Chapter Eighteen
Wade
I couldn’t believe that I'd just been mugged, right here on campus. It wasn't that I was feeling bad about the fact that my phone and wallet were gone. They were replaceable, as annoying as it would be to get all the cards replaced and having to get a new phone, but rather how brazenly this attack had taken place, just out in the open like this.
It took a little longer than planned, but I made it to my destination and sat down with the athletic director, Jack Strauss, and explained what had happened with Tammy and Kelly during the meeting.
Jack looked over my report and nodded. “All right, well, let's just have that audio recording, and we'll begin proceedings against these two students.”
Then it hit me: my phone was gone. “Damnit,” I murmured.
“What's the problem, Wade?”
I explained what had just happened to me with the attack. “Hmm,” he said. “Well, that's awful. You okay?”
I nodded. “Good, glad to hear it. But, as much as I hate to say it, without that evidence, we don't have a case. Did you make a backup of the recording?”
I shook my head. “No. Didn’t really cross my mind that I needed to. I guess that's the only copy – the one that was on my phone.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Without that recording, we have no case, and there’s no way we can take action without it.”
“Seriously? There's nothing you can do?” I asked.
“I wish there were. Kinda ticks me off that they’d do something like that and be able to get by with it. But, there is the consideration we have to take about Tammy's father. He is a prominent lawyer, and without a watertight case, he could make life very...difficult for you and this whole department. He could drag us into a legal battle that would last not only months, but potentially years. And we both know the university wouldn’t allow that.” Jack’s expression showed remorse.
I put my head in my hands. “So, there really is nothing we can do?”
“Not without that recording.”
I stood up, feeling a horrible mixture of anger, disappointment, and helplessness. “Well, I guess we're done then,” I said, my voice dripping with disappointment.
“I am truly sorry, Wade, but this is a battle we cannot afford to get into without something to back it up.”
“I understand, Jack. Thanks for your help.”
“Let me know if you get your phone back,” he said as I left his office. I nodded an acknowledgement.
Once I was out of the building, I sat down on a bench under a tree to think. I knew I'd need to call Eryn to tell her about what had happened and out of instinct, I reached into my pocket and then cussed violently as I remembered that I no longer had my phone.
I got up, walked slowly back to my office, and sent her an email from my computer, asking if she could come in and see me. It was late that afternoon before I got a reply from her. She’d sent it during practice, which, thankfully, Kelly and Tammy had not come to. She explained that she'd come in right after practice, so I sat and waited for her in the office. Soon enough, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in; it's open,” I called.
The door was pushed open and Eryn came in, walking with the aid of the crutches. I immediately jumped up to help her, a stab of guilt shooting through me at the sight of her injured like that, knowing how close we'd come to justice – and how it had now escaped us.
“Hey, Wade,” she said as I made it to her side to help her take a seat.
“Sorry. I should have gotten the door for you,” I apologized.
“No big deal,” she smiled back that breathtaking smile that made my heart hitch a little. “Have a seat, there's something we need to talk about,” I told her.
“All right.”
She settled into the chair, and I couldn't help but stare for a moment at how stunning she looked with her long hair down around her shoulders. I was so used to seeing it in a ponytail. She didn’t even have to try to look beautiful; she just did it totally without effort.
I shook the thought from my mind. I couldn't allow myself to be distracted. I needed to deliver the bad news to Eryn, not daydream about pulling her to me. I decided to cut straight to the chase.
“Eryn, there's a problem with the whole Tammy and Kelly incident.”
“There is? What's wrong?”
I sighed and explained what had happened earlier in the day with the attack. “Oh my God, are you all right? Are you injured?” she immediately began.
“No, no, I'm fine,” I assured her.
“Wade, concussions don’t always show up in an obvious manner. You should know that. We need to get you to a hospital to get checked out by a proper physician. You could have injuries you don’t know about if you were knocked out. I don't know if the nurse was nearly thorough enough in her examination.”
She didn’t say a word about the fact that our case against Tammy and Kelly was lost. Her concern was solely on me and my health. It was flattering and, frankly, made me feel a little warm inside.
“You don't need to worry about that, Eryn. I'm fine, I really am.”
“You might think you are now, Wade, but seriously, head injuries can be dangerous if not checked out properly.”
“All right, all right. I'll go to the hospital right after this and get it checked out properly if it will make you feel better. But aren't you at all worried about the fact that we now don't have a solid case against Tammy and Kelly?”
“I just care about you,” she blurted out and then immediately looked like she shouldn't have said it.
I tried hard not to grin from ear to ear. “I...I appreciate that, Eryn, I do. And, that's how I felt when I saw you get hurt. That's why I wanted to get Tammy and Kelly so badly.”
“What's important is that you're okay,” she said softly.
“And, what's important to me is that you're okay.”
We both sat in silence for a while, just staring at each other, the heat between us simmering quietly. Suddenly, I watched her expression change and she tilted her head.
“Did you get a look at the guy who attacked you?” she asked.
“Not much of a look. He was wearing a hoodie and a bandanna to cover his face.”
“What color hoodie?”
“White,” I replied.
Her eyebrows went up. “And let me guess: black jeans and red sneakers?”
“Yeah...yeah!” I said, remembering.
“You didn't happen to see what color his hair was, did you?” Eryn asked me.
“I didn't, but a witness said it was short and blond. Stylish, was how she described it,” I told her.
“And, did you manage to hit him during the attack?”
“I got in one good shot, popped him near his eye. Why?”
She bit her lower lip. “I think I know who did this, Wade. In fact, I'm almost certain about it.”