Chapter 23: A Taste of His Own Medicine
That evening, Lina told Jonas everything
.
He listened, silent, his jaw tightening.
"So he's still around," he finally said. "And still Luca."
She nodded. "I don't want to make it into a huge thing, but… I thought you should know."
Jonas didn't reply right away.
Instead, he reached for his phone and dialed a number.
"Leo," he said, voice cool. "You busy tomorrow? No? Great. I'll pick you and Marc up."
—
They waited outside the fitness center the next evening, dressed casually but standing with deliberate posture.
Jonas leaned against the hood of his car.
Leo bounced a tennis ball off the pavement.
Marc sipped a sports drink.
Luca stepped out, earbuds in, gym bag over his shoulder. He didn't notice them until Jonas stepped into his path.
"Oh, hey," Luca said with the same greasy charm. "Need directions or just wanted to admire the view?"
"We were wondering something," Jonas said, voice calm.
"Yeah?" Luca smirked.
Leo stepped closer. "You like touching people when they don't want to be touched?"
Marc added, "Or maybe you like it when someone corners you unexpectedly. Makes a crude joke. Laughs in your face."
The smile vanished from Luca's face.
"What the hell is this?"
Jonas took a step forward. "Call it... empathy training."
They didn't touch him. They didn't even threaten him directly.
But their tone, their closeness, their presence—it flipped the script.
"We thought," Leo said casually, "you might enjoy a taste of what it's like when your boundaries don't matter."
Luca's expression twisted. "You guys are crazy. I'm leaving."
He turned and practically ran, his gym bag swinging behind him.
The three men exchanged glances.
"Well," Marc said. "I think we made our point."
Jonas nodded, his expression serious. "Let's hope it sticks."
They didn't laugh much after that. But later, Jonas messaged Lina:
"We didn't lay a finger on him. But sometimes, justice comes in the form of awareness."
Lina replied:
"Thank you. For standing up. For not needing to break someone to make a point."