“I think they’re waiting for the X-ray results,” I said and glanced over at Rimmel. She had straightened away from my father and was looking a little lost standing there.
Clearly, my mother’s rebuke had hurt her.
I really wasn’t in the mood for this.
“Dad, would you mind going to see if the radiologist is done reading the results? I’m anxious to know—”
“Of course, son. I’ll go see what I can find out.”
On his way out, Rimmel’s nurse came rushing in and demanded she get in bed. She bustled her off to her side of the room and pulled the curtain between us so she could check the rope burns Rimmel suffered around her midsection.
I almost demanded she leave the curtain open so I could see the damage, but I wanted this moment with Mom because I knew we wouldn’t get this chance again anytime soon.
I pinned her with a hard look. She stared back.
“What the hell was that about?” I growled low.
“What?”
“Don’t play games. I’m sitting in the hospital. My arm is busted, my girl is battered, and my career might be over. Why the hell did you snub her that way, especially after she’s made such an effort to let you in?”
“I got a call from the PI I hired today.”
“What the fuck, Mom? I thought you were done with that bullshit.”
She didn’t even scold me for my language. That’s when I knew I wasn’t going to like this.
“I was. But something came back and he thought I would want to know.”
“What?”
“Her father is in debt up to his eyeballs. Apparently, he has a massive gambling problem.”
I shook my head. “That’s it?”
“That’s not enough to prove she’s after you for your money?” She lifted an eyebrow.
“No,” I said, hard. “I’m only gonna say this once. Stop digging around in Rimmel’s past and her family. You could find out that her entire family is full of murderers and I would still love her.”
“Funny you should say that,” Mom said. “Because it appears her father is the one who killed her mother.”
An audible gasp filled the room. The curtain between the beds was shoved back and Rimmel stood there looking white as a ghost, her mouth wide open.
“How dare you?” she said. Her eyes were cold and hard as she stared at Mom.
“Rimmel…” I started, worried that after everything that happened, this would send her over the edge.
She stalked forward, intent on my mother. “How dare you come in here while your son is suffering like this to hurl unfounded and untrue accusations around?”
“They are not unfounded. Your father is a gambling addict. He was in debt years ago, so severely that his life was threatened. When he was unable to pay what he owed, the men he borrowed from took it back. In blood. Your mother’s blood.”
Rimmel swayed on her feet.
“Get out,” I growled. “Get the hell out of this room and stay out!”
“Roman,” Mom said, her voice shocked.
I turned away from her and held out my good arm to Rimmel. She rushed into it with a cry. I looked at my mother with hard, cold eyes over her head.
Seeing that she made a huge mistake, she backed away. I stared her down until she was gone.
Then I turned my eyes toward the nurse who was lurking behind the curtain by Rimmel’s bed.
She jumped and rushed from the room.
My arm was screaming, and I wondered what my dad was learning.
“Rim,” I said gently.
She lifted her head from my chest. “It’s not true.”
“I know,” I murmured and hugged her close again. Yet… I couldn’t believe my mother would say all of that if she didn’t have the proof to back it up.
But that didn’t excuse the way she delivered the news.
We had so many problems right now, so much hate shoveled our way, and now was not the time for more.
Rimmel’s thoughts seemed to mirror my own. She pulled back to say, “What are we going to do, Romeo?”
Up until this point, I’d been sitting on the end of my bed, my feet on the floor. I let go of her now and moved up on the bed. Gingerly, I leaned back against the pillows and let out a sigh. Then I lifted my left arm and invited her beside me.
She climbed onto the bed, trying not to jostle me, and fitted herself against my side.
“We’re gonna deal with it. All of it. One thing at a time. And we’re going to do it together,” I told her.
She rested her cheek against me and sighed.
After a while, her whisper floated through the room. “What if what your mom said is true?”
I whispered my answer. “What if my NFL career is over?”
Rimmel tilted back her head and gazed up at me. “We’ll still have each other, right?”
“Always,” I vowed.
I just prayed to God each other wasn’t all we would have left when all the hate settled.
#Player
The Hashtag Series #3
Players gotta play.
Hate is like a poison. It contaminates everything.
So does doubt.
Even though I deny what I overheard, even though I insist it isn’t true, the seed of doubt has been planted. I can’t help but be tormented with the endless what-ifs that have taken over our lives.
Romeo and I were happy in love. The future stretched before us brighter than any star in the darkest sky. Now everything is broken. Literally broken. Romeo’s entire career is at stake. My entire future is threatened… And my past?
It’s coming back to haunt me.
To haunt us.
Romeo says we’re in this together, and right now the only sure thing is us. But how far can a love so new be pushed? The lengths we’ll have to go to save each other puts everything at risk.
Romeo’s a #player, but how much of the game can one person play?
Author’s Note
When I first started writing this book, I was scared. Scared it wouldn’t live up to #Nerd, which has been so well loved, read, and accepted. It’s a scary thing for an author, following up a book that has been widely well received with another that people are asking for.
As I was writing, I smiled a lot and I fell in love with Romeo a little bit more, so I hope that is a sign that you readers will enjoy this one just as much as #Nerd, and I hope it’s been worth the wait.
#Hater is actually the longest book I’ve written in over a year. It kept going. And going. LOL. I’m pretty much a #Zombie right now. I’ve been typing and writing constantly. I honestly don’t even know what to say (maybe because this book #BrokeMyBrain), because looking back on the past couple weeks that I’ve been writing like a fiend, I can’t really remember much.
You ever drive home from somewhere and pull in your driveway and think, “Wow. I don’t even remember driving home?” Well, that’s what the last couple weeks have been like for me. I spent so much time deep in the world of Alpha U that everything else kind of fell away.
The only thing I really remember feeling as I was writing (besides the feels that Romeo gives me, haha) is surprise. Surprise that Zach was being so vile. I also worried that he was taking things too far, but I wrote what the characters were telling me. Poor Rimmel really got the short end of the stick in this book, ya think?
But through it all, I loved how her and Romeo stuck together, how they never let the #Hate tear them apart. It will be interesting to see how everything works out in #Player.
And yes, for so many of you that have asked, Braeden is getting a book. It will be #Selfie, and I plan to write that after #Player.
I’d like to thank my editor, Cassie McCown, who was patient and waited for me to finish this book even after I blew my deadline. My cover designer, Regina of Mae I Design, for not killing me over all the designs and photos we went through to find the cover that “spoke” to me for this book. I mean, seriously though, is this cover not #Epic? Like it j
ust screams the awesomeness that is Romeo.
Also, to all the readers. To YOU. I seriously didn’t know how #Nerd would be received. The enthusiasm for Romeo and Rimmel totally touched my heart. I feel so blessed to be given another opportunity to share more of the characters you loved so much. I sincerely hope this latest installment did them justice!
#HappyReading,
XOXO —Cambria
Cambria Hebert is a bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently resides in North Carolina with her children (human and furry) and her husband.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: Text, Torch, Tryst, Masquerade, and Recalled.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.
You can find out more about Cambria and her titles by visiting her website: http://www.cambriahebert.com.
And don’t forget to sign up Cambria’s newsletter!
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