Evan's Addiction (51 page)

     She glowered at me and I swear she looked like she wanted to punch
me
in the face. “He can get your ass kicked off too. I can’t believe you
punched him again after I told you I wanted to handle it.”

     My frown deepened. “Shaw, you’ve been dealing with this guy for
years. You were sticking it to him for the past year and it didn’t make a
difference. I beat his ass and threatened him to leave you alone. His
fraternity warned him to leave you alone with the threat of legal actions. 
After all that he still went near you. He’s fucking dangerous and you need to
get a restraining order and file charges for assault, slander, and anything
else we can think up to get his ass thrown in jail.”

     I was vibrating with fury and my stomach was twisted sickeningly
at how obsessed this guy was with her. He’d spent years harassing her and it
wasn’t normal, and it wasn’t harmless.

     “And what kind of evidence am I supposed to give them to prove
he’s stalking and slandering me? It’s my word against his, as well as all his
friends.” She retorted.

     The defeated resignation in her eyes had my heart aching for her and
also filled me with further fury, but I was astonished as well, because didn’t
she realize she wasn’t all alone in this? Did the girl not know that she had
friends that would do everything they could to make sure she was out of harm's
way?

     Pulling her closer I rubbed her back. “Carrie, David, Nic, Sam,
Seth, and I can all testify to him stalking and slandering you. He was warned
to stay away by his Fraternity. It won’t be difficult, Shaw.”

     Her brows rose in surprise and then arrowed down in baffled
comprehension. “Oh…well…that might work.”

     It was something that should have been done a long time ago so she
could have moved on with her life. Instead this guy had been allowed to tunnel
himself into her psyche messing with how she viewed herself and others. She
either didn’t comprehend that there were people who cared enough to step up and
help her, or she’d spent way too much time being an island unto herself. She
should have at least realized that David and Carrie would have her back.

     Over Shaw’s head I saw security whizzing over in their carts. When
they pulled up I took the lead, explaining the situation and demanding that the
real police get called. They grimaced at that because as a rule Universities
hated involving outside law enforcement; it might bring bad publicity.

     Dipshit started coming around during my account and instantly
started making garbled demands for my arrest. I almost went after him again
when his belligerent gaze landed on Shaw, but my arms were busy holding her and
I decided that’s where I needed to stay.

     After getting statements and information from the three
individuals who’d witnessed Ford’s violent words and actions toward Shaw
security sent them on their way. Additional security arrived and we where
hauled separately to the campus security building; Shaw and I in one vehicle,
mangled mouth in the other. I called Dan on the drive over to inform him of the
situation and he expressed his concern and support for Shaw while offering up
the company’s legal representatives. I couldn’t deny that took a significant
weight off my mind. 

     When I told Shaw about his offer she silently shook her head
looking stunned and overcome by the gesture.

     We spent a couple hours talking with both the University and local
police. Each agreed that the allegations against Ford for his behavior
today
appeared solid since there were multiple statements to his aggressive behavior,
and then there were the bruises that were already forming on Shaw’s arm from
when the ass grabbed her…the son of a bitch!

     There would be a Dean’s forum, but UVA avowed that what Ford had
done was unacceptable and he would most likely be ejected from the university.
All I got was a warning that my excessive vigor in protecting Shaw could have
been scaled back in the future. For my ears only, the Dean’s assistant muttered
that the extenuating circumstances of Ford’s lengthy harassment undoubtedly
made me extra antagonistic towards the guy so it was understandable.

     After UVA dealt with us the local police then arrested both Ford
and myself; Shaw was pressing charges against Ford, and Ford was pressing
charges against me. He tried to get the police to arrest Shaw as well; whining
about how she was messing with his cable, uploading homosexual material on his
Facebook page, and blaming her for the calls he was getting from random guys
asking about the cost of his services, whine, blah, etc. They stared at him
like he was crazy as they escorted us from the building.

     I had expected to get arrested. I’d pulverized Ford’s mouth and
busted a few teeth, and the law was clear; an assault was an assault. The cops
gave me sympathetic grimaces and said that I’d almost certainly be cleared of
the charges, but they had to do their job. I wasn’t worried; Dan’s lawyers were
meeting me there and I’d be out in less than an hour, and I was fine with being
arrested if it finally stopped that asshole from harassing Shaw.

     Shaw was more pissed than I was at my arrest. She railed at both
the cops and Ford the entire walk out to the squad cars, which only made Ford
more pissed. She then barked at me to hand over my car keys so she could head
over there to give her statement again and have a car there for when I got
released. I handed them over readily, liking the idea of her coming to pick me
up. Everyone knew sex after getting out of jail was listed in the top ten of
the Best Sex Ever…who cared if it was only going to be an hours worth of
incarceration.  

     After Shaw gave us all one more ferocious scowl she spun and
stomped away. The cops snickered after she left and gave me commiserating
smiles at what I would have to deal with when I got out. They didn’t realize
how much I was looking forward to it.

     Ford and I were transported together in the back of one squad car
after being read our rights. Our wrists were handcuffed to the door so we
wouldn’t start anything in the backseat. The fact that we’d been read our
rights gave me an idea.

     “My father is not going to let them kick me out of UVA or go to
jail, asshole. You’re going to be the one kicked out and sent to jail.” Ford
mumbled from his bloody mouth next to me.

     Figured the pussy would bring up daddy. “I’ve never known a guy to
get so pissed off about a girl saying ‘no’ that he stalks her for years and
recruits a bunch of pussy clones to do it too, and lie about being with her.
She told me about your
little problem
so all I can figure is that you
were trying to make her less reliable if she blabbed about it.”

     I had no idea about the guy’s dick size, and while mentioning the
fact that Shaw had seen his dick left a nasty taste in my mouth nothing got a
guy more riled up than a girl talking negative about it.

     Ford’s face turned purple under all the blood that was covering
it. “That girl is a slut and gave it up to half our high school, and then she
was our Houses call to for a hole to fill.”

     My muscles tensed at his lie but I controlled myself and laughed
darkly instead. “I happen to have proof positive that’s an outright lie, Dick
Tiny. She never did you, and she never did any of your boys. She might have
seen a couple cocks back in high school, if you could call them that, but
ninety-nine percent of the rumors about her have been created by you.” It was
damn difficult to bring up her knowledge of other cocks but some of the truth
had to be revealed to get him to speak up.

     He frowned at me and I raised my brow waiting for the light bulb
to illuminate. It finally did. “No fucking way you’re trying to tell me she was
a virgin when you got a hold of her?” He looked pissed at the idea that I’d
gotten it and not him.

     “Well you did know none of those rumors were true so why wouldn’t
she have been. She hated all you boys until I came along and showed her what a
real man was like. I find it bizarre how you got so many pansy asses to lie
about her.” I shook my head with a smirk.

     Ford leaned toward me as much as he could with his hands cuffed to
the door. I saw the two cops who’d been listening carefully in the front seat
twitch at his move. “That girl was asking for it in high school. She sucked me
like a pro.” Clenching my teeth I breathed through my desire to smash his
fucking face in. “But then she suddenly thought she was too good for me, too
good for the whole school. She was a fucking crack baby dumped in a bathroom.”
He sneered. “Guys were only too happy to bring her down a few pegs reminding her
where she came from, and my Frat brothers are always bro’s before ho’s. They might
have pussied out when the Chapter got a stick up its ass when you sicked a
lawyer on them, but I have friends outside the house that were only too happy
to keep her in line. One way or another I’m going to close that smart-ass mouth
of hers.” He was nearly spitting with his crazy.

     “You’re not getting near her ever again, jagoff?” I jerked towards
him threateningly, wanting my hands free to strangle him.

    He jolted back in fear, but it didn’t stop him from talking.
“Because of some lame-ass piece of paper. Those restraining orders are a joke,
and remember, I’ve got friends. They can get to her any time I can’t.”

     I leaned back and cracked my neck to the right and the left to
ease my tension. “Do you guys have video and audio in these vehicles or is your
testimony enough to dig him a deeper hole than he was already in?”

     “Video’s always on and we switched audio on soon after you guys
started talking, so he dug his own grave.” The cop in the passenger seat turned
and gave Ford a disgusted look and then he turned his attention to me with a
nod of approval. “Pretty smart move; getting him to spill all that.”

     “Smart beats stupid every time.” I muttered.

     I was glad I’d gotten the ass to spill but all that shit he’d said
about Shaw had my stomach twisting in anger and sorrow. I hated hearing about
all the crap she’d had to put up; people like this asshole telling her she
wasn’t worth anything when she was, and treating her like shit. She was worth a
thousand of this guy.   

     Realizing he’d been recorded making threats Ford started spazing
out; yelling and jerking around in his seat. Thankfully, I only had to listen
to the jackass for two minutes before we pulled up to the station. Once inside
I was fingerprinted and photographed, but instead of being put in a cell like
Ford, the cops put me in a small interview room. They grinned and said I could
wait here until my bail was set and paid. They also gave me bandages for my cut
hands, a soda, and a bag of chips. 

     Fifteen minutes later my lawyer arrived and after some paper work
I was released.

     Nic, Carrie, David, Seth and Shaw were waiting for me in the
lobby.

     I smiled and waved. “Hey, where’s my cake with the file in the
center of it?”

     They all stood as one; Shaw still had a scowl on her face, Carrie
was wearing a look of concern, but Seth, Nic and David laughed.

     Nic slapped me on the shoulder. “I don’t bake desserts for dudes,
but I did bring you smokes to exchange for favors.”

     “Cool.” I grinned.

     “I brought soap on a rope. It’s every criminals must have for when
they go in the joint.” David waggled his brows. “Either that or lube.”

     Carrie slapped his shoulder. “Ehwww, David.”

     His expression went all innocent. “What! I’m just quoting Cosmo.”

     “Is that magazine even around anymore?” Nic frowned. 

     Ignoring them Seth gave me a head jerk. “Did the accommodations
improve from when I was a guest?” 

     Yeah, it wasn’t too long ago that Seth had been arrested for
assault as well. However, the dickhead he’d pounded hadn’t walked away from
that beating. He’d had to go to the hospital for multiple injuries. The guy had
deserved it for what he’d tried to do to Nadia, though. Miraculously, the
charges had been dropped…with a little help from his girlfriend.

     “They didn’t stick me in a cell. I got the VIP treatment and got
to hang out in the interrogation room. If there would have been champagne
available I think I would have been offered a glass along with a toast.” On
closer inspection I could see that the guys were hiding the apprehension they
were feeling under some good-humored joking.

     Walking up to Shaw I wrapped my arms around her rigid frame and
kissed her on the lips. “Did you miss me, Red?”

     Her eyes narrowed and she gave me a small shove. “This isn’t
funny. You’ve been arrested for aggravated assault. That’s a felony. You’re
going to have this on your record for life…go to jail.”

     Under her anger I could see dismay and concern. I squeezed her
waist. “It’s not going to stick, Shaw. The guy has been harassing you for
years. Did they take a picture of your arm?” I smoothed my hand over the area
gently.

     “Yes.” She rubbed at it absently.

     “Good.” I turned my head towards the other four. “Did you guys
give statements?”

     “David and Carrie had more to tell them than I did. I wish I could
have given more but I only saw him bother her one time.” Nic said with a small
resigned shrug. 

     “Same here.” Seth stated.

     “Something’s better than nothing. On the way to the station Ford
confessed to what he’d been doing to Shaw, so he basically nailed his own
coffin.”

     Everyone’s eyebrows shot up and Shaw jolted in my arms staring at
me with startled eyes. “Are you serious; he really confessed?”   

     I gave her a smile. “He thought he was spouting his evil monologue
but the squad car had audio and video recording.”

     Shaw examined my expression with narrowed eyes. “You tricked him
into confessing, didn’t you?”

     “My genius at work.” I smirked. “Everyone from the cops to the
lawyers are certain the charges will be kicked.”

     She inhaled and then exhaled heavily and I could actually feel the
years of harassment being released in that breath. Even if I did end up with a
record it was worth it just for that.

     Suddenly, Shaw’s finger was in my face and she growled. “If you go
to jail and end up with a record someone’s getting a donkey buffet.”

     My lip twitched.

     “What’s a donkey buffet?” Carrie asked.

     “It’s another way of saying ‘ass chewing’.” David informed her
with a snicker.

     “I’m ready to get out of here and get a real meal besides the slop
they serve in this joint.” I pulled Shaw with me towards the exit.

     “You’ve only been here for forty-five minutes; did you even eat
anything during that time?” Shaw snorted from behind me.

     Pushing the doors open to the outside I spun her back into the circle
of my arms. “They gave me some off-brand soda and a bag of vending machine
chips. I need real food and a real live woman.”

     Lip’s pursing, Shaw shook her head. “You need your head examined.”
She buried her face in my chest and hugged me tightly. “You’re so stupid.”

     The
‘you’re so stupid’
was whispered so quietly I almost
didn’t hear it, and I translated it for what it truly meant. I tightened my
arms to let her know she was welcome.

     “Anyone interested in getting a bite to eat?” I asked. Hours had
passed since my fight with Ford and it was now past dinner time.

     Seth shook his head. “I’ve got plans with Nadia, but I hear were
all getting together at David’s tomorrow so we’ll all see you there.” He
slapped me on the back. “Good job taking care of your girl.” He patted Shaw on
the head. “Don’t ream him too badly for wanting to protect you.”

     Shaw batted his hand away from her head. “I’m not a freaking dog.”

     “You sure you’re not part poodle, because your hair shows some
genetic markers.” Seth strode away with a chuckle.

     “You sure you’re not part tree?” Shaw grouched.       

     Seth didn’t turn around but his chuckling did get louder.

     Everyone else was in agreement on going out to eat. After deciding
on Flannigan’s, a restaurant-bar that served pretty awesome food, we split off
to our separate vehicles. Once Shaw and I were in the car and on the road
silence hung heavy in the air for a moment. Shaw shifted restlessly and I knew
she felt it. A slow simmer had been building in my gut since hearing the
assholes words to Shaw this afternoon and I couldn’t tap it down any longer.

     “Shaw, I’m going to ask you something and I want to hear the truth
from your lips this time.”

     She frowned.

     I cracked my neck for a second time as tension began building in
me again. “Have guys continued to harass you these past weeks?”

     A stillness went over her frame and my tension mounted when she
didn’t answer right away. Son of a bitch…the woman was going to drive me into
the mad house. I’d been asking her if guys were still bothering her and she’d
told me ‘
no’
.

     Well, that wasn’t quite correct; she’d told me things were good,
or kosher, or my favorite—‘I don’t know what to do with the surplus of derisive
riposte sitting on my tongue with no one to unload them on’.

     The damn woman had been snowing me this whole time.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

SHAW

    
Huh
. Evan was starting to look pissed, and his knuckles were
going white as they tightened on the steering wheel. Not as angry as when he’d
been pummeling Ford, but he certainly wasn’t happy. Ford’s big-ass mouth must
have been on vomit setting.

     “Uhhmm…just a few. A drop in the bucket compared to how many were
doing it before. I barely even noticed them.” I confessed…a little too late
maybe?

     “Dammit, Shaw. Why didn’t you say anything?” Evan snarled.

     My hackles rose at being yelled at. “Because you had done enough
and I was handling the leftover douche-bags just fine. These guys weren’t part
of the Fraternity and there wasn’t anything you could threaten them with to
make them stop being assholes. The right to be an asshole is written in the
constitution under free speech. What were you going to do; go beat them all up
and have several counts of assault against you instead of one. That would be
the cherry on my freaking cake.” I was yelling at the end of my spiel.

     Evan’s mouth thinned. “If you’d told me that asshole was still
hassling you using other people it would have given me a heads up on his crazy
meter. That guy is obsessed with you.”

     I snorted. “Ford hates my guts.”

     “Yes he does, but he lusts after you too, and that’s a really bad
mix for a bully. He’s been a fucking time-bomb for years. Your rejection and
smart-ass comments have been burning down his fuse little by little, and
finding out how you’ve been messing with his life didn’t help. Today he almost
exploded all over you. Luckily, it was a public setting and I was there or it
could have been bad. Has he ever grabbed you before like he did today?” His
gaze left the road to narrow on me with a warning not to lie.

     After a small pause I decided to answer truthfully, but not
because he was all but demanding me to. “He’s touched me before but not that
aggressively.” And because I didn’t like feeling cornered I snapped. “Are you
telling me I shouldn’t have stuck up for myself around him? Maybe I should have
been a doormat and let him say all his crap to me, and about me?”

     Evan sighed and cracked his neck. He’d been doing that a lot
today. “Hell no, I’m not saying that, but you need to enlighten people on what
you’re dealing with…let me know what you’re dealing with.” His bandaged hand
settled on my leg. “That way we can get it taken care of together. You don’t
have to do it all by yourself, Shaw.”

     I turned my gaze out the window. “I’m actually really good at
doing it by myself with all the practice I’ve had.” I’d found out a long time
ago I could only depend on myself, and what was the use of dumping my problems
on him when he wasn’t going to be in my life all that long.

     His hand constricted on my leg. “But now you have more than a handful
of people in your life who want to be there for you to lean on, and I’m one of
them.”

     “It’s not safe to lean on temporary posts.” I mumbled softly
before I could stop myself. I prayed that he didn’t hear me but his hand
squeezed my leg again telling me he did.

     There was a small tension filled moment before Evan spoke. “I
don’t want to be a temporary post, Shaw.”

     It took everything in me to not spin and gape at him. What did he
mean by that? Did he see this dating thing turning into a real relationship;
something that lasted months…years? Then I remembered a long ago discussion
where he’d mentioned something about remaining friends no matter what happened
between us.

     My rapidly beating heart compressed in pain. There was no way I
could be friends with Evan after this was over. It would be too hard to be
around him. I know I’d end up turning into a raging bitter bitch in his
presence; especially if he was with another girl.

     I slapped myself internally; this line of thought wasn’t getting
me anywhere but depressed, and Evan had just done something significant for me.
I didn’t want him to think I was a bitch who didn’t appreciate it. No one had
ever done anything like he did for me, and while I was upset that he’d put
himself in jeopardy, I wasn’t going to not show my gratitude. 

     Turning to face him I asked. “Am I finally reaching that bitch
stage?”

     Blowing out a breath he shook his head and the look he threw my
way was fierce. “No, you just need to recognize that there are people in your
life that care about you and aren’t going to stand for others messing with
you.”

     My chest swelled and warmed at his intensity. I set my hand on top
of his, caressing lightly over the white bandage. “I do appreciate what you
did; it’s just mixed with feelings of apprehension for you. I’m sorry if I came
across as non-appreciative.”     

     The corner of his lip twitched and his hand stroked up and down my
leg. “Was that difficult it say?”

     A current of heat shot up my leg to my core. “What…that you’re a
sad sack?”

     He snorted and his hand massaged closer to the junction of my
legs. “That’s not what you said.”

     “It’s what I heard come out of my mouth.” I retorted
breathlessly. 

     He chuckled as I squirmed. Mercifully, we pulled into the parking
lot of Flannigan’s and Evan had to let loose my leg. It didn’t matter; he’d
already turned me into a hot mess with just that brief touch. He parked and we
walked up to the restaurant with his arm around my waist.