Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
maddox
The video isn’t just a short clip where the quality is so bad you can’t see who the people are. It’s several minutes long and you can see our faces, clear as day. It starts off with Annalise going down on me, and continues with us having sex.
Another text comes through from the unknown number.
Unknown
Throw Friday’s game against the Houston Phoenixes or the whole world will see this video.
Who the fuck is this?
I try to respond but receive a notification saying the text message can’t be delivered.
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I yell, slamming my phone down onto the seat.
“Oh, God, this can’t be happening.” Annalise leans forward, shaking her head.
I thought our relationship being exposed caused enough chaos, but if this sex tape gets released, it would be an apocalypse.
Annalise and I have worked so hard to get where we are in our careers. She’s one step closer to fulfilling her dream of opening her own shop. And for me, winning a championship is so close I can almost taste it.
Everything we’ve built would be destroyed if this gets out.
I didn’t take Annalise seriously when she speculated that someone was trying to ruin my career. But this threat further proves that someone has been plotting my downfall. Who knows what else they’re capable of?
I hate that Annalise has been dragged into all of this. One thing I feared was that all of this might be too much for her, and she would leave me.
We’re happier than ever, and the thought of it being stripped away kills me.
“I need to reach out to my cabin crew and find out who the fuck installed a hidden camera. I’m probably going to have to fire all of them.” I rake my hand through my hair. “Talk about the fucking timing. This is such a catastrophe.”
Annalise gnaws on her fingernails. “Do you think you can offer them a large sum of money to not release this?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think this is about money. I’m sure they paid someone from my crew a fuck-ton of money for that video.”
“We should go to the police station tomorrow morning,” she says. “Maybe they can find out who this sick fuck is.”
We head back inside, where Elijah, Andrés, and Santiago are singing “Bye! Bye! Bye!” by NSYNC at the top of their lungs.
“Hey, we’re gonna head home. I’m not feeling too good. Think I might be getting sick,” I tell them. Which isn’t a total lie, because I do indeed feel sick.
Elijah frowns and pauses the music. “What? But we didn’t even get to sing together. Come on, at least finish this song with us.”
“Another time,” I say, managing a weak smile.
“So when can I expect to hear back?” I ask, handing the police officer behind the desk the report I just filled out.
She rolls her eyes, annoyed that I’ve interrupted her endless scrolling through social media. “A month or two, give or take.”
“Two months? Are you kidding me?” My eyes widen in disbelief. “I need you to start working on this now!”
Setting her phone down, she narrows her eyes at me. “Just because you’re a famous basketball player, doesn’t mean you get special privileges. We have thousands of cases that take priority over yours. You think you’re more important than murder cases and kidnappings?”
Heat pulses through my veins. “I never said I’m more important. I just need this to be escalated. My privacy has been violated.”
She cocks a brow. “If you were worried about your privacy, maybe you should’ve chosen a different career.” She raises her hand, shooing me away. “Now, move along, pretty boy.”
“Kono kusottare,” I mumble, shaking with anger as I walk out of the station.
“Well, she sure was a lot of help,” Annalise says.
“Yep. We’re never gonna hear back from her.”
I open the passenger door for her and she slides into the seat.
Rounding the car, I open the driver’s side, get into my seat, and turn on the ignition.
“Now what are we gonna do?” She sighs.
I drive toward the main road and let out a shaky exhale. “I’m gonna have to throw the game.”
Her brows cinch together. “Maddox, no! I can’t let you do that. You’ve worked so hard to get where you are now. This is supposed to be the year you take home a championship.”
“But what about you?” I say, my voice low.
“Annalise, you’re finally catching a break with this shop of yours, and you’re so close to making your dreams a reality.
This sex tape would ruin your image before the world even gets a chance to discover your talent.
How selfish would I be to take that away from you? ”
Reaching over, she places her hand on top of mine. “We don’t know if they will actually release it. What if it’s some kinda sick joke?”
I shake my head. “I’m not willing to take that risk.”
She pauses for a few moments, staring out the window. “Wait… What if we ask your dad for help? He’s the owner of the largest technology company in the entire world. I’m sure he can find out who sent you that video.”
The muscle in my jaw tightens. “I don’t want his help.”
Even though Otōsan is the one person who could help figure this out—since the cops were useless—he’s the last person I want to ask.
My relationship with him has been rockier than ever. I haven’t spoken to him since we got into it during dinner. I’ve been avoiding going over to my parents’ house because I don’t want to see him.
Okāsan begged me to reconcile with him, but I don’t see a point in trying. It’s been this way ever since I was a kid. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I’m trying to accept that we will never have the relationship I yearn for.
“Maddox, don’t be stubborn,” Annalise says. “He can track down whoever is behind this. I know you have your differences, but—”
My knuckles whiten around the steering wheel. “I said I don’t want his help!” I snap. “Just leave it alone.”
“What the hell is your problem? All I did was make a suggestion! You don’t have to be such a fucking jerk.” She folds her arms across her chest and turns her body toward the window.
The remainder of the car ride was spent in silence. When we arrive home, Annalise storms inside and heads straight to the bathroom.
Grabbing her makeup bag, she starts gathering her cosmetic and skin-care products.
“Annalise, what are you doing?”
“I’m going back to the apartment.” She doesn’t look at me and continues to pack her stuff.
Gently, I place my hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. With everything going on, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
Her eyes remain fixed to the floor, but she doesn’t pull away from me.
“I hate that you’re in this predicament because of me. First with your privacy being invaded from the news of our relationship getting out, and now this sex tape threat.”
I sink to the cold tile floor, bringing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. “I feel like I’m making your life more complicated than it should be. If you weren’t with me, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Maddox, this isn’t your fault.” She drops to the floor and pulls me into her.
My head rests on her chest while she threads her fingers through my hair.
“And don’t you think for a second that this is going to push me away.
I love—” She clears her throat, her cheeks turning pink. “I love being with you.”
Even though she didn’t exactly say the words I want to hear, it’s enough to send my heart into a frenzy.
“We’re going to find this sick bastard and take him down. We’re not going to let them win and destroy our future.”
She presses her lips to mine, kissing me gently.
“I’m not going anywhere, Maddox. We’ll get through this. Together.”
I gaze at my reflection, and what stares back is a haunting image. Dark circles rim my eyes and the pallor of my skin is almost ghastly.
Sleep eluded me the last few nights, and I have a feeling I won’t get much more of it until I find out who’s behind this.
Even though someone from the cabin crew most likely provided the video, I highly doubt they were the person behind the threats.
My guess is that it’s probably someone from another team who doesn’t want to see the Dragons win. Or it could be an old hookup acting out of spite, bitter that I never wanted anything more.
Walking back to my locker, I strip off my pre-game suit and change into my uniform. As I grab my phone to lock it up, I receive another text message from Unknown.
Unknown
Don’t even think about trying anything tonight. I will be watching.
If you don’t make sure the Dragons lose, the whole world will see that video.
You wouldn’t want everyone seeing your girlfriend’s smoking hot body, now, would you?
“You motherfucker!” I throw my phone in my locker and slam the door shut.
Fury builds within me at the thought of some disgusting low-life pervert jacking off to Annalise.
Andrés looks over at me. “You good, bro?”
Taking a deep breath, I try to keep the rage within me from exploding. “Yeah. There’s this asshole who keeps leaving nasty comments about me and Annalise on my page. I blocked him, but he ended up making another account.”
“Just ignore those idiots,” Elijah says. “It doesn’t matter what any of them say because you and Annalise are the cutest couple ever. Seeing the two of you together almost makes me wanna get into a relationship.”
“Really?” Andrés and I say in unison, staring at him in disbelief.
“Fuck no.” Elijah rumbles with laughter. “I’m never giving up my freedom.”
“If you’re with the right person, you won’t feel like you’re trapped,” I say. “Don’t you want someone to share your life with?”
“The only thing I want to share with someone is my bed.” Elijah flashes a cheeky grin.
Andrés slips his shorts on, rolling his eyes. “Well, at least one of y’all stopped fucking around. Crazy how a few months ago, you were talking about how great being single is. Now look at you.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I was just waiting for my girl to come back into my life.”
“Alright, everyone, listen up.” Coach walks in, his booming voice silencing the chatter in the locker room.
“I need everyone to bring their A game tonight. I don’t want to see any of you slacking.
The energy y’all brought during the first two rounds?
I need y’all to unleash it tenfold tonight. This is Houston we’re talking about.”
Elijah, fired up, chimes in. “We’re gonna crush them and send them home crying tonight!”
Everyone on the team gathers close, stacking our hands in a unified tower. “Let’s go, Dragons!” we shout in unison as we lift our hands up.
As we step onto the court, the crowd erupts in roars of excitement.
“We love you, Maddox!” a group of fans calls out, waving posters decorated with my face and name.
I manage to give them a weak smile, giving high fives as I pass, but inside, waves of guilt crash over me like a relentless tsunami.
They’re all going to fucking hate me after tonight.
I’m standing at the three-point line and the defenders from the Houston Phoenixes have me surrounded.
Andrés is standing at the opposite end, waving his arms in the air and signaling for me to pass it to him. Ignoring him, I continue to fight off the defenders and purposely let the ball slip from my fingers.
“What the fuck, Kamado?” Coach shouts from the sideline, frustration evident on his face.
A player from the Phoenixes grabs the ball and makes a fast break across the court. He slam dunks the ball, and Houston now has a twenty-five point lead.
A collective groan passes through the crowd, and my gut wrenches seeing people rising from their seats and heading toward the exit.
Coach pulls me out of the game and subs in Marcus James—one of the bench players.
Chills race down my spine when I meet Coach’s eyes. He looks as though he wants to strangle me.
“Kamado, what the hell is going on with you?” he shouts, his voice shaking with rage. “You’re missing shots left and right and causing multiple turnovers!”
I exhale a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Coach. I have a lot going on right now…”
This only pisses him off more. The heat of his fury is enough to incinerate the entire arena. “I don’t give a fuck what you have going on! Don’t bring your problems to the court.”
Unable to reply, I simply nod.
“The fourth quarter just started, and they may be in the lead, but it’s not impossible for us to beat them. I need you to get it together and show them who the MVP is!”
“Yes, Coach.”
After a couple of minutes pass, I jog back onto the court.
The ball is in Elijah’s hand, and he redirects us as he dribbles down the court.
Alex Hui—my old teammate—stands in front of me with a smug look on his face as he’s guarding me. We used to be good friends when I played for the Phoenixes, but once I signed with the Dragons, he started treating me like I’m his worst enemy.
I’m sure seeing me play like trash tonight fills him with satisfaction.
“Wow, Kamado. Even the benchwarmer is playing better than you tonight,” he snickers. “Guess your girlfriend’s pussy is so good that you can’t seem to focus on anything else.”
Heat surges through me as I clench my jaw, but I bite back the words and stay silent.
Peering over his shoulder, he licks his lips when he spots Annalise sitting courtside. “Maybe I’ll see for myself how good it is. It’ll be my reward when we eliminate your sorry-ass team from the playoffs.”
“Shut the fuck up!” I snarl, shoving my shoulder into him.
He lets out a laugh. “I bet she’ll dump your ass once she sees what a loser you are. That’s probably why your old man still isn’t showing up to your games. I bet he’s embarrassed to see what a failure you turned out to be.”
The single thread that has been holding me back from losing control finally snaps. I am already in a bad mood, and he hits me in my weakest spot. I confided in him about my situation with Otōsan when we were friends, and he’s deciding to use it against me.
I strike him in the face and he crumbles to the ground, a sharp yelp escaping his lips as blood gushes from his nose.
The referee marches toward us, blowing his whistle. “Kamado, that’s a technical foul!”
A smile spreads across Alex’s lips.
“Exit the game now,” the referee says, pointing his finger toward the door on the left with a giant Exit sign looming above it.
I leave the arena feeling defeated as I catch a glimpse of thousands of eyes filled with disappointment. My coach, my team, the fans—I’ve let every single one of them down.