The Secret: A Friends To Lovers Romance (North Woods University Book 3)

by J. L. Beck

“Are you okay? Where is Ava?” His voice sounds a bit frantic and I know he is worried about her.

  “She… she just went back to get her phone,” I tell him, looking back in the direction of the parking lot.

  “I’ll find her. Clark, get your shit together, Emerson needs you,” Vance yells over to Clark, who is still hovering over Rick, looking every bit like a predator that’s ready to attack again. His lips curls and his body visibly shudders the darkness in his honey-colored eyes terrifies me. I can hardly breathe… How did this happen?

  As if something tells him to look at me, he pulls his gaze away from the ground and his eyes find mine. As soon as he looks at me, his expression softens, but it’s too late, I’ve already caught a glimpse of the darkness that resides inside of him. I didn't think it was possible for Clark to hold this kind of anger in his heart. Jules, Remington’s girlfriend, appears at my side, her brows pinched together in confusion as she takes in the scene before her.

  “What happened? Are you okay?” she asks, her eyes darting between me and Rick, her voice concerned but also comforting. Her small hand rests against my back, rubbing gentle circles against it.

  “He grabbed me. I told him to go… but he wouldn’t,” I say quietly and notice my lips aren’t trembling. You’re strong. The words resonate inside of me.

  Clark, who looks more composed now, comes to stand next to me, extending out his hand. I take it, letting the warmth soothe my fears away.

  “We need to call the police.” She turns to Remington and all but shouts. Remington looks conflicted, as he glances to me, then Clark, and finally to Rick.

  “No! No, please, no police,” I almost yell. “I just want to go home.” When no one says anything, I start to panic. “This guy is a lawyer, he’s going to spin this whole thing around. I promise you, if we call the cops right now, it’s going to turn into us all being questioned.”

  Remington’s gaze hardens and he looks to Clark.

  “She’s not lying, this bastard will weave a web that will get all of us in trouble,” Clark spits the words with rage.

  Jules shakes her head, and I can barely look at her. I can’t image what she thinks of me right now. How weak she must assume I am.

  “We can’t let him get away with this. We need to call Sebastian, Remmy.”

  “Who is Sebastian?” I pipe up.

  “Rem’s brother, he is the new dean. He’ll know what to do,” Clark answers.

  “You two get out of here,” Rem tells us. “I’ll call my brother, and we’ll take care of this.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you taking the fall out for something I did. You’ve been through enough.”

  Remington only smiles and I wonder what his story is. “My brothers bailed me out of worse shit, this is nothing.”

  Clark takes a hesitant step back and tightens his hold on my hand gently tugging me along. “Thank you, Rem, I owe you one.”

  Hand in hand, we walk down the sidewalk and back toward the parking lot. Ava and Vance meet us a few feet away. Ava looks distraught and guilty.

  “I’m sorry Em if I wouldn’t have…”

  “It’s not your fault,” I tell her before she can finish apologizing. None of this is anyone’s fault. Vance looks between Clark and me, and then back to Clark.

  “You okay?” he asks.

  “Yeah, I’m going to take Emerson back to the condo. If I don’t put some distance between myself and that fucker, I’m going to end up in prison.”

  “Alright, well I’ll call you later,” Vance says, squeezing Ava’s hand in his. We part ways, heading back toward the parking lot well the walk in a different direction, Ava tucked into Vance’s side protectively. Clark is still tense as we walk and I can see how hard it is for him to walk away and leave Rick there, but turning him in, hurting him will only make things worse.

  “I’m sorry, babe, that you had to see me lose control like that,” he finally says when we reach the car. I don’t want him to apologize, because he did nothing wrong. He stuck up for me, protected me like he always promised and said he would, but I don’t want him to get into trouble for me. To risk going to jail for me. We get into the truck together and start heading toward the condo. It feels like I’m walking on the edge of the knife, one slip and it could all be over.

  “I’m sorry, Em, really, I am. You know I would never hurt you, and I didn’t mean to act out in such a violent way. I just…” His voice trails off, and my eye catches on the blood that stains his knuckles. We’ve been here before...and I can’t let him continue to do this for me.

  “I’m not scared, or angry, or anything of that sort. I’m worried, but not for me, for you.”

  “For me?” Clark sounds confused, and all I can do is stare down at my hands that sit in my lap. I would never give up what I have with him, but I wish more than anything that I hadn’t dragged him into this mess.

  “Yes. I don’t want you to risk getting yourself in trouble for me. Rick will and always has won, nothing can stop him.”

  “You can, you can stop him. All you have to do is say something, speak out, go to the police and tell them what you told me.”

  “No,” I squeak. “No, you don’t understand, and I wouldn’t expect you to. I’m thankful that you were there and protected me, that you saved me, but there is nothing we can do against someone like him.”

  “The fuck there isn’t,” Clark yells, his voice vibrating with anger, and sadness inside the cab. I can feel the pain in his voice pricking at my skin. He slams his hand against the steering wheel, and I glance up at him, almost wishing I hadn’t. Anguish as thick as a wool blanket seems to be suffocating him. We pull into the driveway of the condo and he throws the car into park, causing it to jolt forward with a sudden stop.

  Turning toward me, he says, “He will not get away with this, Emerson. I understand why you don’t want to talk, and why you think someone like him will never be held accountable for the abuse that they caused, but I’m telling you right now….” His jaw tightens, and the look in his eyes takes a dark turn, “he will pay, one way or another. He hurt you and I refuse to let someone like him, scum like him, walk this planet.”

  “It’s over, Clark. I doubt he’ll ever mess with us again, we have nothing to worry about.” I reach across the seat and place my hand on his. I can’t let him risk his future, his life for me, for something that happened a few times, when I was a teenager. Yes, he raped me, and hurt me, and ruined my life, but I’ve bloomed into a flower in a new garden and my future is bright and filled with happiness. I don’t want Clark to do something stupid that will rip all of that away from me.

  “What if he does it to someone else, or already has? You could be saving someone else? What if there are others?” My throat tightens. I can’t imagine something like that without feeling the need to vomit.

  “I… I don’t know. I would never want someone else to go through what I did, but he’s a lawyer Clark, and it would be my word against his. I mean, who would believe me? If I told my father, he wouldn’t even believe me. He thinks that I’m a whore, some girl who got knocked up from partying too much. Anything I say will be twisted into a mess that makes me look bad.” My voice cracks and I feel the tears stinging my eyes. I wish my mother was still alive, because I know she would’ve protected me, would’ve made sure nothing like this ever happened to her little girl. Where my father failed, my mother never would’ve.

  Sucking in a hard breath Clark lets his head fall back against the seat, and his eyes drift closed, and I take the opportunity to unbuckle my seatbelt and crawl across the bench seat and into his lap. He tenses for a moment but then wraps his arms around me as I snuggle deeper into his chest. Home. He is my home.

  “Don’t risk what we have for him. He’s already taken so much from me, and I can’t bear to lose you, Clark. You’re the one thing that matters most to me, and if he takes you, if we try and fight him and we end up losing each other because of him, then he wins all over again.” I clutch onto his shirt
with desperation, as if he’s going to disappear into thin air.

  Squeezing me tighter, as if he’s trying to embed me into his skin, he says, “Nothing, and I mean nothing will ever take you away from me and I’ll always be here, and always love you. But he will get what’s coming to him, even if I’m not the one that delivers the final blow.”

  His words should soothe me, and in a way, they do, but they also scare me, because if Clark isn’t going to hurt Rick, then who is?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Clark

  A few days pass, and I let myself stew over my next move. I know what I need to do, what I will do, no matter what. I didn't think I would ever be the type of person to wish death on someone, but Rick has that dark need stirring inside of me. Rick deserves everything that’s coming to him, which makes my decision easy.

  The next morning, Vance and Ava swing by the condo to pick up Emerson. I hate lying to her, but I tell her my father has some work for me to do and needs to talk to me about it. It’s not a full lie since I will be speaking with my father, but it’s one that leaves me feeling guilty as she gives me a kiss goodbye. Once she’s inside the car with Vance and Ava, I head back up the steps and into the house. Closing the door behind me, I head into the living room and sag down onto the sectional. I pull my cell out of my pocket and scroll through my phone, finding my father’s number in the recent calls list. I hit the green call button and shove all the guilt, and shame down. I can’t feel bad when I’m doing this for her.

  He answers on the third ring. “Clark, son, is everything okay?” I don’t miss the worried note in his voice, which is something I still haven't gotten used to. I wonder a few times if the entire thing is an act, a ploy to draw me closer to him, but even if it is, I don’t care. Right now, I need his resources more than I need anything else.

  “No, I need to talk to you. Emerson won’t be home for the next few hours. Can you come here so we can talk?”

  “Okay, I’ll be over in about thirty minutes.” The call disconnects and I drop the phone to the cushion beside me. I get up and do some mindless cleaning feeling the need to do something with my hands before I leave and go find Rick myself. I’m in the middle of sweeping the kitchen floor when the sound of the doorbell fills the house.

  Setting the broom down I all but jog to the door, pulling it open with much more force than needed. On the other side stands my father, in his suit, his eyes flick up to mine and I gesture for him to walk in. He steps inside and I close the door behind him. His eyes dart over the furniture, tv, and light art that we have on the walls. I surely hope he doesn’t plan to comment on the place because I can’t handle any such discussions.

  “As your father, I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t get to see this place before you bought it. I don’t want you making bad buying decisions.”

  I shrug. “I didn’t ask you to come over here so we could talk real estate. I asked you here to talk about this scumbag, Rick. Please tell me you got some dirt on him. Something that will actually hold in court?”

  My dad’s frown deepens, and I know he doesn’t have good news to share with me before he even opens his mouth. “Rick might be scum, but unfortunately, he isn’t stupid. He’s covered his tracks well which isn’t surprising since he’s a lawyer, and any of the times he didn't he made certain no one would talk. We found some other girls, but none of them are willing to talk. It’s not looking good, son. All we can do is wait and hope he slips up or that someone is brave enough to come forward and testify. In cases like this, it normally takes one person to come forward and only then do others follow. The problem here is no one wants to be the first. These girls are scared, and rightfully so, this process isn’t an easy one, and it’ll be brutal at times, but that’s the way the legal system works. There is nothing I can do when I have no victims that want to speak out against him.”

  I can’t help myself my fist makes contact with the closest object, which happens to be a nearby lamp. It falls to the ground with a heavy crash, shattering into a million pieces. My chest heaves up and down, the raging bull of anger threatening to break free. I need to get myself under control, calm down, think clearly.

  Nostrils flaring, I say, “I need your help, we need to get rid of Rick, there must be something we can do? He attacked Emerson again, on campus this time.” I pause, exhaling a ragged breath to try and calm myself. “If you don’t help me, then I won’t be held responsible for what I do.”

  “Whoa, slow down, son.” He puts his hands up in the air. “That’s… did you talk to Emerson and see what she wanted to do?”

  Like I wouldn’t talk to her first.

  “Of course, and she didn’t want to press charges. She is scared shitless and like you, she believes that nothing will come of going to the police. That it will be her word against his, but I don’t care, I won’t let him get away with this. I won’t have her worried about him popping up wherever she is. She can’t live the rest of her life in fear because of him.” I can’t stop thinking about it. Like I’m obsessed with the thought of needing him gone, wiped from existence. I love Emerson, more than anything in the world. I have to do this for her. I will do this for her.

  There is a long pause where my father and I just stare at each other. He knows I’m not kidding that I will do this on my own if need be. After a few more moments his lips part and he says, “There is something else we can do, but it has to be a last resort. I want you to think about this very hard before you make a decision. This isn’t something you can take back after it’s done.” Fuck yes.

  “I don’t have to think about it. My conscious will be lighter the minute we finish this. If there is a way to get rid of this guy, then we need to make it happen.”

  I expect my father to be shocked by the statement, but if anything, it seems he expected me to say it.

  “I know of someone who… let’s say is above the law, at least in this town. Someone who might be able to help us with your problem.”

  “Tell me,” I order, the blood in my veins all but singing with joy.

  “His name is Xander Rossi, and he is the head of the Rossi crime family. I’ve done some small work for him and he’s always said if I needed anything, I could come to him. I never had any use for his offer until now, but I’m sure it still stands.”

  “How do I contact him? Do you have a number?” I barely let him finish his sentence before I ask.

  “Let me talk to him. I’ll explain the situation and set up a meeting. He’s a very dangerous man Clark, a criminal, and not someone you can just call up and ask to get a coffee with. Despite that, I can tell you that he is a fair man, he doesn’t condone women getting hurt, and if anyone can make sure that Rick pays his dues it’s going to be Xander.”

  “Well, get on with it. I don’t care what we need to do, or how much I have to pay. I don’t ever want Emerson to fear going to college or leaving the house again. I want this over with.” My eyes catch on the glass on the floor and I feel the need to clean up the mess. Fuck, I shouldn’t have broken that lamp.

  “I understand, son, and it will happen, just let me get in touch with him and see what he has to say.”

  “Fine,” I say. “But if he can’t do it, then I’ll do it myself.”

  ◆◆◆

  It took my dad a few days, but he finally came through as shocking as it is. Xander Rossi agreed to meet with me this morning, and now I’m about to walk into a private backroom in one of the most pristine establishments in North Woods. I’m nervous to say the least but ready to put this behind us.

  “Please, sir, follow me.” The skinny waiter ushers me forward, leading me through the dimly lit restaurant. I’m getting intense murder vibes as we continue walking. In the back, tucked into a hidden corner, he opens a door for me, a door that I never even seen, with an impatient look, he waves his arm for me to enter.

  Gritting my teeth, I force myself to bite my tongue. No need to start an argument with the impatient waitstaff. I step into the room and the
waiter closes the door behind me, the soft click of the door closing filling my ears.

  Yup, I’m going to get murdered.

  Looking directly in front of me there is only one large table, and it sits smack dab in the center of the room, and at that table sits one man.

  “You must be Clark, come on and, sit down,” he orders. “I took the liberty of ordering you a drink, I hope that’s okay?” I nod, taking the single seat across from him. He’s intimidating, oozing danger from every pore of his body. Yeah, I wouldn’t fuck with this guy, not in a million years. Needing something to calm the nerves wreaking havoc on my body, I pick up the glass of amber liquid and bring it to my lips, the smoky, but sweet waft of whiskey permeates my nostrils. This shit smells stronger and more expensive than my fathers. Nonetheless, I take a drink and let the warmth coat my insides.

  “Your father told me a little bit about your... dilemma. I invited an associate of mine to join us, he should be here soon.” Before I can answer, the door opens again and someone else walks in. Someone just as dangerous and deadly looking as Xander himself.

  “Luke, just in time. Come sit,” Xander calls out as if he is genuinely happy to see the guy walk in. Who would be happy to see a guy like that?

  The guy named Luke steps forward, his gaze flickering between Xander and me as if he is assessing the situation before he opens his mouth to speak.

  “Xander, I told you I’m done with these kinds of jobs. I shouldn’t even be here.” It’s obvious something is eating away at him, the conflict on his face proving it. Whoever this guy is, is the one who’s going to be doing the job for me.

  Xander leans back in his chair, a glass of whiskey in his hands. “I think you’ll want to make an exception for this. Hear the kid out.”

  His jaw tenses and his eyes flick to me. “Out with it,” he growls, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I need you to take someone out for me. He’s a rapist who has hurt numerous women, one including my girlfriend. None of the women will go to the police because of who he is and are too afraid to come forward. I don’t blame them one bit, but I won’t let the bastard continue to hurt people. My father told me Xander could make this guy pay, so if he can’t then let me know and I’ll find someone else.”