a door open and one of the counselors and a girl about my age emerge from the back.
“Can I help you?” the older woman asks, a friendly smile on her face, but the girl with her is staring at me with an intensity that burns hot in her eyes.
“Um, yeah,” I start, suddenly feeling the weight of this girl’s stare. “I need to sign up to volunteer so I can get my practicum hours in.”
“No problem,” she says cheerfully. “Can you give me one second and I’ll pull up the schedule. She now turns back to the girl who is standing a few feet from me.
“If you need anything else, Kate, don’t hesitate to come back.” She dismisses the girl with the same cheerful smile she greeted me with. The girl wipes at her eyes a little, and I notice she’s been crying. Her eyes are red rimmed and the tip of her nose is a pale shade of pink. She nods at the woman’s words but doesn’t acknowledge her with anythin
g more as she leaves out the door.
“Alright, let’s have a look at the schedule. It’s always such a great time of year when we get all the students in here needing hours.”
The woman helps me cross check my class schedule with the hours of the counseling center and gets me on the calendar for Tuesday and Thursday late evenings, informing me that college students tend to show up here after midnight. Being a night owl, it’s the perfect time for me.
I’ll spend three hours a night at the center and by the time the semester is over, I’ll have finished my practicum hours.
I thank her for her time and head out, checking my watch again, since I know I have to pick up a few more things from one of the lecture halls and get back home.
As soon as I step out the door, the girl from the center is standing there. She has that same intense look on her face, her eyes narrowed and her mouth in a scowled pucker, anger radiating from her as she stares at me once again.
“You’re Ruby Collins, aren’t you?” she asks, a rasp to her question that implies she knows exactly who I am. She’s immediately standoffish, her hands on her hips, her head cocked to the side as she shoots me a menacing look.
“Am I. Do I know you?” I play coy, but I know exactly what she’s doing. She knows who I am based off what happened with Professor Keller and Caleb, and judging by the way she’s looking at me, she’s on his side.
“No, you don’t, but I know what your boyfriend did to Professor Keller,” she huffs out, now crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, okay.” I roll my eyes and start to walk away. I don’t need to stand here and be berated by some girl who obviously has an obsession with her professor.
“Why are you walking away from me?” she demands, jogging to catch up and for a split second I want to hit her and run. Does she have any idea what it’s like to be followed and harassed? She’s crossing the line.
“Because I don’t need to sit here and let you tell me what my boyfriend did was wrong when you don’t even know the full story. You just know the hot professor you have a crush on was beat up and oh my god that’s so sad.” My words come in a mocking tone, lacking all sympathy.
