Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Lauren
My ex-boyfriend and near-miss-fiancé was on the run.
Or that was what I assumed, given that the FBI were looking for him and no one had heard from him in over a week.
The authorities had been coy with the details, but no way in hell did they just start this investigation.
This had been going on for a while. My clients were being duped by him for months, and I had brought him into their lives.
Needless to say, the cookout and paint-in was cut short. I couldn’t continue to take advantage of everyone working on my house, so it made the most sense to call it a day. Gunnar, Sadie, Jason, Alexei, and Sasha remained behind.
“I reached out to all my clients last week. At least three of them gave him money and now they’re never going to see it again! How could I have been so stupid?”
Gunnar peered at me above steepled hands. “This is not your fault, Lo. You couldn’t have known he was doing this.”
“Oh, couldn’t I?” I had spent so long trying to avoid someone like my father—a huckster, a criminal—and I’d let my guard down.
No way would I be caught in that trap. Not me, who could spot a scammer a mile off.
Instead, I had offered up a sumptuous buffet of sports stars with disposable income for him to feast upon.
“He was never interested in me, only in my connections. And now those connections are going to blackball me from this industry. They all think I was in on it with him.”
I took out my phone and dialed his number, which clicked into his outgoing message. The voice on the other end made my skin crawl.
“Now I know why you’ve been avoiding my calls, you limp-dicked fuckweasel. The next time I see you, I will rip your balls out through your throat and feed them to my sister’s dog. The one you’re fucking allergic to!”
Everyone stared. I caught Alexei’s eye, noted his approval, then realized this might be upsetting for his dad.
“Sorry, Sasha.”
My husband spoke up. “Don’t apologize, Lauren. You are within your rights.” He slid a look toward his father, who was wringing his hands. “I should take him home.”
He sounded regretful, but responsibilities didn’t suddenly vanish because I was having a meltdown. Needing a moment to breathe, I walked them out and watched while Alexei settled his father in the back seat. When he closed the door, he wrapped me in a hug.
“This will be rough for a while. Your clients will be wary. You may lose more.”
My chest heaved as a sob erupted.
Alexei continued in soothing tones, his soft voice speaking into my hair. “But you will come out of it stronger as you always do. And I will do everything in my power to help you.”
“This isn’t your problem to solve,” I said, sniffing.
“You are my wife.”
“On paper.”
He drew back. “Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that it is more than that. If people see you are with me in an official capacity, it will create distance between you and Thad.”
Finally, he got Thad’s name right. No longer a laughing matter, it seemed.
“I’m already under suspicion because of that asshole.
” The FBI agents were guarded in revealing details of the investigation, but it was clear that my clients being scammed was highly suspect.
“You want to tell people that while that was going on, I was married to a high-profile hockey player? Because my clients would love that! No conflict of interest there at all. I may as well close my agency down today.”
He didn’t like that. Well, tough. I needed to knuckle down and focus on extricating my clients from this mess.
“Together we would make an excellent team.”
I almost melted, but I had to do this myself. “Let me figure this out, Alexei. You should take Sasha home. Today’s been a lot of stimulation for him.”
He kissed my forehead and opened the driver side door. Before he got in, he said, “Whether it is today or a month from now, we will have to deal with our marriage, zhena.”
He was right, and as I watched him walk away, I said a little prayer that we would both emerge unscathed.
The next day, I lost three more clients. While Thad’s criminality wasn’t yet public, the pro-sports world was small and gossip was its currency. Word was spreading that I was persona non grata. No one wanted anything to do with me.
The only thing I could do was carry on, fighting for the few clients I still had.
With as much spring in my step as I could manage, I walked into the Rebels front office ready to negotiate with the team brass on Francois Gaultier’s contract.
Walking into the conference room, I was surprised to see Harper and Isobel, two of the owners, along with Ray Garcia, the team’s legal counsel.
“No Ryder today?” Ryder Calloway was the Rebels GM and my usual point of contact during contract negotiations.
“He’s dealing with some personal issues,” Harper said. “But we’re more than capable of filling in.”
I had heard that Ryder’s wife was ill. I hoped it was nothing serious.
“First off,” Isobel said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” That sounded rather inadequate, so I followed up with, “I know you’ve probably heard some rumors, but I can assure you that everything is business as usual.”
Harper smiled. “I have no doubt you’re a professional in everything, Lo. We’ve known you for close to twenty-five years. Sure, this is a business, but you’re also part of the Rebels family.”
The lawyer winced. This was not the kind of chumminess he wanted at the negotiating table.
Neither was the rock the size of a puck in my throat appropriate right now.
Some ball-buster I was! But these women were like aunts to me.
When Sadie and I sold my family’s home to make restitution to my father’s clients, we had lived rent-free in the coach house on Chase Manor.
Harper would drop in with gift baskets and treats to make our stay as comfortable as possible.
Isobel was my first official coach, taking me under her wing following my first Rebels Youth Hockey Camp.
Along with Gunnar, she was my hockey mentor, and the woman I looked up to most in the sport.
I couldn’t speak, I was that upset.
“Ray, could you give us a couple of minutes?” Harper asked the Rebels’ counsel. “We promise we won’t talk business while you’re gone.”
Ray looked so happy to be excused.
Once he had left, the sisters came around the table to sit beside me, one on each side. Isobel squeezed my shoulder.
“So your boyfriend’s a fucking asshole, huh?”
I barked a laugh that released some of the tension. “A lying, cheating, criminal asshole.” Something awful occurred to me. “Please say he didn’t get you to invest in one of his dubious funds.”
“Not me or Vadim.” Isobel threw a glance her sister’s way. “Harper?”
“He cornered Remy at Theo’s retirement party with an offer that sounded too good to be true. But my husband gets offers all the time. He thought it was the usual spiel, but not problematic. Perhaps we should have said something.”
I shook my head. “This is not on anyone else but me.”
Isobel frowned. “You’re not taking the blame here, Lo. This can be laid at the feet of one person and one person only. How are your clients taking it?”
“Some are sticking with me. I’ve parted ways with a few, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be going easy on you guys today.
In fact, Genesis has expressed interest in sponsoring Francois, which proves he is extremely marketable.
” The hockey gear company had reached out a few weeks ago, and I prayed they were still interested.
Harper held up both hands. “Shush, no shop talk! Ray will pitch a fit.” She rubbed my arm. “You have a great support network and so many people who love and care about you. While we’re all business in here, just know that we have your back out there.”
“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate that.”
Harper shot off a text. “Okay, let’s call Ray back in here and get down to brass tacks.”
The lawyer returned, his face creased in a frown. He showed his phone screen to Harper, whose lovely green eyes grew as wide as pucks.
“It looks like your ex-boyfriend is the least of your problems, Lo.” She turned to me, her lips in a wry curve.
“When were you going to tell us that you’re Mrs. Alexei Nazarov?”