Chapter 31
Amir
Marcus laughed when Jeffrey showed him the picture Remi had sent earlier.
I’d barely been able to stop smiling. Tommy had been working at the bar for only three nights, but Remi had already gotten a hoodie for Loki that said ‘Security Pawficer’ across the back.
He’d taken a picture with all three of them, and he had a giant smile on his face while he gave a thumbs up.
Loki seemed just as happy about the whole thing, and Tommy was tolerating it.
Clearly, this man was a nurturer. Avery had even mentioned how much Mal talked about him. I knew that she video called him too, and I doubted he ever let it go to voicemail.
He was remarkable.
I was glad this was my last game in Texas. I’d be on a plane tonight, and I couldn’t wait.
“You’re next on the lineup when we’re at bat,” Shawn told me.
I sat up. “Thank God.”
“Someone’s excited,” Jeffrey said.
“This guy’s been cocky every time he’s on the mound. You see that smirk he does when he gets the ball past us?”
“Yeah, welcome to ninety percent of the pitchers in the league.”
“Doesn’t McKinney wink at you every time he strikes you out?” Kev asked.
With a snort, I tugged my batting glove onto my left hand. “There’s not a single malicious cell in Trav’s body.”
“Tell that to Tony.”
“Tony’s a piece of shit,” Jeffrey pointed out before I could. “Whatever happened, he deserved it.”
I nodded. “Glad it’s his final season.”
“No room for bigots in the big leagues.” He held his fist out to me for some reason, so I bumped it.
“Out with the old, in with the new.”
“In with you. You’re the one people have their eyes on this season.”
“Because of all the drama.”
“Nah, it’s the way you swing that bat.” He hit an imaginary ball and made a sound with his tongue.
Kev nudged me with his elbow. “Free agent after this season. Keep it up and you’ll be the shiny new toy every team wants.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I’m also a PR nightmare.”
“Bah, it means less than you make it seem. They’ll deal with your string of bad boys if you perform for them.”
“We’re just a barrel of monkeys in tight pants,” Jeffrey added. “They don’t tell you this, but even bad media attention is good for them. What’d Remi do to get the restraining order anyway?”
“The wicked witch said it wasn’t against him, remember?” Kev said.
“No? Man, I thought he was edgy.”
“It was with some dude named Colton.”
“What a douchebag name. Is he a douchebag?”
I frowned, staring out at the field instead of at them. “Let’s not talk about it.”
“I’m sure we’ll get an update soon,” Jeffrey whispered to Kev.
I got to my feet and moved closer to the guardrail. With my arms folded on the edge, I crossed my ankles as our pitcher wound up for his throw.
I hated that people followed those stories so closely, even my freaking teammates.
The entire six years I’d been in the major leagues, I’d been careful about keeping my life as private as I could manage.
Now, it was impossible to hide. Clara couldn’t uncover anything all that juicy about me, so she was targeting Remi, and I hated that.
I didn’t care that he claimed it didn’t bother him. It was wrong.
Even though he resented my attempts to protect him, that was all I wanted to do.
I had no clue how much more there was to find, and it didn’t really matter.
It wasn’t like he had some crime-ridden past. I’d done a background check and found nothing concerning.
But if there was anything at all she could use to sully his reputation, and therefore mine, she would no doubt find it.
“Darya,” Shawn said.
Readjusting my glove, I grabbed my bat and jogged up the steps onto the field. This guy was going to drop that damn smirk.
*****
“I’m home!” I called, dropping my bag beside the door.
Remi appeared in the entryway, his footsteps silent. I thought he’d be excited, but his mouth was tight and there was a dark look in his eyes.
“What is it?”
Wrapping his arms around himself, he leaned against the frame. “Nothing. How was the flight?”
I took him by both biceps. “Tell me.”
“Maybe you can guess who Oli had a run-in with after he got out of class.”
“You’re kidding. Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
He moved away from me and headed into the kitchen. I watched as he cracked open a beer and took a long swig. After a second, he shook his head and escaped into the backyard. I followed, unsure what to do or say.
When he sparked a cigarette, I decided to step closer. “I haven’t seen you smoke in a while.”
“That’s because I’m not addicted. It’s just a stress thing.”
“Is Oli upset?”
He let out a dry laugh. “Oli is a hard guy to upset. He’s not exactly happy, but that’s for my sake.”
“How’d she target him?”
“We’ve been best friends for fourteen years. It wouldn’t be very hard to find something connecting us.”
“But it’s been two months since she started this.”
With a shrug, he brought the cigarette to his lips. “She’s getting desperate. I made it personal, so she’s doing the same. And no doubt her little fans want more stories to gobble up. Consume, consume, consume. Don’t people know bad things harvest your negative energy?”
“I thought I was the conspiracy guy.”
“Bah.” He chewed on his nail in between pulls from the cigarette. “She needs more. Always more.”
“She wants a finale. I can’t imagine there’s anything to find that’ll give her what she wants.”
His eyes went to the oak tree. “Or you’re not thinking big enough.”
“What could she possibly uncover in your past?”
When his eyes met mine again, they were guarded. It made me move closer, but he stepped back.
“You think there aren’t some juicy tidbits she’d find interesting?” he asked. His head cocked, and like when he’d tried to pull away from me in Florida, his demeanor changed. “Yeah, she’d love to unearth all the things I buried in the dark.”
“Remi . . .”
He craned his neck to the side and gripped his arms tightly, like he wanted out of his skin. “Fucking wolves, man. She’s been circling, and I baited her like a dumbass.” Putting a hand to his head, he drew in a breath. “Thought and Memory. Of course.”
“What are you saying right now?”
He bit a piece off of his thumb nail, and his eyes became crazed. “They showed me. I just didn’t know it. The silence wasn’t a sign of abandonment; it was a warning.”
Though I had no clue what he was going on about, I nodded. “A warning of what?”
“Of what happens if I do nothing. Silence begets silence.” He shook his head, back and forth.
“The reflection of life, hanging in the balance but not attached to anything. Not grounded. It’s, um .
. .” He snapped his fingers, as if trying to catch something before it slipped away.
“The reflections weren’t real. They were like flashes, thought and memory, nothing more.
And the ink . . .” He flexed his fingers as he stared at his palm.
“I thought it was my blood, but it’s a symbol.
Those stories . . . They’ll leave nothing untouched.
This peace, this stillness, is a lie, like you said. It’ll fade, and so will I.”
“Remi, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
When he met my eyes, he blinked a few times. His throat bobbed, then he brought the cigarette to his lips. By the time he blew the smoke out, his eyes had returned to normal.
“Just rambling,” he said.
I studied his face. “Have you eaten today?”
“Don’t do that.”
“I’m just asking a question.”
“You think I’m insane.”
“You are insane.” Taking both sides of his neck, I held onto him tightly. “If you’re worried about this, I’m worried.”
“There’s no use being worried. The future’s inevitable. It always has been.”
“Should we ask Odin about that?”
A soft laugh escaped him. “Yeah, I’m sure he’s got a lot to say on the subject.”
“Baby, if she finds . . . whatever’s in your past, and she airs it to the world, I will make sure she never publishes another article. Not for any legitimate company, at least.”
“I was gay before that.”
“What?”
“It didn’t make me gay, what happened back then.”
I reared back, stunned into silence. He looked at me without an ounce of emotion on his face.
“What . . .” I tightened my grip on him. “Why the fuck would you say that?”
He shrugged.
“Remi, who the hell would think that sort of thing?”
“You haven’t been in this world for very long. It’s something people say.”
“Those people should be drawn and quartered.”
“Maybe. Look, all I’m saying is Clara has a deep-seated hatred for people like us, and I don’t want you to be surprised by what she or other people insinuate if things come to light.”
“There’s no way that’ll come to light,” I said. “It’s not the sort of thing someone comes forward and admits.”
“Yeah . . . Yeah, you’re right.”
“Good, so stop looking for hidden meaning in dreams. Given the way your mind works, I’ll go out on a limb and say they’re just unhinged creations of your subconscious. Especially those creepy ravens.”
His head cocked. “Did I mention ravens?”
“Thought and Memory.”
His expression softened, finally giving me a glimpse of the man with a tendency to lose himself to the fantastical. “Have you been reading the Eddas, baby?”
“I may have browsed a story or two,” I admitted.
Not wanting to get sappy, I dragged him into the house so that I could make some food.
He hadn’t answered the question about whether he’d eaten, but if nothing else, it would give him something to occupy his troubled mind.
I’d be here for quite a few days, but I had a game on most of them, so I had to do what I could while I had the time.