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“I guess you were right all along,” I said out loud in regard to my fellow Titan.
I also knew the Dean was right to suspend me. With that being said, I was now glad to have canceled classes for the rest of the day so I could do the walk of shame to my car without a room full of students watching me. Timing my departure for the middle of third period, I made two trips but had finally gotten the last of my things put into the trunk of my car. Shame was something I’d never felt in all of my life, and the sourness it left in my mouth wasn’t one I relished having to taste again.
I took one last look at UChicago, then got in my car and drove away. As I traveled north on Lakeshore Drive, my mind kept returning to the meeting with the Dean, and right after. Something struck me now that hadn’t at the time. If Nicole had provided him with evidence of the two of us together, then why was she confused and fearful as she sat and waited her turn to talk to him?
Wouldn’t she have already had this conversation with him when giving him the goods?
I suppose that she would, but then again, she’d proven to be quite the actress over the last couple of months. The night of the holiday party at the Ritz Carlton had been the best one she’d given, both in and out of bed. Nicole had feigned upset over Harper Grimes of all people, then let me fuck her as if everything was good between us. In fact, she’d given every part of herself to me, leading me into the false hope that we were deepening our relationship. The only thing that entire night had been was a kiss off.
She’d plunged a stake into my heart when she’d broken things off right afterward, then walked away. Everything she’d said and done since just managed to push the blade deeper into my chest, and her showing up at the Dean’s office was likely some perverse way of seeing my downfall for herself. What I’d done to her since reuniting in Chicago, I didn’t know, but she’d done what no other woman had ever managed to do to me. She’d slayed a Titan, and now my entire world was in pieces at my feet.
It was enough to drive me to drink, but I knew once I started, I might not be able to stop. All I’d done lately was dwell over this and that, and the only relief I’d find was from intoxication, or exhaustion, both of which could be easily reached once I got home. Bypassing the bars, I continued along until I reached my place. After parking my car, I grabbed the first of two boxes, and put them inside, before going back for the last two. Once I had all four inside the small space, I took the private elevator up to my place.
It was often empty because I never brought women to my place. I always went to theirs or frequented area hotels. Now, however, the expansive space was even more hollow than ever before. It was cold, as if it had hardened to ice like the heart in my chest had. Once upon a time, I had visions of bringing Nicole here. I’d stand behind her, pointing out the area landmarks that could be seen from one window or another, and I’d also imagined pressing her gorgeous body against the glass and taking her where she’d stand. Then, we’d make our way to my room where the entire world would disappear as I made love to her all night long.
“Love. What a fucking joke.”
I hated that even after she’d ruined me, I was still imagining a time when I could love her once more. The one and only time I’d allowed myself to fall for someone, and this was what I’d gotten. It was a cruel joke of an emotion, and one I never planned to feel again. Nicole could pat herself on the back for a job well done, but she wouldn’t keep me down forever. A Titan might fall, but he’d rise like a Phoenix from the ashes, and I’d do the same. Her satisfaction would be short-lived, because karma was a bitch, and I had her number on speed dial.
I spent the next half hour unpacking my things, most of the stuff now going into my home office. It appeared that I had everything, except my most recent teaching certification. In the off chance that I managed to land another teaching gig, I needed to have that. It must’ve fallen out in the trunk or elevator, so I left everything inside and went back downstairs. It was thankfully in the trunk, so after grabbing it, I went back upstairs. I put it on my desk, then noticed I’d missed a call.
I doubted that it was Nicole because she’d have to be deranged to call me to gloat. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was a local area code. Not sure if it was someone from the Dean’s office or not, I checked to see if the caller had left a voicemail, but they hadn’t. I would keep my phone with me just in case, so I made sure to grab it as I walked back out into the great room.
My eyes moved to the large floor to ceiling windows, and I could see the snowflakes from earlier had multiplied and hastened. I flipped the television on, and a winter weather advisory popped up on the screen, the warning in its entirety rolling across the bottom. With a storm moving in, and no job to go back to, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and returned to the couch. I took the top off, then took a swig of the alcohol. It was five o’clock somewhere. I took another swig, then set the bottle down. Recently, drinking had done very little to alleviate my bad mood, and so far today, it was much of the same.
Deciding that wallowing in my self-pity was pointless, I got up and walked to my bedroom. I changed into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, then got ready to head to my home gym. As I walked through the great room, my phone rang. I hurried over to it and noticed it was the same unknown number from earlier. I snatched up my cell and quickly answered it.
“Hello,” I said, but was greeted with silence. I knew someone was on the other end because I could hear their heavy breathing. “Hello?” I asked once more, and when still met with silence, my temper began to escalate. “Who is this?”
I was about to hang up until I heard a blood-curdling scream. Recognizing the voice, I initially wondered if this was another game of hers, but then I heard a heavy laugh come across the line. Nicole screamed again, then the phone went dead.
“Nicole,” I yelled through the receiver, but was greeted with a dial tone instead.
I should just ignore the call, but something in my gut warned me against it. While I might be mad as hell at her, if she was in trouble of some sort, I needed to help her. After all, I’d given her father my word that I’d watch over her, not that it meant much of anything anymore. I quickly dialed the number back, but it just rang and rang. One voice in my head told me to ignore it, while the other urged me to do more. Finally deciding to listen to the latter, I called Gabriel.
“Hey, Cal, what’s going on? You’re not in class?”
“No, and it’s a long story I will tell you about at some other time. I’m calling because I need a favor.”
“Anything. What do you need?”
I told him about the call I’d just received, and I knew he’d faced something similar with Harper and her cousin earlier this year. A lot of those details had been kept private, but I knew she’d almost died at the hands of her cousin and uncle, and would have if Gabriel hadn’t trusted his gut and saved her. I needed to do the same for Nicole now. This could all be some sort of twisted prank she was playing on me, but on the off chance that she was in actual trouble, I had to save her.
I scribbled down the number Gabriel gave me, then placed the call. The man who answered assured me that he could find the location of any number in the country, so after rattling off the one that had called me twice, I hung up and waited for him to call me back with the results of the trace. The seconds ticked by so slowly, each one feeling a hell of a lot longer than the last. Saving Nicole would be my penance, and from there, we could both move on. That also left a sour taste in my mouth, but life sucked at times, and this was certainly one of them.
My phone rang and the earlier caller’s number came back up on my screen, this time via a text message. It contained a single address, and one I recognized as off-campus housing for UChicago. I grabbed my keys and wallet, then hurried out the door.
NICOLE
When I’d awakened, I was in a dark room. My eyelids felt heavy, and I could barely raise them, not that there was anything much to see when I did. Coughing, I realized how parched my throat was. I didn’t know where I was, but I knew I needed to get out of here. When I went to move, however, I realized my arms were pinned behind my back against what felt like a chair.
What the hell’s going on?
I tried to twist free, but all I managed to do was make the chair creak as it moved. I felt nothing from my wrist to my elbow, but felt a dull ache from my elbows to my shoulder blades. Nothing made sense as I tried remembering how I’d even gotten here, and who I’d been with. There was a fuzziness in my brain, which was only perpetuated by something, but what?
My temples throbbed as I kept forcing myself to remember what I could. This was worse than the first hangover I’d ever gotten, and ten times worse than a migraine. I kept my eyes pinned close, and I could remember leaving for school. The Dean wanted to see me, so I’d gone to his office. Most of it went hazy after that, but I was starting to see a few pieces, although none of them were in any sort of order that made sense. Callum was there, and he was angry. There was a hallway, and the two of us were together, and...
I shook my head vehemently. That wasn’t today. That had been Halloween night, and the only one I’d spent in his arms out in public.
