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“Used? Just say it, Joel. Tell me who organized this.” I exhale. “I already know, so you may as well justsay it. Tell me Luke Abernathy has been pulling the strings in our lives formonths.”
He still hesitates. But then, he breaks.
“The Titans’ owner’s son has been messing in all our lives for years. Not months.Years. You think this is the first time he’s done something like this?” Joel’s laugh is like sandpaper. “You think someone that calculated, that money-driven, starts with rigging NHL games and bets? He owns the damn app, Aurora.”
“The—”
“The gambling app,” Joel confirms.
“I—”
“You put it on your phone. You got curious, you wanted to watch the odds and confirm your suspicions—I know you. Six months might not be as long as Knox had, but I still got to know you. The parts of you that love mystery and puzzles, especially.”
My mouth opens and closes.
“How did I not know?” I whisper.
“Because he owns the company that created the gambling app. If you didn’t look at the board of directors for that company, how else would you know?” He sighs. “Listen, they’re more dangerous than you think?—”
“They?”
Luke said he had a boss. So now, it’s just a matter of figuring out who’s on the board. Take them down that way, or something. I don’t know. It’s all illegal, right? Is everyone corrupt, or just a few?
“Why did Luke have this ring?” I hold it up again. It sparkles in the light, as pristine as the day Joel proposed with it.
“I gave it back to him to cover my debt.”
He doesn’t flinch away from that, so I do my best to extend the same courtesy.
“How much are you in debt, Joel?”
“A few hundred.”
“Okay, that’s not so bad?—”
“Thousand.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” He winces. “I was taking bribes. But then I got involved on the app, and the next thing I knew…”
“Joel. You can’t gamble—there are rules against sports betting for NHL players.”
“I know. Trust me, I know. And Abernathy made me very aware, as well. So unless he’s silenced for good, I’m going down with him.”
Shit.
I thought I was in love with him at one point. Obviously, I had a misguided view on love. And still do, if we’re being honest. But at theveryleast, I cared for him. Care for him. Enough that I’m not going to let him be dragged down with Luke Abernathy.
“Did you know Luke has been using me to make Knox do certain things?”
“Yes. And, Aurora?—”
“No, no, please don’t give me an excuse. I just…” I exhale. “Did you know he had someone assault me? They attacked me in my own home.”
He pales. He crosses around the island and takes my hands. “He?—”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Bruised ribs, bruised face. Black eyes. Broke a tooth.”
