Chapter 27
NATE
“Open up, sweet pea,” Jax called from the other side of the door. “You sounded like someone ran over your puppy on the phone.”
I shook my head and pulled the door open. Jax stepped inside first, all restless and full of energy. Ryder was behind him, scanning my face, looking for a clue or a sign as to why I had summoned them both over this late at night after such a brutal practice.
“What’s going on?” Ryder crossed his arms. His brows were pulled tight. Obviously, knowing that I didn’t ask them to come just to hang out. “I’m guessing you didn’t invite us over to play Madden with you.”
I shut the door and leaned against it, buying myself a few minutes to figure out how to tell them without sounding like a total dumbass.
“Why don’t you both have a seat?”
That got their attention. Neither one of them joked or made a smart-ass comment. They both looked at each other and dropped their asses onto the couch.
“Talk,” Jax said, cutting right to the chase.
I ran a hand down my face, exhaling slowly. “What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room. Understand? I need you both to swear your secrecy.”
Jax narrowed his eyes. “Got it.”
Ryder nodded. “Yeah, okay. I promise.”
I didn’t know why I thought this would be an easy conversation. For months, I convinced myself that I could handle this mess on my own and that keeping my mouth shut was protecting everyone. Now I realized how stupid that had been.
I rubbed my hands together, trying to burn off some of the nervous energy buzzing under my skin. I shouldn’t have waited this long or allowed it to get this far.
“I’ve been keeping something from you guys, and I need you both to hear it from me first.”
“What kind of something?” Ryder asked, glancing at Jax with skepticism.
Jax kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “You’re going to have to start explaining yourself, because this doesn’t sound good.”
“After we won our playoff game last January and clinched the AFC title,” I said carefully. “Do you remember when I got hit during our next practice?”
Ryder leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking as if he were replaying that practice in his head. “You mean the one where Stephon came at you from the right side after the snap?”
I nodded.
“How badly were you hurt?” Jax asked in a serious voice that I didn’t hear very often. “Because if my memory was correct, you told us you were just a little sore and kept on playing.”
“I lied. I was banged up pretty bad.”
Jax popped off the couch. “I fucking knew it. In fact, I questioned you multiple times. You said you were fine.”
I didn’t have a response to that because he was right. People in the locker room kept asking if I was okay. They knew something was off. That was why Coach had the team doctor give me the shot, because there was no way I would have continued to play without it showing up in my performance.
Jax rounded the corner, holding three beers and handing us each one. “So, you’re telling us you were hurt and still put yourself out there?”
I took a sip of my beer, trying to swallow down some of the guilt. “More like pushed myself out there.”
They both just stared at me, neither one saying a word. They didn’t have to. I knew they were disappointed in me. Fuck, I was disappointed in me.
Jax’s jaw dropped. “How the fuck did you hide it?”
I hung my head. I was hoping this story would never see the light of day.
“They sent me to imaging. The MRI showed it was a grade 2 AC joint sprain. There was no tear or surgery needed, but it wasn’t the type I could push through without some type of pain management.”
Jax shook his head in disbelief. “This is bullshit. You’re our quarterback, Nate. You’re the guy we trust to run the offense every damn play. You thought keeping this from us was a good idea?”
“I know.” I threw my hands up. “But Coach and I talked. We had momentum going into the championship game. You guys needed me. I was your only chance at winning.”
“Wait, hold up.” Jax set his beer down and narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying Coach Mac knew?”
“Yes, he had Connor administer the cortisone shot.”
Ryder mumbled something I couldn’t make out, which was probably for the best.
Jax stared at me, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I don’t know what pisses me off more. That you didn’t trust us, or that Coach falsified an injury report.”
I ran both hands through my hair. The frustration building in my chest was growing by the second. “I didn’t want to let you guys down. We were in the middle of playoff season. The next stop was the Super Bowl.”
Ryder stared at me. “You thought playing injured would help us?”
“I thought staying on the field would.”
“You’re our quarterback,” Jax snapped. “You hit and go down, that’s football. It happens. But staying on the field when you shouldn’t be there, you’re risking your health, your career, and the whole damn team.”
“I’m sorry.” I swallowed hard. He was right. They both were, and their disappointment hit deeper than anything else.
“So, those three interceptions,” Ryder asked gently. “That wasn’t just you having a bad game, was it?”
“No. That hit at the end of the second quarter that took me down, normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but because I was already injured, it fucked me up.”
“Unbelievable,” Jax muttered. “While I’m pissed that you hid that, you could have gotten seriously hurt or torn something. It could have ended a lot worse for you.”
“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself like that.” Ryder’s jaw tightened. “That’s how careers end. We win as a team. We lose as a team. Got it?”
“There’s more?”
Jax’s blue eyes narrowed on mine. “Something tells me I’m going to need something stronger than this Miller Lite.”
I leaned back, taking a swig from my beer, tempted to get a buzz going, but that was the absolute last thing I needed. “Brian found out about the injury, and he’s been using that to try to extort money from me.”
Jax’s head snapped up. “So, that’s what has really been going on between you two?”
My mouth pulled into a thin line. “Yeah, since the beginning of the season. He knows I have a contract extension coming up.”
“So, the bastard thought it would be a good idea to hold that over your head?” Ryder’s grip tightened around his beer bottle.
“He also knows about my relationship with Becca.”
Jax tilted his head up toward the ceiling. “Oh, fuck!”
“He is trying to use her to force my hand.” I exhaled, shifting my legs, trying to get comfortable. “He’s threatening to leak the injury and turn the story into something it isn’t. I can’t let him do that. I can’t let her get caught up in this. It will destroy her.”
Ryder frowned. “So, what’s the plan? And don’t say you are going to give him what he wants.”
“I gotta protect her.”
“There has to be another way.” Ryder shut his eyes and started rubbing his forehead.
“Yeah,” Jax chimed in. “You’re our quarterback. You go down, we all do. That’s how it works.”
I knew these guys had my back on the field, but seeing how quickly they shifted from pissed off to full-on protectors without hesitation made me realize how lucky I was. Loyalty and true friendships were hard to come by in this business.
Ryder’s eyebrows shot up. “If he’s pulling this shit with you, chances are he’s probably done it before.”
That thought had crossed my mind too.
Jax snapped his fingers. “That’s it. We need to find out who all his clients are. Start reaching out. I’d bet there will be a lot of stories.”
“Becca is in my office on her laptop. She is trying to dig up dirt on Brian. She heard rumors about him being handsy with the ladies.”
Jax let out a sharp whistle. “Damn. Wish I could say I was surprised. I’ve heard his name come up a few times. I know a lot of the female reporters don’t care for him. Now I know why. He’s a slimy son of a bitch.”
I swore under my breath. “That’s what she said. She’s reaching out to a few people as we speak. Calling anyone who has crossed paths with him, trying to see if there is anyone who will talk.”
“So, we work both angles,” Ryder said. “Let Becca start digging into his behavior off the field, and we start looking into his business on the field. There has to be a client or two who he has either crossed or is fed up with his shit and wants to talk.”
Becca came into the room, and it quickly turned into a strategy session. The guys and I started brainstorming like we were breaking down plays on a whiteboard. Becca was on the phone, pacing my living room, going through every contact of hers that might be of some help.
Jax grabbed a pen and paper and started writing everything down. Ryder started rattling off names of players to reach out to.
“All right, let’s start with former clients and then current ones.” Jax pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I have a few of the numbers of the guys I train with during the off-season.”
Ryder smirked. “The dumbass is going to learn that he messed with the wrong damn team. But just so we’re clear. I’m still pissed that you kept this from us.”
I laughed. “That’s fair.”
These two proved tonight that they didn’t just show up for games. They showed up when things got tough.
This was the first time since this whole mess started that I didn’t feel like I was dealing with this alone.