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“Your father.” I look in the direction that Morgan left in and still can’t wrap my mind around it as I say it, “He saw her get taken by Ava and Lenny. That’s how he knows Lenny is dead.”
“Motherfucker,” Ryder seethes. His fist connects with the mausoleum beside him, then his fingers grip the stone, and he leans over, his breath coming fast and uneven.
“She can’t know.”
“Yeah.” He pushes off the stone and looks to me. “There’s no way I’m telling her. She’ll go completely ballistic, and she’s already hanging on by a thread.”
“Agreed. But I think he’s the one we need to keep a closer watch on. He said he wouldn’t hurt her, but he also mentioned that she’s worth more to him dead.” I see the way Ryder flinches at his dad’s disgusting words. And I have to ask… “Do you think he’d hurt her?” I remember the marks on her neck. “Has he?”
The uncomfortable shift he makes on the balls of his feet tells me everything I need to know. I don’t know who I thought touched her, hurt her that night of homecoming. But I never imagined it could be her own father. But now that I consider the information, it’s not really that far of a stretch. I know better than anyone what a so-called father is capable of.
“What about you? Has he hurt you too?”
His lack of response confirms it. I march past Ryder as he stays on my heels. “You can’t do anything to him. Trust me. It’ll make it worse.”
He has a point. But there’s no way in hell I can do the nothing that she just accused me of doing. “It’s already worse.”
“Just think about it, Cade. Don’t do something crazy. That’s her style, not yours.”
“Yeah. I got this. Trust me.” Though I don’t trust myself. Because the more I’m around her, the more I feel crazy seeping into my pores. And it’s exploding through me by the time I reach Coach’s office.
Seated behind his desk, he smiles as I enter. “That didn’t take you long to decide.”
He thinks this is an I’ll-bow-and-be-your-bitch moment. Fuck that. Moving around the side of his desk, I grab his shirt as he stands, realizing I’m far from ready to abide by his rules. I swing my arm, and my fist connects with his nose as he staggers back. Not so tough when it’s not his daughter he’s fighting. Snatching him forward by his collar, I bring his bloody face to mine as he looks to me in shock. “Here’s the deal. I’ll play. But if you ever lay a hand on her again, I’ll gut you like a fucking fish and piss on your corpse.”
“Speaking from experience?” he sarcastically asks as my fingers tighten on the fabric of his clothing.
“Test me and find out.”
“The whore is yours. Keep her to yourself. Just win the fucking title.”
“Same goes for every member in your household. Don’t lay a finger on any of them.”Does he hit his wife too?His smug grin tells me there’s plenty more going on behind closed doors. “All this over a fucking ball game.” I release him, my hand itching to connect with his face again, but I know he’ll only let so much slide.
“That ball game is the only reason you’re not on the fucking floor right now, boy.” His threat is as pathetic as he is.
That’s not what’s stopping him. I don’t know what it is, but I know this isn’t over a stupid, insignificant fucking title. But if that’s what it takes to get him the fuck away from her and me, I’ll get the goddamn thing. And I still have a feeling that’ll be easier than getting to her.
3
MORGAN
“Hey, Morgan, is practice in the gym or out on the field again?” Savannah asks, her breath catching as I pull off my shirt. Once I tug on my sports bra and stand to face her, her eyes return to mine as she tells me, “We can skip practice today. Trust me. No one would mind.”
“I would.” Mainly because I still feel the urge to show everyone I’m good. And that includes doing what I would normally be doing right now. “And we’ll be on the field today.” The last thing I want to do is give Cade any kind of an inkling that I’m hiding out.
Savannah’s gaze stays over my shoulder, and I have a guess why. Looking behind me I spot Ava slowly walking up, her hunter-green sports bra and shorts on. “Can we talk, please, Morgan?”
She flinches as soon as I turn to face her and take a step in her direction. “I’d rather beat the shit out of you.”
Shifting between us, Savannah tries to diffuse the situation. “We can’t do this right now. Not here. Ava, just skip practice or something.”
“I can’t walk around like everything is fine.” Ava peeks over her shoulder then back to me before her eyes fall to the ground. “It’s all my fault. All of it. I’m so—”
When I shift forward, Savannah counters my move, putting her hands up for me to stop. “Apologizing obviously isn’t helping.”
“Then what? What can I do to make it right, Morgan? Please tell me. I’ll do anything.” Ava stands there looking like a worthless pest, and that’s when it dawns on me. I could totally use her to my advantage. Will it make what she did okay? No, but it would be great if she can do as I ask and not fuck up.
“Everyone out,” I announce. Several members of the squad look at me before finishing pulling on their practice clothes and heading out of the locker room. Savannah remains behind, so I instruct her. “You too. Out. This is between me and mybestie.”
