Caught In The Middle

Suspects

Reese had spent the rest of the day gathering information rather than attend his classes…he knew several people had filmed Quinn reacting to her car being vandalized and also knew that the guys who did it were probably part of that, so he had a couple of the computer kids up in the executive room searching through everyone’s social media and finding all the names that posted on it.

He had four names of guys that he suspected…

A knock sounded on the door and Tank got up from his couch and opened it. Jacob walked in tossing up and catching a USB stick over and over with a pretty little Asian girl walking in behind him with a bob of black hair and glasses. “Got it, Boss…all thanks to Yuki here.”

Reese gave the girl a sultry smirk as Jacob walked over and handed the USB stick to the guy at the computer.

“Thanks, I hope the security guy wasn’t too sleazy?”

She shook her head shyly.

“Nah…” Jacob said amused. “He was all for it to be as quick as possible, was maybe a bit rough though, eh Yuki?”

“I’m fine.” She said meekly.

Reese frowned. “Rough?”

“Yeah, you know, like grabbed her head and shoved it down the back of her throat…”

“What the f**k?” Reese snorted. “You’re embarrassing the girl.”

“I’m not embarrassed…” She spoke up. “It happens all the time.” She shrugged and looked at Reese expectantly. “I’ll just take my money now…”

Reese’s jaw clenched and he clicked his fingers at Tank. “Okay, then…and thanks for your help.”

“Anytime if you’re going to pay that much for a simple bj.” She smiled coyly at him.

Tank handed her a fifty dollar bill and she took it with a smile before leaving.

Reese scratched the back of his neck. “Jesus…where did you find her?”

“Why, think she’s cute?” Jacob laughed. “She is pretty cute right?”

“I guess…” Reese looked away to the computer guy who was plugging in the USB.

Jacob sat down and stretched his legs out. “She’s one of the new girls down at Hummingbird.”

Reese looked back over his shoulder with a curious gaze. “And what are you doing in Hummingbird?”

Jacob shrugged. “I wasn’t…I waited for some of them to come out and asked them if they wanted to make a quick fifty bucks and blow off a guy.”

Reese rolled his eyes. “Figures…”

“Hey, we got the footage, right?”

“Right…here it is.” The guy at the computer said making Reese turn back.

They watched the screen as the two ghosts in sheets vandalized Quinn’s car. Jacob and Tank came over to and peered at the screen.

“Good disguises, they could be anyone.”

“Nah…” The computer guy said. “If you look close you can see their shoes…and one of them is tall and skinny.”

Reese squinted at the screen. “Basketballers…”

Tank grumbled. “What now?”

Reese looked up at him with a smile that wasn’t pleasant. “Just so happens that one of the social media accounts that posted Quinn’s reaction to her car was one of the basketball team…I think it’s safe to assume he was in on it.”

“Who?” Jacob asked with a frown.

“Micky Dobbs.” Reese spat.

Tank flexed his muscles and rolled his neck. “Right, let’s go pay him a visit then.”

The door to the locker room under the Bob Burchard Court at Columbia University banged open and Reese followed by Tank and Mac walked in looking serious and lethal. The guys from the basketball team all stood up with concern.

“What the f**k? You can’t just waltz in here…”

Reese turned to the one that spoke and sneered in his face. “Gonna stop me?” He shoved the guy aside and he hit the row of steel lockers hard causing others to step forward.

Tank moved into a defensive position in front of Reese and cracked his knuckles. That made them all take pause.

Reese looked up from the guy now sitting on the ground holding his shoulder and smirked. “Relax…I’m part of the student executive…I’m looking for Micky Dobbs.”

Just at that moment Micky walked out from the showers. He froze, taking in the scene of Reese and his off-siders standing in the locker room with his captain on the floor at his feet clutching his shoulder.

“Fuck.” He turned and ran back the way he had come.

Reese chuckled. “Where the f**k does he think he’s going?”

He strode through the locker room passed all the players like they were no threat to him at all and followed where Micky had run.

He found him standing against the back wall of the showers holding his hands out in terror. “Easy man, I don’t know what you want but…fuck…”

“You know exactly why I’m here.” Reese growled. “So get dressed ‘cause you and me are going to take a little drive…”

“What? Wait…you’re not serious?”

Reese lashed out a fist straight into Micky’s face. The back of his head collided with the wall at the impact of Reese breaking his nose and he slid in a daze down the wall to sit on the floor, clutching at his face.

“What the f**k, man!”

“I only tell people to do something once…if you don’t move you get hit.” Reese stated in a deep calm menace.

Micky looked up at him like he was a monster. “Okay, okay…fuck…” He gained his feet, holding his towel to his bleeding nose and walked back to the locker room with Reese following him like a stalking beast.

In the locker room the players all gasped and started moving forward, yelling to back off away from their mate. Tank shoved a couple of them back while Mac took out a large bowie knife from behind his back and held it low and menacing. That made them all back up again.

Reese saw Micky pulling on some shorts, while gasping to breathe through his mouth and turned to Mac. “Put that bloody thing away…” He looked at the team in front of him. “Don’t be heroes…a couple of you know why we’re here and be thankful we don’t have your name yet…don’t be running off anywhere, it’ll just make things worse for you.” He stepped towards the door, looking back at Tank. “Bring him…”

“Wait you can’t just take one of our team…” The Captain pushed forward again.

“He’s wanted for vandalizing a car…get the f**k out of my way.” Reese growled. “Unless you want me to f**k up more than just your shoulder…you want to continue to play basketball?”

“It’s okay, Eddy…” Micky said grimly. “I’ll go.”

Reese looked back at him with a gleeful smile. “Good for you.”

“Hey, I can’t let you do that.” Another guy pushed forward with a somber expression. “He didn’t do it, he just recorded the girl’s reaction…I did.”

Reese’s mouth twisted as his lip curled up on one side. “Nice of you to come forward, Ryan, but there was two of you.”

“f**k…just take me, asshole.”

“Fine, you’ll tell me the name of the other fucker soon enough.” Reese smirked. “Let’s get out of here.”

Tank grabbed Ryan by the arm and pushed him forward to follow Reese out of the locker room. In the hall they were confronted by the coach and assistant.

“What the? Who are you, where are you taking Ryan?”

Reese reached into his pocket and took out a slip and handed it to the Coach. “I’m President of the Student Executive over at the Scarsdale campus, I have permission from the Chancellor to remove Ryan back there to face disciplinary procedures in relation to a car that was vandalized on campus grounds…expect him to be suspended, if not expelled.”

The Coach looked at the slip and paled slightly looking up at Ryan’s remorseful face. “You stupid i***t!”

“Sorry, Coach…”

Tank moved forward, shoving passed the Coach and Assistant and walked off holding Ryan’s arm. Reese smirked at the Coach’s bewildered expression.

“Have a nice day…”

“You know you still have no right to come here and just take a player from my court like this, I don’t care who you are, I’ll be filing a report about your attitude and conduct.” The Coach yelled.

Reese just chuckled, licking his tongue over his teeth. “Go right ahead…and make sure to tell them my name…it’s Reese O’Shea…don’t get it wrong.”

The coach stared at him in disbelief, who the hell did this guy think he was?