Page 110 of Commit

“Seems most of it stems from your boy going AWOL. The football team is losing without him, and Starling is getting the blame for his absence. There’s been a lot of shit-talking, pushing, shoving, and damage to her locker. Shit like that.”

“She didn’t say anything.” I look back at her, hating to see her looking so fragile.

“After all she’s been through, it was probably just high school drama to her. She couldn’t have known it would escalate like this.”

“The one that did it?”

“Claire Robbins. Her daddy is a big-shot real estate agent. He makes a lot of money selling homes to the rich and famous, which he often spends bailing his daughter out of trouble.”

“I want him ruined. The whole family and the families of the other girls that were involved.”

“Consider it done. It could be my wedding present to you guys.”

“The ringleader. Tell me more about her.”

“From what I could gather, she’s popular by default. She’s ruthlessly mean, and nobody will stand up to her. And after seeing this, I can understand why. She’s a dancer who applied to Julliard. Her audition’s next week.”

“Good. Break her legs.”

Kenzo grins. “Your wish is my command.”

“I don’t care what you do to her as long as she’s left with a permanent limp.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

“Do you want me to get some guys to look for Abbot?” Atlas asks.

I shake my head. “I know where he is. I have a tracker on his car. He’s at his brother’s place.”

Kenzo winces. “And I’m guessing you haven’t told Starling.”

“I’m not stopping him from calling or texting her. He knows where she is, and he’s made zero effort to contact her.”

“Why not just tell her then? She’s going to be pissed when she finds out.”

“She’ll get over it. She needs to see how fucking selfish he is.”

Wisely, neither of them says anything to that.

“That Hayden kid checks out anyway. He’s Abbot’s friend and teammate, so he’s pissed that Abbot bailed, but he’s not blaming Starling for it. He’s the one who got Claire away from her and stayed with her until we got there.”

I nod, glad Starling had someone, even though it should have been me.

“He said to tell you that he applied to Arizona State, and he knows Starling applied too, so if they both go, he’ll watch over her.”

“She’s not going.”

When I don’t say anything else, they look at each other.

“To Arizona State or anywhere?” Atlas asks.

“Anywhere. She’s staying home with me. She’s my wife.”

“She’d still be your wife if she went to Arizona State,” Atlas points out.

“You’d let Ivy go, then?”

His jaw ticks as he looks away.