Chapter 7
SLOANE
“Sloane, can I have a word with you?” Gerald asks me when we get off the bus.
My anxiety spikes, but I paste a smile on my face. I’m good at making myself appear calm and collected when I’m anything but.
“Of course,” I tell him. He also holds my future in the palm of his hand, but he doesn’t want to leverage that power the same way his star center does.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he offers.
I collect my bag from the under storage on the bus and follow him to my car.
“I won’t keep you. I’m sure you must have a young man you’re excited to see.”
A nervous giggle escapes me before I mentally slap myself. “No, there’s no one. Just my family. I am anxious to get back to them.”
His brow furrows. I’m twenty-one, there should be a young man. I guess there is, but he’s ten. Not quite what Gerald was asking.
“My dad has never recovered from my mother’s passing.
He doesn’t have the best track record looking after himself, let alone my little brother.
I’m anxious to make sure he was taken care of while I was gone,” I explain.
I’m not sure why I give him a little of my sad backstory.
Gerald Deveraux has a presence that makes you want to turn to him for support and approval.
He nods his head. I think if anyone would understand familial obligations, it would be him.
“Is he going to be okay with you traveling so much? I can speak to Audra and get someone else assigned to Knox if so,” he offers.
“No,” I blurt out. If he gets me removed from this assignment I’ll lose my job for sure. I know he’s only trying to help, but I can’t lose my job. “I can handle this. One of the ladies from church has promised she’d be able to drop by when I have to be out of town.”
“If you’re sure. I know that this is a big job for someone as young as you are. I’m sure she’d understand the extenuating circumstances.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s even finished speaking. “She won’t. She told me that if I don’t come through for you I won’t be able to finish my internship. I need this to graduate at the end of the semester. I promise I will give this my all.”
Hell, I’ve already given more than I ever intended to.
“Well, you’ve done a great job so far. The press releases you issued managed to stem the bleeding, but it isn’t enough to get the tabloids to stop the smear campaign.
Knox needs to get back on top. He’s had some bad luck lately, and I don’t like the dark path he’s following.
If we can get the fans back on his side I think I’ll get my boy back. ”
I cock my head to the side, studying him. “They really are family to you, aren’t they?”
“Knox, Asher, Weston, and Jude have been with me for sixteen years now. That’s unheard of in professional sports.
I know I’ve only got one season, maybe two with them left, and I’d like to see them finish strong.
Doing so means they will have endorsements and other business opportunities for the rest of their careers.
The transition from being a professional athlete to a retired one can be difficult, and I want to see the four of them succeed.
I’d love to see them settled and married, but I can’t seem to get them around to see it my way.
If Knox is viewed as some kind of abuser I’m afraid he’ll never get that chance. ”
“So this isn’t just about the team’s reputation?”
He shakes his head. “That’s a part of it, naturally, but no. I want the best for my boys. I wanted to see what thoughts you had on trying to repair his image.”
“I have some ideas. The usual volunteering and charity work won’t do it.
The public would see it as disingenuous.
I hate to say it, but I think we’re going to have to go on the offense.
The problem started with his ex-girlfriend, and we need to expose her.
But it can’t be seen as coming from us, or it would just look like retaliation. ”
“What do you suggest then?” he asks.
“I’m afraid that Knox is going to have to do some interviews.
We also need to figure out how to expose the story that he caught her cheating.
It’s not going to be easy to do,” I admit.
First, Knox has been as silent as the grave when it comes to what happened.
I’m not sure if it’s male ego, or just a complete lack of concern for what people think of him.
“I hired an investigator to dig up dirt on the guy. I believe there’s enough he’s uncovered already to slip a few stories to the press,” he says.
“How?” I ask.
It isn’t that the idea hadn’t occurred to me, but this far after the fact people would just assume that she was seeing someone else now that her relationship with Knox fell apart.
“Madison is a socialite. There are a few people who like to follow that type of gossip. Add the fact she’s been the exclusive partner of a famous athlete for the last four years, and there are some photos of them at dinners where it is clear she didn’t want to be seen.
I have some contacts that would be willing to leak that kind of story.
I need you to be prepared though, because Knox is likely to spin out again when it does release. ”
“Aren’t you going to warn him?” I ask, uncomfortable with how willing he is to go behind Knox’s back, even if it is for his own good.
“If I warn him he’ll try to stop me. He may act like he hates her, but Knox is a protector. He wouldn’t want to hurt her, even now.”
“He must have really loved her,” I murmur.
I’m not sure why hearing this is hurting me. Knox made it more than clear that he only wanted my body. As much as I am trying to guard my heart, my body is confused. I’m not experienced enough to completely pull my feelings behind a wall of ice the way that he can.
Gerald pats my shoulder. “Don’t you worry about it. Maybe for now you can focus on humanizing him. If the fans see him as a person with a heart, perhaps when I manage to get the news out they will gravitate to his side.”
It makes sense. It’s what I have been thinking of doing.
“Do you have a social media manager?” I ask.
The team has been pretty absent from that space.
It makes sense because they are an older team.
They’ve been neglecting a huge fanbase. Women are turning to the sport in droves thanks to popular romance novels.
There’s been some big scandals surrounding the handling of social media and teams. I would have to be cautious with my approach so I didn’t divulge too much of their private lives.
It’s a delicate balance, but in this case I think it’s a necessary one to try and navigate.
Gerald smiles at me. “I was hoping you’d take that task on. I want you with the team when we’re on the road, and this will provide you the cover so it doesn’t look like we’ve hired someone to manage Knox. It will make him look guilty, and he’s not.”
“I can do that. I’ll gather the equipment I’ll need before we hit the road again,” I agree.
“If you need help taking care of your brother, let me know. You’re part of the family now too. We take care of our own at the Titans.”
I paste on my fake smile again. I would love nothing more than to belong to a loyal group who look after each other, but my situation with Knox would always come in between me and being truly a part of them.
I let myself into the house, and the smell almost sends me back out the front door.
How in the hell have they managed to trash this place in two days?
This was a short road trip. The next one will last a couple of weeks.
How in the hell am I supposed to leave the two of them alone if it smells like they have been melting plastic?
There are dishes left all over the house with half eaten meals. Shoes are discarded wherever they were kicked off, and there are piles of beer cans scattered all over the living room.
I sigh, and close the door behind me. I guess I’ve got a long night ahead of me. All I want to do after being away for two days, and the emotional turmoil yesterday provided, is get in bed, but it seems that my bed will have to wait while I deal with this mess first.
Tying my long hair back, I head to the kitchen for a garbage bag.
My brother flies down the stairs when I’ve got half the bag filled, and he winces seeing me cleaning up after them.
He’s only ten, so I don’t want to tell him I’m disappointed.
Only one of us needs to grow up early. I will preserve his childhood for as long as I can.
It’s the last thing I will ever be able to do for her.
“Hey, Sloane. Sorry about the mess. I tried to make dinner for me and Dad, but I kinda burned one of the big spoons. Are you mad?” Xander asks.
I reach out and ruffle his coppery brown hair.
He looks so much like Mom it hurts to look at him sometimes.
I wonder if that’s why Dad mostly ignores him.
That, and the fact that she put off treatment when she found out she was pregnant with him.
After he was born she fought hard, but I’m afraid the cancer spread too much while she waited.
I don’t hold it against him, because as hard as that decision was to accept, it was hers to make.
She loved every day she got with her little man, there just weren’t a lot of them.
Three years was all she got, and I know she treasured them.
I won’t disrespect her by holding her choices against him.
I can’t say the same for our dad though.
I’m going to have to figure out something before I leave town again. If this is what happens after two days, I doubt the two of them can survive two weeks without me.
A knock on the door makes me jump, but then I realize that I never told Mrs. Jones I was back. She’s probably coming to check on Xander like I’d asked.
“Coming,” I call out, and open the door without looking.
My mouth falls open when I see Knox standing on our porch. I move to step out to speak to him, but he pushes past me and enters my house. My shabby, messy, smelly house.
To say I’m embarrassed would be an understatement.
He looks around, taking in the shape of things, and his jaw hardens.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my shock turning to horror knowing what he’s seeing.
“You ran away from me when we got into Portland.”
“I didn’t run from you.” I totally did. “I needed to come and see how my brother was after being gone for a couple of days.” Totally true.
He notices my brother then, and the aura of anger melts away from him. He crouches down to Xander’s level and extends his hand. “You must be the man of the house.”
My brother grins, showing off the tooth he recently lost. He’s growing up so fast, but it’s normal things like a missing tooth that remind me how much he still needs me to be mother and father for him.
Xander puffs out his chest. “I’m Xander, Sloane’s brother.”
“I’m the man of the house,” my father slurs, coming down the hallway from his room.
Knox rises to his full height. The hard look is back on his face. Still, he doesn’t lash out like I expect. He offers my father his hand. “Knox Rennick,” he greets my father.
My dad enthusiastically shakes his hand. “I have to tell you, that was a hell of a game you played last night. My girl told me that she was working for the team, but I thought she must be selling tickets or something.”
“No, sir. She’s my publicist. Which reminds me, I really need to steal her. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
I flap my hands. I’m tired, there’s way too much to do, and my body is way too sore to have any more of the kind of discussions Knox is looking for.
He shifts his attention to me and smirks. I can see the challenge in his eyes for me to deny him, and so before I open my mouth to protest, I flatten my lips instead.
“Good girl,” he mouths.
The bastard knows I want to refuse him. He also knows now exactly how much control he has over me. Anyone would be desperate to leave this place. There’s no way I can unless I can start making enough money to take care of my brother.
There’s only one thread I can pull. Even Knox can’t be as heartless to refuse me.
I pull him aside. “I’m not refusing you, but look at this place. I have a lot to do. I can’t just leave right now.”
The muscle in his jaw tics again. “I don’t see how this should fall on you. You didn’t make this mess, and there’s an adult here.”
I scoff. “Please, my father is a burden not an adult.” I slap my hand over my mouth. I’m not supposed to be confiding in him. Those are the acts of lovers, and I’m his plaything. Nothing more.
He pulls his phone from his pocket. “Henry, I need you to send a cleaning crew over to 314 Parsons Street.”
My mouth falls open. I should have guessed he would bulldoze over whatever obstacle I put in front of him, even if it isn’t one I made myself.
Still, I couldn’t just leave my brother here. Coming home to the house like this proved that my dad couldn’t be trusted to look after his own child even for a little while.
I watch as Knox turns the charm back on. “Little man, how about you go throw some clothes in a bag and come with us?”
Xander loves hockey, so he’s already got some hero worship going for Knox. I won’t tell the cocky center, but he’s Xander’s favorite player. He’s got posters and other memorabilia all over his room. I think it began as a way for him to connect to our dad, not that it worked.
“Can we?” Xander asks me.
I nod, knowing I can’t really refuse. If I’m honest with myself, even if being with Knox too much is difficult for me, I can’t say that being in this house is any safer for my heart. No matter what Knox does to me, he can’t break my heart as much as my father already has.