“I know that,” Drew said wearily.
“They think you’re off licking your wounds” Romeo was thoughtful. “They expect you to show up and hand over the house. Con’s probably working right now to discredit you even more because you aren’t there.”
I made a scoffing sound. “He’s probably combing through the frat bylaws, looking for some kind of loophole he can use to get back into the game for presidency.”
“What a douche.” Braeden grunted.
“Why don’t you just kick him and the other three out of the frat?” Ivy wondered out loud.
“It doesn’t work that way,” I answered. “Removing a member’s charter is a lot harder than it sounds. Once they’re in, it’s really hard to boot them out altogether.”
“Look how much it took to get Zach out,” Romeo added.
Ivy’s face darkened a little, and I regretted even bringing him up. Surely, hearing just the Omega name was enough to bring back horrible memories for her. And for Braeden.
I glanced at him, but he was watching Ivy, making sure he didn’t need to step in and haul her out of the conversation.
Prada came prancing into the room and licked the baby’s face. Nova laughed and grabbed the Chihuahua’s ear and tugged.
“Easy,” Ivy reminded her, but Prada didn’t seem bothered. Instead, she lay down right beside Nova, who laughed her little baby laugh. Just like that, Ivy’s face cleared and all the shadows of the past were gone.
“I could go to the dean. Show him my face… Tell him what’s been going on.” I went on, avoiding mention of Zach from now on. “It would be enough to at least put them on probation, maybe have them removed. Assault is illegal…”
“But?” Drew asked, sensing I didn’t want to do that.
“But that’s weak. That’s a coward’s way out. Omega handles their own. We have our own set of laws and justice set in place. Plus, this kind of thing would get press. So much on campus, it would probably make the local news. Omega doesn’t need that kind of black mark, not after everything else. I didn’t clean up that place just so I could trash it all.”
And Drew didn’t need to be dragged into it by pissed-off guys who got caught being bigots.
“You aren’t trashing it, though. They are,” Rimmel put in.
“It’s about loyalty,” Romeo explained to her. “Respect and taking care of your own.”
“Why do men have to make everything so hard?” Rimmel wondered.
“‘Cause they have big, dumb egos,” Ivy added.
The girls laughed.
“So you’re going to go back there, rat them out, and let the house turn on them,” Drew surmised.
“Make their lives a living hell.” Braeden nodded, approval lacing his words.
“Eventually,” I replied, glancing at Romeo.
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and I knew he understood what I wanted to do. Hell, he’d probably do the same thing. It made me more determined.
“Trent,” Drew growled.
I patted his thigh, and he growled again. Guess he didn’t like feeling like I was appeasing him. I pulled my hand back and reached for the coffee.
He made it just the way I liked it, even though it was for us to share. Made it taste even better. The mug was practically empty, only enough to cover the bottom.
“Drink it,” he said when he noticed me debating. “I’ll make more.”
I finished it off and set the empty cup in my lap. “I think sometimes the best punishment is making someone sweat. Letting them wonder when and how it’s coming…”
“Devious,” Braeden drawled, thoroughly entertained.
Drew stood and paced over near the fireplace. “So you want to go back home, act like nothing even happened, and let them get away with it?”
“I’m not going back home,” I told him. “This is home.”
He stopped pacing, and our eyes connected. There was a bit of relief deep in the blue of his irises. Just me reminding him he was my home made this easier to swallow.
“They won’t get away with it,” Romeo said. “But yeah. Go back. Have a meeting. You’re gonna have to dispel everything he’s probably saying right now.”
“Won’t be hard.” I nodded. “My bruises will have some shock value. Everyone will be all riled up that I was jumped on Omega property. They’ll want to start a witch hunt for the guys I didn’t see.”
“And then the guys who are being hunted will be looking over their shoulder and waiting for you to rat them out,” Rimmel surmised.
“Exactly.” I smiled. “Con and the rest won’t be able to say one word against me because I’ll be the injured one. I’ll be the one who was wronged.”
“And he did it to himself.” Braeden laughed. “Fucker thought he would be getting his way. Instead, all those guys are getting is a free pass into hell.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the three who helped Con don’t turn on him. Try to shove all the blame off on him,” Romeo said.
“All four of them are getting what’s coming,” Drew growled. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“You can’t go in there swinging,” I told him. God, that scared me. I knew he was pissed, but they didn’t fight fair. I was proof of that.
If Drew got hurt trying to avenge me…