by Jaime Maddox
“Wes, you should go to the police. It’s the only way to get your brother out from under him.” Even as she said the words, Alex was doubtful they’d shut down Greg’s gambling operation. For some reason, authorities seemed to look the other way when it came to sports betting. But maybe a police report would take some of the heat off P.J. and get him out from under Greg’s thumb.
Wes laughed, a bitter sound, and patrons at the nearby tables turned heads in their direction. “Yeah, right! Do you know how many cops bet with Greg? How do you think he stays in business? He gives them Yankees tickets and dinners at Ruth’s Chris, and they look the other way. About five minutes after P.J. reports Greg and walks out of the police station, he’ll be so black and blue my mother won’t recognize him.”
“I don’t know, Wes,” Alex said. “I don’t think I should get any more involved than I already am.”
Wes studied his coffee for a moment before looking up at Alex. “He’s blackmailing me, too. He wants me to sell exams.”
“Just tell him no.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Who do you think hacked into the EM email account to get those exams?”
Alex looked at him and wanted to scream. This situation just kept getting worse and worse. Before she could, he spoke again.
“It was the only way I could protect P.J. Greg would have broken both his legs.”
Alex sipped her coffee and thought about what Wes was saying. She remembered how angry Greg had been when she confronted him and didn’t doubt he’d developed a temper, and quite possibly could be dangerous. She’d been scared when she confronted him. Then she thought back to her mother’s birthday party the summer before. The Mercks had been there, socializing with all of the power people, schmoozing, no doubt doing just what her father was doing—taking care of business. How many political campaigns did the illegal profits of his gambling business fund?
And then she thought of her own brother, and she set down the coffee. It was quickly turning to acid in her stomach.
Just what did Andrew have to do with this business? If Wes called the police, and they actually listened to him, would her brother be implicated? He’d defended Greg, but was Andrew involved in the business or just standing up for his friend?
Her thoughts turned to Kelsey, and P.J., both good kids reduced to cheating and lying for Greg. She looked at Wes, dealing with a problem he should have known nothing about. How many others were there, stealing to get money for gambling? Cheating on exams, instead of learning to study and work toward their goals. Dozens, probably, or more. So many young kids jeopardizing their futures. She couldn’t allow her concerns about Andrew to interfere with her decision to do the right thing. Greg was hurting people she cared about. Her students. Her players. Her neighbors. She needed to stop him.
Alex sighed and looked at Wes. “Maybe you’re right. What do you have in mind?”
Alex leaned back in her seat and listened as he told her.
Chapter Thirty
Dirty Laundry
Brit sat down across from Alex at the kitchen table and studied her for a moment. It was only nine o’clock on Sunday morning, but already she’d read the paper, been to mass and the grocery store, and was now preparing breakfast. She’d thought of sleeping in, but she was restless, and rather than disturb Alex, she’d gotten an early start on the day.
Alex was tired, and Brit wondered what was at the root of it. It was the middle of March and they had just a few weeks of basketball left, give or take, depending on how well they did. Considering that the team was still undefeated, making a run deep into the playoffs was likely. Brit prayed for strength. She wanted to win, and she wanted to be a part of such excitement, but it really was stressful, and she wouldn’t be sad when the season ended.
The recruits were still beating down Alex’s door, even though Kelsey had suffered an ankle injury and was out indefinitely. They’d seen her talent and were convinced she had the ability to play at the highest levels of basketball. Alex had now been offered three jobs—one in Florida, one in St. Louis, and one in California—if Kelz would commit to the schools. Alex downplayed the significance of the offers, but Brit was worried. What if Alex left? Was that on her mind?
Or was it her health? Alex didn’t complain, but Brit knew from the way she moved and constantly stretched her back that the cold, damp winter was taking its toll on Alex’s health.
Brit tried to help ease Alex’s burden by doing as much as she could with the team, running practices and scouting opponents. She gave Alex a break at home by cooking and keeping the apartment neat. And she’d talked to her friend, the young rheumatologist, who was interested in Alex’s case. Even though Alex might feel better when the season ended, Brit didn’t want to postpone this discussion any longer.
“Alex, I want you to see another doctor. A rheumatologist—well, almost a rheumatologist—he’s finishing his fellowship in a few months. I’ve known him all my life, and I talked to him about you, and we think you might be misdiagnosed.”
Alex flicked at her teeth with her tongue, attempting to remove something that appeared to be stuck there. “Excuse me?”
Brit sighed. “I’ve been reading all about your disease, Alex, and I’m not sure you really have it. My friend agrees with me, so I’d like you to go see him.”
“I already see a specialist, Brit.”
“I know, I know. But just read this.” Brit pulled some papers from the cupboard. “Your symptoms could be Reiter’s syndrome. It’s the same gene.”
Alex looked from Brit’s face to the papers in her hand and tried to focus on the words. Her stress level was through the roof and she was exhausted. All of the lying was getting to her, as were the increasing pressures of coaching her team to an undefeated season and dealing with the madness of college recruiters hounding her. If only she could tell Brit the truth, it would ease some of the burden. But Alex still didn’t know what sort of trouble lay ahead and didn’t want to put Brit in danger. Better to keep her in the dark. And then, of course, Brit might possibly tear her head off for getting involved in this mess.
The last thing she wanted to talk about was her illness. It was one of the few things in her life under control at the moment. She hardly had any symptoms. These days, she was fine, but getting there hadn’t been an easy road. She couldn’t count the number of specialists she’d seen over the years, trying to figure out what the hell was going wrong. She didn’t want to see another one and told Brit so.
“Alex, would you at least read what it says? If you don’t agree with me, then, okay, we won’t see him. But if you have any doubt, don’t you owe it to yourself to find out the truth?”
Alex studied Brit. Her face was slightly flushed as she leaned forward, talking with her hands as she stressed her point. Her eyes were dark, and they glimmered with their intensity. She was beautiful, and Alex was lucky Brit had fallen in love with her, for many reasons, but mostly because she was the kind of woman who’d spend her time researching a disease to make sure the doctors had gotten it right.
To be deceiving her hit Alex hard and sucked the wind from her lungs. Brit had given up so much to be with Alex. She missed her family terribly and was spending all of the energy she’d once used on them to take care of Alex. Alex was repaying that loyalty with deception and lies.
Suddenly wanting to do something for Brit, something to make her smile, Alex said, “Okay. I’ll see him. If it’ll make you happy.”
Brit hugged her. “I’m going to get the laundry together,” Brit said as Alex began gathering the breakfast dishes.
Brit was thrilled that Alex had agreed so readily. Maybe her friend could help. Probably couldn’t hurt, right?
Brit grabbed the towels from the back of the bathroom door, and then the laundry basket from her closet, and began emptying the contents into a large duffel. They were heading to Alex’s parents’ for dinner, and she’d wash a load of laundry while she was there. Just as she was a
bout to zip the bag closed, she noticed Alex’s gym bag on the floor beside the bed. Even though Alex didn’t usually change clothes for practice, sometimes she had dirty clothes in there. Brit decided to check. Opening the zipper, she spilled the contents on the bed—two sneakers, two socks, a neatly folded sweatshirt, sweat pants, and an envelope.
It was plain white and business size, inscribed with two words. Dodge / Bio.
Without hesitation or thought, Brit opened the envelope that bore her name. And as she pulled the papers out she frowned. It was a biology test, given by her a month before. Why would Alex be carrying around a copy of one of her exams?
That was odd. She picked it up and carried it into the living room, where Alex was reading the paper.
Brit held the envelope in both hands, facing away from her so Alex could read it. “Why do you have a copy of my test in your bag?”
Alex gasped. Wes had needed the original test to check details such as the type of paper it was printed on and the placement of the staple in the upper left corner. Alex had given it to him a week earlier and he’d just returned it, and she hadn’t had a chance to hide it somewhere safe. Somewhere away from Brit’s curious gaze.
Alex studied Brit for a moment as she held her breath, not daring to move. Did she suspect the truth? Or was she just puzzled? Was this the chance Alex had been waiting for, to talk to Brit, or would it be a mistake to involve her? She ran her hands through her hair as she considered her options.
“Alex?” Brit asked. “What’s going on?”
Alex buried her face in her hands as she leaned back into the couch. She felt Brit beside her, the soft hands that knew her body so well clutching her wrist, pulling it from her face.
Alex opened her uncovered eye and studied Brit.
“Hey? You okay?” Brit asked.
What was the point of being in a relationship, of totally giving yourself and committing to someone, if you can’t be honest with them? Brit had given herself and committed herself. Alex had, too. She had to trust Brit with this.
Dropping her hands, Alex forced a weak smile. “We have a problem.”
Brit sat a little taller and looked at Alex curiously. “What kind of problem?”
Alex sat up, gathering her strength for the conversation. She met Brit’s gaze. “It’s Kelsey.”
“Yeah? What about Kelsey?”
“It started with her buying exams.” Alex nodded to the envelope containing Brit’s biology exam. “And then the guy selling them started blackmailing her. He runs a sports betting operation and made her shave points so he could make more money.”
Brit’s mouth was open as she stared at Alex, her eyes unfocused as she shook her head in denial.
“You’re joking, right?” she asked after a moment.
“No.” And as Brit pulled her knees up in a protective posture, Alex explained everything. Well, not everything. She still didn’t feel comfortable telling Brit what she and Wes had planned. Their idea was crazy and might land Alex in jail, or the hospital. She refused to picture herself in the morgue, but that was possible, too.
“I can’t believe this. I worked so hard with her and was so proud of all she’s accomplished academically. Her grades have been good. Well, no wonder. I assume it’s all been a big lie. She’s been cheating the whole time.”
Alex patted Brit’s thigh reassuringly. “She hasn’t cheated for the last month. I stopped her once I found out.”
Brit’s eyes flew open wide and bore into Alex. “Wait. You’ve known about this for a month? And you didn’t tell me?”
The volume of Brit’s voice seemed to rise with each word. Alex had never seen her so angry. “Shhh, calm down.”
“Calm down? Calm down? Our star is cheating on exams, my exams, and you’ve known about it for a month and haven’t told me, and you think I’m not calm enough?” Brit was practically screaming.
Alex stood, pacing the room, running her hands through her hair. “I’m sorry. I should have told you.”
“Duh!”
Alex leaned against the wall. How had she allowed herself to get into this position? She never should have agreed to help Wes. She should have taken the exam to the principal and allowed him to handle the problem, then worried about her own problems—her team, her health, her girlfriend. She looked at Brit and repeated her apology, more quietly this time. “I’m sorry.”
Brit closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch. Alex knew her anger was gone when she saw the tears glistening on her eyelashes. “Maybe I failed her. Maybe we all did. I mean, we put so much emphasis on sports that she chose to do these crazy things just so she could play. And in the end, she’s probably going to lose her scholarship offers when the colleges find out. She might not even get into college once this gets out.”
“That’s why I haven’t told anyone. It’s over. Kelsey made a mistake, and she’s sorry for it. Believe me, she feels awful. What good would it do to expose her? It’s just going to ruin her life.”
Brit’s jaw dropped and she scowled. “Are you out of your mind, Alex? She. Was. Buying. Exams! Cheating! You can’t just ignore this. What message are you sending her?”
“Believe me, she’s sorry.”
“Well, that’s not enough. She needs to be punished. Suspended.”
“She’s not even playing right now. Why does it matter?”
“Integrity? Honor? Sportsmanship?”
Alex paced again. What could she say to make Brit understand this? Probably nothing, which Alex realized was the true reason she hadn’t confided in Brit. Brit was too moral, too honest, too good to go along with this sort of deception. But if she couldn’t understand, could she at least accept it and just let it go?
“Brit, can you just let me handle this? I promise you, I’ll take care of it.”
“How? What will you do?”
Alex sighed. “I reviewed the school policy on academic integrity. There’s nothing there that says I have to tell anyone. I can handle it how I want, and I swear to you, I’m handling it. Please?”
Brit stared at Alex. “Oh, fuck! Please, Alex, don’t tell me this is about you getting some big-time coaching job. Please don’t tell me you’re that unethical!”
Alex closed the space between them and faced Brit, and suddenly all of her own frustrations and fears burst from the place she’d been containing them for more than a month. “Don’t give me your holy, Catholic, ethical bullshit, Britain. I’m sick of it! This is the real world, not the fucking convent. In the real world people aren’t perfect. They make mistakes. They have real problems, and they have to deal with them the best way they can. That’s what I’m doing.”
Brit sniffed back tears as she looked at Alex with eyes that could have frozen the Pacific Ocean. “I can’t believe I trusted you, Alex. I let you get close to me, ignoring my instincts, because I thought you really had changed. But you haven’t. It’s still all about you and your instant gratification. I’m so disappointed in you! But I’m even more disappointed in myself for trusting you.” Brit wiped her arm on her sleeve and then pointed to the door. “Get out of my apartment, Alex. Just go!”
Alex knew she shouldn’t go. She should tell Brit everything she’d done and why, and ask for her help. But she couldn’t. She was angry. Why couldn’t Brit just trust her? She was tired, too. She’d been going, going, going since the first day of practice. Physically, she was spent. Emotionally, she was even more exhausted—from putting her heart on the line with Brit, and coaching, and dealing with all of the drama with Kelsey. She didn’t have any energy left with which to argue, or discuss, or debate.
Besides, Saint Britain had already made up her mind, and Alex knew she’d been condemned.
Chapter Thirty-one
Misery
It had been a tear-filled, sleepless night, and it showed. Brit looked exhausted. No amount of makeup could hide the circles beneath her eyes, and after a minute, Brit stopped trying. She retreated to her bed and began crying again. Just what her eye
s needed, but she couldn’t help it.
If she’d thought the rug had been pulled out from under her at the beach, when Anke showed up, she’d been wrong. That was nothing compared to this. How could she have been such a fool? Why had she trusted Alex with her heart after she’d vowed not to?
Falling back, Brit stared at the ceiling, wondering what to do next. She’d wondered all night and was no closer to understanding. How could Alex just blow this off? The question haunted her. She could forgive Alex if she’d only come clean now. But she wouldn’t, and how could Brit live with that? She coached and taught to make a difference with kids, to teach them the skills they would use to be successful in the world. It was great to win, but winning above all else wasn’t Brit’s goal. How could she accept that sort of morality in her lover? It was wrong, and Brit didn’t like the lesson Alex was teaching Kelsey, that she could cheat and get away with it if she issued a little apology in the end.
But the personal aspect of Alex’s professional conduct concerned Brit even more. If Alex had no integrity as a coach, what sort of choices would she make when it came to things like fidelity and money? What values would she teach their children one day?
Brit had no answers. She had to face Alex and talk some sense into her.
She left her apartment early, and the darkness seemed appropriate to her mood. She and Alex had an hour to talk before they had to leave for school, and they needed privacy, so she drove the familiar roads to Alex’s house with hope and dread filling her by turns. The lights were on, and as she pulled into the driveway, she dialed Alex’s number. It went to voice mail.