The Running Back: A New Adult Sports Romance ~ Sean (The Rookies Book 3)

by Zoë Lane

  The FBI had said betting was a billion-dollar business. It stretched across the country. If Malik knew about Richmond’s take of the profits… A deal too good not to make. I got it.

  I covered my face with my hands. How was I going to get through this? Malik got to go free, and I had to watch my grandmother slowly die.

  Or pull the plug.

  “Mr. Miller, I am truly sorry. This won’t exempt Malik from any civil judgment—”

  I laughed out loud. “You think he has money? Because I sure don’t. I won’t see a dime.”

  The ADA frowned. “Probably not, no.”

  I stood alone in the hallway for several more minutes. Long enough to see Malik being escorted away. The ADA gave me his card and told me he would be in touch if he needed anything more from me.

  I dragged a hand down the side of my face and went back to my grandmother’s room. Both my siblings were at school and would be flying in tomorrow. If anything happened to my grandmother between now and then, I was the only one with her. I couldn’t leave her side. Couldn’t let her die alone.

  The nurse told me my grandmother had shown little to no change between now and the previous checkup. She hadn’t gotten worse, but she was still expected not to recover beyond a comatose state. I didn’t think my insides could get any colder; that hope could actually die.

  My stomach growled, and I was more tired now than I’d ever been in my life. The cafeteria was closed. I contemplated stalking the hallways for leftover Jell-O packs, but as soon as I’d finished adjusting the couch pillows, my body had molded into the cushions. I wasn’t going anywhere.

  The steady beeps of my grandmother’s monitors threatened to put me to sleep, while my mind fought against it. I couldn’t get Lacey out of it. Couldn’t push aside the picture of her round blue eyes that so often looked lost, even when she was playing the temptress.

  I’d let her run out of here thinking I was going to turn her father in—because I was. I had called the agent and told him that Malik was probably the one who’d shot her, but it was Carter Gallagher I’d spoken to at Dr. Kavoska’s party. And then Malik had shown up within the hour and admitted to shooting my grandmother on orders from a no-named boss.

  Carter Gallagher?

  Dr. Kavoska?

  I wasn’t sure. And at this moment, I didn’t care. I only wanted to apologize to Lacey. I should’ve been honest with her from the beginning; prepared her for tonight.

  I pulled out my phone and opened my messenger app. My thumbs hovered over the screen. Would she even listen to me? I had a feeling we were just getting started and now…

  I typed the message and hit Send. I shoved the phone into the front pocket of my hoodie and closed my eyes.

  The ball was on her side of the field.

  33

  LACEY

  The sides of my mouth hurt as it continued to stretch in what was the longest yawn ever known to man. When it finally finished. I stumbled, slightly disoriented.

  “Didn’t get much sleep last night, did you?” Desmond stopped his cart next to mine. “You look like a zombie.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  He chuckled. “You should get more rest.”

  How could I? Last night Sean’s grandmother had been shot, my father arrested, and I fell asleep staring at Sean’s text message.

  I’m sorry. I need to see you.

  The anger I’d had for Sean had died the second my father had called me a bitch. Landyn remembered hearing Carter talk to our mother that way, always calling her names and telling her she was worthless. She’d been too afraid to talk back. Silently, she had taken the abuse day after day.

  Carter would’ve never told me anything. I had been an idiot to think our plan to butter him up and talk could work, even if Sean hadn’t said anything.

  The whole way home, Landyn couldn’t stop cursing Sean for ruining our plan and “keeping secrets.” Landyn had assumed Sean was trying to get back at him for the false accusation, but his plan had failed since Landyn wanted Carter rotting in hell—or at least jail.

  “Now will you stop seeing him? He’s not worth it, Lace.”

  So Landyn had only been playing nice to appease me. He still didn’t like Sean and probably never would. That was too bad, because I still liked Sean.

  A lot.

  Too much, even.

  I put myself in his shoes and thought about what it must’ve been like to get a phone call that the only parent you had ever known had been shot and would never wake up from a coma. How the man who had probably put her in the hospital was the father of the woman you were…

  What were we?

  “Lacey!”

  “Huh?” I blinked, seeing Desmond. Where had he gone?

  “Where were you? Don’t answer that. You were asleep standing up.”

  “Yeah, I think I was.” I put a hand over my mouth to cover another yawn.

  “You’ve got the VIP rooms today. Don’t let me catch you stealing drinks from the fridge. Or cookies from the basket.”

  I saluted and shoved my cart down the hall toward the elevator. Hell yeah, I was going to take cookies from the baskets. Those were gourmet cookies baked fresh and then sealed right away. The cafeteria made them every day to put in the VIP rooms for visitors. I’d just have to bribe one of the chefs to give me a few extra bags to replace the ones I was about to gorge on. If I couldn’t get sleep, then sugar was an adequate substitute.

  My phone buzzed, and I looked at my message. I punched the button to the eighth floor instead of the third. After exiting the elevator, I parked my cart outside of the conference room and entered without knocking. My brother sat at a large table and opposite him: Sean.

  My heart hitched in my chest. I swallowed against the tightness in my throat.

  “Lacey, come on in. Hello, I’m Rochelle Hardison, the general manager here.”

  A petite woman with gorgeous chocolate skin walked commandingly forward, her hand extended. I put my limp one in hers and winced at the grip. “I remember you from before,” I said quietly, refusing to recall those days after my father’s public interview, before the first game, about how terrible his kids were.

  She smiled. “Of course you do. I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here. We’ll get to that. Let me introduce you to Coach Hicks.”

  Rochelle led me to the table where seated by Landyn was a man with sandy-red hair and well-defined biceps. Him I should’ve remembered, but I had been out of it that day we’d all met in this room to decide what to do about my father’s antics. Coach Hicks looked too young and too good looking in person. The television cameras didn’t do him any justice.

  “Good morning, Lacey.” He gave my hand a shake and me a sympathetic smile. “I hate that we’re meeting like this again. Someday soon, it will be for better reasons, I’m sure.”

  Hmm. Very positive person. I’d often wondered if those people had either struggled and overcome so much that they had reached a new level of enlightenment, or if their childhoods had been perfect.

  I took a seat beside my brother.

  Now I looked at him. Sean’s woeful gaze filled my vision. He looked terrible, like he hadn’t slept.

  “Now, let’s begin. Just so you’re aware, our attorney and Rose will be joining us in a minute. I wanted to have this time alone with the three of you,” Rochelle began, taking a moment to lock eyes with each of us. “We understand Carter Gallagher has been arrested, and Rose has put out the organization’s statement on that. We have it for you to read.”

  She passed us each a sheet of paper.

  “We won’t be saying anything more, so if you’re cornered by anyone from the press, please either say nothing or refer them to our public affairs office,” Rochelle said.

  “And Sean…” Coach Hicks’s voice trailed off.

  The corners of Sean’s already-red eyes filled with moisture.

  “Sean, we want to say again how sorry we are to hear about your grandmother.”

  “She’s
gone?” I blurted. All eyes trained on me. I inched back into my chair.

  Sean shook his head. “My sister and brother are with her. I’m only here now because they forced me to go home and rest, and I wanted to take care of this now.”

  I felt a small amount of relief, but I heard the strain and defeat in his voice. I stared at him as he looked down at the table. My bottom lip trembled and my own eyes watered.

  I hated this.

  I hated what he had done, and I hated that this table divided us when all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him.

  And my therapist said I lacked empathy.

  I inhaled deeply and exhaled. I had empathy. I didn’t have schizophrenia. Just damaged, but healing.

  Rose and the attorney walked in and the meeting really began. Even though Landyn had been suspended for three games, it was suggested that Sean take a leave of absence—which he agreed to. I was also given the option to take time off. I refused. Work was good for me. I felt like I had real purpose when I was here even though I hated cleaning toilets.

  The whole time, I could feel Sean’s eyes on me, and mine went to him when he wasn’t looking. I wanted nothing more than for this meeting to end so…

  So what?

  I hadn’t worked out what I would say to him when I saw him again. I’d never responded to his text.

  I heard Coach Hicks speak. “When do you expect to make a decision?”

  Sean heaved a sigh. “Today. My siblings and I are going to talk about it. Get an update from the doctor.”

  They were talking about taking his grandmother off life support. I watched Sean tremble as he spoke, heard the quake in his voice that must’ve been coming from an erupting volcano of despair and grief on the inside.

  I heard myself speak his name.

  He looked at me.

  I hadn’t meant to say it out loud. My jaw fell open, and I heard nothing else.

  “Well, if you need us to be there, let us know. We’ll be happy to support you in any way we can, Sean,” Coach Hicks said reassuringly.

  “Lean on us,” Rochelle added. “Please? Give us a chance to do something.”

  Sean nodded and touched the inner corner of his eyes.

  “Yeah, man, anything you need.”

  I eyed my brother. Last night had convinced me that he was back to hating Sean. Where had this sudden spark of compassion come from?

  “I know we’ve had our differences, and I’ve never had any real family except Lace. I couldn’t imagine having to go through what you’re going through right now.”

  Sean’s voice came out garbled. “My grandmother was my world growing up. She taught me how to be a man. A good one. An honorable one. She’ll never be able to teach me anything else.”

  Hot tears wet my cheeks. It would’ve been nice to visit her again—and not just for her butter rolls. She had promised me the recipe if Sean and I…

  Sean and I…

  Sean sniffed loudly. “Thank you, Landyn.”

  Sean’s eyes met mine. I wetted my lips and opened my mouth to speak, but all I could do was stare.

  34

  SEAN

  “Lacey!”

  I raced down the hallway after her. She stopped pushing her cart. Her eyes still looked hazy from the tears, her straight nose red. She met my gaze briefly before dropping hers to the floor.

  “Lacey…I don’t even know how to begin.”

  Her narrowed eyes snapped up. “How about when you called to have my father arrested? How about not telling me what was going on? Maybe… maybe we could’ve come up with a different plan.”

  “Maybe if my grandmother hadn’t been shot.”

  She exhaled heavily and shook her head, her voice insistent. “You know I would never want anything to happen to her.”

  I came forward, leaving only a foot of space between us. “I know,” I whispered fiercely. “It was all me. This is all my fault. I should’ve made her come with us that night. Hell, I should’ve shot Malik myself when this all started.” I grasped her elbows. “Lacey, I’m trying to tell you I’m sorry.”

  She trembled, her bottom lip jerking. “Sean…”

  My chest burned, my lungs constricted watching her expression grow more painful with each passing second. “I messed it all up. You had this plan to find your mother, and all I could think about was revenge.” I wetted my lips, feeling them dry. “I should’ve told you, but I didn’t… I thought I could handle it, and I didn’t want you to face any more trouble with him. I was scared for you.”

  She nodded. She swallowed and inhaled deeply. “He was never going to say anything,” she whispered. “We went to his house, to convince him. He thought I had called the cops on him.”

  “Lacey…”

  “It was a long shot anyway. Getting him to talk.”

  “The ADA told me that he’s been linked to some unsolved crimes over the years.”

  Her brows meshed, her expression full of shock.

  I continued. “He’s corrupt. When I saw him at Dr. Kavoska’s and heard how he met Malik, I knew he was part of the scheme. He didn’t shoot my grandmother, but Malik did. And Malik gave your father up for a deal.”

  “Malik?”

  She hadn’t pulled away, so I drew her toward me. “Doesn’t matter, blame me. I knew…knew about him, his link to criminal activity, and I said nothing. I had your trust and I betrayed it. For that, I’m sorry, Lacey.”

  Lacey dropped her gaze. Her hands remained on my forearms, and hope flared inside. If she really hated me, if she didn’t trust me, she’d leave right now. Maybe she’d show a little compassion and accept my apology, but that would be all I’d ever get.

  Her body made contact with mine. My breath hitched. Slowly she raised her head. Tears were running down her cheeks. “I did feel betrayed. Thought my one chance to find my mother was taken from me.” She cleared her throat. “It might be true that he never would’ve said anything, but, Sean…”

  She stepped back, breaking our connection. The void sent a chill through me.

  “Sean, I can’t do this.”

  She avoided all my attempts to grab her hands. “Lace… what can I do? How can I fix this? Please tell me. I’ll do anything.”

  I held my breath and waited. She bit her lip and glanced away, and I could tell she was considering. The flaring hope took root in the pit of my stomach, ravaged by twists of guilt and shame over what I had done.

  She closed her eyes and let out a long breath. When she opened them, tears no longer lingered, and determination replaced the disappointment they had held for me.

  “There’s nothing you can do, Sean. I… I will be your friend, and I will be there for you—for your grandmother. But there can’t be anything else between us. I’m sorry.”

  My stomach made one final turn, snapping the roots of an unspoken promise that had been a giant misapprehension. I nodded and stepped back. “No, don’t be. I’m the only one here that should be sorry. I messed up, and I hope one day you can forgive me.”

  “Me too,” she whispered.

  She quickly turned on her heel. I went the other way—the long way—to the other set of stairs.

  It was done. Lacey was a woman who, when she set her mind to something, would do it. I admired and loved her for it. A resolve I imagined had been forged in her upbringing.

  I raced down the HQ’s center steps. My phone buzzed with a message from my sister.

  It was time.

  35

  LACEY

  The night shift was pretty good, but I still had to mop the floors and pick up leftover trash the morning after the games. Kyle had his first start, and my brother had to sit glumly in one of the VIP boxes—out of view of the cameras. The Rhinos had won the game. Sean had dedicated his last touchdown to his grandmother, who had been taken off life support the night before.

  How he could muster the strength to focus and play the game, I didn’t know, but I respected him all the more for it.

  It was crazy. The moment
I’d refused him, I felt like I had made the worst mistake. I’d run down the hall to get away from him. How could I trust him? But he’d looked so defeated. And I’d never had a more contrite apology from anyone in my life.

  With my trash-collecting arm, I snatched an empty bag of chips from the floor in the hall outside the VIP rooms. I used the controls to further crush the bag but got zero satisfaction.

  My therapist had told me I had made the right choice for my healing and my future. Except it didn’t feel right at all. I was told to ignore this feeling; my ability to deduce things as being instinctively right or wrong was messed up because I was messed up.

  That was bullshit.

  At least, that’s what Landyn had said. He didn’t know about Sean’s apology, but just giving him the more generic explanation, Landyn had told me that my gut was like a superpower; it could be the thing that kept me alive. The voice that would tell me to walk down this street instead so I’d miss the car that was about to go off the road and run over whoever was on that very sidewalk.

  I shoved the bag into the trash can on my cart. With every piece I picked up, I threw away an old memory that had resurfaced. I had accepted what had happened to me, but I didn’t have to live with it every second of my life.

  I wanted to live with Sean.

  To laugh with him, to hold him…to kiss him.

  His grandmother’s funeral was tomorrow, and Desmond had given me permission to take the day off for it. I was going to be there. I had a plan.

  “I’ve been searching all these halls for you, Lacey.”

  I froze, my back to the voice. No, no, no, no, no. It wasn’t true. If I didn’t turn around, I wouldn’t see it.

  Carter Gallagher came around me and smiled. “Hello, daughter.”

  “What the hell?” was all I could get out before I lost my voice.

  He shrugged. “Did you really think the state had enough on me to make anything stick?”