“We need to tell the cops.”
He didn’t even slow down. “I already have. I texted the information to Campus Security.”
So that was who he texted. Connor had probably put their number in his contacts list the day Cassie had been accepted at Butler.
“And I told them they should arrest Sophia, too, since she’s the one ultimately responsible.”
Holy shit.
He glanced at his watch. “She should be here in about ten minutes.” He shot me a look. “I texted her, too.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Connor
It was a good thing that college volleyball didn’t draw the kind of crowds major league baseball did. Because it meant I wasn’t looking for a person in a crowd of a hundred thousand, just one guy among a few hundred. Still, it wouldn’t be easy to catch him.
But first things first. I found Cassie right away and was relieved to see she was okay. She was playing hard and had her game face on. It looked a lot like mine with a firm jaw and laser focus in her gaze.
Damn, I was so proud that she was channeling her fear and anger into her sport. I knew that feeling really well.
The crowd roared—me along with them—but it only lasted a split second. Still, it was long enough for Cassie to see me at the edge of the gym floor. Her eyes widened, and her gaze flickered to Gia, who came up beside me. There was a quick flash of female body language—a twitch of an eye, a shrug of the shoulders. I couldn’t follow it, but in the end, Cassie sent me a determined smile and a thumbs-up to tell me she was okay.
I believed her, because she was playing and because she was in public. No asshole could get her in the middle of the game. So it was up to me to find the dick before the end of the match.
I started looking around. I spotted a single Campus Security guy immediately, but damn, the kid looked younger than Cassie. Gia started searching with me, but I pushed her toward the stands.
“Keep an eye on Cassie,” I ordered.
She snorted. “It’s so cute that you think you can order me around. I’ve been dealing with this for a lot longer than you have.” Then she looked at the security guard. “Hey, Kevin. This is—”
“Yes, I recognize Mr. Hart. How’s the knee?”
“About to get a workout,” I said as I started to mount the stairs to the running track above the gym. That would be a good place for an asshole to hide, right?
“Take it easy,” Gia said as she ran beside me. “No point in screwing up your knee before the World Series.”
“Do you honestly think I give a damn about baseball right now?”
“No, but keep your head, okay?”
I knew she was right. Security was better able to help here, and the worst thing I could do was let my emotions control me. But damn it, this time Sophia had gone too far. I’d had enough, and I was damn well going end this. Completely.
Gia saw him first. The upper deck had given us a better view, and she saw the bastard skulking around the snack table.
“There!” she said, pointing.
Kevin was on his walkie-talkie immediately. A couple more campus cops had shown up, and the three were coordinating. It didn’t matter to me. I’d spotted him, and I wasn’t going to let him get away.
“Connor!”
It was too late. I was already halfway down the stairs. Bad knee or not, I could be fast when I wanted to be. I cut straight across the gym and through the back line of Cassie’s volleyball team, gaining ground on him. And to make sure everyone saw him, I bellowed his name.
“Theo Gorman!”
Theo’s head whipped up, and his eyes widened. The referee blew his whistle as I came barreling through and people near Theo scrambled to get out of my way. I sidestepped them while Theo turned tail. Behind me, I heard people shouting, but my attention was focused on the bastard who had terrified my sister.
He was quick as he ran through the stands. I felt a twinge in my knee but ignored it as I pushed to faster speeds. And then he cut around a pillar and headed for the back door.
