Chapter 11 - AFTER THE BREAK
Greer came in high.
Maya dropped level, redirected his arm, and used his momentum to turn him onto the mat. She secured his shoulder and applied controlled pressure.
“Tap,” she said.
Greer refused.
She increased pressure by inches.
He tapped.
Captain Cole shouted, “Break!”
Maya released him immediately.
Greer rolled away.
Then, after the break, he drove his knee toward her ribs.
Connor moved first.
He stepped between them and caught Greer by the shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Greer shoved him.
Connor shoved back.
Rourke stormed onto the mat. “Briggs, get off him!”
Connor pointed at Greer. “He hit after the stop.”
“I saw what happened.”
“So did everyone else.”
Rourke’s face turned red.
Maya stood slowly, one hand against her ribs.
Tessa hurried over.
“Can you breathe?”
“Yeah.”
“Deep breath.”
Maya inhaled.
Painful, but manageable.
Across the room, Greer was yelling that Maya had cranked his shoulder after the tap.
Noah held up his phone.
“Got the whole thing.”
Rourke turned toward him.
Noah didn’t lower it.
Something shifted in the room.
Quietly, but unmistakably.
People were no longer looking at Maya like the problem.
They were looking at Rourke.
Connor came over later while Tessa taped Maya’s ribs.
“I’m done protecting him.”
Maya studied him.
“What changed?”
“He told Greer to do that.”
“You heard him?”
Connor nodded.
“Last night. Outside the arms room.”
“Will you testify?”
Connor swallowed.
“Yes.”
Then he took out his phone.
“There’s more.”
He opened a message thread with Rourke.
Most of the messages were ordinary.
One wasn’t.
MAKE BENNETT FAIL. I DON’T CARE HOW IT LOOKS.
Below it was another message from that morning.
GREER KNOWS HIS JOB.
Maya stared at the screen.
Connor said, “I took screenshots before he could delete them.”
Now they had Rourke tied directly to the sabotage. Connor scrolled farther up.
A third message appeared.
It had been sent weeks before Maya arrived.
BENNETT TRANSFERS IN MONDAY. DALTON SAYS SHE’S STILL A PROBLEM.
Maya stopped breathing.
May you like
Dalton.
The man from the old hazing case was still involved.
