by T. E. Black
“Nice to see you again, Leigh.” Josie greets.
“Nice to see you, too.” Leigh ducks her head as if she’s embarrassed, and I realize the last time they saw each other, Leigh was storming out the door. I give her hand a squeeze, silently letting her know that everything is okay.
After we take the two empty seats at the table, the detective clears his throat and starts from the beginning.
“It was pretty much a closed case when a local business owner near the arena came forward with the evidence. We thought we had scanned every surveillance camera around the crime scene, but we did miss one. The scene we witnessed on the recording was enough to clear Mr. Wallace of any suspicion.”
“What took the owner of the restaurant so long to come forward with the tape?” Josie questions.
“It’s complicated.” The detective looks away in an attempt to avoid her question.
“Complicated or incriminating?” she fires back, not letting him off the hook.
“Does it matter, Josie?” I ask. “If the owner took a payoff or some bullshit, let him be. He came forward with it, didn’t he?”
“The owner didn’t take a payoff. He was under the impression his security system was down when the screens went black. It seems the day before the murder, a few of the cameras went down. He called in a tech to fix it, but they couldn’t get one out until a few weeks ago.”
“And?” Josie eggs on.
“And, if one of his employees hadn’t been hooking up with the cook out back for a while now, he never would’ve looked back on the tapes and saw the footage. It seemed the tech was able to recover all the security footage. The cameras weren’t down, it was just a faulty connecter that failed. Luckily, that connector was only the one of three. That one sent the picture back to view but still let the footage be recorded on the hard drive.”
Josie nods at the detective’s explanation before taking a deep breath.
“So, my client is out of options at this point?” Mrs. Holt says, flipping through paperwork.
“The only options he really has is to plead guilty and ask for leniency. Otherwise he heads to trial, and he doesn’t want the whole world seeing that footage.”
Leigh squeezes my hand under the table, and I return the subtle gesture. We’ll talk once everyone leaves, but for now, I don't want her to miss a word being said.
“How will my client be effected?” Josie asks.
The detective turns toward her, answering, “We will release a public statement clearing your client of all suspicions. He will be free to go about life as he always has.”
Josie scoffs. “Hardly. This investigation has harmed my client in more ways than one. He’s lost all his sponsors because of this and the league has suspended him.” Leigh squeezes my fingers again. I hadn’t told her about any of that. I hadn’t wanted her to worry.
“He'd be allowed to compete again.”
“Who's going to sponsor him after this? Everyone will look at him as a liability that he'll tarnish their names with another mistake. I don't see my client bouncing back so easily from this.”
“My client will also make a public apology,” Mark’s lawyer chimes in.
Shooting her a sharp glare, Josie takes a calming breath before speaking. “An apology from your client is neither necessary nor is it wanted. Mr. Wallace’s PR team will have to work overtime to clean up the mess your client made in the first place when he set this in motion. Mark should count himself lucky that my client doesn’t want to sue him for defamation of character.”
“I think we’re done here for the night,” the detective offers in light of the growing tension.
“I think that’s a good idea, Detective Mason,” Josie agrees.
Mark’s lawyer and the detective stand from their seats and gather their belongings before showing themselves out.
Leaving only Josie, Leigh, and me. No one speaks. It’s as if we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop. It was all so easy. Five minutes of camera footage and the whole damn situation dissolved. The silence in the room is deafening. The only thing I hear is the ringing in my ears and the pounding of my heart.
I'm free.
I'm free to go back into the world. Although, I'm sure there will still be some unwanted attention from the media and angry fans who think I did it—I’m innocent.
I always knew what happened to Lauren wasn't my fault. I stood there and watched it happen. To me, having to hide out in a tower was ludicrous—unfathomable. Yet, it shoved me down the path that brought me back to Leigh. I’ve been here, tucked away with her for what seems like such a long time that I'm not sure I'll know what to do with myself as a free man.
“So, what does this mean? You’re going to go back to fighting?” Leigh breaks the silence.
My head snaps in her direction, and I fumble with my words. “I could. I’m allowed to. I’m not sure what I'd do otherwise. But I don't have to,” I offer, and I know they were all the wrong words when hurt floods her eyes and her shoulders drop.
“You swore you weren't going to leave.”
“I did, but then we got into the argument, and I didn't think you wanted me to stay.”
The scraping of a chair on the hardwood floor causes us to look in the direction. Josie stands from her seat and gathers paperwork from the table.
“I'm going to see myself out. It looks like the two of you need to have a long conversation about what comes next. I'll call you tomorrow, Rook.”
I give her a sad smile, nodding my head in agreement. “Sounds good. Thanks for everything, Jos.”
When she’s gone, I search for anything to focus on besides Leigh, who is currently staring holes in the side of my face.
“I came here to apologize tonight.” The sadness dripping from her voice breaks me.
I turn slowly, conscious of where she is and how close I am to her. When I catch her beautiful eyes, the wetness threatening to spill over from them engulfs me.
“Apologize for what, baby?”
“For yelling at you the other day. For telling you I needed time when I only needed you. For lying when I said this wasn’t your home anymore. For leaving you.” She pauses. “For blaming you about the media shit.”
“You were upset.”
“I was being a bitch, Rook.”
I chuckle, then I push away from the table, scoot her chair a bit, and fall to my knees in front of her. She lets me lace my fingers through hers, and not knowing what to even say, I lean down and kiss each one of her knuckles until the words come.
“You're not a bitch. You're far from it. What you are is an amazing woman who has emotions and ideas of her own. You're a woman who has goals and morals that you won't bend or break unless you want to. You're a fighter—my fighter, Leigh.”
“Your fighter,” she sighs, running a free hand through my hair.
“Don't knock yourself down. I can hear you doing it in your tone. You should never kick yourself, baby.”
“I am not.”
Crawling up her, I take her face in my hands and look her in the eyes. “You are a terrible liar. We don't lie to each other, remember? We can lie to everyone else, but you and I, we always tell the truth. So, try that line again.”
“Rook, stop being so damn nice to me when I don’t deserve it. Stop making everything seem so simple when it isn’t.”
Giving her a crooked smile, I play along. “What’s not simple? I love you, and you love me, right?”
She nods her head in agreement. “Yes. But I’m insane when I’m around you. I’m not me. I’m a crazy person. It’s not normal to be so damn emotional all the time—constantly worrying about what’s going to happen next. Being in love with you makes me lose my shit. Look what I’ve done already—I’ve freaked out on you when you didn’t deserve it. I blamed you when it wasn’t your fault. I’ve been a certified bitch when you deserved kindness. I’m full of uncertainty. I mean, if you leave, what’s going to happen to me? I’ll be known as the crazy bitch who constantly whines
about the guy that got away,” she rambles.
In an attempt to look away from me, she adverts her eyes, but I stop it from happening. “I won't leave you unless you want me to, Leigh. You say the word and I stay. You say the word and I go. It’s always been your choice.,” I pause, “I love you, Ryleigh O’Donnell. I won't fuck this up a second time.”
Her lips part and her breaths grow short and ragged.
I'm turning her on with my speech.
With a small sparkle appearing in the corner of her eye, she places a lingering kiss on my lips.
“Can we talk more about this tomorrow? Right now, I need you.”
Hesitation consumes every inch of me as she unthreads our fingers and begins removing her tank top
I want to make love to her. I want to kiss and suck every inch of her—worship her. But, as much as I want it, I won't do it tonight. I won't let her use sex to hide from our harsh reality. I won't let her bury another emotion away until a later date.
I won't let her hide from me.
“Baby, put your shirt back on,” I whisper, hating myself for even saying the damn words. I really want to lean forward and run my tongue along her hip.
She pulls it down and looks at me confused. “Why? Did I do something wrong? Did I go too fast? Are you still mad?”
“No, none of that. It’s because I love you. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't go too fast, and I'm not mad.”
I lean forward and kiss her lips softly, silencing whatever she is about to say and making a promise without words. With that kiss I promise her I'll never take advantage of her when she's in a vulnerable state. I'll never hurt her or do wrong by her. I’ll only love her.
“Let's spend the night together. Let's stay up and have a few drinks. Let's bullshit and talk about old times without all the heavy shit. Let's be us, baby.”
“Are you sure?”
“I'm sure. We can order takeout if you want. Do you still love Chinese food as much as you used to?”
She cocks a brow at me, nodding. “General Tso’s is still my all-time favorite. I can't believe you remember.”
“I remember more than that.” I tease. “If I recall, you seemed to have a favorite movie too. Hmm, what was it called again? King Dong?”
She lets out an extremely loud laugh, slapping me playfully on the chest. “That's a porn title, Rook! It's Kong! Though, I have watched them both.”
“My bad,” I apologize, jokingly.
“Okay, so I'll go grab the booze from downstairs and you grab the movie. Change into something comfy, and I'll be back in five?” she proposes.
“I'll be waiting, babe.” I throw her a wink, watching her as she stands and then my eyes stay locked on the sway of her hips as she walks out the door.
How could I ever think about giving her up? She's amazing, beautiful, sexy, and smart—the package most men dream about. And, she's mine, or at least I hope she’ll be.
Because in my book, dating a woman like Ryleigh O’Donnell isn’t enough. You marry a woman like her. Put a ring on her finger before you lose your shot with her.
I can only hope the time will come for us because I can only imagine what it'd be like to help her strip out of a wedding dress.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ryleigh
Waking up in Rook’s arms is the best feeling there is. If every morning could be like this, I’d stay the happiest woman alive. There’s something about being safe and secure in his grasp that gets me every single time. He’s my protector.
“Stop fidgeting,” he chuckles, pulling me in closer.
“I can’t sleep.”
I spin around so I can face him, and the sight before me is breathtaking. Rook’s hair is a mess from a good night’s sleep while his shirtless chest makes my mouth water.
“We don’t have to sleep,” he says. “Let’s lie around for a while. I don’t want to get out of bed yet. You’re too damn comfortable.”
I’m about to agree, but my phone rings on the nightstand, making my decision for me. Rook groans, loosening his grip on me.
“I can ignore it.” I smile seductively.
He returns my sly grin but shakes his head. “Get it, babe. It might be important.”
Obliging, I roll over and snatch my phone off the nightstand. When an unknown number flashes across the screen, I answer.
“Hello?”
There is nothing but silence on the other end. This isn’t the first time someone has called but hasn’t said a word. It was happening a lot a few months ago, but it slowed down to once or twice a week.
Whoever is pranking me is in for a rude awakening when I figure out who they are.
“Hello?” I ask again.
Click.
“Who was it?” Rook questions, sitting up in the bed.
“I have no clue. This has been going on for a while now off and on. I say hello and the person hangs up.”
“Maybe it’s the wrong number?” he suggests.
“I highly doubt it. They call the bar and my cell. It has to be someone I know.”
“Susan?”
“No. She wouldn’t call me after everything she did. She knows better than to fuck with me.”
“I don’t know who else it could be, babe,” he says softly. “Do you think it could be my brother?”
A sarcastic laugh rips from my throat as I settle back into bed. “I highly doubt it. He hates me after this mess, especially now that he knows I lied to him for you.”
The words slip from my mouth before I can think. And, as soon as I realize what I’ve said, I’m apologizing profusely.
“It wasn’t an insult to me, Leigh. There’s no reason to apologize. It’s the truth. My brother is pissed off at you because you were protecting me.”
“But you didn’t ask for that,” I defend what I’ve said.
“In a way, I did. I asked you not to tell anyone I was here, and before that, I asked you not to tell him you talked to me. So, you’re right.”
“Nobody could’ve known you were here, Rook.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, he scrubs his hand over his face. “No. I didn’t want anyone to know I was here. There’s a difference. I was being selfish. I never thought what kind of shit I would cause between you and Trent.”
“It’s not a big deal. We’ll bounce back from it. That’s the way it’s always been with us.”
Rook leans in and places a delicate kiss on my forehead before he whispers. “I’ll fix it.”
Panic sets in, leaving me fumbling my words and my heart thumping in my chest. I don’t need Rook to fix me and Trent. I don’t want him placing anymore blame on himself when it wasn’t entirely his fault.
“No. It’s all right. I don’t—” I get cut off by the sound of a knock on the door.
Rook and I look to each other, confused by who’d be showing up at seven thirty in the morning. No one called us to say they were stopping by, so who the hell could it be?
“Get dressed, babe. I’ll grab the door,” he offers, scooting out of bed.
When I look down at myself, I realize I’m in an oversized shirt of his and nothing else. I slide out of bed and head to the bathroom, which is where I left my clothes last night after a shower.
I pull on the wrinkled clothes, run a toothbrush over my teeth, and yank a brush through my hair. Looking somewhat presentable, I step back into the bedroom and hear Rook talking to someone. A male someone by the voice. The guest and Rook talk like their old buddies, which I’m thankful for. I can’t handle anymore drama.
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, I move to the door and join Rook and his guest.
A muscular man with sandy brown hair tied in a man bun greets me with an eager smile. “You must be Leigh. Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I stare at him perplexed, trying to recall if Rook described this man once before and the name that went with it.
“This asswipe didn’t talk about me I see.” He chuckles, elbow
ing Rook in the ribs.
“No. I’m sorry.” I pause, glancing at Rook. “I’m not sure I recall him talking about you.”
Laughing even louder, the man extends his hand. “I’m Luke—trainer and friend.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Luke.” I smile a smile I don’t mean. This guy could be the greatest guy in the Universe, but he could still take Rook away from me again.
“It’s just like Reaper to leave the guy who’s kept him undefeated and in shape under the radar. Then again, it’s also like him to brag about you for as long as I’ve known him.”
I smile at his compliment but figure it’s pointless to dance around what I really want to know.
“So, does this mean you’re going to be whisking my guy back to California?”
Luke’s smile grows larger by the second, and it makes me sick to my stomach.
“I hope so! That’s why I’m here. We have to get him back in the game, and after him being out for so long, his ranks have dropped. Should I expect to add a plus one this season?” His smile is so big by now that I can see his damn molars.
The insinuation he makes has my stomaching knotting inside. The thought alone of leaving my life and being Rook’s plus one should have me heading for the hills, but it’s not that easy. If the time comes where he wants to leave again, I’ll have to make the choice of whether to let him go or beg him to stay. Rook told me that he wanted to be with me, and I believe him. I just don’t know if he knows that when I agreed, I thought that meant here and not there.
“We’ll see,” I answer with a falsely chipper tone.
“I don’t even know if I’m going back, Luke.” Finally Rook breaks his silence.
My eyes catch Rook’s, and by the look he has, I can tell he’s worried about where this conversation will go. I can see how torn he is over how to answer Luke’s question.
But, the decision will have to be made eventually.