Page 21 of The Lawyer's Quandary
Greg dressed and said a quick goodbye before hurrying out, and Mark showered and dressed before going to campus for an early meeting.
Steven, Connors,and Wilson met him at the aquatic center with two other guys. They seemed shy, and Mark knew almost instantly why they were here. “The same as you?” Mark asked Steven, who nodded. “Then it’s likely there are a lot more.”
“I want to beat that man until he’s dead,” one of the new guys said with white-hot fire in his eyes. “It was last year. I never speak to him and stay away. I thought it was only me.”
“Nope.”
“So why are we here?” he asked.
“To take him down. We have a plan, and we’ll tell you when we have something,” Steven told them and handed both guys cards Greg must have given him. “This is the lawyer we’re working with. He’s a really good guy, and he’s working for us. Not Bates or the college. Call him.” It seemed that Connors or Wilson had found these two, though they all clearly knew each other. “And say nothing to anyone before talking to Greg.”
They nodded and left, pulling out their phones.
“What is the plan?” Connors asked.
“Bates is back today. Everyone is going to go into welcome-back mode. But you have a couple big games coming up. So, go in to Bates and tell him that you really need his help. You have to be ready for the game and your ankle is hurting. Ask him to tape it. If he agrees, just text that you have to postpone our water training. I’ll monitor the camera. Set a special tone for me on your phone, and as soon as I have something, I’ll text backokay.” Then you get the hell out of there. Got it? Don’t wait or be polite. Just get out.”
“I got it.” Steven was as serious as a heart attack. “I don’t want to spend one more second in his presence than I have to.”
“What do we do?” Wilson asked.
“Just stay away. We don’t want him to become suspicious if we appear in packs,” Steven answered. “Just go about your normal routine.”
“But what if something goes wrong?”
“Give me your numbers, and I’ll message you, and you both come running,” Mark answered. “You’re the cavalry, though hopefully, it won’t come to that. Okay, we all know the plan. Now, let’s make this happen, get what we need, and get the hell out of Dodge.” The last part was for effect.
The guys left, and Mark spent the rest of the morning working with his top swimmers. They had classes for part of the day, but for the rest of it, he was damned busy. But he kept his phone nearby at all times. Finally, he received a text.
“A session at four?” Mark’s heart beat faster as he read the message. It was just after three, which meant he had to finish up in half an hour. That would probably be good, but he was still anxious. What if this plan went wrong? What if Bates had already found the camera and removed it? Mark read the text again and then sent a message to Greg and got an immediate response.
I’m leaving the office now.
Mark hadn’t been sure what he had expected, but he should have known that even with the indecision around what they were doing and his own efforts to try to insulate Greg from what Greg clearly felt was a moral dilemma, he was on his way. Greg wasn’t going to let him or anyone hang in the wind.
Come to my office, Mark sent, and put his phone away. At least he had someone to watch all their backs. Greg was prettyamazing, and he was damned lucky to have someone like him in his life.
“How was that?” asked William, the swimmer he was working with to prep for an Olympic trial event in a month.
“You’re improving, but you have a hitch in your stroke. Bring your arm over faster. It’s slowing down, and that’s costing you strokes.” He pulled his attention back where it was supposed to be. “Go again.” He waited as William began and met him at the other end of the pool. “Much better and you were a second faster. How did it feel?”
“Weird, but better at the same time.”
“Remember not to let yourself get into autopilot. If you do that, then sloppiness creeps in. Think about what you’re doing. Get into a good rhythm, and then breathe and propel yourself with purpose.” He grinned and set William to doing four more laps, which were fast as hell. “Good. That’s enough for today. But keep practicing to make sure the movement gets back into your muscle memory.” He let William finish his workout and returned to his office. Once he had closed the door, he brought up the camera on his iPad.
Bates’s office was empty, and Mark checked the time. It was ten till four, so he made a pass through his email and answered what he needed to. As he finished, he saw movement in Bates’s office. Mark started recording on the iPad as Steven entered the office. He pulled out his phone, and soon Mark dinged that he needed to postpone their work in the water. Then he set it aside and sat in a wooden chair, lifting his leg so Bates could tape the ankle.
A knock on Mark’s door startled him, and he peered out and then let Greg inside. “Am I late?”
Mark closed the door and kissed him as some of the tension that had sent his stomach lurching calmed down. “No. Stevenjust arrived in the office. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Steven is wound tight as a drum.”
“I still hate this, but I have to admire Steven for having the strength to put himself in this position. Part of me is screaming that this isn’t right and is telling me to run over there and get him the hell out, and part of me wants to get the evidence we need to kick this asshole off this campus and every other one in America.” Greg watched the screen and shivered.
Mark turned to the screen and then looked at Greg, the tension in him so tight, he could probably play music on his muscles.
“Text him to get out of there,” Greg told him, and Mark yanked open this office door and hurried out of the office, heading toward the doors of the aquatic center. The building with Bates’s office was right next door, and he had reached the front doors when he heard Greg’s voice. “Come back, now!”
He skidded to a halt and reversed direction, returning to the office just as Steven yanked Bates’s office door open and sprinted from the field of vision.
