Chapter 29
. . .
Silas
The second Kane is inside my place, his back is flat against the front door.
“Whoa, shit!” he grinds out, staring down at my fist, which is tangled in his flannel shirt. “What the fuck, Silas?!”
I’ve had all night to stew on what Vesper told me, and most of that, I spent staring up at my white bedroom ceiling when I should’ve been holding my girl.
She didn’t stay over last night because of this fucker right here, and despite the awesome time we had in the spa, I could see the way her brain was ticking over, wondering when Kane would next show up unannounced.
But losing my cool isn’t going to help matters, and it’s not how Vesper would want me to act either.
Releasing my grip on his shirt, I step back, and he smirks, adjusting his collar like anyone actually gives a fuck about who this guy is or what they think about him.
“I’m no psychologist, but you should definitely get an assessment for your narcissistic traits,” I suggest in an insidious tone.
My comment doesn’t bother him, not that I expected it to.
“What’s got you so twisted up, bro?” he asks, a similar sinister inflection in his voice.
I cross my arms over my chest and put some distance between us. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what you need to talk about, and I’ll tell you why I’m one more smirk away from putting you through a wall?”
Kane clears his throat and steps around me, making himself comfortable on the couch.
Not every interaction I’ve had with my brother has been negative.
In fact, oftentimes, we’ve been able to watch a football game and share a beer in relative peace.
But after Vesper came along, frictions between us have never been higher.
He casually balances his leg over the opposite knee. This conversation is all a game to him. “Something tells me we’re both talking about the same thing—or person—here.”
When I walk toward my couch and stand opposite him, I don’t bother taking a seat on the chair behind me. Kane won’t be here long enough to make the effort worth my while.
He interprets my silence as confirmation.
“Vesper’s pregnant, and the baby is mine.” He laughs darkly. “I’ve told her to get rid of it because there ain’t no way I’m bringing up a child. And especially not with that bitch.”
Don’t hit him. Don’t fucking hit him.
My lips tremble with rage, and I scrub a palm over my mouth, determined not to give anything away. Vesper’s right; this guy doesn’t deserve to know anything about this pregnancy. After all, it’s not like Kane knowing the truth would make him back off.
“Well, you’re right about one thing, Kane,” I reply. “We were both referring to the same person, only I was thinking more about the way you showed up at her work after hours, knowing full well that I was out of town.”
Kane rises from the couch, probably in an attempt to intimidate me.
He doesn’t even make me blink.
“Did your pathetic little teammate tell you about my visit, or was it the mother of my unwanted child?”
My fingers twitch at my sides, and he drops his gray eyes to look at them, satisfaction pulling onto his lips.
He looks as rough as he did the last time I saw him, and he’s obviously been drinking again today.
Nothing will ever change with this guy, despite the hurt his behavior causes other people.
“The only reason these fists aren’t buried three inches deep in your face right now is because of our mother and the promise I gave her when she died. Not that you would know. You weren’t even there when she passed.”
Sliding his hands into the pockets of his worn blue jeans, Kane looks off to the side and out of the window overlooking Seattle. “Vesper can’t live without me. Whether she decides to keep this baby or not, she’ll be back in my bed inside a month. She’s always been easy to control.”
I can smell the nicotine and alcohol on his breath. They’re stale, and they make my stomach turn.
“The next time you come within a hundred feet of her, I’m instructing my lawyers on Vesper’s behalf.”
He scoffs. “Mom would be so fucking proud of you, putting your brother’s ex-girlfriend above your own flesh and blood.”
I step forward, staring down at him like the fucking cockroach he is. It doesn’t matter how many ways I try to extract this guy from Vesper’s life; he always comes back for more. Just like his father, he feeds off toxicity, fear, and manipulation, but I won’t let him win.
“Incorrect. Mom would be too preoccupied over the way her youngest son turned into the biggest mistake of her life.”
Kane rears back, and I catch his fist in my palm, squeezing.
He sneers, and I shoot him a smirk similar to the one he wears every day of his sad little life.
Pulling his hand from mine, he tries to act like his knuckles weren’t a few seconds from being crushed, but I see the surprise in his face. He expected me to be strong, but not to this level.
Mess with my girl, expect immeasurable pain.
“If she keeps the baby, then that financial tap of yours will need to be turned back on. She’ll claim child support the second it’s born.” He grins knowingly. “And you could never let poor Vesper—and her new baby—go without.”
When Kane first arrived a few minutes ago, I was sure he hated the fact that Vesper was pregnant.
To some degree, I still think he does. However, there can be no mistaking the delight he’s taking in using the news to goad me.
To test the very limits of my patience. Psychological warfare is his favorite hobby, and this latest news just became his most exciting battle.
What the fuck did this guy put Vesper through?
“How are the two jobs going?” I ask, not bothering to address his request for money since he won’t need the cash when he discovers that I’m going to give his ex-girlfriend and our baby the whole fucking world.
Kane puffs out an agitated breath. I feel my phone vibrate, and I pull it out of my pocket, being sure to keep the screen well hidden from prying eyes.
Mason
So, I need to talk to you about something. I know it’s going to throw me under the metaphorical bus, but I feel like it’s the right thing to do.
I repocket my phone, wondering how the fuck a good person like Mason has been dealt the shitty hand he has recently. The guy is literally about to rat himself out to his captain so he can protect a woman he’s met a handful of times.
And then I have this piece of shit standing in front of me, using the baby he thinks he’s having but doesn’t want as an excuse to pump his own family for more money.
“There are only so many shifts available at a gas station,” Kane points out.
“What about the delivery job?” I ask, certain it doesn’t exist.
He shrugs nonchalantly. “I don’t think it’s going to work out. The owners refuse to set me on a convenient delivery route.”
Silence falls between us.
“I’m not giving you any more money. Not now or in the future. If you can’t afford to pay child support, then get a cheaper place to live and quit the drinking, smoking, and gambling.”
What’s really sad is only now, after I’ve refused another payout, does he look remotely rocked by our conversation.
Shaking his head, Kane spins on his heel and heads down my hallway toward the bathroom. I’ve no idea what his game is or if he genuinely needs to pee, but I’m not about to stop him. I’ve got a teammate waiting on my reply.
Me
Is this about Vesper and what you saw the other week?
His reply is instant.
Mason
She already told you about that, huh?
Me
Yeah, but I don’t want you worrying about it.
Mason
Silas, I was in a bar when I should’ve been on the ice in Vegas. I let the team down, and I’m really fucking sorry. I’m trying to straighten myself out, and I’ll get there. Please don’t tell Coach or Theo about it.
The toilet flushes, and I quickly type out a response.
Me
I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful to learn of you ducking out of an away series. I owe you my life when all I can give you is my gratitude. If you’re worrying about Vesper, then don’t. I have my brother handled, and my lips are sealed.
Mason
Listen, I’ve never been the smartest guy around, but that guy … Kane? He gives me bad vibes. Vesper needs to stay the hell away from him.
Me
He’ll never go near her again.
Mason
I know you likely won’t care, but I had my reasons for lying about Vegas.
Me
Eloise?
Mason
She’s seeing the guy who’s liked her since they were teenagers.
Every time we traveled to France in the offseason, he was sniffing around her whenever my back was turned.
The day before we were due to fly to Vegas, I found a picture of them on her socials.
He had his arms around her, and it was obvious, man. She’s moved on.
So, yeah, I drank myself into oblivion that night, was puking my guts up, and couldn’t make the flight, and then the depression took hold. Eloise wouldn’t answer my calls, as always, and I barely left my apartment until that night I went to Riley’s.
“Let’s make a deal.”
Kane stands around ten feet away from me, eyes burning into the back of my phone.
Closing out the message thread, I set my cell down on the coffee table next to me.
“I’m not making any deals with you, Kane. The only arrangement I’ll engage in is the one where I instruct a legal team to serve you with a restraining order if you don’t heed my warning and stay away from Vesper.”
“Oh, no.” He approaches me confidently. “I think you’ll definitely want to consider this proposal.”
His attention lands on my phone, and, fuck, what’s going to leave his mouth next? My brother is the dumbest yet the most dangerous kind of cunning. He used to wrap Mom around his little finger when he wanted something, and he did the same with Vesper.
“That teammate of yours …” He scratches the back of his head, pretending like he’s trying to recall his name.
“Mason James, isn’t it? The one who got involved that night when he had no business threatening me.
” His lips curl into an evil grin. “Well, I’ve got a little threat of my own: Either I log in to my checking account tomorrow morning and find ten thousand dollars sitting there, looking pretty, and then the same amount each week after that, or I’ll sing like a fucking canary to the press.
Apparently, he was supposed to be with you in Vegas, but pulled out at the final second due to sickness. ”
He pulls a deep breath into his nostrils.
“That guy is stupider than the woman having my baby if he thought I would let him off with a free pass.” He tsks.
“Imagine what the Rogues would have to say about his behavior. I heard that this Theo Cavendish guy is really fucking unforgiving when it comes to dead weight on the team.”
He clicks his fingers, mocking my teammate. “Say, didn’t his marriage recently blow up? Maybe he was after a piece of Vesper.”
I’m in his face in seconds, spitting out my next words. “Get out of my apartment. Now.”
He glances toward the front door and then back at me. “I’ll leave when I have an agreement on our deal.”
“I don’t want him to know about the baby being yours. I can’t handle any more stress right now. I need peace while we get through the next few weeks.”
Vesper’s plea repeats back at me as I fight the desperate urge to pummel Kane into the ground.
Peace. She needs peace.
Turning around, I march toward my front door and almost rip it from its hinges when I open it.
Kane doesn’t move, waiting to hear what he wants from me.
I swallow my pride for the woman I love and for my teammate who can’t seem to catch a fucking break these days. He needs his captain more than ever, and like hell am I telling Coach or Cavendish about Vegas.
“I’ll call my bank this afternoon and arrange for the money to be wired to you overnight.”
He doesn’t even react.
“And what about thereafter?”
I just smile because I’ll murder him if I don’t.
“Every week. Ten thousand dollars.”
Satisfied, he starts walking toward the door, but before he can leave, I catch his upper arm, and he side-eyes me.
“I’ll pay you the money,” I growl. “You leave Vesper and my teammate the fuck alone. Remember the old phrase, You can’t take it with you when you die? Well, you and I both know I’ll make sure to prove it right.”