The Secret (North Woods University 3)

“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.”