Tear Down These Walls

by Sarah Kay Carter

  Chapter 4

  “Wait until you see this guy,” Victoria giggles to Emily. They take up the place they were the week before, and their jackets lend the only color to the blank white wall.

  Teagan groans and says, “We are here to learn something.”

  “Maybe you are,” Victoria giggles again. Suddenly, she smacks Emily in the arm. “That’s him!” She nods to the front of the room.

  “Holy….cow,” Emily exhales.

  Trent smiles and walks towards them. Every girl in class watches him walk over. “Good evening ladies….Teagan.” He nods as he meets her eyes.

  “Hi,” Teagan whispers, unexpectedly feeling shy. She looks down.

  “Are you ready for class?” Trent asks.

  “Yup,” Teagan says, finally looking back at him.

  “Take off your hoodie, I want to show you another defense move,” Trent says with a smile.

  “Ask me nicely.” Teagan puts her hand on her hip.

  “Teagan, may I show something on you?” Trent counters, being very polite.

  She nods her head, “Yes you may.” Teagan unzips her hoodie and throws it to the side.

  “What in the hell is that!?” Trent yells. “What did you do?”

  “Huh?” Teagan gasps.

  He grabs her elbow. “Look at that.”

  Teagan looks at the back of her upper arm. There is a large bruise on it in the shape of a hand. “That asshole!” She shouts. “Ugh, the jerk bruised me!”

  “A guy did this!?” Trent hisses, his eyes blazing.

  “Yeah, yesterday, when I texted you,” Victoria interjects. “Teagan slapped him because he said Emily was easy. He grabbed her. The bartender had to finally tell him to let go.”

  The anger emanating off of Trent stifles Teagan. “Where do you know him from?”

  “The university,” Teagan states..

  “Does he live on campus?” Trent inquires, looking at Teagan.

  “At a frat house, why?”

  “Which frat?”

  “Theta Alpha Theta, why?” Teagan whispers.

  Taking in a deep breath, Trent asks, “Did you drive the girls here?”

  “No, I drove,” Victoria answers.

  “I will give Teagan a ride home,” Trent asserts.. “Hold on.” He takes his phone out of his pocket and hits a number. “Kyle, I need you to grab Ian and meet at the fraternity Theta Alpha Theta in two hours, full gear. Yes, I am dead serious, full gear and armed.”

  “Armed?” Victoria mouths. Her eyes are as wide as saucers.

  “Okay, see you then,” Trent says. He hangs up the phone and looks at Teagan. “Is that all he did?”

  Teagan nods, “Yeah, he’s just a jerk, Trent.”

  “He is a jerk who is going to wish he never touched you,” Trent says in an eerily icy tone. Teagan shivers, either from the air conditioning or the way he is looking at her. Either way, she rubs her arms to calm the goose bumps.

  “Are you going to kick his ass?” Victoria exclaims. “Please tell me you are!”

  “I’m not sure yet, we will see how it goes,” Trent murmurs. “Come on Teagan, we are going to switch things up in class today.” He grabs her hand and pulls her to the center of the mat. “Okay ladies, we are changing the course for this evening. We are going to go over what to do if someone grabs you. All right?” He looks down at Teagan. “Are you okay with this?” She nods her head. “Okay, let’s start with this first.” He grabs her arm and proceeds to teach.

  At the end of class, Teagan puts her hoodie on. “Are you sure you are okay with getting a ride home from him?” Victoria whispers, sliding her arms into her jacket.

  “Yeah,” Teagan replies, trying to stifle a smile. “This is going to be awesome!”

  “What if he really kicks his ass?” Victoria snickers. Emily grins from ear to ear, nodding.

  “I will video tape it,” Teagan grins.

  Trent walks up and asks, “Are you ready?” Teagan nods. “Let’s go. We are meeting two of my guys there.”

  “All right, see you girls later,” Teagan calls over her shoulder.

  “CALL US!” Victoria emphasizes, her hand to her ear like a phone.

  “I will.”

  “Come on.” Trent places his hand on her back and ushers her to the front door. A lot of girls are still standing there. Teagan sees the awe on their faces when she walks past with Trent. Trent’s truck is sitting out front. He clicks the locks and opens Teagan’s door for her. She hops in and Trent shuts the door. When he gets to his side, he opens the back door. He throws his jacket inside and strips off his shirt. Teagan’s jaw drops.

  “Holy crap,” she exhales. Picking up her phone, she takes a quick picture of him. “Wow.” Trent throws a black t-shirt on. Then he puts on a bulletproof vest. Teagan’s eyebrows rise. She watches Trent strap a gun to his hip. “HOLY CRAP, TRENT! What are you doing?” Her pulse starts to race and nerves run through her at the sight of the gun.

  “Scaring the crap out of a college punk,” Trent retorts with a sinister grin.

  Teagan nervously laughs, “I can see that.”

  He finally climbs in front and starts the truck. “He won’t touch another girl again. He will be too scared to.”

  “What are you going to do to him?” Teagan asks as Trent pulls away from the curb.

  “Intimidation is the key,” Trent chuckles. They drive quietly as they head to the university. Teagan watches him carefully. Trent finally looks at her. “Why are you staring at me?”

  Trying not to smirk, Teagan looks out the window. “Nothing, I’m not.”

  “No, you were. What were you thinking?” Trent asks, pushing her gently.

  She laughs, “I’m not telling. I am not looking at you anymore.”

  “Tell me, or I won’t do this,” Trent slows down the truck.

  “Then don’t, I am not telling you,” Teagan teases. “Pull over, I will walk home.”

  “Like hell you are,” Trent snorts. “Just tell me what you were thinking.”

  “You don’t want to know,” Teagan sighs.

  He raises his eyebrows, “Something bad?”

  “Not really, I just…..well…..this is really sexy.”

  Trent pulls his right hand from the wheel and fully turns to look at her. “Are you going to jump me or something?”

  “I don’t know, we will see how this goes,” Teagan says, smirking.

  Silence falls between them as Trent stares at her. Finally, he shakes his head and looks forward. Teagan tries not to laugh. When they get close to the university, Trent asks, “Where am I going?”

  “Two streets ahead, take a right. It’s three buildings down, on the left.”

  “Sounds good,” Trent mutters. Teagan feels her heart race again a little when they pull up in front of the building. There is a black SUV down the street with limo-tinted windows. Two guys get out. They are big, not as big as Trent, but still intimidating to Teagan. They are dressed almost exactly like Trent.

  “That’s what you meant by full geared and armed,” Teagan exhales. “Is this legal?”

  “We have permits, so yes,” Trent replies. “Get out.”

  Teagan scrambles out of the truck and slams the door. Trent meets up with the guys. One guy says, “What’s up man? We have a job this late?”

  “We have a situation we need to handle,” Trent declares. “Strictly intimidation, follow my lead. Don’t actually hurt anyone. Keep it legal.”

  “Got ya,” the guy nods. He looks at Teagan and grins. “Hello, who might you be?”

  “Teagan,” she mumbles.

  The guy looks at Trent. “What have you not been telling us?”

  “Shut up Kyle,” Trent snaps. He looks at Teagan and says, “This is Ian, and that is Kyle. They work for me.”

  Kyle grins, “Hello.”

  “So, what are we doing here?” Ian asks, being serious.

  “A guy grabbed her and messed up her arm; we are going to talk to him about it,” Trent answers, ma
king direct eye contact with Ian.

  “Awesome,” Ian smiles and stifles a laugh.

  Trent turns to Teagan and unzips her hoodie. “What are you doing?” She asks.

  “We need the bruise visible,” Trent answers, as he slides her hoodie off. His fingers gently brush her skin, and it makes Teagan’s nerves tingle. She looks up at him, and he gives her a soft smile. “Ready?” Teagan nods. “Let’s go.” Trent grabs her hand and pulls her to the frat house. “Let me do the talking,” Trent instructs, squeezing Teagan’s hand. “Wait, what is this guy’s name?”

  “Franco,” Teagan replies. “I don’t know his last name though.”

  “That’s fine,” Trent assures her. “I doubt there are two Francos.” They get to the door, and Trent knocks hard. A minute goes by, and he knocks again, even harder.

  Finally, the door opens and a guy says, “Yeah?” When his eyes fall on the three guys in full gear, his jaw drops.

  “We are looking for Franco,” Trent’s voice deepens. “Please, get him.”

  “What do you want with him?” The guy asks, his eyes widening.

  “Get…..him,” Trent emphasizes. The guy nods and runs up the stairs. Teagan shivers; this time it is from being cold Trent wraps his arms around her and rubs his hands on her arms to warm her up. “This will only take a few minutes,” Trent whispers into her ear, sending a different set of goose bumps gliding across her skin.

  “Okay,” Teagan exhales. Suddenly, Franco comes down the steps and to the door. He stops dead when he sees what is waiting for him. Teagan elbows Trent and nudges her head to Franco.

  Straightening his back, Trent asks Teagan. “Is he the one who grabbed you?” She nods. “That’s all I needed to know.” Trent steps into the house and grabs Franco. He spins him around and slams him against the wall. “We are taking you down to the police station.”

  “Get your hands off of me!!!” Franco yells.

  Suddenly, there are guys coming from all over the house. Ian and Kyle step in. Kyle puts his hand up. “Back off.”

  “Screw you!” One frat brother says, as he steps up to him.

  Before Teagan can blink, Kyle pulls his gun and points it at the guy charging him. The brother freezes. “I said, BACK OFF!”

  Everyone in the room stops dead in their tracks. “We are calling the police!” A voice from the back of the room yells.

  “Go right ahead!” Trent hollers. “They will be taking your boy Franco here with them.”

  “Why?” Franco’s voice shakes. “I didn’t do anything!”

  “Are you denying you grabbed her!?” Trent growls, “Because….” He spins Franco around and grabs his hand. Trent jerks him forward and wraps Franco’s hand directly around the bruise. “That seems to fit perfectly.”

  “The stupid bitch slapped me!” Franco shouts.

  “Did you seriously do that!?” A young man yells right back at Franco, stepping through the crowd. He looks older than the rest of them in his khakis and burgundy sweater, and Teagan assumes he’s one of the senior members.

  “Yeah he did,” Teagan replies, showing him the bruise.

  Franco squirms in Trent’s grip. “She is the friend of that flake Emily!”

  “She’s not a flake, you twisted asshole!” Teagan screams at him. “You are nothing more than a predator, an ugly predator at that! You don’t deserve a girl like Emily!”

  “Franco, are you admitting you did this?” A frat brother asks, pointing to Teagan.

  “I don’t know! Maybe she did that to herself!” Franco spits out.

  Trent grabs his hand and holds it up to Teagan’s arm. “Do we need to go through this again?”

  “No, he did it,” a guy in a blue long sleeved t-shirt interjects. “I was there.”

  “Traitor,” Franco growls, glaring at his friend.

  “Franco, this will be brought to the attention of the fraternity council. It is a serious offense,” the senior member steps up again, looking at the bruise and at Trent.

  Trent picks Franco up, so his feet are barely touching the ground. “I think we are going to take him to the police.”

  “She slapped me!” Franco yells. “She has to go, too, then!”

  There is a steady glare from Trent. The senior says, “Leave him to us. We will need a statement from the girl and any witnesses. We can’t do anything about her slapping him, but the frat can definitely take disciplinary action against him.”

  “Listen to me,” Trent seethes. “You come within fifty feet of Teagan or any of her friends, and I will be back. You don’t want me to come back, got it?”

  “You can’t tell me what to do,” Franco scoffs, his attitude clear in his voice.

  Pulling him very close, Trent whispers in a menacing voice, “Do you want to try me?” Franco stares at him and then shakes his head. “Good.” Trent lets go of him, and Franco drops to his knees. “A man, or should I say boy, should never put his hands on a woman. You need to learn that, otherwise next time, the guy you piss off, may not abide by the law like I do.”

  “Bad things can happen when no one is looking,” Ian states, cracking his knuckles.

  “Are you threatening me?” Franco asks, his voice cracking.

  “No, not at all,” Ian replies. “You would know if I was threatening you.”

  “If you are done, I would appreciate it if you left,” the senior brother states. “We don’t allow guns inside the house.” Trent nods. The elder member steps forward and extends his hand to Teagan. “I’m AJ, the president of the fraternity. I extend a sincere apology for what happened.”

  Teagan takes AJ’s hand and shakes it. “Thank you, it’s appreciated.”

  “I hope this doesn’t tarnish your impression of Theta Alpha Theta.”

  She shakes her head, “No, I know who is at fault here.”

  “It will be brought before the council. I promise you that. We take this sort of thing seriously,” AJ declares. “Be assured about that.”

  Nodding, Teagan says, “Thank you.”

  “Come on,” Trent murmurs. “Let’s get you home.”

  AJ walks them to do the door. “Our sincere apologies again.”

  “Just stay away from her,” Trent snaps, looking back at Franco.

  “He will,” AJ promises them.

  Trent takes Teagan’s hand, and they leave the house. When the door closes, Kyle sighs, “Well, that was nowhere near as much fun as I thought it was going to be. I was hoping that he would at least piss his pants.”

  “If he says a word to her, he will,” Trent retorts. “I can guarantee that, because next time, we find him alone.”

  Teagan, finally able to breathe with any amount of regularity for the first time since walking up to the frat house, leans against Trent and exhales. “Thank you.”

  He looks down at her and smiles, “It was our pleasure. I won’t ever let a guy get away with that sort of stuff.”

  “Always my protector,” Teagan grins, batting her eyelashes. Trent laughs. Teagan realizes he is still holding her hand. She knows she should pull it away, but the contact feels good. It’s been a long time since she’s let a guy be so close.

  When they get to the truck, Trent finally lets her hand go. Teagan rubs her fingers together, still savoring the gentle touch. “Thanks guys,” Trent says. “I will pay you under the table for this.”

  “Pay us?” Ian quips. “You have done enough shit for us. I will do it pro bono.”

  “Me, too,” Kyle states. “You can owe a favor or a beer.”

  “Sounds good.” Trent nods to Teagan. “I should get her home.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Teagan,” Ian says, extending his hand.

  Teagan shakes it and agrees, “It was nice meeting you, too.”

  “Hopefully we see you around more,” Kyle snickers, winking at her.

  “Kyle!” Trent exclaims.

  “What!?” Kyle shrugs. “She’s gorgeous! You should bring her around more often.”

  Trent exhales and tu
rns to Teagan. “I’m sorry for him. Let me get you home.”

  “Okay,” Teagan giggles. “Bye guys and thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, darling,” Kyle says, winking at her again.

  “Leave her alone,” Ian warns. “I hope we do see you again, Teagan. Have a good night.” With that, Ian pushes Kyle to the SUV.

  Turning to her, Trent snorts. “Let’s get you home before Kyle comes back over here.”

  When she opens the truck door and gets in, Teagan looks at Trent. “I don’t know. Kyle is pretty cute.” She slides her hoodie back on to ward off the chill in the night air.

  Trent pauses and raises an eyebrow. “My staff cannot date the clientele.”

  “So, I am back to college guys, gggrrrreeaaattt,” Teagan teases as she glides the zipper up to her neck.

  “You are so much better than college guys,” Trent declares, as he pulls away from the curb.

  “Am I supposed to not date for a few more years?” Teagan asks.

  He shrugs, “I think you deserve a really good, sound guy, a guy who knows what he’s doing.”

  “I only know one guy like that, and he won’t even consider dating me because he is my self-defense teacher and thinks hanging out with me breaks some arbitrary rule.”

  Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, Trent inquires, “You want to date me?”

  “No,” Teagan laughs. “I was just stating a fact.”

  “Mmmhmmmm,” Trent hums, his gaze fixed on her.

  A smile spreads across Teagan’s face, and she shakes her head. When she looks out the window, she asks, “Do you want to know where I live?” Trent doesn’t reply. Teagan turns to him. “Trent, don’t you want to know where I live?” He looks at her and smiles. Her jaw drops. “You already know where I live!”

  “Yup, sorry, I hope you aren’t freaked out,” Trent sighs. “I just like having information on people.” He shrugs and smiles like this happens everyday.

  “So, you are stalking me?” Teagan quips.

  “What!? No!” Trent exclaims, putting his fingers up in the air.

  Teagan starts to laugh. “It’s all right. I will try and stalk you too, figure out where you live.”

  “On Fairy Chasm,” Trent replies. “It’s near Pennsylvania Avenue.”

  She bursts out laughing. “The name of your street is Fairy Chasm, oh my god!”