Page 85 of The Love Syllabus

“I just knew it when I ran that background check. Something wasn’t right.”

My entire body tenses.

“You knew he hurt her and didn’t tell me?” My blood boils, the rage clawing its way back to the surface.

She places a steady hand on my arm, her voice calm but firm. “I only had a feeling, Son. No proof. Nothing solid enough to bring to you.”

Mr. Kind doesn’t ask questions. He just pulls out his phone and starts dialing.

“Maxine,” he says into the receiver, his voice sharp, commanding. “I need you to pull the security footage from tonight. Every single camera angle. I need statements from your staff, from every witness. And I need you to back my daughter up when the police try to dismiss this as just another dispute.”

“I’m already workin’ on it, James,” Maxine assures him without hesitation. “I ain’t scared of the Martins. Never have been. Never will be. He won’t get away with it this time.”

Mr. Kind exhales, then glances at his wife. “Grace, call the police department. File a report. And make sure they know they won’t be sweeping this under the rug.”

She nods, already dialing.

I motion for the women to follow me as I carry Kerry into her room, laying her down gently on the bed. They gather around her, whispering soft reassurances and watching over her like guardians.

The men stay back, waiting in the great room.

They know things I don’t. They’ve seen more than I have. When I sit down, they talk, and Mom, Hudson, and I listen.

“We had no idea. Not at first. Not until just a few years ago. No one knew. Kerry, she—” Hawkins lets out a long breath. His voice is low and filled with regret.

“She always smiled. And when she was bruised, she’d either cover it up or stay home. Say she was sick. We wanted to believe her. We wanted to believe she was okay.” Gabe exhales, shaking his head.

I swallow hard, my throat tight. “What made her finally leave?”

“That’s the real question, man.” Gabe looks up at me. “That last night she was with him? Something happened. Something so bad she left and never looked back. But it was also bad enough that it destroyed her career, and Cory still holds that shit over her head.”

Mr. Kind clenches his jaw.

“I found out too late back then. But I promise I’m gonna do something now. The last time I confronted the Martins, I ended up in jail. But I don’t give a damn what they try to do to me. I’d go to hell if I have to. I’ll do anything to protect my daughter.”

Hudson shakes his head in disbelief. “Are they really that powerful?”

A long silence falls upon us. Then the women return. We sit together and devise a plan to take Cory down.

Serena nods. “Well, theyarethe police department, and they have connections in high places, which is why we need Gabe and Hawkins to hack into police records.”

“You want us to do what?” Hawkins blinks, shaking his head. “We can’t do that kind of stuff anymore. We have government contracts now.”

Izzy folds her arms, unimpressed. “Y’all own the biggest cyber-security company in the country, Gabe. Screw turning over a new leaf. We need to turn over the whole damn tree to get justice for our girl.”

The men exchange a look. Then, Gabe exhales sharply, rubbing his jaw before finally nodding. “We’ll do what we can. We’ll try to find the buried reports—everything they erased.”

“And I’ll work with Governor Carter and Judge Boom to see if they can use their influence to open an internal investigation into the police department. They can be trusted, and from my understanding, there are a whole lot of people who have been done wrong since this town merger. They’ll be keen to take Cory and his family down.”

“Is there anything I can do?” I ask, feeling like I need to fix everything with my own hands.

Serena softens, shaking her head. “Just take care of her, Vic. Be the strength she needs while hers builds back up.”

I nod, taking in her words.

The Kinds stay behind while the rest of the group gradually disperses, each person determined to play their part in taking Cory down.

But my part starts now.

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