Page 65 of On Her Team
Jennifer shrugs. “Okay.”
We follow her through the police station, which is much larger than I expected it to be for a tiny island, to a back hallway. She opens the door and motions us inside.
“Otis is in the first cell.”
Addy rushes forward. “Otis-bug, are you okay?”
Otis stands and ambles to the bars. He appears fine. Pissed off but fine.
“I’m fine and this is bullshit.”
“Language,” Addy growls.
“Sorry, big sis, but this is bullshit.”
Addy opens her mouth to respond but I squeeze her hip to stop her. Arguing about Otis’s use of foul language will get us nowhere. “What happened, Otis?”
“Yesterday, after you left theMermaid Lagoon Races,I kept watch on Penelope and Mila the way you asked. I noticed some kids giving Penelope a hard time. I tried to stop them but Vincent wouldn’t leave her alone. He called her a stuck-up bitch.” He scowls. “Penelope insisted we leave and we did. But later at dinner, I asked her about Vincent and his group of assholes. Turns out they’ve been bullying her since she started high school last year.”
“Bullying her how?” I ask.
“They put stink bombs in her locker. They shove her. They trip her. They steal her books. The usual shit.”
Addy drops her chin to her chest. “I failed her.”
“You didn’t fail her,” Otis insists. “How could you know? I didn’t know, and I go to the same high school as her. Not even Mila knew, and they share a bedroom.”
My heart warms. This kid is the best. He was slacking off before – letting his big sister handle everything – but he’s stepping up now. Good for him.
“What did you do?” I ask before Addy can speak. Knowing her, she’ll go on and on about how she should have magically known Penelope was being bullied. I’ll deal with her and her guilt later.
Otis smirks. “I went to Vincent’s house and taught him a lesson.”
Addy groans. “A lesson that ended up withyou in a jail cell.”
“The jail cell is bullshit. They wouldn’t have arrested anyone else for dumping a bucket of old fish bait on someone’s porch.”
I lift a brow. “Old fish bait?”
He grins. “It’s epic. Vincent came outside because the smell is so repulsive, you can’t miss it. The seagulls were already circling the bait and one shat right on his head.”
I chuckle. “I’ll remember that.”
Addy fists her hands on her hips. “I’m glad the two of you are enjoying yourselves. Did you forget Otis is in jail?”
Her brother waves to the bars in front of him. “Kind of hard to forget.”
The door opens and a police officer steps inside. Addy marches to him. “Lucas, how could you arrest my baby brother?”
Otis snorts. “I’m actually glad to be behind bars. Addy on a tear is scary.”
“I got this.”
“Thanks, Gage.”
“Anytime, Otis. Anytime.”
I join Addy and Lucas. The police officer has his arms crossed over his chest. He appears intimidating but my songbird is not impressed. She’s mad as a coach on fourth-and-goal with no timeouts.
