Chapter 15 #2
"Mr. Kensington," I said, my voice steady despite the sudden nausea roiling in my gut. "I wasn't expecting you."
"Clearly," Silas said. He folded the newspaper meticulously and set it aside. "Coach Miller told me you usually skate alone on Sundays. I thought it would be a good time for a... performance review."
"My stats are up," I said, walking to my locker. I tried to act casual. I started to unzip my jacket. "Leading the conference in points. Plus-minus is best in the league."
"I know the stats, Theo," Silas said. His voice was smooth, like oil on water. "I’m not here about the stats. I’m here about the contract."
I froze. My hand hovered over the zipper.
"The contract is secure," I said. "Mila is living in the dorms. We broke up. It was in the papers."
Silas stared at me. He didn't blink. A small, cruel smile touched the corners of his mouth.
"You really are a talented player, Theo," he mused. "But you’re a terrible liar."
He reached down and picked up the briefcase. He clicked the latches open. Snap. Snap.
He pulled out a manila envelope. He tossed it onto the bench between us. It slid across the wood, stopping inches from my hand.
"Open it."
I looked at the envelope. I looked at him.
I reached out. My fingers were numb.
I opened the clasp and slid the contents out.
Photos.
High-resolution, night-vision photos.
Me entering the Fine Arts building last night at 11:00 PM.
Mila opening the side door for me.
The two of us embracing in the hallway.
And one taken through the window of the studio—a clear shot of us on the sofa. Kissing.
My world tilted on its axis.
"How?" I whispered.
"I’m a General Manager, Theo," Silas said, standing up. He brushed imaginary lint off his suit. "My job is to know everything about my assets. And you... you are a very risky asset."
He walked over to me. He was shorter than me, but in that moment, he felt fifty feet tall.
"I gave you one rule," he said softly. "One simple rule. Keep her safe. Keep her away from you. And what did you do? You moved her into your bed. You turned my daughter into your... camp follower."
"I love her," I said.
It was a stupid thing to say. It was a suicide note. But I couldn't help it.
"I love her, sir. And she loves me. We have a plan. We—"
"Love," Silas scoffed, spitting the word like it was poison. "You think you can afford love? You are a boy from a trailer park with a talent for violence. That is all."
He leaned in closer.
"Here is the new reality, Theo. The trade is off. I am pulling my endorsement. I am calling every GM in the league and telling them you are uncoachable, insubordinate, and a liability."
"You can't do that," I said, my voice rising. "My stats—"
"Stats don't matter if you’re toxic," he cut me off. "But that’s not all."
He pulled a second piece of paper from his pocket.
"Your mother," he said.
I went cold. "What about her?"
"Did you know she took out a loan three months ago?" Silas asked casually. "From a... less than reputable source in Boston? To pay off her gambling debts?"
"No," I whispered.
"Well, she did. Fifty thousand dollars. High interest. Very dangerous people."
He held up the paper. It was a promissory note.
"I bought the debt," Silas said. "I own it now. I own her."
He smiled. It was the smile of the devil.
"If you defy me again, Theo... if you see Mila again... I call the loan. Immediately. And since your mother doesn't have the money, and you don't have a signing bonus yet... well. Let’s just say the collection agency I use isn't as polite as I am. She’ll be in prison for fraud, or worse."
I stared at him. I couldn't breathe. The room was spinning.
He had checkmated me. He had nuked the board.
"What do you want?" I rasped.
"I want you to break her," Silas said. "For real this time. No fake fights. No secret codes."
He checked his watch.
"She’s coming here. I texted her from your phone while you were in the shower. I told her to come to the locker room for a surprise."
I patted my pocket. My phone was gone. He must have swiped it from my bag while I was looking at the photos.
"She’ll be here in five minutes," Silas said.
"You are going to end it. You are going to tell her that you used her.
That it was all a game to secure your draft spot.
That you never loved her. You are going to make her hate you so much that she agrees to go to Geneva just to get away from the memory of you. "
"I can't," I choked out. "Please. Don't make me do that."
"You have a choice, Theo," Silas said coldly, walking toward the exit. "You can have the girl, and watch your mother go to jail and your career burn to ash. Or you can have the dream."
He stopped at the door.
"Chicago is a nice city," he said. "It would be a shame if you never got to see it."
The door opened.
"Theo?"
Mila walked in. She was beaming. She was holding the charcoal note I had left her.
"I got your text! What’s the surp—"
She stopped. She saw Silas. She saw the photos scattered on the bench. She saw my face.
"Daddy?" she whispered. "What’s going on?"
Silas looked at me. He tapped his watch.
Time to play.
I looked at Mila. I looked at the girl who wanted to buy a loft with big windows. I looked at the girl who had healed me.
And I realized that to save her future—and to save my mother’s life—I had to destroy her heart.
I stiffened my spine. I locked my knees. I summoned The Tsar.
I looked at her, and I let the light in my eyes die.
"Mila," I said, my voice dead. "We need to talk."
The trap snapped shut. And this time, there was no escape.