Hang Em' Up: A Bad Boy Sports Pregnancy Romance

by Ashley Stewart

  I was beginning to panic.

  “Don’t blame all of the lies and deceit in your relationship on me. There’s been a wedge between the two of you for weeks, Sally,” Victor said smoothly.

  I went still.

  “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  Was Victor talking about Adrian’s sudden spike in work hours? Did he already know that Adrian had lied to me about going to MIT to help Danisha?

  “Oh, you know…since Danisha came to Colorado last month to see Adrian. Didn’t he tell you?” Victor asked, knowing full well that Adrian hadn’t told me.

  On a subconscious level, I knew that Victor had purposely withheld this information until a time when he could use it to manipulate me to his will. The conscious level of my brain pushed that fact to the side, much more concerned with the idea that perhaps Danisha was trying to use this situation to manipulate Adrian to her will.

  It was time to stop playing nice.

  It was time to get what was mine.

  The Billionaire’s Dark Escape Book 6

  Bella Rayne

  Chapter One

  I shut the door to my bedroom and slid to the floor, leaning back against my bed. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees, letting out a huge sigh.

  I had just come from the admissions building where I’d had a meeting with the Dean, Julia Brunner. My grades had suffered and I was on the verge of getting kicked out of school because time I should have spent going to class was instead spent working on my invention, the EyeRead. It was going to change the world and make me a killing in the market—that is, until someone had stolen it from me.

  The Dean had been all set to exchange my work on the EyeRead for my dropped efforts in school, until we found out that, somehow, someone had already put a patent on my design.

  Even worse, people were now beginning to wonder if the EyeRead was even my invention to begin with. More than one person had suggested that I was the thief trying to steal someone else’s work to get a pass on all of my missing assignments.

  I was furious.

  Julia told me that she believed that the EyeRead was mine, but her hands were tied. MIT wouldn’t kick me out of school if I was the true inventor of the EyeRead, but I had to prove it somehow.

  There was a knock at the front door of my apartment. I groaned. I had completely forgotten that Raphe was supposed to come over tonight. After Adrian left, I called Raphe to make up. I thought I would have to do a lot of groveling, but Raphe was very caring and forgave easily.

  However, Raphe still didn’t know everything that was going on with school and the EyeRead.

  Marisol thought I was crazy not to tell him, but Raphe was my escape from everything. If he knew about all of my problems, he’d just be another person reminding me how out of control my life was.

  Right now, however, I couldn’t afford to take an escape. I needed to find information on that lawyer, Iraja Puri, She was the one who filed the phony patent on my design. Previous cases of ownership disputes, cases of property claims…Adrian told me to be on the lookout for anything shady to help us build a defense.

  I stood up from the floor and let Raphe into the apartment. I held up a hand before Raphe could take off his coat.

  “Raphe, I’m really sorry, but I have to work tonight,” I told him.

  “Again?” Raphe asked, exasperated. “You’ve worked every night for a week straight! I haven’t seen you in four days, Danisha.”

  “I know and I’m sorry, but this can’t wait. It’s important.”

  “And I’m not important?” Raphe demanded.

  I rolled my eyes. Raphe and I had this conversation pretty much every time we saw each other. Raphe didn’t understand how important my work was and thought that I prioritized the EyeRead over him. I didn’t understand why he insisted on ranking everything, especially if he was going to get mad when he didn’t end up as number one on the list.

  “Of course you’re important to me,” I lied. “It’s just that right now things are very time-sensitive for the EyeRead. I have to keep a close eye on it,” I told him.

  “Why? What is going on, Danisha? You've always been a hard worker, but this is too much. There’s something you’re not telling me and I want to know what.”

  I let out a sigh and sat on the futon in the living room. Raphe was right. I was shutting him out. I could lie to myself and say that I was too blind to see what it had been doing to him, but deep down, I knew. I hadn’t wanted to admit it to myself because if I did, I would have to make a choice.

  “You’re right. Something happened. Someone stole the EyeRead from me. Somehow, they obtained my files and then filed an application for a patent. Right now, I have no claim to my own invention. If I don’t get it back, MIT is going to kick me out because I spent too much time working and not enough time in class. I’ll lose everything.” Every time I rehashed the events of the EyeRead being stolen, I wanted to cry.

  Raphe’s jaw dropped and he settled himself on the futon next to me.

  “Danisha! That’s so messed up, I’m so sorry. Do you know who stole it? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, hugging me.

  This was going to be the hard part. I cared about Raphe, really, I did. I spent a lot of time with him, and I had come to love so many things about him. He was sensitive and thoughtful, and he was always there for me, but sometimes Raphe was there too often.

  At first, I enjoyed it. After Adrian rejected me in Colorado, I hated to be alone, and Raphe was always around. Lately, however, his incessant need for us to be together was wearing thin. I didn’t know how to gently break it to him that my career took priority in my life.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was going on,” I said.

  “Why didn’t you?” he asked me again.

  I took a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve been using you, Raphe. Things with Adrian were so awful and I just needed to feel wanted. It wasn’t right—I knew that, and I’m sorry.”

  Raphe looked completely thrown. I couldn’t even imagine what was going through his mind right now.

  “What?” he finally managed.

  “You were right when you said I was using you as a distraction. I can’t allow myself to do that to you anymore. I’m truly sorry, Raphe. I hope one day you can forgive me,” I continued.

  “So, what does that mean?” Raphe asked after a few minutes when he had fully processed what I had told him.

  “Uh, what do you mean, 'What does that mean?'?” I asked. I thought I had been pretty clear.

  “Does that mean that you’re not using me anymore because you have come to appreciate me, or does it mean now that you’re done using me, you’re going to dump me?” Raphe asked flatly.

  I hesitated.

  “Oh, what the fuck, Danisha!” Raphe exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

  “I do appreciate you!” I quickly reassured him. “It’s just that with everything that’s going on with the EyeRead, I don’t have the time to appreciate you the way you deserve.”

  “Whatever, Danisha. Good luck with your life. The way it’s going now, you’ll need all the luck you can get!” Raphe yelled at me as he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

  “Great,” I muttered to myself.

  “That went well.” Marisol said, arms crossed as she leaned against the door frame.

  “Hey. I didn’t know you were home,” I said.

  “I’m kinda glad that I was,” she said as she sat next to me on the futon.

  “You were right. I was shutting him out and that’s not healthy. Besides, I don’t have time for a relationship with everything that's going on right now.”

  “You mean a relationship with Raphe,” Marisol corrected me.

  “What? No— I mean relationships in general. They’re just bad news right now. I’m swearing off them. No boys!” I exclaimed.

  “Right, no boys. Which is to say that if a certain man came along, you might have time for that relat
ionship? Ignoring all of the other completely valid reasons... Are you sure that you didn’t break up with Raphe simply because he’s not Adrian? Even just a little bit?” Marisol asked.

  I stared at the patch of floor between my feet.

  “Even if that was a part of the reason, I can’t do anything about it. Adrian doesn’t want me anymore.”

  Chapter Two

  “The connection is much better, thank you. Go ahead with what you’ve found.”

  Jackson and I returned to Colorado from Massachusetts a week ago, where I left Danisha to try and rescue both my business and her invention. I asked Jack to do what he could about looking into Iraja Puri. He put me in touch with a man named Mahir, whom I was currently attempting to speak with despite a terrible connection due to tropical storms.

  “Hello, Mr. Ardic. It appears Ms. Puri left for Russia about two weeks ago on a private plane. She touched down in Moscow where a private car picked her up and brought her to an undisclosed location,” Mahir told me.

  I thanked Mahir, promising to send something his way for the trouble, and hung up the phone. Mahir had taken his leads as far as they could go. I was certain Victor was the one who had flown Iraja Puri into Russia, but I needed proof. I needed someone in Russia who could do the last bit of digging for me.

  I called a friend who worked in customs at the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow where Ms. Puri had landed. He confirmed that Victor Vaskov owned the aircraft she arrived in. This didn’t prove Victor stole Danisha’s invention, but it did prove there was a connection.

  I knew Victor filed his provisional patent for Danisha’s invention through Iraja, but I was still confused on how Victor had gotten the files in the first place. Danisha said she had mentioned the EyeRead to Victor when she was on the island. He had built an office for her to work in, but I had rescued Danisha from Victor before she had the chance to utilize it.

  I doubted Victor managed to hack into Danisha’s computer and steal the files from there. Danisha said her server was secure, and I believed her.

  Also, the files in Victor's possession seemed to be a few months old. If he was stealing the files from Danisha’s computer, wouldn’t he take the newest, most up-to-date schematics? No, however implausible it seemed, I was certain Victor had stolen the hard copies from my attic, even though they weren’t missing. I checked on them right after Danisha had first accused me.

  Not only that, but I had compared the files from my attic to those Ms. Puri had used for the application and they were identical. I just couldn’t figure out how Victor knew they were there…

  I looked over at Danisha’s files. The sheer amount of work there impressed me. We had discussed the EyeRead on occasion and I knew it would be incredibly lucrative, but I hadn’t realized the absolute elegance of the design.

  She must have worked on it for several years. That kind of drive and ambition was rare in someone so young, even for someone who was attending MIT. I admired that about Danisha. I think I saw that aspect of my personality reflected in her.

  I had done all I could for the evening. Depending on what Danisha found during her investigation of Iraja Puri, we might have gathered enough evidence to file an appeal contesting the validity of Victor’s patent.

  I rubbed my eyes. They burned with exhaustion, but I was still wired. I gave Jack a call, hoping it wasn’t too late. I needed a drink. He said his home-brew was finally ready, so he brought over a six-pack for us to split.

  “So, you told Sally the truth about helping Danisha, and she was okay with it?” Jackson asked incredulously after I finally finished recounting the latest occurrences to him.

  “That’s the part you’re stuck on?” I laughed. “But to answer your question: yes. I simply explained to her that I felt morally obligated to help Danisha. It’s my fault that Victor targeted her.”

  Jack took a sip of his beer and looked at me with a knowing eye.

  “So, that’s the only reason you’re helping her? If it turned out somehow turned out that Victor wasn’t involved and this Iraja person stole Danisha’s invention all by herself, you wouldn’t help Danisha get it back?” he asked.

  “Well, I mean, I also happen to think Danisha’s invention is excellent, and as the rightful owner, she is entitled to the credit and all the perks that entails.”

  “Oh, so this is a justice thing,” Jackson said.

  “Of course!” I said emphatically. “As a fellow business owner, I know exactly what it’s like to have a drive and an ambition that no one else can understand. You push yourself so hard every day and others think that you’re pushing them away, but if they pushed themselves as hard, then they would rise as well. I can tell from the work Danisha has done at such a young age that she understands that drive. She should be rewarded for it.”

  My heart pounded from the force of my words. I felt like an overheated engine driven to the point of breaking.

  “So, the fact that you still love her has nothing to do with you helping her?” Jackson asked after several long seconds.

  “I am not in love with Danisha. I still care about her, deeply, which is why I am helping her, but I’m with Sally now,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  “Right, I got that part. Now explain to me why you’re lying to the woman you love about the woman you don’t.”

  “Note to self: put an insubordination clause in all future employee contracts,” I joked.

  Jack shrugged unapologetically. “I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” he said.

  Maybe Jack was right. When I visited Danisha at school, I expected to experience some residual feelings for her —it was only natural. But when I saw her at the airport, my emotions nearly overwhelmed me.

  I took a swig of my beer. “I think you see them okay, Jack.”

  Chapter Three

  I lay in bed, furiously tossing and turning. I overheard Adrian finishing up his work over an hour ago. I expected him in bed shortly after that, but instead, I heard him invite Jack over for a beer in the basement!

  Despite the fact that Adrian had admitted to himself that our relationship was better the more time we spent with each other, he was choosing to use his increasingly limited free time to get drunk with an employee. Why didn’t he want to spend time with me?

  I could faintly hear their voices through the ventilation in the house. I became angrier and angrier the longer I listened to them laughing and drinking.

  I threw the covers off and put on my silk bathrobe, tying the drawstrings tight around my waist angrily. I was going to go down there and give Adrian a piece of my mind. He was passively destroying our relationship.

  I stormed downstairs to the middle level, striding over to the basement staircase where I could clearly hear their voices echoing against the walls. My ears perked up at the sound of my name and I immediately slowed so I could listen to what they were saying.

  “Then I told Sally the truth, that I had lied to her about where I was these past couple of days. I explained to her that I felt responsible for what had happened to Danisha, and Sally understood.” Adrian was telling Jackson about everything that had happened since he had come back from Danisha’s.

  I softened slightly. Adrian was trying to cope with the events as best he could. Perhaps I should cut him some slack. He sounded as though helping Danisha really was just a matter of paying his debts.

  I listened as Adrian and Jack continued their conversation. Moments ago I had begun to feel sympathetic towards Adrian, but hearing the way he spoke of Danisha…I had never heard him talk about me like that. He talked about Danisha as though he admired her.

  They changed the subject, and, not caring to hear any more, I crept back up the stairs to lie in bed.

  Something had to be done. I was not about to let this child come into my home and take everything I had worked so hard to get back.

  I was going to crush her with help from the best.

  Tomorrow, I would go on a run.

  ***

  “Sally, my dea
r, it’s a bit late for a social call, so this had better be important,” I said irritably.

  “I need your help, Victor,” Sally said breathlessly on the other end.

  “With what?” I asked.

  Sally quickly explained had she overheard the way Adrian described Danisha. I realized I could easily use her fear to fuel my own interests.

  “Yes, I can see why you'd need my help with this,” I agreed smoothly.

  “So what do I do?” she asked desperately.

  “Well, you’re already working to destroy Danisha by helping me take the most important thing in her life away from her: the EyeRead. The next step is to kill her back-up plan. We need to take away the second most important thing: MIT,” I told her matter-of-factly.

  “How do we do that?” Sally immediately asked.

  I was thoroughly enjoying this. Sally hung on my every word. She would do anything I asked of her, no questions asked.

  “I need you to finish helping me with the first part of our plan before we can move on to the second. I need you to get me the phone number of Adrian’s PR man, Darius. He handles both current and potential clients for Adrian. Also, someone is going to call you and ask you a few questions. His name is Andris Ozolinsh, and all you have to do is tell the truth. Can you do all of that, Sally?”

  “I don’t understand. What does any of that have to do with Danisha?” she asked suspiciously.

  My entire plan rested on my being able to persuade Sally to act against Adrian. At times like this, I preferred a subtle touch.

  “Sally, I’m going to help you finish dismantling Adrian’s business so that you two can have more time together. That was our original deal, and from what you tell me, it hasn’t worked. I need to hold up my end of the bargain. And, as I’m sure you know, if Adrian’s business becomes disgraced, he will no longer be viewed as a credible source when helping Danisha. It's a win-win,” I said.