by Lexi Lewis
When the show came back on, they were showing more clips. This time they were all of Reese’s triumphs. There he was winning the gold at the Summer BMX festival two years ago, and there was him coming in first place at the competition in Florida just a few months ago. Over and over again beating out people who had worked harder and deserved it more. People like him, really. Chris had been in Florida, and he hadn’t even placed in that competition. It had been months since he’d placed in anything, and apparently that had been the last straw for his sponsors.
But it wasn’t his fault. He was younger and better than Reese Abbot. He should have been the one standing on that platform holding a medal. He’d had so much in front of him, so much hope for his future, and it had all been dashed. Dashed pretty much as soon as Reese Abbot had started competing on that level.
Well.
Payback was going well so far, and Chris was eager to see how Reese was going to deal with being the one to have to leave. His sponsors would drop him quicker than a flash when they found out he was bowing out, and he almost couldn’t wait to read about it and see the interviews that would inevitably be done.
It would be much more public than his disgrace, that was for sure, and it was beautiful.
“So,” Deirdre said after they’d finished running the clips. “I think what everyone here wants to know is what’s next for you? What have you got planned for once this injury of yours has fully healed?”
This was it.
This was it. He’d expected more hemming and hawing about Reese’s accomplishments and all that, but they were cutting right to the chase.
“Well,” Reese said, drawing himself up as much as he could in the chair (and the man contented himself a little bit more with how ridiculous Reese looked with that massive cast). “First and foremost there’s gonna be a lot of physical therapy. It’s going to take so much work and training and effort to come back from this, and it’s…well, honestly it’s pretty daunting, and I’m not really sure how that’s going to go.” He sighed, and Chris found that he was practically vibrating with excitement.
The downtrodden look on Reese’s face was amazing, and Chris leaned forward in his seat, eyes intent on the TV screen.
Say it, he thought. Say it.
“But I don’t plan to let this stop me for longer than it absolutely has to. I’ve gotta be moving, or I go a little stir crazy, you know, so as soon as this slab of plaster is off my leg and I’m cleared, it’s back to the slopes and the ramps for me. I’m not one for giving up, never have been. And, yeah, this set back is bigger than the ones I usually deal with, but I don’t want people to worry. You’ll know when you’ve seen the last of me in the competitions, and this isn’t it. You’re still gonna be seeing this face splashed across your TV screens, so get ready for that.”
The audience exploded into applause and Deirdre was saying something, but Chris wasn’t listening. There was a rushing sound in his ears, and he felt like he needed to break something.
They’d be very clear in their note. So clear.
Reese was supposed to give up. He was supposed to be done.
They’d worked it out so carefully, but no. Of course he would do this. Of course he would throw a wrench in the plans and make things harder than they had to be.
His phone buzzed on the table where he’d left it sitting, and he glanced down to see that it was a text from his partner. He didn’t want to see it. He didn’t want to read any excuses. This was unacceptable.
The waitress brought his food over, but he didn’t have any interest in it. Not after having seen that. His stomach churned with indignation and anger, and he just wanted an outlet for it. Preferably Reese Abbot’s face, but anything else would do.
Just as quickly as the anger had rushed through him, though, it was being replaced by something else. Something more serene. They were going to get what they wanted one way or another. It just appeared that it was time for them to play this game better.
CHAPTER 10: CONSEQUENCES
The buzz of adrenaline was still coursing through his veins when Reese stepped off the set and back into the cool darkness of the back hallway. Those lights on him had been hot and uncomfortable, and his heart was still pounding.
You’d think that he would be better at talking on TV since he did it plenty of times, but that had never been his favorite part.
This, though. There had been something satisfying about this.
Reese knew that the people responsible for sabotaging him and sending that note had been watching, and he knew that most likely they were not too pleased with him right then. Paul and his parents probably wouldn’t be either, but Reese was elated.
Saying it had felt as good as he knew it was going to, and he was humming with the thrill of it. It made him want to go get on a bike or a board right then and there, but he reined that instinct in and went back to the little dressing room they had given him to take off the powder they’d put all over his face and change into something more comfortable before he had to face Paul’s wrath.
Hopefully his agent would listen to reason when Reese explained himself, otherwise he was probably going to be calling a cab back to his parents’ house.
Or…
Eve was at work, but there was no reason why he couldn’t find somewhere to hang out until she was done. If he couldn’t ride anything after this, then he could at least spend time with her.
The thrill was different, but no less strong, and Reese smiled to himself at that thought. He’d never expected for another person to make him feel like this, but then, he hadn’t really been looking.
She had told him that she’d try to watch his interview if she was somewhere in the hospital where there was a TV nearby, and he was just thinking about texting her to see if she’d managed to catch it when the door to the room flew open and slammed against the wall.
Reese jumped and turned in his chair to see Paul standing there looking furious.
“What was that?” Paul demanded. “What was…you didn’t even…”
It was a little alarming because he didn’t think he’d ever actually seen Paul this angry before. He’d seen him chew out reporters, athletes, other agents, and pretty much anyone else who got in his way, but he didn’t think he’d ever looked like he wanted to kill someone before.
He frowned. “Oh, come on. Like you weren’t at least a little sure I was going to do something like that. How long have you known me?”
Really, it wouldn’t have been like him at all to just…give up like that, and he was surprised that Paul didn’t realize that.
“We talked about this,” Paul said, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the room. “We talked about it and about how it was best for you to just stop this.”
Reese shrugged. “Yeah. Although, I mean, it was less talking about it and more you and my parents ganging up on me, but whatever. If you recall, though, I never actually said that I was going to tell them I was quitting. You just assumed that.”
“Because you took the revised notes!” Paul snapped. “The ones where I had written in what you were going to say about retiring.”
“I did, yeah. Look, why are you so mad about this? I know you’re worried about what’s gonna happen, but I thought…I thought you were my friend, Paul. You’re supposed to want what’s best for me, aren’t you?”
Paul huffed. “That’s why I want you to stop this, idiot. I’m trying to keep you from getting killed. You might think it’s all some kind of game, but there’s nothing to prove that these people aren’t playing for keeps. And more than that, I’m just agent. You’re supposed to keep me in the loop. Do you know how stupid I looked standing back stage with my mouth hanging open because I had no idea you were gonna pull something like this?”
Reese laughed at that. That sounded more like the Paul he knew. “I’m sorry, okay? I know this makes things more dangerous, and I know that you and my parents aren’t on board, but I have to do this. You can chalk it up to me being a reckless idio
t if you want to, but I have to do it.”
“I don’t think you know just how dangerous things might have just gotten,” Paul said with a sigh. “But, you’re right. I can’t say this surprises me. What’s your plan for the rest of the day, then?”
Asking Paul for a ride to a coffee shop or something where he could wait for Eve seemed to be pushing it, so he just shrugged. “Home, I guess. I’m sure Mom and Dad will have words for me, and it’s probably better to just get that over with instead of letting it fester. Dad will be there at this time, at least.”
Paul nodded. “I’ll go pull the car around and you can meet me around the front.” He left without saying anything else, and Reese shrugged. He had prepared himself for Paul being pissed at him for this, so he was ready to endure a mostly quiet drive back to his parents’ place.
His phone buzzed, and he grinned when he saw a message from Eve.
Caught the interview. I’m proud of you! Did you have to flirt with the entire audience, though?
Reese’s grin widened, and he laughed softly. That was a publicity stunt and nothing more. You know you’re the only one for me. ;)
He was feeling better than he had been in days after this. The interview was behind him, and he’s stood up for what he thought was the right thing to do. Now all he had to worry about was dealing with his parents and waiting for them all to forgive him. Well, that and being watchful for whatever retaliation the saboteurs were going to unleash.
Honestly, Reese didn’t think they were going to do anything that big. This would be an incredibly stupid thing to try to kill someone over, and he was pretty confident that they were just trying to scare him or something.
In any case, he would be watchful. He would tell his parents and Eve and Paul to be watchful. Hopefully they’d catch someone in the act and then be able to get the police involved.
He grabbed his bag and headed outside, slipping into Paul’s car quietly.
Paul seemed more agitated than he had even a few minutes before, fingers tight on the steering wheel, so Reese didn’t say anything. He contented himself with texting Eve until she had to go do more rounds and check on more patients, and then spent some time doing research on his phone about the kinds of physical therapy he was going to have to do once his leg was fully healed. That was still some time away, but it never hurt to be prepared, right?
He smothered a yawn in one hand as they pulled up to the house, seriously contemplating a nap. It wasn’t like he’d gotten a lot of sleep the night before with Eve, and he’d had to show up for the interview ridiculously early.
But first, of course, he had to deal with this.
Reese’s dad was sitting at the kitchen table when they came through the door, and he looked up at his son with a stern expression.
Paul excused himself almost immediately, and Reese sighed, leaning against the wall. “You may as well go ahead and say it, Dad,” he said. “I know you’re disappointed and worried.”
“Worried, yes. This whole thing seems so much more dangerous than you’re acknowledging, and I can only hope you know what you’re doing. But I think I can save this disappointment for your mother. She’s the one who is going to be the most upset here.”
That was probably an understatement, and Reese shuddered at the thought of what he would be in for when his mother got home. “So. You’re not mad then?” he wanted to know.
Anthony shook his head. “No. Reese, you’re an adult, and threats or not, this is your life. You’ve gotta do what you think is right for you. I knew you wouldn’t be happy being pushed into some kind of early retirement. What else would you do? I can’t see you sitting still long enough to go to school for anything. No offence.”
Reese laughed a little. “None taken. I know I’m hopeless when it comes to stuff like school. It’s just…this is what I want, Dad. And I thought about it a lot, so please don’t think that I just rushed into this blindly. I gave it a lot of talk and asked for people’s opinions and everything. But when it came down to it, I already knew what I had to do. Not even gonna lie here, it feels really good.”
His father smiled and nodded. “That’s all that really matters, then. I’ll be on my guard, and I’m sure anyone who tries to do anything to your mother will regret it instantly, so. We’ll be alright.”
It had been probably years since Reese had been seized with such a fierce desire to hug his father. Sure, they hugged on holidays when Reese flew in for visits, but that was more perfunctory and not really because he felt like it. But now... Now he really wanted to.
So he walked over and leaned down, wrapping his arms around his dad. “Thanks,” he said. “I just…it means a lot. That you’re supporting me in this.”
“I’ll always support you, Reese. You’re my son,” Anthony said, patting his arm. “You mean the world to me, and I want you to be happy and safe. And if pushing the limits of your safety makes you happy, then I suppose I just have to deal with that.”
But he was teasing, and Reese knew it. Something that had been hard and fearful inside of him lightened, then, and he let out a soft sigh of relief.
“Okay, now that the touching father/son moment is over, I’m gonna go get some sleep. I’m exhausted. If Mom comes home before I wake up, could you maybe try to keep her from strangling me in my sleep?”
“I’ll see what I can do, but your mother has always been very headstrong, and I’m not going to put myself in her line of fire if I don’t have to.”
“Fair enough.”
With a grin, Reese headed to his room, more than ready to pass out for a few hours.
By the time he’d woken up, the light that had been filtering in through his windows when he’d first come in here was gone, leaving the room in darkness. He could tell from how dry his mouth was and how his stomach was growling that he had been out for most of the day, and he felt a little groggy, but mostly pretty well rested. Reese pushed himself up onto his elbows and listened, surprised that the house seemed so quiet. From the clock, he could tell that it was after seven. His mother usually finished work at about six, but that didn’t mean that she would come home before eight. Reese had kind of figured that she’d want to come home early and yell at him, though.
He groaned and dragged fingers through his hair, pushing himself up and out of the bed and wobbling a little as he got his balance. First order of business was getting something to eat. He could worry about whatever was coming to him later.
Paul had probably cleared out by then, doing whatever it was that he did when he got tired of staying with Reese’s parents, and Reese was fine with that. He hadn’t had the house to himself in a while, and really it would be nice to enjoy the quiet and clear his head.
He made his way out into the living room, stretching his arms overhead and cracking his back.
“You shouldn’t have done it, Reese,” a soft voice said, and he whirled, heart pounding.
The living room was dim with only a small lamp in the corner to provide light, and he squinted a little before making out Paul sitting on the couch. “What are you doing?” Reese asked, with a frown.
“Trying to think of how best to go about this,” Paul said, sighing. “You haven’t made this easy for me, I hope you know that.”
“Made what easy?” he asked, confused. “Being my agent? Because I’m pretty sure you already knew that before today.”
Paul shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. You never even suspected, did you? That it would have had to be someone inside helping whoever sabotaged you? That there was no way some random stranger would be able to put a note in the mailbox or get to your board. You let me handle everything, and you never even suspected.”
Reese opened his mouth to ask one more time what on earth Paul was talking about, but then it him. The note. The person who had messed with his board. Paul was basically telling him what had happened.
“It…was you,” he said, voice incredulous. But that…that didn’t make any sense at all. If it weren’t for the fact
that Paul’s eyes were trained on him, he would have pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
A thin smile spread over Paul’s face. “I always knew there was more to you than just the pretty face and the apparent death wish. It was me.”
Swirl: Uphill Climb
Book 3
By: Lexi Lewis
CHAPTER 1: HARSH TRUTHS
As cliché as it felt to even think it, Reese felt like time had slowed to a standstill. Part of him wondered if he was still asleep, still dreaming because that was the only thing that would make this situation make sense.
Paul, the man he’d known for years, who had taken him under his wing and helped him turn a hobby he was passionate about into a career he was good at, was standing there in the middle of his parents’ living room floor, telling him that he was the one who was responsible for his accident and the threats.
It had been Paul who’d brought the sabotage to his attention in the first place, showing him the footage from the run that had sent him to the hospital with cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a severely broken leg. Paul had been the one to promise to get to the bottom of it, trying to find out who had launched that rock at him and tampered with his board, resulting in him crashing to the ground and injuring himself.