Chapter 25
NATE
I pulled my car into the garage, never feeling happier to be home in my life. Practice ran long. My shoulder ached more than usual; all I wanted was a hot shower and a good, long sleep.
I pulled my bag from the passenger seat, stepped out, and rolled my shoulder to loosen it up a bit.
A dull ache shot down my arm. I should have expected it to be a little sore after the day I had.
The first practice after having a bye week was always tough.
The beers and junk food I consumed over the weekend probably didn’t help either.
Fuck! I wasn’t sure whether to throw a bag of ice on it or down a shot of tequila to take the edge off.
I dropped my bag on the floor, peeled off my sweat-soaked practice shirt, and headed for the shower.
Today’s practice was brutal. The kind that wears your body down and makes you want to sleep for the next two weeks.
Coach Mac had noticed that my arm didn’t have my usual quick snap today.
I did everything I could to push through it and be tough.
The last thing I needed was for him to doubt my ability to lead his offense.
I stepped out of the shower, toweled off, leaving a little steam clinging to my skin, when the doorbell rang.
I froze mid-step and adjusted the towel around my waist. I grabbed my phone to pull up my security app. Whoever was standing outside my front door better have a damn good reason for showing up unannounced. I was in a mood tonight.
I clicked on the camera view outside my front door and gritted my teeth. I would recognize that blond hair anywhere. Brian, my ex-agent, leaned casually against the porch wall, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, wearing the same smug expression I’d seen more times than I could count.
I dragged a hand through my damp hair, got dressed as quickly as possible, and stalked downstairs. I needed to call the security guard at the gate and add him to the denied-entry list. Something I thought I did already.
I swung the door open, thinking he couldn’t have worse possible timing. There was a reason why I made him send all communication through my lawyer. That had been our arrangement for weeks now. Ever since this whole mess started.
I had no interest in talking to a man who was trying to blackmail me.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
His grin sharpened. “Is that any way to treat the man who helped build your career?”
I just stared at him with water still dripping down my back. “If you have something to say, call my attorney.”
“Nah, this is a little personal.” He pushed off the doorframe, acting like this was a casual visit between buddies. “I ran into a mutual friend of ours at the gym yesterday.”
“Good for you.”
The slimy bastard smiled, acting like this was a friendly conversation. As if there hadn’t been weeks of threats hanging between us. I should have slammed the damn door in his face.
“Benji Oliver says he ran into you at the Blarney Stone on Saturday night.”
My eyebrows pulled together for half a second before I schooled my expression.
I shrugged. “So what?”
“According to him, you weren’t alone.”
He was baiting me, but I laughed it off. “That would be correct. The whole team was there. Are you stalking me now?”
He held my stare. “He mentioned seeing you out with your girlfriend.”
My stomach dropped, but I did my best to keep my face neutral. I’ve had years of experience playing it straight. It shouldn’t have been that hard.
I crossed my arms, feeling my senses go on high alert. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
The second the words left my mouth, they felt wrong. It felt like I was downplaying what was happening between us.
He tilted his head. “You sure about that?”
“I think I would know if I did.”
The denial came too fast and landed wrong in my chest. But what was the alternative? Admit the truth?
“Hmm… you must just be fucking her then.” He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and held it out.
There was a blurry picture of Becca and me kissing in the upstairs corridor.
It was grainy and dark, the kind of picture that should have been easy to brush off, except one look at my hand on her neck and her lips pressed on mine, and you knew exactly what it was.
It was an intimate moment, and it pissed me off that Benji was watching us.
Brian studied my face, waiting for it to crack. I curled my fingers in my pocket, not saying a damn word. Which made it worse because all I could focus on was how fast my blood was pumping.
“Becca Hendrex, right?” he said slowly. “Kind of funny when you think about it. Of all the reporters to get involved with…”
“Since when do you care so much about what I do in my free time? She’s a reporter. So what? Kissing her in a bar isn’t a crime.”
There was no sense in denying it. It was clearly us in that photo. And I hated that he somehow got his hands on it. The guy was vicious when he wanted something. Lately, making my life miserable seemed to be at the top of his list.
He smiled. “I couldn’t agree more, so it got me thinking. Why would you need to keep it a secret?” He rubbed his chin and started pacing my living room. “So, I did some digging, and you’re never going to believe what I found.”
I stepped forward in his direction. “Your obsession with my personal life is a little concerning.”
He stopped pacing and held up his phone. “I’m not stupid, Nate.”
Yeah, that was a problem. Brian was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them.
I scrubbed a hand down my face. “Brian, I don’t know what you’re getting at, but whatever it is, leave her out of this.”
“Relax,” he said smoothly. “No one needs to know that she’s writing an article about you.” He continued, and I felt ice slide down my spine. “It would be a shame if people started questioning her credibility though.”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that he knew about Becca and me. Brian missed nothing, especially when there was something in it for him. Ever since I cut ties with him, he’s been hell-bent on making sure I paid for it.
My hands curled into fists as I stepped up and got in his face. “Don’t even think about touching her. This is between you and me. So, tell me what the fuck you want now?”
He played with the Rolex on his wrist. The same one I gave him when I signed my last contract.
“What I want is what you owe me.” His grin turned predatory.
How I ever considered this man a friend was beyond me.
“And these new developments have given me more leverage to negotiate. I figured since we were once friends and almost brothers-in-law, I owed you a face-to- face visit to hammer out the details.”
I swallowed a bitter taste of betrayal on my tongue. “You thought wrong.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You and I both know that the Hawks were never going to let you hit the open market once your contract ran out. So, of course, I had to make a few calls to see how much they were going to offer you to stay.” He shook his head.
“Three years, one hundred twenty-five point nine million. With a fifty-five million dollar signing bonus.” He whistled. “Not bad.”
This was all about to be public knowledge, but my guess was he was pissed that he wasn’t getting a cut, since I fired his ass. He hated being left out when there was money involved. “So let me guess, you want more money?”
He pushed past me, walking into my living room, acting as if he’d been robbed and was ready to cash in. “Of course, I want more money, Nate. How do you think the league would feel if they knew their star quarterback played injured and hid it from them?”
My mind went back to that day he walked into the training room and everything went sideways.
I was sitting on the exam table, getting a cortisone shot in my right shoulder. He knew right then and there that I was hurt. And he’s been dangling that over my head for weeks now.
“This is very messy, Nate. Especially now, since you’re dating Becca Hendrix. Wonder what her boss would say if they found out she was sleeping with the guy she’s been covering?”
Rage burned hot in my chest because I knew he wasn’t bluffing. That was the worst part. “I told you to leave her out of this. I will not say it again.”
“That’s kind of hard to do since she’s already in this.
So, here’s how this is going to work. You are going to pay me five million on top of my original number, or I start talking.
I would rather not do that because it might fuck up your new contract negotiations, and I need to get paid.
Plus, there’s a headline here somewhere, don’t you think?
Perhaps your new girlfriend can help you think of one. ”
I felt the muscle in my cheek twitch. I was tempted to reach forward and wrap my hands around his neck.
I wasn’t one who backed down from a scuffle, but I was afraid of what I would do if I did get my hands on him.
“Becca is no longer covering the team,” I said, hoping that would take the heat off her.
He shook his head. “Still not going to look good for you two lovebirds if word gets around. In fact, it will make you both look guilty as hell. If you two aren’t doing anything wrong, why keep your relationship a secret?”
“Who I date is nobody’s business but mine.” As much as I wished that were true, even I knew that was a weak argument.
“I disagree. You’re a pretty big deal, Nate.” He paused dramatically, acting like this was the moment he had been waiting for. “Imagine what people will say. Not a good look for your girl who is supposed to represent women in sports journalism.”
My hands balled into fists. He wasn’t just coming after me. He was threatening her, and that was something I wouldn’t tolerate. “Has anyone ever told you what a smug bastard you are?”
I have no idea how someone as sweet as Nadine could be married to someone like him.
His wife was a good woman. Went to church on Sundays and volunteered at the soup kitchen on Wednesdays. Clara was ten, and Emma was six. They were both adorable and would leave bright, hand-drawn pictures all over his office. I felt sorry for them because they deserved better than this dickhead.
His jaw tightened. “I’m getting sick of you dodging me, Nate. You are running out of time. So, set your pride aside and let’s negotiate a deal.”
“Negotiate?” I sputtered out a laugh. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“What’s interesting is how you are so hell-bent on waiting me out.”
“Why the fuck shouldn’t I? You’ve made enough money off me. Why should I give you another dime?”
“Because you know what will happen if you don’t. In case you need a reminder, if word gets out that you were on that field and deliberately lied about your health, your contract is at risk. And once rumors start about your girl, she will lose all credibility.”
I ground my teeth. “If you tell a damn soul, you can kiss your reputation goodbye. No one will want to work with you again if they find out what a sick fucker you are. This goes both ways.”
“Funny how you’re more worried about my reputation than your own.”
His laugh was mocking, and I was tempted to punch him in the face. Consequences be damned.
I walked over and held the door open for him, but the smug bastard didn’t move a muscle. “Get out before I pick your ass up and toss you out.”
A big, ugly grin spread across his face. “Seven days, or the way this will get played in public is you took advantage of a female reporter, or it will look like she slept her way to gain access to you for the interview. Either way, you’re fucked, my friend.”
Brian has always been arrogant. And that arrogance has gotten him into a lot of fucking shit.
I moved toward him and firmly gripped his arm.
It was enough force to have him stumble back a step.
“If you drag her into this, we are done talking through lawyers.” I couldn’t care less about my reputation.
I was more worried about her. “And if you even think about going near her, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands, and I have no problem taking you down with me.”
“You are not in a position to threaten me, so here’s the deal. You pay me what I want, and I’ll walk away. The way I look at it, you have more to lose than I do.”
I shoved him forward. “Get out. You piece of shit.”
He straightened his coat like he was closing a deal.
“You’ve got one week, Nate. One week to pay what I’m asking, and I expect every penny.
You’ve done very well for yourself. Ten million isn’t even a drop in the bucket for you.
So, don’t be careless and stupid or waste anymore of my time.
” His smile turned cold. “Because if you do. Then I start talking like a canary. And I’ll talk to anyone who will listen.
And trust me, your girl’s name will be the first one I mention. ”