Page 27 of Forever Relentless

Noah tugged at my arm. “So we were talking—”

“Who was?” I looked between him and Spence’s back. “Oh no, what have you done?”

“I told you, Dante, me, Dust, we’re on Sutherland’s radar. Dante hooked up with the dean’s daughter. I don’t know if you know, but Coach Sutherland isn’t a fan of Savvy’s dad. Plus, Dante didn’t take it well when he found out this program is a shitpile.”

“A shitpile?”

“Whatever. Dust then hooked up with Hadley, who Sutherland hates. She wrote that blog post about the football program, exposing shady spending, and he tried to get her thrown out. Dean Cole stopped it from happening. But now the best wide receiver on the team is head over heels for the journalist who hates Coach Sutherland with everything she has.”

“Your friends either have amazing taste in women or make really poor relationship choices.”

Noah carried on as if I hadn’t spoken. He tipped his head toward Moore. “He’s going to get drafted as soon as he declares; teams are going to want him. He’s got talent, real talent. He’s also a pretty decent guy, not shady, does his schoolwork, has had the same girlfriend since high school, and goes to church regularly. They will eat him up.”

“He’s got a huge social media following already,” I admitted quietly.

“Yeah, he knows what he’s doing,” Noah grunted. “On and off the field.”

“So what did Dante tell him?”

“We decided — I decided — that the more of our teammates who know the shady shit, the less harm can come to us.”

I stopped walking. “What the fuck did you assholes do?”

He looked down at me. His piercing dark eyes gave me nothing. There was no bullshit in his gaze as he held my stare.

“We did what should have been done long ago. We’re exposing the truth to our teammates.”

I stepped back. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

“Because they can ship people off in the middle of the night, or did you forget that part?” His voice stayed flat. “Because they can erase people like it’s nothing, just like they did to your brother. You know what they can’t erase? A whole team. The guys I fought a few weeks ago are gone. Out of school and off campus within hours. Hours. You think I’m not scared that I’m next? You think Dante is secure? Dustin?”

“So? That doesn’t mean that you blab about it?” I wasn’t sure whether to hit him or scream at him, maybe both.

“We aren’t blabbing. But we are telling guys we trust. Guys who are prominent on the field,” he looked at me meaningfully. “With a huge social media presence, who people will notice if they get benched and ask why?”

“That’s . . .” Genius. It was, I had to admit, not stupid. It was actually the kind of move I hadn’t expected from a linebacker. But I couldn’t tell him that, because telling this guy he had a good idea would only make me resent the fact that I hadn’t thought of it first. “That is insanely risky.”

He started walking again, reaching back and pulling me alongside him. “Safety in numbers. It’s how a pride works.”

I blinked. “Lions? You’re making a pun about lions after that . . . that bombshell?”

He shrugged, looking up at the Den and its huge lion ensign. “Guess I was in the theme.”

“And did you tell them about me? Mason?” Panic built within me.

He gave a slight shake of his head, and I just knew from his expression that he thought I was an idiot for asking. “No. We’re not stupid.”

“Are you sure?” I snapped.

“For someone here doing what you’re doing, you’re not really a big risk-taker, are you?” he muttered, holding the door open for me.

“You risk exposing my family and me,” I hissed at him, hoping no one could hear us.

“Nah.”

He walked down a dark tunnel, and I stared at the width of his back. He was a solid specimen of a man and a sportsman. There was a brutal precision to him, from the powerful shape of his shoulders to the carved definition of his chest, every line of him a study in controlled strength. It was what made him a damn good linebacker, and it was also why I kept finding it hard not to look at him. I really resented the fact that I found him so attractive. His conversation skills could be improved, but the fact that he wasn’t one to shout for headlines made him more attractive.

Or maybe I needed to focus on my job, and not his ass.