Wild Card: A College Sports Romance (Rake Forge University Series Book 1)

by Ashley Munoz

  My mouth opened but nothing came out. Hurt slammed into me, along with a healthy dose of self-loathing. He was right, not for the reasons he thought…but I was willing to do what I had to in order to get information on the card game.

  “I need some space, I think.” I wet my lips, trying to gather the energy to walk to my car. I spun around and headed toward the parking garage. I needed to get home and talk to Taylor.

  “Mallory, wait.” Decker stormed after me.

  “No. I understand…I just—I need some time to…” What was I even saying? Time to…what? Come to terms with the fact that my boyfriend knew my stepsister had signed up for an arranged marriage but assumed I was so self-involved I wouldn’t care?

  “Mallory, just wait. Just…fuck, just talk to me for a second.” He ran in front of me, moving backward while I plowed my way down the sidewalk.

  “Decker, give me some space.” I stopped, nailing him with a look that I hoped confirmed I wasn’t fucking around. I needed to be away from him right then.

  He waited, staring at me with an intensity that made me want to crumble into a thousand pieces. Finally, he raised his hands and stepped aside, letting me pass by. I didn’t look back as I walked away from him, and I didn’t search for him as I pulled away from the city and headed back home.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Taylor, please call me back. I need to talk to you.” I pressed the end button on my cell and tossed it on the bed. That was the sixth or seventh voicemail I’d left for her.

  Pacing my bedroom had done nothing to settle my nerves or provide me with answers. The party for the team was in a few hours, but I wouldn’t be going. Even if there was a part of me that wanted more details for my story, I couldn’t stomach being around Elias or Decker at the moment, and I would be thinking of Taylor the entire time.

  Was that why she’d warned me that Elias was a dangerous guy? Did she know what he’d done to Decker? Had he done something to her? My list of questions grew with every passing hour, and as the sun began to dip closer to the horizon, I was no closer to having any answers.

  Finally, around four, I received a phone call, but it wasn’t from who I needed to hear from.

  Still, at least it would help keep my mind off of Taylor. So, I changed my clothes, did my hair, and headed toward the school.

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Ms. Shaw.”

  Mr. Geele lifted his hand so I would take a seat at the massive table to his left. There were already four other faculty members sitting at it, one of which was my journalism advisor.

  I smiled, taking a seat, feeling nerves jutting under my skin.

  “Hello.” I nodded, greeting each person.

  “Mallory, how are you today?” Ms. Stalkwell smiled at me while tapping away on her cell phone.

  “Fine, thanks.” I wanted to puke, but that was totally not a big deal, right?

  “Well, let’s get right to it.” Mr. Geele joined the table and steepled his fingers. “It’s been brought to our attention that you’re writing a fabricated article about the baseball team, with the purpose and intent to slander their team and the legacy. These gentlemen”—he gestured to the two suits sitting across from me—“are legal representation for the Devils.”

  Oh shit. This was bad. This was very bad.

  I swallowed, trying to control my breathing.

  “With all due respect to everyone in the room, my story is not, in any way, fabricated.”

  Mr. Geele waved his hand as if to erase what I’d said. “Did you have authorization to attend that party?”

  Authorization? What the hell…

  “No…I wasn’t given a card specifically, but others were allowed in, with a cover charge.”

  “But you were allowed downstairs with the knowledge that only people who’d signed a waiver were given access. You omitted the fact that you’d swapped the card with someone else. This is a very serious legal situation you’ve found yourself in.”

  I looked to each of the teachers in front of me as panic expanded in my chest. How did they know I’d taken Taylor’s card and attended the game?

  “I wasn’t aware…” My voice faltered with nerves, and I cleared my throat. “I wasn’t aware of the waivers prior to attending…I mean, that’s what good reporting is.” I looked to Ms. Stalkwell for help, because she’d get it, right? “That’s what we’re taught all four years of journalism class.”

  “While that may be true, Ms. Shaw, you are also taught about journalistic integrity and how your sources need to be obtained in an ethical way. You tricked your way into the game then gathered privileged information that was not legally offered to you. You will abandon this article and turn in every scrap of information you’ve gathered thus far,” Ms. Stalkwell informed me with a bit of a tone.

  I burned from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. Tears prickled at the backs of my eyes, and even my nose felt like it was on fire. What they’d said…it was technically true, but why were they willing to turn a blind eye to something so superficial as a damn card game aimed at sex?

  “I understand what you’re saying, Ms. Stalkwell, but I had an ethical source…there is a member of the Devils team that has been offering me information. So, the facts are not fabricated or embellished in any way.” I tried to explain, but the way the two lawyers were looking at each other didn’t feel encouraging.

  “Ms. Shaw, that’s impossible,” one of the lawyers said in a gruff tone.

  I kept my mouth shut, my gaze bouncing between the two of them.

  “There’s a clause in each player’s release form.” He opened the briefcase that had been on the floor, tugged a piece of paper free, and slid it toward me. “You see, each player joins the team with the knowledge that there can be no divulging of information of any kind to any news source, unless very specific and extreme actions are taken.”

  “Such as?” I whispered, curious what would be deemed a good enough excuse to spill all the Devils’ details.

  The men looked at each other again. “We’re not at liberty to explain that in this setting, but I assure you the steps were not taken. Therefore, you did not have permission to gather what intel you did, and any player offering you said information was merely playing you, as each person is made abundantly aware of our rules.”

  “This seems a little backwards, doesn’t it?” I held out my hand, hoping someone in the room would aid me. How could they say all the steps hadn’t been taken to grant permission for the article, yet they wouldn’t say what the steps were?

  The two suits turned toward me with grave expressions. “The school has been advised not to discuss the nature of the game with you. There are more things to this game and this team that you don’t even know about, girl,” the man with jowls explained to me.

  “You of all people should know this, given who your father is,” the other added, narrowing his beady gaze on me.

  I felt small, insignificant…stupid. My face burned with regret, and with assumptions—that I could pull off a story of that caliber. That I could actually be a contender for the internship. That Decker had taken me seriously or had uttered any truth at all to me. Everything had been a lie. Seemed there was yet one more thing Decker knew that he wasn’t telling me.

  I was so foolish.

  I ducked my head, breathing strictly through my nose so a sob wouldn’t work its way up my throat. “I understand.”

  The people around the table smiled and stood, silently dismissing me.

  “We will expect your notes by the end of the day.”

  “One more thing, Ms. Shaw…” One of the lawyers stopped me, sliding a piece of paper toward me. “This is an NDA. You’ll agree not to publicly print or post anything about the team in any other paper or on any form of digital publication.”

  With shaky fingers, I gripped the pen handed to me from someone on my left. Everything was blurry as tears clouded my eyes. I just needed them to stay put until I got to my car.

  Signing,
I pushed the paper back toward them. Once I was nearly out the door, I was ushered by Mr. Geele, who quietly said into my ear, “This was a kindness. There are other ways they could have handled this.”

  I turned to look at him, but he was already walking away.

  What the hell did he mean by that?

  I didn’t get a chance to ask as I walked away from the meeting, leaving my hopes for the story to secure my spot in the internship behind.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Hey honey, nice of you to come.” My dad’s flat voice matched his flat expression and thin smile.

  I didn’t extend a smile; even a fake one would have been a betrayal to Taylor. She’d said she had been sick this last week. I hadn’t thought too much about it since learning of my father and Decker’s role in hiding her arranged marriage and, of course, that horrific meeting at the school. She’d stayed here at the house with Jackie and my dad. I had almost caved and gone to talk to her, but I worried Taylor wouldn’t be honest with me if she knew my dad might overhear our conversation. Besides, it was rude to interrogate people when they didn’t feel good, even if it was painful to be home alone while my heart shattered and my world imploded.

  “It’s your big event,” I finally muttered in response.

  “Where’s your date?” He looked behind me at the door, as if a gentleman caller would materialize out of thin air.

  I shrugged, eyeing the trays for champagne. “He bailed at the last second.”

  The long sigh that left my father’s chest was like a reaction to learning he’d been abducted by an alien. The man who’d raised me would have never made that sound, or even insisted we have dates to begin with.

  “I had a feeling you’d come alone, so I have someone ready for you.” My father tugged my arm until we were walking toward the sitting room. Ouch. Him assuming I wouldn’t bring one actually kind of stung.

  “You what?” I tried resisting, but his grip was firm.

  “This is Jeff.”

  A tall, handsome man, older than me but it didn’t look like by much, smiled at me, dipping his head.

  “Jeff, this is my eldest daughter, Mallory. Would you do us both an honor and keep her company this evening as her date?” my dad asked the guy in the five-piece suit.

  His hair was molded so perfectly, I wasn’t sure it was even real. It made me miss Decker’s silky, loose strands. An ache opened in my chest, like my body had just remembered it’d lost an essential limb or organ and didn’t know how to function properly without it. He’d texted and called about a million times over the past week, left me notes and flowers on my windshield, all the while just asking that he get a chance to explain himself. He didn’t even know that I knew about the article, or that I had lost it.

  My father was about to open his mouth, likely to put his foot there, but just as he was going to explain the need for me to have a date, the crowd moved and Taylor came into view. She wasn’t alone.

  There on her arm was none other than Decker James.

  In some strange alternate universe, I was tucked away in the corner with Jeff, actually grateful for his tree-like height and his presence. It allowed me the opportunity to watch the floor and all the guests without being noticed. I eyed Taylor first; she wore a floor-length dress with see-through mesh over the stomach and glistening jewels flowing down her legs like a fountain of wealth. It was beautiful and insanely obnoxious. I nearly looked down to compare myself to her, which was a habit I needed to break. I wore a fashionable dress that cut off at mid-thigh, the capped sleeves making it seem modest even with the plunging neckline.

  I inspected the man attached to her arm in a clinical way. Mentally I told myself he was no longer a part of my life, but it was like looking at an amputated limb. I mentally noted that if I had said that out loud to Hillary, she would have slapped me for being gross.

  Jeff sipped his drink, droning about shareholders. I nodded, keeping my eyes on the couple. In that same sleek, gunmetal grey tailored suit from the last time I’d seen him and with his hair slicked back, Decker wore a stormy expression, searching the room with interest and a whole lot of rage. Was that a…black eye? What in the heck had happened to him? His lip was cut in the corner, and his upper eyebrow had a stitch in it.

  I watched in what felt like slow motion as Taylor spun until she was in front of him. Then, linking her arms around his neck, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, but it was dangerously close to the corner of his mouth. His posture was rigid and cold, like he really didn’t want to be there. That was the smallest mercy he could have given me, and I clung to it.

  I was curious how long it would take him to notice me, curious if anyone would notice if I were to sneak out of the room entirely and catch a cab home. As soon as they had entered, I had taken the coward’s way out and grabbed Jeff’s arm, begging him to crowd the corner with me.

  Decker’s mossy green eyes connected with mine as soon as the thought left my head. Locked like a missile, studying the target, waiting for instructions to detonate, he stared.

  “Ah, there she is,” Dad said, breaking me out of my staring contest with the man who’d broken my heart. My father was holding my stepmother’s hand, and she wore a bright smile, making me slump into the wall as I realized they were going to force me to socialize.

  “Mallory, darling.” Jackie approached wearing a gold wrap dress that made her blonde hair look luminescent under the lights. She really was very pretty to look at; I just wished her attitude toward me would match how nice she seemed on the outside. My mother had always warned me if someone was pretty to look at but ugly to deal with, then they were just plain ugly. It’s the inside that matters.

  “Hello, Jackie,” I muttered, giving her a tight smile.

  “Tell me, dear.” She tugged me out of the corner and slid her arm through mine. “Have you heard about this dashing new boy my baby girl has been seeing?”

  I looked over my shoulder to see Jeff and my father engaged in a discussion. They were both laughing, so it must have been about something good.

  “I hadn’t heard.” I searched for Taylor on instinct, forgetting for a second that I loathed her entire existence. How could she bring him as her date?

  “Well, as you know, your father has wanted to see your sister take the family business more seriously, and that includes finding a suitable gentleman she could inherit the dealings with, someone who would look good on the cover a magazine, of course, along with providing deliciously gorgeous children and being a supportive backbone for our little girl.”

  She’ll marry someone her own age…my father’s words came back with a hard knock in the heart. That paired with finding out Decker had known…my throat felt like it was swelling shut, and I hated so much of what Jackie had just said. My mind had picked up several words like stones on a beach, ready to toss them back into the bay, hoping they’d hit with a splash. Sister…inherit…little girl… I hated how she always acted like Taylor was my dad’s biological kid when she wasn’t.

  He was my dad and her stepdad. That was just how it was, plain and simple. Jackie didn’t include me in their mother-daughter trips or their conversations or spa weekends, and yet here my stepsister was, on the cusp of inheriting my father’s business. I wouldn’t have minded if it was Taylor’s dream, if she really wanted this, but I knew her, probably better than anyone. She hid behind this thin composure of luxury, but deep down she was a quiet soul looking for purpose. I saw it in the way she tried different recipes and secretly stuck her nose in one of those historical books, and not the fiction kind. She loved reading about the history of America, especially during the early 1900s. She was more than all this.

  My father’s phone call started to swirl in my head like a bad cocktail.

  I had made it more than clear several years ago that I would never help run my father’s business in any capacity, not when I was still so hopeful about being a featured writer and landing the Kline internship. That idea tasted like ash in my mouth now. Maybe it was
time to step up and help out…maybe it was time to be the dutiful daughter so it stopped falling on Taylor’s shoulders.

  “Well, I haven’t seen anyone around, but I am happy for her. That sounds great.” I tried to seem happy, merely because it would make these conversations go smoothly, and ultimately, I loved my dad. But honestly, I had no idea what in the hell she was talking about. I hadn’t seen anyone around with Taylor, but we’d been so off since I had started dating Decker, and then with her sickness. I was so caught up with trying to connect what Jackie had said to what I had seen with my stepsister that when the doorbell rang, I honestly didn’t think anything of it.

  Unless she meant…

  She can’t mean Decker.

  I grabbed a flute of champagne from a floating tray and tossed the entire thing back, all while fastening my eyes on the enemy. Jeff moved in behind me, a little too close for comfort. He was definitely playing the date role like he was up for an Oscar. My eyes tracked with Decker as he moved with Taylor, making introductions around the room. I hated how much I wished it were me standing there with him. My stomach twisted. Why were they doing this, acting like nothing had happened, and wasn’t she supposed to be marrying someone?

  God, what if that was Decker’s ultimate revenge plot? Him marrying Taylor…it would rip my soul out.

  I had nearly perfected the art of ignoring the looks Decker kept sending my way and how every time I moved around the room, he’d try to rotate toward me. Seeing him in a suit was just as heart-stopping as it had been the first time, but seeing Taylor on his arm all night was just too painful. She laughed and giggled at everything he said, and each time I found it harder to love my stepsister.

  Finally, after nearly an hour of Jeff smiling and flirting with me, I noticed a familiar set of navy eyes that also had inflamed bruising. My feet halted as I took in the rest of his face, the swelling of his nose and the white tape across it, the purple bruising on his jaw. What were the odds of Elias and Decker both showing up bruised? Either they’d had a rough practice, or they had gotten into a fight. Even with the imperfections on his face, he was all swagger and grace with those broad shoulders and stacked muscles. His blond hair was styled neatly in a way that made it look swept back and over, almost like a movie star. After everything had happened the week before, I hadn’t even texted him back to tell him I wouldn’t be going. He had swung by my house to check on me, bearing flowers and some Chinese food. I’d accepted them, only because I was so confused about the roles everyone was playing. Taylor didn’t seem to trust him, yet she’d agreed to marry him. Or had she?