by Zoë Lane
“Grandma—”
“The lady can answer for herself, Sean. And, yes, I do mean to pry. You people are too young to have ‘stuff.’”
Lacey smiled lopsidedly. “Family issues. Didn’t have a good home life. I’m seeing a therapist about it. And…my brother—Landyn—he’s making it difficult.”
She shot me a glance, and she must’ve read in my eyes not to mention Landyn’s accusation, because she didn’t say any more.
“Well, child, I’ll be praying for you. Sometimes you need to talk to the Man above it all. My boy Sean isn’t causing you any trouble, is he?”
“Grandma!”
Lacey giggled. It was the sweetest sound I’d heard from her yet. She took a bite of Grandma’s famous butter rolls. “Uh-uh.”
“Well, good. How many rolls have you eaten?” she asked Lacey.
“Three, ma’am.”
“Okay, take one more.”
“Grandma, what if she doesn’t want any more?”
Grandma’s wide dark eyes snapped to mine. “She ate three, now didn’t she? She clearly likes my rolls. Women secretly always want more, we just don’t take it because we’re too busy trying to look all sexy for you men.” She directed her attention to Lacey. “Men like curves. Don’t let those models fool you.”
Lacey smiled and ducked her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I know for a fact that Sean likes curves.”
“How do you know?” I nearly shouted.
Grandma waved her hand. “Tush. You think I didn’t know you used to sneak in a girl through your window to ‘study.’” She added air quotes. “I saw those girls struggle to get out the window when I called out.” She held her stomach while laughing. “Scared you to death.” She sighed with a smile on her face. “Those girls had curves. Some of them more than they should.”
Lacey laughed out loud, and I put my head in my hands. Grandma slapped me on the back twice.
“You were a good boy. I didn’t fault you for that. Boys will do that sort of thing with those girls.”
I caught Lacey’s concerned look. She was living with me now. Totally different from when I was sneaking girls into my room. Lacey and I hadn’t been together…yet.
“Lacey’s staying with me too, Grandma. She needs a little more space than what she’s got at home with Landyn.”
Grandma’s penetrating gaze landed on Lacey, who took a fourth roll. “Where do you expect me to sleep?”
Was she considering? “I have three bedrooms, remember? In case you ever needed to come stay with me. You know I’ll take care of you, Grandma.”
She smiled softly and patted my hand. “I know, son, I know.” She sighed. “Well…do you really think this Malik…?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes, Grandma, I do.”
She shook her head disapprovingly. “That’s too bad. I’d hoped he had changed, with taking his cousin to practices and me not seeing him hang on that corner at Seventh and Piccady—where the drug dealers are. Thought he had changed.”
“He’s just making money a different way, Grandma. But, no, he hasn’t changed.”
“Okay, okay. Give me some time to pack a few things.”
“We’re here to help with that.”
“No, no, no. I’ve got to make some arrangements. Give me a call tomorrow evening, and you can come pick me up.”
We finished eating and after a quick—two-hour-long—story about all my embarrassing moments as a kid, Lacey and I said goodbye to my grandmother.
Lacey’s phone buzzed in the car. “It’s Landyn. He’s been suspended. He wants me to come home.”
Suspended!
“Did he say for how long? The suspension, I mean.”
She quickly typed on her phone.
Another buzz.
“Three games.”
I blew out a low whistle.
“Serves him right,” Lacey said, yet her tone wasn’t vindictive.
“I guess.” I eyed her. “Are you going to go home?”
She gave me an apologetic look. “I think I should.”
26
LACEY
I set my duffel bag on the floor near my walk-in closet and immediately regretted my decision. Sean had quietly let me leave, saying he’d always be there if I needed a place to stay. I thought I’d disappointed him after he’d left me with a kiss on the forehead.
Or maybe it was all my stuff. It was pretty heavy.
Landyn received me with about the same fanfare. A hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. Nothing about Sean, but he did look paler than usual.
“I’ve ordered pizza,” Landyn said after knocking on my door. “Want some?”
“Sure.” Although I was hardly hungry after the meal at Sean’s grandmother’s house. The lady could really cook. And she let me bring home about five rolls.
We settled into our seats on the couch in the den.
“Where’s Rose?” I asked.
“She’s at her parents’. Her mom gave her a hard time about spending all of her time over here or at her own condo,” Landyn said gloomily.
The doorbell rang.
Landyn jumped up. “I’ll get it.”
Seconds later, Sean walked into the room.
Pizza nearly fell out of my mouth.
“Grab some pizza and have a seat. I’ll get you—want soda?”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever you have,” Sean said, the whites of his eyes very white as he stared at me. “What’s going on?” he whispered when Landyn left.
“He’s told me nothing.”
Sean took a paper plate from the stack on the coffee table and grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza. “I don’t know how you can eat.”
I laughed. “I know.”
Landyn returned with Sean’s drink. After he sat down, he said, “Look, Sean, I figured Lacey’s told you about my suspension because of what I did.”
“What did you do?” Sean asked innocently.
“I falsely accused you of raping my sister,” Landyn said flatly. “It…it was a dick move, I admit it.” This time, he spoke with actual contrition.
“Why?” I interrupted.
Landyn looked at me. “I feared the worst. After you being in the hospital, and those memories…” He rapidly blinked his eyes. “I wanted to keep you back there…back in the closet where I knew you could be safe if…if I was on the outside protecting you.”
I remembered that closet. It had come to me the day before when I’d walked into a dark one at Rhinos HQ. In my mind, I saw the scared little girl, but she had hope; her brother would be coming back soon.
“Closet?” came Sean’s perplexed voice.
Landyn nodded. “I used to hide her in a closet when we were little, to keep her safe from our father.” He let out a long sigh. “We’ve been…digging up a bunch of stuff in therapy, and I admit that it’s making me feel a little more protective of her.”
“And maybe a little scared of facing your own emotions?” Sean asked softly. “I get it.”
Landyn blew out a breath. “Yeah, well, anyway, I’ve been suspended for three games, and I’ll be issuing a formal apology in front of the team.”
“Then why do you want him here?” I asked.
Landyn kept his gaze on Sean. “I wanted to apologize in person first, so that you know I’m being real.” Landyn inhaled. “I’m sorry, Sean.”
The air in the room felt heavy. My gaze went from Landyn’s contrite expression to Sean’s shocked one, and then back to Landyns’.
Landyn turned to me. “And I wanted to apologize to you too, Lace. You’re not a child, I know. You’re old enough to make your own decisions and…be with whoever you want.”
“It wasn’t even about that, Landyn,” I argued.
He held up his hands. “I know, I know. I thought you were with Sean to get back at me.”
“Self-centered much?” I grumbled.
“Hey, I’m trying to apologize here. Cut me some slack.”
My shoulders slumped. I ripped a piece of pizz
a with my front teeth and chewed it silently. He was right—and I was totally right about him being self-centered—but he was trying to apologize.
“It’s in the past,” Sean said. “We’ll say no more about it.”
Landyn nodded and reached for another slice of pizza. “ESPN is on. I think they’re going to talk about how our team has a shot at the playoffs.”
I looked at Sean and smiled. He smiled back.
“Yeah, I can stay,” Sean said.
“Cool.” Landyn leaned back and turned on the television. In two minutes, they were yelling back at one of the commentators about how wrong he was about the team’s chances.
How did guys do that? Just like that and they were…friends. With girls, there was always all this drama and weeks of pretending the other didn’t exist and then diabolical plans hatched by girlfriends about how they would steal the other one’s man…
Ugh, it was exhausting.
I’d watched it all go down in high school and was glad I’d only ever had Paige as a friend. We were too different to get jealous over the other. And since I never grew up with much anyway, I was used to not needing the validation.
Sean looked at his phone and frowned. “Uh, thanks for the pizza. I gotta get going.” He stood.
I stood too. “Now?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Got some stuff I have to take care of. Stay…I’ll…I’ll call you later, okay?”
He wasn’t usually secretive—except that one time when he wasn’t supposed to talk to me because of the investigation.
And that thing with the FBI.
“Okay. I’ll walk you to the door.”
Sean sent a tentative glance Landyn’s way. My brother pretended not to hear, and looked at Sean. “Unless you plan on having sex all the way there, I’m cool.”
I rolled my eyes while Sean nervously chuckled. “I’m not going to disrespect you like that in your own home.”
He could in my bedroom.
At the door, Sean paused. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not,” I lied.
“Okay.” He grinned. “This was good, right?”
I smiled. “I think so.”
“Good. Don’t fight with your brother.” He kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll call you.”
And then he was gone.
I rubbed my forehead, curious that his lips had trouble finding mine. Maybe my past had something to do with it. I did have a lot of baggage.
I couldn’t blame him. Even I knew I was still a mess.
27
SEAN
“Isn’t this guy like a drug dealer or something?” Bat asked from the backseat of Nico’s car. I sat in the front passenger side.
“He was never arrested, but I think it’s a hell of a coincidence,” Nico answered.
“Dr. Benzoli never outed him,” I said.
“He should’ve,” Bat said. “I mean, think about it. He goes to all Dr. Kavoska’s parties where all these athletes are—who all know Billy. Sounds reasonable to me.”
“What’s not reasonable is what we’re doing here,” Nico added.
Silence.
I could feel the eyes of both guys on me.
Bat cleared his throat. “That would be your cue, Sean.”
Okay, so management had told us to avoid this guy at all costs. But after Casper and I had seen him in Carolina, even the FBI had gotten suspicious. “I need you guys to…watch my back.”
Nico simultaneously cocked a brow and narrowed his eyes. “Watch you do what?”
“Please, Sean, if this is another Billy thing—”
“It isn’t, Bat.”
The Billy thing.
He had killed himself before the cops could arrest him for manslaughter in the death of a local athlete who was on the hard stuff. Stuff people speculated Dr. Kavoska had provided, but could never prove.
Nico ran all ten fingers through his wavy black hair and then used them to brush off his shoulders. “Yeah, man, we ain’t vice. If you wanted to catch a drug dealer, you should’ve told me.”
I gave Nico a slanted look. “Yet you figured it out, Sonny Crockett.” I picked at his loose linen sports jacket that he’d paired with matching white slacks. He completed the look with a bright blue V-neck t-shirt.
Nico grinned at himself in the rearview mirror. “You did say Kavoska. Whether he’s a drug dealer or not, his parties have the best-looking women.”
Bat snorted. “Not lately, since his wife threatened him with divorce.”
“Look who reads the gossip rags,” Nico taunted Bat through the mirror with a wicked smile.
“Okay,guys,” I started. “I’m not here for drugs. I need wingmen to help me…listen to things.”
“What things?” Bat asked.
“Things about…betting. Like on games.”
“Oh, Lord.” Nico sighed and dropped his head back against the headrest. “Please tell me you’re not doing that. We could’ve done it online back at my place. Hell, I could’ve talked you through it over FaceTime.”
“You gamble?” Bat’s shocked voice went up a notch.
“No, but it’s not like it’s all that hard.”
I wrestled with what I had promised the FBI: I wouldn’t let anyone know about the investigation without their approval. Except that when I had received a text from Dr. Kavoska himself while at Lacey’s, I hadn’t exactly had time to run this game plan past investigators.
I wanted Malik and his group away from my grandmother and out of my life. Maybe I could get them enough information to move on Malik tonight. Then my grandmother wouldn’t have to leave her home.
“You guys have to promise to keep what I’m about to tell you to yourselves,” I said in a low voice.
“You’re on drugs?” Bat asked.
I gave him an irritated look.
“You got Mrs. Kavoska pregnant,” Nico guessed.
“Ew, no! Why the hell would you two—never mind. No, I…I was approached by an old neighborhood acquaintance about some illegal betting. The feds are involved. We’re trying to catch whoever is leading the whole thing.”
Bat nodded. “And you think Dr. Kavoska’s involved.”
I looked at the guy’s massive castle. “Uh, yeah. Casper and I saw him at the Panthers’ stadium, talking to guys about investing and stuff. Then, out of the blue, Dr. Kavoska invites Casper and me to his party tonight. Casper told me he couldn’t make it.”
Nico smoothed the front of his sports jacket. “Then I’m dressed for the part.”
Bat and I laughed. If the guy wasn’t a football player, he’d succeed as an actor—definitely an Instagram model.
After I told them to be casual and get names, a sour maid ushered us into the house. Bat kept his gaze on the young woman. “She never smiles. I hope they aren’t beating her or something.”
Nico gave him a wild look. “Why the hell would they—”
“You haven’t heard the stories about owners being cruel to the hired help? Enslaving them and shit. Making them stay in the basement or cages. Confiscating their passports.”
Nico looked bored. “Do I look like I’d read that stuff?”
“Nice.”
“Guys,” I urged. “Mingle. And be cool.”
Nico laughed and took a drink off a passing tray. “That’s my normal state of being.” He left Bat and me and disappeared into a crowd of people like he belonged there.
“Should we find the good doctor first?” Bat asked.
I shrugged. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. “Sure.”
We turned into another room and I froze.
Carter Gallagher stood beside Dr. Kavoska.
I about-faced.
Bat followed me into the room Nico had gone into. “What?”
“Uh…”
How could I explain to him that Landyn’s father was here? Landyn didn’t even know that I’d seen his father with Malik. Neither did Lacey.
I could see this whole thing not ending well.
&nb
sp; “Let’s wait until he finds us,” I suggested.
“That could take all night.”
I inwardly groaned. Bat was right. And I really didn’t want to be here. I wanted this over and done with. The FBI agents had tossed around the idea about stringing this out through the season to see how many people they could catch.
No way. The distraction would affect me on the field for sure. Then that would screw everybody over. I didn’t want to let my team down. We had been fighting hard for every win since the second game. Everyone had something to prove.
“You’re right,” I said to Bat. I would have to get this ball down the field.
Nico came up to us. “Why are you guys standing around? What’s the matter?”
A commotion from behind Nico drew our attention. A man yelled at a woman, and put his finger in her face.
“That’s Veronica,” Nico said.
“Who?” Bat asked.
I slapped him on the chest. “She works at HQ. The hot nurse?”
“Oh, I’d only seen the other one.”
Nico stepped forward. “What’s going on? Who’s that with her?”
Veronica yelled back and tossed a drink in the guy’s face. She started to walk off when the guy grabbed her arm and swung her back around. Everyone stared while a few grinned like this was the entertainment for the evening.
“Fuck that.” Nico charged forward and shoved the guy away, breaking his grip on Veronica.
Veronica used Nico’s broad back as a shield while the other guy puffed up his chest and came at Nico. Nico threw an uppercut so fast my head snapped back. That’s when a few men came between them, breaking up what potentially could’ve been an ugly fight.
For the other guy.
I’d put all my money on Nico. Yeah, he was just a kicker—not one of the larger guys on the field—but he could bench twice his body weight easy.
A guy chuckled behind me. Carter Gallagher. “Dr. Kavoska’s parties are always entertaining.”
“I’m glad he invited me,” I forced out after swallowing and wetting my throat. “Was about to bet on my friend, too. Would’ve cleaned up easily.”
A flash of curiosity crossed Carter’s eyes. “How do you know Dr. Kavoska?”