Hard Target (All or Nothing Book 1)

by Rhonda Laurel

Trey whistled. “I can’t forget that time she busted into the locker room to have it out with you. What is she doing here?”

  Riley laughed to himself thinking about the time Parker had marched into the locker room and told him to leave Avery alone or she’d rearrange some vital organs. He could tell she cared about Avery and Wyatt. They loved each other, and it was evident, even if he had been hoping Avery would give him a chance. It was the fire in Parker’s eyes that intrigued him that day. She was loyal to her friends and she wasn’t going to let anything ruin their budding relationship, not even him. The side effect of that encounter was that it left him hot and bothered.

  “I think she’s helping out with security.” He wasn’t ready to tell his boys that Parker was there to protect him.

  “Too bad. If she were going to bust in on you again, I was planning to be naked. She is hot. I would love spending some time with her. You feel me?” Keenen raised his hand for a high five.

  “Easy, Keenen,” Riley snapped.

  “Well, pardon me for making an observation.” Keenen stretched his neck.

  “He’s had a crush on her since freshmen year of high school,” Trey said.

  Riley gave Keenen a quizzical look. Keenen had an even worse reputation than he did with women. “You two went to school together? You never mentioned that before.”

  “Sure did. She was always playing hard to get back then, but I knew it was just an act,” Keenen replied.

  “Sounds like she turned you down.” Trey laughed.

  “Repeatedly,” Riley added.

  “Y’all having a tea party or practicing?” His friend, wide receiver Wade Covington threw the ball at Riley as he approached.

  He was cool with most of the guy’s on the team, but he and Wade were different. They’d joined the team around the same time and developed a friendship. He wasn’t wild like the other guys, he was more of a small-town boy who was humble about his abilities. He was a hell of a wide receiver who shied away from the stardom and attention the players got everywhere they went.

  “Sloane has his panties in a bunch because we said something nice about Parker Carson.” Trey rolled his eyes.

  “Little Bad Ass? Yeah, she’s hot.” Wade shielded his eyes to get a better look up in the stands. “Is she up there with Logan? Damn, women flock to him like crazy.”

  “I know. Logan always has the honeys around him,” Keenen added.

  “And he’s stinking rich.” Trey clapped his hands together. “Ogle at your own risk. Seth is liable to come down here and make you run a hundred laps. But it would be worth it.”

  Riley’s jaw ticked. He didn’t like any of these meathead jerks, regardless of if they were his friends, talking about Parker, so he changed the subject. “MG doesn’t look too good today.” Riley glanced at the tight end standing on the sidelines looking like he wanted to puke. He waved at him; MG took off his headphones and began walking their way.

  Wade laughed. “I told him to ease up on the Cristal that night, but that only sounded like a challenge to him.”

  “Well at least he didn’t get into any fights Sunday night,” Riley said. After the last incident around Christmas, he knew the owners were watching him closely. “I went to Bliss yesterday afternoon.”

  “You dog, Sloane,” MG said as he got closer.

  “I lost my wallet,” Riley shot MG a look. “The place looks very different during the day.”

  “You never go to a bootie club during the day. That’s a player’s no-no. It’s right up there with giving your side chick your main cell phone number. Side chicks get the number to the burner cell,” MG said.

  “Who does have your real number?” Wade asked.

  “My mama and my agent,” he said defiantly.

  “It’s amazing he’s still single.” Riley flexed his arm. He was ready to throw again. “Let’s get back to work, gentlemen.”

  “If we win, you know there’s going to be a non-stop party for at least two weeks. We’re going to shut Bliss down.”

  “Oh no.” Riley stopped. “I’m not going to Bliss again. I’m still washing glitter off my body and I barely had any contact with anyone in there. Besides, we need to find more suitable places to hang out so we can invite more of the guys.”

  “The girls at Rough Riders are much classier,” Brian Willis, the backup quarterback said as he jogged by.

  “Hey, Willis, you’re the backup quarterback so why don’t you back up from this conversation?” Keenen snapped.

  “Screw you for not inviting me anyway.” Willis held up his middle finger and kept going.

  “How about dinner and drinks without scantily clad women?” Riley countered.

  “Yeah, that’s called Sunday dinner at my mom’s house,” Keenen replied.

  “Sloane, you been hanging out with the Blakes too long.” MG shook his head. “First you stop going to the clubs with us and when you want to hang, you take us to that dinky Bright Star Saloon. I almost killed myself that night.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the Bright Star. It’s a nice place to have a drink without all the hassles and a million cameras in your face. And I told you not to get on that mechanical bull,” Riley called out to MG as he jogged away from them. “I’m throwing a civilized dinner party. You can come, but I have to warn you it’s going to be a tasteful night of mingling.”

  “In other words, you have to figure out which of your side pieces you’ll be bringing with you that won’t embarrass you.” Wade looked at Trey. “And don’t bring that chick Lorna, she got sticky fingers. My crystal candy dish went missing after you two hung out at my place.”

  “Whatever. It was probably the maid.” Trey took off sprinting down the field.

  Wade shook his head. “He has to be more discerning about the women he’s involved with.”

  “Hey, Rothschild, I think you dropped your fake diamond bling,” Willis yelled down the field.

  Keenen’s hand went to his ear. “Damn, it came out again.”

  “I told you about buying your jewelry from dudes selling it out of their jacket pockets in the clubs.” Riley laughed.

  “Shut up, Sloane.” Keenen walked away.

  “How are things going with you and Marcia?” Riley said to Wade as he looked up at the stands again. Logan had gone. Parker was now standing with Kendrick and some other guy who was grinning at her like an idiot. He was dressed like Kendrick and had on a blazer like the security detail. She was shaking the guy’s hand.

  “Good. Actually, they’ve been great.”

  “Nice. You two make a good couple.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, she’s smart and pretty and she has her own career. You won’t have to worry about her wanting you for your money.”

  “I don’t know. I’m still young. She read me the riot act because I went to Bliss. And you know how many women come at me on a daily basis? I went to a release party for a rapper last week and got three numbers and two indecent proposals. One of them was from that chick who acts on that new show about the music industry. I don’t feel like I should be tied down right now.”

  “If you want to be single, then let her down gently and let her get on with her life. Don’t string her along until you get busted on social media for cheating. The cameras are always in our faces, someone is bound to snap a photo of you with someone else. She deserves better than that.”

  “Being single doesn’t seem so bad. You look like you have a lot of damn fun with a new woman every week.”

  “Half of them are crazy hookups. The other half are dating me to advance their budding Hollywood careers. I haven’t dated anyone since the season started.”

  “Seriously?” Wade furrowed his eyebrows.

  “Yeah. I have to say my head has never been clearer.”

  “I must admit, since this team got a reboot in management, my focus has changed as well. It almost makes me feel bad about the way I’d been playing before Seth and Patton got here.”

  Riley sighed. “I’m gu
ilty of that as well.”

  “I care about Marcia. I guess I’m apprehensive about committing because I can see spending the rest of my life with her.”

  “Good girls don’t wait forever, Wade.” He patted his friend on the shoulder.

  “Since when did you get so wise about relationships?”

  He laughed. “I didn’t. I just know what doesn’t work.”

  “How am I supposed to know that she’s the one?”

  Riley looked up at Parker, who was now standing by herself looking at him. He waved to her, and surprisingly, she waved back. “When you meet the right one, you know it.”

  “Sloane!” Coach Hawkes yelled. “Seth wants to see you in his office after practice.”

  He nodded. “OK. Thanks Coach.”

  “Teacher’s pet,” Wade mumbled.

  * * *

  Parker looked at her watch as she strode into the medical office building. She had five minutes to make it to her appointment with her shrink. She’d thought about canceling, but Kendrick was OK with covering the rest of her shift. She’d watched Riley on the field, and despite his insistence that he was fine, she could see he was a little off. His throws were a little wonky, not the power-missile passes that were his trademark signature, and he kept looking up at her. Perhaps he was more nervous about the new developments than she thought. But he seemed to relax when he started talking to his teammates. She knew that Keenen, Trey, MG, and Wade were his hanging buddies, but it was nice to see him talk with the older players like Ross and Patrick Fields. She knew Seth was teaching Riley how to bridge the generational gaps that existed on the team.

  She kept frosty, even when Logan came by to chat her up. Logan was a sweetheart and too handsome for his own good. She engaged him all the while keeping a watchful eye on everything going on around the stadium. The security team was good; Sam had retrained them when the Blakes bought into the franchise. Every door was covered, and all visitors had digital guest passes that could be scanned at any time to make sure they were valid. It was a pretty safe place to be if someone were out to get you. She knew Riley was in good hands with Kendrick. They were friends, so she knew Riley wouldn’t grumble too much about spending more time with a bodyguard around. But Carmichael, the new rising star in Regency who was shadowing Kendrick, had left quite an impression. He was a good-looking guy with his short haircut, rigid posture, and had that fresh-out-of-the-military look. From what she remembered from a conversation with Sam, he was a former Jarhead who was a skilled marksman and trained interrogator. She couldn’t help but notice his big smile and how he’d held onto her hand after the introductory shake a little too long for her tastes.

  Parker grabbed the door handle, ready to turn it, but hesitated. The counseling was helping some, but some days she felt like it wasn’t worth the effort. She’d processed a lot of things in these sessions, but still hadn’t touched the surface of what gave her such awful nightmares. It was frustrating. Lately she’d been seeing her deceased father in the dreams. She’d been so young when he died, she didn’t really have any special memories of him like Sam or their brothers. She had flashes of…something she couldn’t put her finger on, and it bothered her. She longed to talk to someone about it, but it was a sore subject to bring up to her mom.

  Squaring her shoulders, she shook off her doubts. She could do this. She opened the door and walked up to the secretary’s desk.

  “Hi, Janice. I’m here to see Dr. Fitzgerald.”

  “Hello, dear. Have a seat. She’s finishing up with another client.”

  Parker sat down and pulled out her cell phone to change the setting to vibrate. One of the good doctor’s rules was that technology had to be silenced while in session. She looked at the display. She’d gotten a text from her mother asking when she would be coming home for a visit. That was a good question. She didn’t know.

  As soon as she picked up the magazine off the table, the doctor appeared in the doorway. She was a thin woman with brown hair who dressed impeccably. Today she had on a raspberry-colored dress and a pair of understated, yet expensive, black heels.

  “Parker, come in. It’s always good to see you.” The doctor closed the door behind her. “How have you been?”

  “Busy with work.” Parker sank down in the chair.

  “There’s been an uptick in business? That’s good.”

  “It was partially my sister’s doing. I’m working on an assignment with her.”

  “Interesting. I know you’ve been resistant to your sister’s attempts to give you jobs in the past. You said you felt she was trying to micromanage you. What’s so special about this assignment?”

  “Well, she called and asked versus pulling the all-knowing-big-sister routine. It felt nice to be asked.”

  “Is that all it was?”

  “OK.” Parker rolled her eyes. “It was nice that she asked for my help.”

  “What do you think that means?”

  She thought about it for minute. “I think it means she’s starting to respect me.”

  “And she has a tremendous amount of trust in you. Due to the nature of your jobs, it’s not something you ask lightly. Perhaps your sister’s perception of you is changing.”

  “That would be a relief.”

  “Sounds like you’re making some progress.” Dr. Fitzgerald scribbled something on her notepad. “Sleeping any better?”

  “No. I would say the dreams are getting worse. Avery’s pretty much on watch all night. She says she’s up studying, but still, I don’t think that’s what she had in mind when we moved in together.”

  “What did we talk about in our last session about letting people be there for you? Avery is concerned about you. I’m sure you’d do the same for her.”

  “Of course I would. But it’s different.”

  “Because you’re supposed to be strong and not need any help?”

  “Well, yeah.” She jagged her index finger nail into the nail bed of her thumb.

  “From what you’ve told me about Avery, I say she’s more than capable of helping a friend. She sounds strong and independent just like you, but in her own way. Why are you so protective of her?”

  “You should see her. She pretty, kind, and sweet. She works at the animal shelter when she’s not in med school. She’s practically the living incarnation of Little Red Riding Hood. I don’t like the idea of anyone thinking they can take advantage of her.”

  “Yes, I remember you told me you marched into a locker room and told that quarterback Riley Sloane to stay away from her.”

  “I couldn’t help it. Riley was pissing me off. Anyone could see she and Wyatt were in love and just needed some time to figure things out. He tried to swoop down out of the sky like some menacing bird of prey.”

  “But you said Avery came to the conclusion on her own that Riley was wrong for her. Why did it upset you?”

  “It didn’t. It all worked out for the best. She and Wyatt are happy.”

  Dr. Fitzgerald looked at her for a moment then scanned her notes. “Was this so upsetting because it was Riley Sloane? He’s come up a few times, and I can’t help but think he’s some big blaring red button for you.”

  They’d talked about Riley before. Actually, she’d gone off on wild tangents about his arrogance and sense of entitlement. She’d devoted a lot of time during her fifty-minute sessions with the doc to talk about that jerk. And now she was tasked with protecting him.

  “It didn’t help that he ingratiated himself into my family,” Parker huffed. “My family.”

  “Don’t you think it’s interesting that he ramped up his visits to the ranch after you confronted him about Avery and that he continued to taunt you at family gatherings?”

  “He likes messing with me.”

  “OK. Why?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe it’s time you explore that.”

  “I’ll have no choice. He’s the new assignment.”

  “Oh my.” Dr. Fitzgerald stopped writing and l
ooked up at her. “Maybe it would be beneficial if we met twice a week going forward.”

  Parker folded her arms over her chest. “Can we talk about my dreams now?”

  * * *

  When Riley exited the locker room, he expected to find Parker waiting for him but was greeted by Kendrick instead.

  “Hey, Kendrick. Aren’t you early? Where’s Parker?”

  “She had an errand to run, so I’ll be escorting you home.”

  “Oh.” He thought they’d have lunch together.

  “You looked good out there. You’re running that blitz play much better.”

  “Thanks. We finally got the timing right.” He smiled. “Who was that guy you were talking to earlier?”

  “That’s Dean Carmichael, he’s a new specialist. He’s going to be shadowing me for a while. I thought I’d show him around the stadium.”

  “Is he any good?”

  “He has a great resume. Ex-military, highly decorated.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “I sent him back to headquarters.” Kendrick gave him a quizzical look. “You ready to go home?”

  “I have to stop by Seth’s office before I go.”

  “Not a problem.” Kendrick matched his stride.

  “Any new developments?”

  “No, not yet. But if there’s something to be explored, Sam will have everyone in Regency on it.”

  They continued small talk as they took the escalator to the first level, then walked toward the elevators that led to the executive offices. Kendrick said he had some calls to make. Riley knocked on Seth’s office door.

  “Come in.”

  He opened the door to find Seth finishing up a call, but he wasn’t alone. The giggling behind the door could only mean one thing. The Blake kids were there.

  “Riley!” Seth’s daughter Mackenzie, along with her cousins Gabe and Owen, jumped from behind the door and tackled his knees.

  He held his hands up in defeat and fell to the floor. “You got me. Sloane taken down on the one-yard line.”

  He’d had a rough start with the kids when he’d first met them. The Blake brood was very protective of their parents. He had to admit their blistering response to him was warranted. Back then, he wanted to best Seth Blake’s legacy. After spending time with Seth, he realized it wasn’t about exceeding his achievements. It had everything to do with respecting those who came before you. He slowly won the kids over when they saw he wasn’t trying to tear down their father’s legacy. He was just aspiring to be a great athlete like him.