The Executioner: A Love Story by Melissa Silvey Read Free Book Online Page A

knew it. I’d worked so hard for that phone, I’d just bought it, and he took it and filmed what they did to her.”
    He braced his hands on the edge of his sink, and leaned forward. “I told them to stop, but one of them punched me in the nose and shoved me. I’d been punched before, of course.” He said it as if it was expected. “I was used to being shoved around by the popular guys. I just walked out the door.”
    He stopped crying. He took another sip of his soda, and continued. “I waited almost half an hour before I called campus security. I told them which room she was in and described what she wore, everything. But when they got there the girl was passed out and the guys were gone. James had my phone and sent the images to several of his friends.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She felt his ribcage expand. It felt very good to hold him. It felt even better to hear he didn’t rape anyone.
    “Campus security didn’t really do anything. They got the girl dressed and took her back to the dorm she was staying in. The next morning she wakes up and doesn’t really remember what happened. The school is supposed to be safe, you know?”
    She nodded. She felt the school her sister attended didn’t do enough to help find the man who killed her. They just didn’t want the media attention. If the school wasn’t safe they lost revenue.
    “The only reason they started investigating was because the pictures circulated around campus. And they originated from my phone. The cops came and knocked on my door. I didn’t know what to do, you know. They arrested me. They took me to jail. I stayed there for weeks; twenty-seven days.”
    She couldn’t imagine Jordan in jail. It must have been horrible. If he’d been picked on in high school, she couldn’t imagine the bullying, or worse, he’d received in jail.
    “I talked as soon as they arrested me. I didn’t even have the phone. When I saw what James did with it I said it was stolen and bought another. I told them everything that happened, everyone who was there. I told them I was the one who called campus security. I was grilled about why I didn’t call the cops. I was grilled about why I didn’t stop them. There were five of them and one of me. And then they talked to the others who were there. They denied it. They were arrested but released the same day. Can you imagine? I did nothing, and I was in jail.”
    She couldn’t imagine.
    “My parents hired a lawyer, but there was so much backlash from the DA. He was under pressure to get the case solved. Finally he had the charges dropped. No one was ever incarcerated for what happened.” He finally turned toward her and she held him even tighter. He allowed it for only a moment before he moved away. “Do you want some cocoa?”
    “I was hoping you’d want to go out with me. Dinner?” She hadn’t really thought about it. But she needed to get him somewhere they wouldn’t be heard by anyone, and give him some of the honesty that he just gave her.
    “I’m not really hungry,” he said as he shook his head. She knew he was upset. But this was too important to allow him to refuse. She had to get him out of the apartments.
    “I’m starving. I’ve been waiting for you all day to go out.” She didn’t want to explain it out loud. She still wasn’t sure he got all of the bugs out of his apartment. But he turned away from her again.
    “That’s nice of you but I really don’t want to go out.” He refused to look at her.
    “We need to talk. Somewhere other than here.” She covered his hand on the counter. She was not shy at all about physical contact with him. She grinned as she thought of how much she actually liked touching him. His skin was soft and always warm.
    “Okay.” He said it, but he still didn’t seem like he wanted to go.
    “It’s important,” she insisted.
    “I’ll change.” He looked down at his work clothes, his black suit and white shirt.
    “You look great.” She