Indifference on Defense

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Koa

The flashing declined on the screen at the gas pump has all my attention. Quirking my head to the side, as confused about this as any puppy, I wiggle the nozzle as if it might magically spew out the gasoline into my car.

Nothing.

Frowning, I shove the nozzle back into the pump and head inside.

Clearly, there is something wrong with my credit card, but it shouldn’t take more than a quick call to settle the issue.

In my pocket, my phone vibrates every few seconds, but I’m focused on my task: get gas and get to practice before Coach has my head for being late again.

“Morning, Koa. Trouble with the pump?” The attendant, Tony, scrubs a hand over his dark beard and peers out the side window of the shop. I’m sure the pump won’t tell him the issue from here.

“Probably one of those security holds on the card. It’s happened before.

No big deal. I need to fill up.” Sliding a bottle of water across the counter along with a hundred-dollar bill, I nod a hello to his assistant who is busy stocking potato chips.

Tony rings up the gas and water and hands me my change.

“That was a great game last night, slugger. I got money riding on your next homer, so if you could make sure you get one next game, that would be great.” He chuckles, but he knows I don’t like gambling.

I’m not about to try not to hit a home run, but whether or not it lines his pockets if I do or don’t is his problem, not mine.

“You know you shouldn’t bet on games, friend. You never know what can—” My phone picks up with dings and vibrations until I can’t take it anymore. “Hang on a sec, would you?”

Slipping my phone from my pocket with a sigh, I realize I’ve missed several calls from my sister. Blood rushes to my ears, thrumming until I manage to hit call. What if there was an emergency? She could need me, and I was being a jerk ignoring my phone.

She answers, panicked.

“Katie, what’s wrong?”

“Where are you? Have you heard?” Her frantic tone shoots adrenaline right through my veins. I manage to dip into a quiet corner.

“Heard what? Is there some sort of emergency?”

“Um, yeah, I’d say so! Daddy got arrested and Mom’s freaking out. The lawyers are on their way to meet with her, but the detectives said something about money laundering! Koa, you need to get over to my apartment right now.”

“Dad? Money laundering? Katie, that’s ridiculous. I’m sure the lawyers will get it sorted out and everything will be fine before lunch.”

“Uh, Koa, you better come here.” Tony calls for me, but he stares out the glass window at the pumps, waving for me to hurry.

“Hold on a second, Katie.” Rushing to the front of the shop, I catch sight of a tow truck hitching my car to the back.

My car. The one I busted my butt to save up for my first year playing with the Sharks, so my father couldn’t hold over me that he bought it.

Of all the things for them to come and repossess, this one is the last one that should be on the list. “Katie, I’ll call you back. ”

“What’s going on?” Tony follows me outside as I make a beeline for my car. A van pulls up and before I know it, a news crew has a camera and a microphone in my face. Meanwhile, my very expensive baby is getting scratched up by a tow truck driver who has no idea how to get it on the truck.

“What are you doing to my car? That’s paid for in full, thank you very much!” I shove the guy back from my car and check the scratch marks. “That’s coming out of your pay. If you think you can mess up someone’s car and—”

“Paperwork here says it’s not yours anymore. Impounded as evidence. What’d you do?” He reeks of cigarette smoke and grins like he’s got an advantage over me while thrusting the order in my face.

“I paid for this car myself. It’s not evidence of anything.”

“I just tow the cars, bud. If you don’t let me, then that nice policeman over there is gonna put you in cuffs.

Take it up with the judge.” He maneuvers me aside and shoves paperwork in my face again.

Who knows what it says. I can’t see it because that dang reporter has her microphone in my face too.

“Mr. Keaton, can you comment on your father’s arrest and alleged laundering scheme with Mr.—”

“No! Get that thing out of my face.” I push the mic away and sidestep her, wondering when common decency died. I intend to head back into Tony’s shop, but more reporters show up, dragging more equipment with them, and I’m still not sure what’s going on.

“Here, borrow my car.” Tony tosses me his keys and nods toward the back of the lot.

In a jog, I manage to get to the car, but I can’t get in.

People surround me, pressing in with their questions and demands for an explanation I can’t give them.

My phone vibrates and dings. People start to notice the commotion and wander to the station.

One second I was late for practice, and the next, my life is front-page news.

Wiggling the key in my friend’s old car door does no good.

I can’t get it open with people flashing cameras in my face, screaming over each other.

One reporter gets too close and bops my head with a random piece of equipment.

Red-hot rage simmers into a boil, overflowing thanks to this indecent show of human greed.

They can’t stand the thought of not getting the scoop, being the first to break the story of the Keaton family crashing and burning. I’m not giving it to them.

I try to step back, hoping to get back into the shop where I can lock myself in the bathroom until they all leave, but they won’t part.

They won’t let me pass, and my vision blurs.

Claustrophobia is no one’s friend, least of all mine, as I grapple with partial information and aggressive vultures starving for a story.

“Move!” My shout is drowned in a sea of questions, so I move forward.

Harder, pushing my way through until I’m met with a cameraman who refuses to be persuaded.

He inches closer to my face, demanding an answer for my family’s treachery.

“I said, move!” Shoving him only angers him and he pushes back.

I can’t take it any longer. My fist connects with his jaw, forcing him to stumble backward until he loses balance and falls on his rear.

A car rushes forward, slams to a stop, the window rolled down. It’s Spencer Pruitt, my best friend since childhood. “Come on!”

Katie pushes the passenger door open and climbs into the back seat while I dive into her vacated seat and slam the door.

It’s a regular theatrical car escape, and I still don’t know why I’m running.

Spencer squeals out of the lot, which probably makes that police officer plenty mad, but I can’t bring myself to care.

He didn’t lift a finger to help me when reporters and other people practically suffocated me.

“What is going on?” I ask, winded. “This is insane.”

“Mom said the lawyer says it’s all true. Daddy made some shady deals and got caught.” Katie’s nose is red and her cheeks tearstained, but I’m not in the right frame of mind to comfort her at the moment. I need more information, some sort of direction to make this chaos make sense.

“That can’t be true. There must be more to the story.” My father? A crook and thief? We’re not the closest family unit in the world—not by a long shot—but the thought of my father laundering money is absurd.

“There’s supposedly a ton of proof.” Katie sniffles and covers her face.

“Even if it is, which I doubt, what does that have to do with us? Why did they tow my car? And why are there reporters shoving cameras in my face?” I look to my best friend, who only shrugs.

“Dude, this is on every news channel from here to the other side of the country. The man your father made deals with has been wanted in five countries for over two decades. He’s a legit mobster or something, and the feds are impounding everything your family owns.”

“I paid for everything I own with my own money!” I shout, making Katie flinch.

“Yeah, well, I guess they’ll figure that out eventually, but until then, you two are staying at my place outside of town.”

“What about Mom?” I glance in the back seat at Katie, who looks ready to be sick. Our mother, who lives in New York City with Dad, shouldn’t have to face this alone. It’s likely worse for her.

“She’s going upstate to stay with Aunt Doris. She wanted me to join her, but I didn’t want to leave you here in Savannah to deal with this alone.”

Scrubbing my hands over my face does not erase the horrible reality that my father has not only allegedly ruined his own life, but may very well have ruined mine and Katie’s too, if this is all true.

I’m not convinced, but this is no small thing to ignore.

My phone, still vibrating, earns my attention again.

Missed calls from all the guys on the team, and some from Coach.

I’m about to lose my contract, I know it.

I tap Coach’s number and wait for the butt chewing I’m sure I’m about to get, but it goes to voicemail. Instead of trying again, I call Andrew Rossi. If anyone knows what Coach is thinking, it’s our former pitcher-turned-assistant coach.

He answers with a relieved sigh. “Koa, what in heaven’s name is going on? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Spencer picked me up and we’re—”

“You’re lucky you haven’t been arrested! There’s footage of you attacking a reporter!”

“I did not attack him. He started it.” I growl and smack the passenger window.

Reining myself in is the only way I can make heads or tails of this, so I take a deep breath and remember that a bad temper isn’t going to solve anything.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going on, just enough to know it’s trouble. Is Coach mad?”

“He’s worried. Tell Spencer to bring you here to my place. We’ll talk when you get here, figure out what to do, and see how Coach wants to handle everything.” Andrew’s words say he wants to help, but his tone says he’s at a loss for what he might be able to do for me.

“Yeah, be there soon.” Ending the call feels like entering a time warp.

Only last night I was at Andrew’s house having a fun cookout, and now I’m literally hiding from reporters and getting my stuff stolen because my father is a moron, apparently.

Allegedly. I remind myself once more this doesn’t seem right.

Despite not getting along well with him thanks to my decision to follow baseball and not take over the family business, my father has always been a kind, generous man with a moral code that didn’t seemingly include money laundering.

“Head to Andrew’s house first. We gotta figure out what’s going on and make a plan, then you’re going to New York to be with Mom.

” I send a heated glare over the seat. Katie is a good kid—a woman now, but I can’t seem to remember that most of the time.

I still see her as my baby sister, but that mouth?

Yeah, that’s all grown up for sure, which is why she huffs and glares at me.

“I’m not going anywhere. You can’t make me, and besides, you’re not the only one with a job on the line.

I can’t pack up and miss that much work.

I’m sure things will die down in a few days.

” Katie’s crossed arms shut her off from reality, which I’m afraid might be miserable for longer than a few days.

Spencer doesn’t argue but turns his car towards Andrew’s neighborhood.

Hopefully, Lottie won’t freak out and throw us all out after she learns what’s happened.

A tinge of regret hollows me out. I know she’s not like that.

She’s sweet and caring and will probably stuff us full of food before sending us back to Spencer’s place.

“You okay?” Katie whispers.

Locking eyes with my sister, I shake my head. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.”

“Maybe they’re wrong?” She winces, probably doubting reality as much as I am right now.

“Maybe. I hope so,” I admit. “It doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”

“You’ll get your car back,” she says, shuddering. “They took Preakness.”

“They took your horse?”

Katie nods and tears slip down her cheeks. “He’s scared. They weren’t kind to him, and I’m worried about what might happen to him.”

Spencer’s knuckles blanch and his jaw flexes. “We’ll get your horse back. I promise.”

“What if they euthanize him? I’ve heard about cases where they did that with the pets, you know? I’m not sure what I’ll do without him, Koa.”

Reaching behind the seat, I grasp her hand. “It’s like Spence said, we’ll get him back. I’ll talk to my lawyer. He’ll prove that I bought Preakness for you, not Dad.”

“How can you be sure of that?” Her lip quivers and her voice wavers.

“I can’t, but if it’s the last thing I do, I’m getting your horse back. I don’t care what I have to pay or who I have to convince, he’ll be back in the stable soon. I promise, Katie Bear.”

Katie cracks a smile and chuckles. “I’m not seven anymore, Koa.”

I wink and turn forward in the seat. “You’ll always be seven to me, kid. Let’s take a breather at Andrew’s, make a plan, call my lawyer, and see what happens. There’s every reason to believe we can prove where my money came from. I have a good accountant.”

Spencer glances my way, making eye contact.

Who knows if Preakness will be okay, but I’ll fight to the death trying to get him back for her.

The only problem is, with my credit card frozen, my assets seized, and lawyers generally preferring to be paid, I’m not sure if my lawyer will be willing to help us. Right now, all we can do is pray.