Chapter 14
NATE
Half my team was tucked away in a hotel bar just off the main lobby.
It was loud and cramped by the time I walked in.
We had a late-afternoon game tomorrow, but that didn’t stop some of the rookies from treating this like a spring break trip rather than an NFL away game.
I sighed when I spotted one of them sloshing a drink on his shirt as he laughed loudly, nearly taking out a woman as she passed him by.
“Hey, Shawn,” I called out, walking around a few tables to get to him.
“Are you trying to make tomorrow a complete shit show for all of us?”
He stumbled backward while holding a shot of tequila. “I’m fine, I swear.”
“Famous last words,” I said, taking the shot glass out of his hands. “We have a big game tomorrow and need everyone to perform their best. I’m not interested in watching you puke your brains out on the sidelines, so dial it back.”
“I always play my best, and I can hold my liquor just fine.” He slurred and put his hand on my shoulder. He was a little shorter than my six-foot-two frame. While he had more muscle than me, challenging the team captain wasn’t very smart.
I stared down at him. “Remove your hand now, or we’re going to have a real problem.”
He backed up, holding his hands out. “Sorry, Nate, I meant no disrespect.”
I wasn’t trying to be a buzzkill, but it was my responsibility as team captain to look out for these young guys who were just learning about being a celebrity.
I glanced at the table and counted all the empty drink glasses. “I think it’s time you switch to water and get some food in your stomach.”
“Come on, man,” Shawn whined. “It’s only ten thirty. Curfew is at eleven. One more, then I’m done.”
“Listen to Grandpa,” Jax said, throwing a hand around my shoulder and pointing to a few coaches lurking around.
Road games always turned into this. The guys just wanted to blow off steam, while the coaches pretended they didn’t notice, until the shit hit the fan. Then, you had the occasional reporters lingering nearby, like pesky flies looking for a place to land.
I shook my head and pointed a finger at Shawn. “You’ll thank me tomorrow.”
I signaled for the bartender to switch Shawn’s tequila for a bottled water.
A few of the veteran players booed as I slid onto my barstool and ordered a sparkling water with lime. The pressure of being the team captain was starting to show, along with my age.
Ryder was leaning back on his stool, nursing his beer. “How’s the shoulder feeling? It seems like you’ve been living in the training room lately.”
I rolled it back to give it a good stretch. “It’s fine. A little tight, but nothing worth talking about. I’m just trying to stay on top of it.”
I told everyone the same thing when they asked.
It wasn’t a lie, just not the whole truth.
The shoulder was manageable, but there was a dull ache that I learned to live with.
It was more annoying than painful. The training staff constantly focused on it.
I tried to keep it quiet. If I complained, it would only draw attention to it.
The guys had no idea how bad it was last year or how close I came to not playing this season.
“Good.” He nodded and pulled out his phone. “Everyone is chirping about the matchup tomorrow.”
“Trust me, I know.” I rolled the sleeves of my dress shirt up and rested my elbows on the bar top.
Jax held out a basket of wings and passed it around. I lifted my head when I heard a familiar, obnoxious laugh from the other side of the room.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Across the bar, leaning against the counter, was my ex-agent, Brian Sullivan.
What the hell was he doing in Chicago, or better yet, in the same hotel as me?
Jax followed my gaze. “Oh, hell no.”
Brian caught me looking. He lifted his glass and gave me a smug smile that I had once mistook for competence.
“Wonder what the fuck he’s doing here,” Ryder muttered next to me.
“I heard he’s trying to rep Mosey,” Jax said, turning his back to him.
Mosey was a defensive back for Chicago. He recently got himself tangled up in some legal trouble. Last I heard, he lost a few endorsements after his DWI arrest. The guy had a reputation for making bad decisions. He and Brian deserved each other.
“Just pretend he’s not here.” Jax shook his head and stared down at his drink.
“Too late,” I said when I spotted him coming our way.
I didn’t want to do this. Not tonight. Not here. The thing with Brian, though, was that he loved attention. Loved power and got off on making people uncomfortable.
“There he is,” Brian said as he reached us. “It’s my favorite former client.”
“I got nothing to say to you.”
He smiled, happy that he got a reaction out of me. “Can’t a guy just say hello?”
“No.” My voice was tight as I held his stare.
God, I hated the guy.
He sipped his whiskey. “Heard the season is going well. How’s the shoulder feeling?”
My body locked up tight. He knew how to poke.
“I didn’t realize you were so concerned about me.”
His mouth curved. Smug bastard. “Just checking in to see how your career is going without me.”
My jaw flexed. “Never better.”
“Good for you.” He sipped his drink. “I’d hate for unnecessary problems to start affecting your focus.” He held my stare a little bit too long. “Enjoy your night, gentlemen.”
Then he walked off.
“What an ass.” Ryder scoffed.
“Is he still giving you trouble?” Jax asked, grabbing a wing from the basket.
I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “Yeah.”
No point in lying. They knew pieces of it, just not the whole story.
They assumed he had just been up my ass since I fired him, acting as if I owed him something.
Cutting ties with Brian was supposed to bring me freedom, but since then, he’s been holding shit over my head.
Things no one knew about, and I’d never felt more trapped in my life.
“Un-fucking real.” Ryder shook his head. “The asshole has been riding your coattails for years. Now he’s trying to screw you over, acting as if you owe him something.”
I blew out a breath. “Even if I do end up having to pay him, it will be worth it.”
Peace of mind had to count for something, right?
Because I was done letting people get close and use me for their own personal gain.
Brian had been in my life since I signed my first contract.
I trusted him because I was supposed to.
I thought loyalty meant something. As it turned out, it only meant something when money was to be made.
“He’s just pissed because you cut him loose after his sister screwed you over.”
“Yeah,” I said, staring down at my water. “Doesn’t stop him from trying to milk me dry.”
I dragged a hand over the back of my neck, trying to shove football back into the front of my brain, but my patience was shot.
I didn’t want to give the asshole any more space in my head. I made a promise to myself that I would keep my distance and let my attorney handle everything. That was easier said than done. Brian knew how to push my buttons and didn’t know when to quit.
The conversation slowly shifted back to football. Jax and Ryder started bickering over a rookie who missed a block at practice and ran the wrong route.
I had barely settled myself back down when someone approached me from the side.
“Evening, gentlemen. How’s it going?”
I turned around slightly on my stool. Becca’s coworker, an older guy with slicked-back white hair and mustache to match, planted himself against the bar, like he’d been invited over for a drink.
Jax gave him a polite nod. “Evening, Joe. Didn’t know you were on duty this weekend.”
Joe chuckled, his belly shaking, and acting like that was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “I’m always on duty.” He waved the bartender over. “I’ll have a Canadian Club on the rocks.” Then he turned around. “You fellas ready for the big game tomorrow?”
Jax leaned back, stretching his arms. “We’re always ready.”
His gaze drifted over to me. “How is the one-on-one going?”
“Fine. Why?”
He let out a hefty laugh. “Becca is an ambitious gal. She can get a little carried away sometimes, so if she gives you any trouble, you let me know, and I’ll handle it.”
There was something in his tone that was dismissive and condescending, which I didn’t like. Judging by the look Jax and Ryder exchanged, they didn’t either.
My grip tightened on my glass. “If I have any issues, I’ll take it up with her directly. I’m pretty sure she can hold her own.”
“Indeed, she can.” He smirked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, she has a pretty face and gets doors open, but she’s still learning what to do once she’s inside. Those looks will only get you so far, if you know what I mean.” He winked.
A slow burn spread through my chest. I was pissed at how easily he was undercutting her. Jax and Ryder shifted beside me, sensing my dislike for this asshole reporting dinosaur.
I set my drink down carefully. “Becca is good at her job. Her looks have nothing to do with it.”
“Oh, I’m sure if you looked at her résumé, she has the credentials,” he said, not sounding very convinced.
“But the industry sure has changed since I first started. Used to be about experience. Now, it’s more about appearance.
Do you really think she would have gotten the job if she didn’t look the way she does? ”
I tilted my head to the side, feeling my jaw tighten. “Becca wouldn’t have a seat in the press room if she weren’t qualified. It sounds to me like you don’t give her enough credit. Maybe it’s you who needs to hustle a bit more, Joe.”
He chuckled under his breath, like he didn’t know what to do with himself. “She’s a hard worker but still has a lot to learn.” He tipped his cheap whiskey back and pushed his protruding belly away from the bar. “Enjoy your evening, boys. Good luck tomorrow.”
Jax whistled once he was out of earshot. “Damn. That dude is a piece of work.”
Ryder smirked. “I do love how you came to her defense.”
“He was out of line.” I scoffed. And what the fuck was it with these assholes tonight?