“Negotiate?” I sputtered out a laugh. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“What’s interesting is how you are so hell-bent on waiting me out.”
“Why the fuck shouldn’t I? You’ve made enough money off me. Why should I give you another dime?”
“Because you know what will happen if you don’t. In case you need a reminder, if word gets out that you were on that field and deliberately lied about your health, your contract is at risk. And once rumors start about your girl, she will lose all credibility.”
I ground my teeth. “If you tell a damn soul, you can kiss your reputation goodbye. No one will want to work with you again if they find out what a sick fucker you are. This goes both ways.”
“Funny how you’re more worried about my reputation than your own.”
His laugh was mocking, and I was tempted to punch him in the face. Consequences be damned.
I walked over and held the door open for him, but the smug bastard didn’t move a muscle. “Get out before I pick your ass up and toss you out.”
A big, ugly grin spread across his face. “Seven days, or the way this will get played in public is you took advantage of a female reporter, or it will look like she slept her way to gain access to you for the interview. Either way, you’re fucked, my friend.”
Brian has always been arrogant. And that arrogance has gotten him into a lot of fucking shit.
I moved toward him and firmly gripped his arm. It was enough force to have him stumble back a step. “If you drag her into this, we are done talking through lawyers.” I couldn’t care less about my reputation. I was more worried about her. “And if you even think about going near her, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands, and I have no problem taking you down with me.”
“You are not in a position to threaten me, so here’s the deal. You pay me what I want, and I’ll walk away. The way I look at it, you have more to lose than I do.”
I shoved him forward. “Get out. You piece of shit.”
He straightened his coat like he was closing a deal. “You’ve got one week, Nate. One week to pay what I’m asking, and I expect every penny. You’ve done very well for yourself. Ten million isn’t even a drop in the bucket for you. So, don’t be careless and stupid or waste anymore of my time.” His smile turned cold. “Because if you do. Then I start talking like a canary. And I’ll talk to anyone who will listen. And trust me, your girl’s name will be the first one I mention.”
CHAPTER 26
BECCA
The secondI walked through the door, I knew something was wrong. Nate was sitting on his sectional, blankly staring across the room. The TV was off. There was no music playing. Just complete silence. His head was tipped back, elbows resting on his knees, and a bottle of beer hanging loosely in one hand.
Nate never drank during the week.
“Hey,” I said cautiously, setting my bag down on the table. “You look like hell.”
He dragged a hand over his mouth, huffing out a quiet laugh. “That about sums it up.”
Another thing I noticed was that he didn’t kiss me or say hello like he usually did. Normally, he would pull me into his arms and either tease me about something or ask about my day. He was sitting there doing absolutely nothing.
His cell phone sat on the table next to him, lighting up with a million notifications, but I wasn’t even sure he knew it was there.
“Nate,” I said, stepping forward, noticing the sharp line of his jaw and the exhaustion carved deep into his face. “What’s going on? You barely even noticed me walk in the door.”
He looked up, and his expression softened a tiny bit when he saw me, but it wasn’t enough. “Thanks for coming over on such short notice.”
My lips formed into a frown. “Why do you sound so detached and look so tense? Is everything okay?”
I felt stupid for asking, because obviously things weren’t okay.
He let out a breath through his nose and glanced at his beer. “Not really.”
I moved toward the couch and sat down slowly. “What’s this all about?”
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Nate wasn’t someone who typically struggled for words. “Why don’t you start by telling me why you called me over here?”
