Bigger and Badder (A Caldwell Hope Billionaire Romance)

by Jackson Kane

Two of the minor league guys sprinted to Judy and Paul. Judy ran to get help, but these guys were professional athletes. They were on her too quickly. She didn’t stand a chance. One of them snatched the phone away and smashed it on the ground, stomping it over and over for good measure. Damn, so much for that.

  Aaron’s bodyguard that stayed behind pried my hand off his boss, then gave me a few extra kicks for good measure. Fortunately for me, the meds had finally kicked in so I barely felt them.

  “You got your evidence, Aaron.” I spat out a wad of blood and gore. Getting back up, my only priority was getting Judy and her father out of this safely. “Let them go.”

  “You have such a soft spot for your playthings, Garrett.” Aaron pulled what looked like a garage door opener out of his pocket and closed the gate at the tunnel’s exit, effectively blocking us off from the field. Red emergency lighting kicked on and gave the bare polished walls a hellish tint. “I remember when your wife died. You were such a pain in the ass about it. What would happen if I took Judy from you? I hear you two have become awfully close.”

  The minor league bodyguard abruptly pinned me to the concrete wall. I strained against him, but without the use of my other arm, I was screwed. He wasn’t as big as Nate, but he was close. This guy would definitely be a linebacker.

  “Don’t you fucking dare!” I yelled, struggling against a wall of meat and getting smashed back into the concrete for my effort.

  “Or what?” Aaron asked with genuine curiosity. “There are no cameras in here. I’ve got a top-notch staff of lawyers that have gotten me out of so much worse than this.”

  “Listen here, Mr. Miller.” Paul puffed up his chest and repositioned himself in front of his daughter. “This is outrageous! When the board of—”

  Aaron glanced at one of his guys, then cocked his head toward Paul. The guard clocked the poor man in the face, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Judy gasped and fell to her knees trying to comfort her father.

  Aaron hovered over both of them. He menacingly whistled “Hey Jude” by the Beatles, while considering his options.

  Suddenly the locker door behind us opened and white light flooded the room.

  “It’s too dark. I told you this wasn’t the right way.”

  “Lucas, we’re looking for a giant tunnel. Of course this is the….” Richard King surveyed the scene. Both King Brothers were decked out in full pads and wore Reaper uniforms.

  What the hell were they doing here?

  “Who the fuck are you?” Aaron asked, slowly taking the cigar out of his mouth.

  “Today, we’re linebackers,” Richard answered quickly. There was an edge to his voice. “Judy, are you all right?”

  “No.” The fright in her voice made my heart stutter. “That is the opposite of what I am right now.”

  “Whoever you are, you’d better start explaining yourself.” Richard stalked forward, knuckles clenched. Richard King was taller, but Lucas had twenty pounds on him. Both of them looked like monsters in all those pads. Neither would have a problem being a proper linebacker.

  I couldn’t wait to see Nate’s expression.

  “Is this the prick that’s fucking with our town?” Lucas called out. He took a few jogging steps and shoved the guard off me, knocking the big bastard on his ass.

  “Yeah,” I said, peeling myself off the wall. The painkillers were starting to take effect. It still sucked and I could feel everything that happened to me, but I didn’t care as much. I’d be able to push through the pain at least until the end of the game. “Thanks.”

  Lucas gave me a look that said we weren’t friends. We just had a common enemy at the moment. At some point we were going to have to discuss what happened in Berlin, but now wasn’t the time.

  Fine, whatever. I’d take any help I could get.

  With Richard between Lucas and me, the three of us advanced on Aaron. The hostility that radiated from us was palpable. Three versus three. Despite it being an even match numbers-wise, with how angry we were, they might as well be facing an army.

  “Yes well, we’ve got a game to finish.” Not liking his odds, Aaron groped for the remote in his pocket and raised the gate. Aaron jerked his head and his bodyguards followed him out toward the field.

  Judy kicked her leg out catching Aaron’s foot and sending the fat bastard tumbling. Aaron’s body guards paused to double back for him, but we were already on him. Richard and Lucas kept the other players at bay while I hoisted Aaron up by the collar of his jacket.

  “Think about what you’re doing, Garrett.”

  I jerked his face up next to mine and snarled. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long, long time.”

  I was willing to let it go; I really was. I had my own life outside of football. I could get past it all, but he just couldn’t help himself. I didn’t know what he was going to do to Judy, but, whatever it was, he was going to make sure I watched.

  I couldn’t let that go.

  I threw him face-first into the sidewall. He hit with a wet-sounding crack and came away bloody.

  “Help me, you fucks!” he growled at his guys, red spittle sprayed from his mouth. Between Richard and Lucas, none of them could get through. Anyone who tried got put on their ass, or worse. For billionaires, the King brothers were tougher than you’d expect.

  Aaron turned over and collapsed into a sitting position against the wall. I took a knee over him and batted away his meager defenses. It was time to end our rivalry once and for all. I cocked my fist back, ready to ram it down Aaron’s throat when a gentle hand on my shoulder stopped me.

  “Let him go,” Paul said, nursing a puffy eye. Aside from what was going to be a nice shiner, Paul was fine. “Do you really want to go down that path?”

  “You’re goddamn right I want to.” All I saw was red; the possibilities of what he would’ve done to Judy, had he not been stopped, darkened my head and heart like heavy rain clouds, crackling lightning.

  “And then what?” Paul asked. “What happens to your daughter when you go to prison?”

  I hesitated long enough for Jackie’s face to flash in my mind.

  “Fuck!” I punched the wall right next to Aaron’s head. I knew Paul was right. I took a deep breath and stood up. “Get this trash out of my tunnel.”

  The three players grabbed their coach and hustled out onto the field.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Judy asked anyone who would listen; her voice was thick with indignation. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him, but that’s our only other option? Just let him go? What? Are we just going to pretend like this didn’t happen? That’s insane!”

  “He’s still our financier.” Paul looked away. He was extremely conflicted about all of this. At the end of the day, as far as he knew, Aaron was their only option to fund and save their town.

  It didn’t surprise me that Aaron kept such a big secret from the stadium chairman and the rest of the board members. For being as good a tactician as he was, Aaron wasn’t a good businessman.

  “I take it Aaron didn’t tell you about our wager,” I asked Paul.

  “What wager? What are you talking about?” Confusion screwed up his features.

  “Whoever wins this game wins the right to financially back the stadium.”

  “Why would you possibly want to help us now?” He looked even more confused somehow. “You already passed on us. Twice.”

  I took Judy’s hand.

  Richard grabbed his brother’s shoulder to give us some space, but Lucas brushed it off. It was obvious that Lucas wanted to have a few more words with me before we hit the field.

  “Don’t be such a stubborn dick. They’re having a moment,” Richard said, throwing his brother in a headlock, dragging him away. Luke pushed him off, but relented, and they bickered like only brothers could the whole way out of the tunnel.

  “I love your daughter.” I told Paul while looking at Judy. Judy squeezed my hand and smiled back at me. “I’m just as flawed and petty as anyone else, but Judy
showed me a better path. She also showed me the beauty of your town, and all of its potential.”

  I wish I could say he jumped for joy and all that, but the truth was that things didn’t work that way. He and I had an incredibly damaged relationship, and we had a long way to go for him to trust me.

  Paul sighed, giving both of us a look separately. It was concern, but also begrudging consideration. It was a look that said, “If this was what you want, Judy, I’m willing to give it a shot.”

  “What happens if you do win?” he asked abruptly. Hard lines carved up his face. There was real worry in his features. “Are you going to fire me?”

  “Do you like your job?” I gauged his face, reading his surprise. “Are you happy being in charge?”

  “Happy? I don’t—” Paul blustered. He’d probably never been asked that question before.

  “The man I saw today refereeing was happy.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’m not saying I’ll make you a ref if you don’t want to be, but if I win, things will change. That doesn’t mean they have to be bad changes. You want what’s best for your town. Well now, I want that, too. I’m invested. Hell, my daughter even loves it here. I promise I’ll do right by you and everyone else who lives here.”

  “Even Lucas?” Judy slipped in a jab and a smirk.

  “God help me, even Lucas.” I looked past her to make sure Lucas was out of earshot, then winked at her. Turning back to Paul, I continued, “We’ll find a good position for you, something that you enjoy and actually find fulfilling.”

  Paul contemplated everything for a short while. I didn’t want this to be a deal with the devil for him. I wanted it to be a partnership of equals. And in the coming months, I’d need his expert knowledge of the area to make informed decisions.

  That was, of course, if I won.

  “All right,” he said finally. He extended his hand with a resigned but understanding smile and shook mine. “Are you sure you’re still up for this? You look like shit.”

  “Thanks.” I shook my head at his honesty, then walked toward the tunnel exit. The field grew more expansive with each step I took towards it. Leaving the sport the way I did those many years ago, I always knew I had one game left in me. “Yeah, let’s finish this.”

  Thirty-Two

  Judy

  “What the shit!” Gloria mouthed the words angrily. Her ghostly, pale face turned a shade of red I’d never seen before. She’d covered her infant daughter’s ears right before the outburst, just in case some of the swearing was loud enough to hear. She glowered through the glass of the warmed VIP box we were sitting in, and stared lasers into Aaron Miller on the sidelines. “And they let him finish the game!”

  I explained what just happened and everything leading up to it, to both Gloria and Molly.

  Gloria slowly bounced her blanketed newborn as Alisha slept fitfully in her arms. Gloria lowered her voice and continued, “If the men are too proud or too stupid, then we have to do something. He can’t be allowed to get away with this.” Gloria glanced back at Molly and me. “Can we call the cops?”

  “Do we have any proof of what he wants to do to the town, or what he just did to Garrett and Paul?” Molly asked hopefully. “Anything at all that we could use?”

  “I took a video, but they destroyed my phone before I could back it up to the Cloud.” I crossed my arms and looked out onto the field.

  The third quarter of the game was intense, and the final quarter was shaping up to be more of the same. I pleaded with Garrett not to play, especially after everything that just happened. I’d heard too many reports of athletes dropping dead from too many concussions; every hit he took scared the hell out of me.

  Thank God for the King brothers. Now that they were covering Garrett, he didn’t get tackled nearly as much. In fact, Garrett’s team was able to catch up because they finally had the right amount of players.

  Lucas was a lot stronger than the other team anticipated and was able to stop the heavier defensive guys, which in turn gave their quarterback several extra valuable seconds each play.

  Surprisingly enough, it was Richard who had a natural affinity for the game. Gloria told me he played a little in college. It certainly showed. Richard was startlingly quick for a man as tall as he was. He slipped past the linebackers and got more sacks than any other player.

  However, we were still behind by a few points and it was the last quarter. My stomach was in knots because of how much was riding on the next few plays. Aaron’s wide receiver, number fifty-three, was disgustingly fast. Garrett came extremely close a few times, but just couldn’t catch him. If fifty-three had the ball and a clear field in front of him, it was an all but guaranteed touchdown.

  So far Garrett’s team did everything they could to make sure that didn’t happen, but part of me wondered if that was going to be enough. All it took was one mistake, and everything would come crashing down.

  “Thank you.” I smiled, turning back to the girls. “I really appreciate you and your spouses coming to help. This is all just so crazy. The fate of our town decided with a football game?” I laughed—not because it was funny, but because it was so ridiculous and terrifying.

  I didn’t even like football!

  “This is our town, too.” Molly put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Yeah,” Gloria added. “Even if we don’t live here anymore. Caldwell Hope will always be home. The boys were excited to help.”

  “Even if Luke was a big baby about playing nice with Garrett.” Molly shook her head.

  “How did you get him to agree, Moll?” I knew how deep that rivalry went.

  “I told him it wasn’t about him and Garrett. It was bigger than all that. This was a fight to save the soul of our town.” A creeping smirk raised the corner of Molly’s lips. “I also told him if he won, we could try some butt stuff.”

  “No wonder he’s kicking so much ass out there,” Gloria said, laughing. Molly nodded, then we both laughed as well. It felt good to be around my friends again, especially during such a hard time.

  “Hey, guys,” Molly said, checking her phone. “I just got a text from a friend asking about the game.”

  “Okay? What about it?” I asked. Aaron Miller playing against Garrett Walker was probably going to make the news, in one way or another. I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly.

  The game wasn’t publicly advertised, but it wasn’t exactly a private event either; there were thousands of people here. I didn’t think we even charged for admission. We just had the people who showed up sign liability waivers because of the construction.

  “Judy, are you sure your phone was destroyed?” Molly asked distractedly. Gloria and I huddled around her as she pressed play on the video her friend sent her.

  We heard Aaron’s voice a second or two before I saw him. “…I don’t give a fuck about these people or their stupid fucking town. I’ll burn it all to the ground, and piss on the ashes, if it stands in my way.” Garrett was on the ground after just taking a beating by Aaron’s thugs. I had to look away. It was hard enough to live through once.

  But how did this exist? I watched my phone get destroyed.

  “Holy hell.” Gloria’s voice was distant and horrified while she watched, then when it was over, a smile spread across her lips. “You didn’t record a video, Judy. You live-streamed it. There was nothing to destroy; it was getting uploaded as you filmed it!”

  “It must’ve gone viral,” Molly said. Her voice was tinged with disbelief. “Caldwell Hope needs to see this. They need to know what kind of man they’re in bed with.”

  The crowd suddenly cheered uproariously, which drew my attention back onto the field. The board members were treating this game like a practice run, so the stadium lights flashed, a pop song blasted over the loud speakers, and the Jumbo Tron showed the replay. Lucas and Nate had made a hole for Garrett at the ten yard line, and he pushed through into the end zone. I looked at the score. We were ahead by three points.

  Gears turned i
n my mind. What was the best way to get this video to everyone that mattered in town? The Jumbo Tron. “Bundle up, ladies. I have an idea!”

  The three of us ran through the massive concourse that ringed the field. We passed all the food and beer stands, and all the memorabilia stores that were designed to separate fans from their money. Nothing was stocked yet; most of them didn’t even have signs yet. It reminded me just how much work was left to finish this stadium.

  The thought of Aaron Miller being the one to pay for it all sent a shiver through me.

  It was incredibly important that we got to the control room before the game was over and the people left. And like most important things, it was on the opposite end of the stadium from where we were.

  Because of course it was.

  “Okay, we’re here,” I said in between long, deep breaths. Garrett would be ashamed at how winded I was. The elevator was locked to the public, but that was fine. I always carried my key card. I slid it in the slot and nothing happened. The doors refused to open. I tried it four more times just to be sure. “Oh no….”

  “The elevators don’t work, do they?” Gloria sighed, catching her breath. Even her infant daughter, Alisha, looked irritated by the turn of events.

  “It’s not so much that they don’t work.” I groaned “It’s more like they aren’t even installed yet. Shit!”

  “Guys, we’re running out of time.” Molly, who was barely winded, looked out the nearby window. I followed her gaze. Just under five minutes on the play clock. “Is there another way up? How many stories is it?”

  “Six,” I replied, and we all whined in unison.

  Everyone important to Caldwell Hope was in the audience, including the mayor and governor. Most of our town’s decision makers weren’t internet savvy. By the time they saw the video on their own, who knows what kind of damage Aaron could’ve done? We needed everyone to see this now.

  “Hold on, kiddo.” Gloria adjusted Alisha in her baby harness. “Mommy and her friends are going to do something really stupid.”

  “Five minutes. Six stories.” Molly took a deep breath. “Does everyone have their big girl pants on?”