by Kata Čuić
Movement outside the sliding glass door that leads to the pool area catches my eye. A different sort of threat prompts me to point and open my mouth to squeak out an unintelligible warning.
Eva simply lets out an irritated sigh and raises a single hand in the air before flicking her fingers in a dismissive motion.
“Who-who is that? Who’s out there?” Maybe I should wake up Mike…
“My annoying bodyguard,” Eva mutters.
“You have a bodyguard?” It’s amazing—and slightly disappointing—how quickly I’ve gone from protective to curious.
“Yes, and he follows my husband’s orders, not mine.” She rubs her forehead. “Please, sit down. He’ll just keep pacing out there unless he sees us being civil.”
I sit on the edge of the couch, but there’s no way I’m going to relax under these circumstances. “Why does he think we wouldn’t be civil?”
A slow smile spreads across her face. “Probably because you look like you’re ready to claw my eyes out.”
Wow. She’s good.
“Which means I like you.” She thumbs behind her toward the man standing guard just outside, dressed all in black so that he nearly blends in with the darkness. “Him? Not so much.”
“It’s kind of hard not to feel like I’m in defense mode when there’s a stranger outside in the dark, and you’ve been sitting here staring at me silently for God knows how long.” I square my shoulders. “I understand how close you and Mike are, but you need to understand I’m not going to let you anywhere near him this close to the beginning of the season.”
Like a scale that finally collapses beneath too much weight, her smile climaxes then falls away. “Just doing your job, Miss Russo?”
I don’t like the implication in her tone. “Yes. Just like your bodyguard views me as a threat to you, I view you as a threat to Mike. Everything you’ve been through together withstanding, I won’t let you hurt him again. He has too much on the line, and he works too hard not to be given every chance to succeed. I actually care about my job, Mrs. Falls. You’d better believe I will do anything to make sure nothing—and no one—interferes with Mike’s ability to do his.”
Her gaze slides up and down my bare legs. “I see. Good. I’ve been keeping tabs on you, and I’d hoped you’d say that.”
This is…completely unexpected. Mike’s always telling me what a pro Eva is at navigating the world of football, but to know she’s been watching my every move from a distance is both intimidating and somewhat validating. She obviously likes what she’s seen from me so far. “Why are you here?”
Her sigh is so long and heavy, it seems to stretch out over the expanse of the house. “I’m here to give Mike some long overdue closure he won’t admit he needs. I’m going to need you to be ready to pick up the pieces when I’m gone.”
Oh, I don’t like the sounds of that at all.
“What are you saying?”
She’s already said it a million times in a million different ways, but she might as well be saying it in Chinese while writing calculus proofs on a chalkboard.
I don’t understand any of it.
Evie takes a deep breath. She’s been strangely calm for the past few hours—almost zombie-like—even with Tori pacing just inside the door, watching our conversation like a spy zeroed in on a target.
The only thing I know for sure is that I’m not her mark. Evie is.
Tori blatantly glares at her for a split second through the sliding glass door before she continues trying her best to wear a hole in the living room carpet. At least Mom and the girls already left. I’m so fucking glad they aren’t here.
“Did you already tell Tori everything you’ve said to me? Is that why she refuses to leave? Am I the last to know?”
“No.” Evie shakes her head slowly, her voice low and sad. “She has no idea what we’re discussing. There are also plenty of other people who were there that night that will likely never know what happened.”
“But, why?” The strongest urge to actually tear my hair out forces me to sit on my hands. My muscles twitch with the barest restraint. “Why would you—of all people—keep silent about this for so long?”
She casts her gaze to her lap. “I’m sorry.”
More foreign words without a translator in sight.
She’s sorry. Sorry doesn’t nearly cut it.
“You said they blackmailed the girlfriends into staying quiet. That they watched you all to make sure you’d keep your mouths shut. Chelsie barely spoke to me again after that night, but what about all the nights you slept in the same bed as Rob after what happened, huh? They weren’t watching you then. All you had to do was tell him the truth, so he could’ve huddled with the rest of us. We could’ve made a plan. We could’ve fixed it.”
“You couldn’t have fixed it,” she whispers. “You were at their mercy. None of us had any power in that situation.”
Jesus fucking Christ. I vividly remember me, Rob, Alex, and all the other rookies talking about that night multiple times. We knew something bad had happened. We just had no idea how bad.
All I wanted was to know why.
Why she cheated. Why Chelsie threw me away like trash without ever saying a word. Why I wasn’t good enough for her.
Well. Now, I know.
My ex-girlfriend was forced to watch me come down another woman’s throat while I was drugged out of my mind by the upperclassmen players who cared more about hazing us every chance they got rather than being our mentors.
They were supposed to show us the ropes, to help us get to the next level of play, to teach us how to adapt to a new brotherhood on a new team.
They taught us some shit all right. Lessons I carry with me even in a new locker room with new teammates in a new city.
“You never liked Chelsie,” I spit. “None of you did. You didn’t keep quiet about this to protect us. You kept quiet because you were happy to see her go.”
Evie lifts her gaze. “That’s not true. She cried on my shoulder, Mike. I held her while you…while…”
She swallows like she’s going to throw up.
That makes two of us.
“You’re not putting this on me.” I jump out of my chair and pace, just like Tori’s still doing. “No way am I going to be the bad guy here because Rob was the only one who held out!”
Evie’s expression crumbles. In this moment, her pain doesn’t even faze me. “Rob didn’t hold out either. TJ was the only rookie who did.”
“Son of a bitch!” I yell. Right before picking up my chair and throwing it into the pool. It lands on the surface of the water with an unsatisfying splash.
“You divorce him now!” I roar. “Right the fuck now! I’m done playing around!”
“I’m not going to do that,” she replies, her tone devoid of any of the emotion that’s spilling over my usually careful control. “It wasn’t cheating. It was rape. He wasn’t to blame, and you aren’t either. I’m sorry the other girlfriends didn’t see it for what it was.”
“You do not get to fucking come into my house, confess all this shit to me years after the fact, then act like a goddamn martyr!”
“That’s not what I’m trying to do.” Her voice comes out soft, the exact opposite of mine. “I will have to live with my silence and my regrets for the rest of my life. I love you too much to burden you with regrets, too.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You literally just said it wasn’t my fault!”
Evie rises from her chair, as steady as I’m not. “It’s not. It’s not your fault. I’m not here to drag you down or hurt you. I’m telling you this because you have been stuck in a spin cycle for years, and I don’t want to see you waste another single day of the rest of your life by clinging to the past. You have never moved on from Chelsie. You haven’t even tried. Because—deep down—you thought you did something wrong.” She places a hand on my heaving chest. “You didn’t. You did nothing to cause her to cheat on you. You are a wonderful, loyal, talented, har
d-working man who deserves everything you give to everyone else but keep none of for yourself. You’re always telling me to let go, big brother. Now, it’s your turn. You know the facts. You know you’re not to blame. Now…let it—let her—go.”
“Why now?” I have no shame left, so begging isn’t out of the question. “Why not after Jamal and his henchman graduated? Why not after we graduated? Hell, why not stay silent for the rest of your life?”
Evie glances to where Tori’s practically plastered against the window, watching our every move. “Because if I didn’t speak up now and give you a damn good reason to move on, then you might just throw away the best thing to happen to you since getting drafted.”
“I already told you the truth,” I bite out. “Unlike you, I’m not trying to hide anything. She’s my PR manager. The photos you’ve seen online are just a media stunt.”
Evie steps back and tsks. “Maybe to fans who don’t know the real you. I do. Even in pictures online, I see the way you look at her. I also know you’re not letting yourself go for it because you’re convinced you’ll fuck it all up somehow.”
“Get out.” After everything she’s revealed to me today, the last thing I want to hear is that she knows me better than I know myself. I’m hanging on by a very slim thread. If we don’t get some distance between us, I’m going to do and say things I can never take back. “Go back to Sacramento. We’re done here.”
She nods and rolls her lips in between her teeth as tears fill her eyes. “Please forgive me. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I’m trying to do and be better. I hope you will, too.”
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. My worst nightmare is playing out in front of my eyes at the worst possible time and in the worst possible place.
I race toward the mob surrounding Mike on the sideline. I knew I shouldn’t have given them family passes even though it’s only a pre-season game. Never mind that I’m not high up enough on the totem pole to be given tickets for a regular season game.
I push my way through the tight knit bodies to plaster myself against Mike. “Leave him alone! You guys cannot do this!”
The ringleader smiles. It’s devious, evil, conniving. His teeth look extra sharp today. “We weren’t doing anything.”
His second in command mumbles, “Much.”
Mike leans down and whispers in my ear, “I think they’re planning my murder.”
It’s the most he’s said to me in two weeks, and I don’t think he’s joking.
“This is my job,” I hiss to my brothers. All five of them. “You can’t behave like this here.”
They don’t budge an inch.
“Lay off,” a gruff voice commands.
The throng parts like the Red Sea to let my dad through.
He eyes Mike—still strategically behind me—with clear disapproval, but he’s too set in his ways not to extend his hand anyway. “Mr. Mitchell. I trust you’re treating my daughter well.”
Mike reaches around me to shake my dad’s hand.
“He’s treating me just fine,” I interject before Mike’s sour mood lately can make a bad situation worse.
Do I think I can pull off a lie this big to my family? No. Am I going to try? I don’t know. Mike hasn’t exactly been giving off warm, fuzzy vibes these past few weeks. Maybe he just doesn’t have it in him to pretend anymore. I empathize with that. If it wasn’t for his bad mood, I would say his distant behavior has been a nice break from my constant internal battle.
“Mr. Russo. It’s an honor to meet you, sir. You must be very proud of the fine daughter you’ve raised.” Mike finally manages to pull his hand away with a wince that doesn’t go unnoticed by me.
Dad perks up a bit at Mike’s proper address. Or, it could be that he’s pleased to have crushed Mike’s very valuable hand.
My oldest brother, Theo, cackles. “We already know you think she’s fine. You’re the one dating her. Pro football players aren’t exactly known for sleeping with dogs.”
Mike’s voice seems even, but there’s an undercurrent of warning in his tone. “That is disrespectful not only to your sister, but to all women—including my sisters and mother.”
Dad purses his lips. His eyes narrow infinitesimally. He’s not sure whether to be impressed with Mike or insulted on his oldest son’s behalf.
Since I have no idea what to expect out of anyone, my best hope is a sure distraction. “Are you guys ready to head out? A co-worker told me about this amazing Mexican restaurant last week that I’m dying to take you to. My treat!”
They all seem eager enough.
Unfortunately—but perhaps not unexpectedly after the past few weeks of the silent treatment—it’s Mike who rains on my parade. “Which Mexican restaurant?”
“El Patrón.”
He shakes his head, the same frown that’s been tattooed to his lips still firmly in place. “You can’t go there. Most of the menu is seafood.”
The scales seem to be tipping in favor of respect, judging by Dad’s expression. He hasn’t fully made up his mind though. There’s more testing to be done. “Where do you suggest we go for dinner, Mike? From the pictures the boys have shown me on the internet, you’ve taken Tori to the nicest, safest restaurants in Albany.”
Mike’s response is immediate. He doesn’t even blink at the subtle dig from my dad. “We’ve vetted 677 Prime. The staff knows about Tori’s allergy, and they’re extremely careful with food prep for her plate.”
My smile becomes achingly brittle. “Darling,” I mutter through gritted teeth. “Half that menu is seafood, too.”
One hundred percent of that menu is out of my price range. I don’t have a professional football player’s salary. It will be difficult to afford six grown men’s appetites as it is, but I’m determined to show my family I’m doing well on my own.
“Yeah.” Mike shrugs off my imperceptible headshake. “But we’ve been there. We know it’s safe.”
“It’s settled then.” Dad’s tone is final. “How much longer will you be?”
This is my chance. “Oh, he’ll be hours longer. He’s still got some interviews to do, post-game with the coaching staff and his teammates, showering and cleaning up in the locker room. I don’t want you guys to wait. You must be starving. Besides, 677 Prime requires reservations sometimes weeks in advance. We wouldn’t be able to get a table for this many people at the last minute anyway. I’ll take you out to dinner while he finishes up here!”
Mike squints at me like he can’t possibly understand why I’m being difficult. “Just call and give them my name. They’ll open a table for us.”
Dad’s expression curdles. He obviously isn’t impressed with Mike dropping his name anywhere for anything.
“I won’t be long.” Mike continues to thwart me at every turn. “It’s pre-season, so there’s not as much post-game stuff to get through. Call and ask for the table. I’ll meet you there in half an hour.”
He walks away without another word.
I turn to face my family who’s watching me like I’m in the crosshairs.
Theo speaks up first. “Wow, Tor. You sure know how to pick ‘em. No kiss? No hug? Nothing but bossing you around?”
Owen picks up the trail, shaking his head. “This is why you should never mix business with pleasure.”
Dad levels them with a glare. “I do not want to hear the words pleasure in the same sentence with Tori for the rest of the night. Are we clear?”
“Crystal, sir.” Theo’s response is born from years of careful conditioning.
So are the side-eyes, snickers, and smirks from my other brothers. They’ll follow orders all right. They’ll use every word except pleasure to exact their torture.
Oh, this night smells like disaster already. I still haven’t recovered from the last disaster. I can’t pick up Mike’s broken pieces if I still don’t know what shattered him in the first place.
Tori pounces on me the second I step into the restaurant.
“Just go,” she hisses
, literally trying her best to shove me back out the door. “Send me a text telling me you got caught up with the coaches as proof. They’re all at the table. They’ll never know you were here.”
I haven’t exactly been a pleasure to be around since Evie dropped her bombshell on me, but Tori’s behavior seems a bit extreme. “A deal’s a deal, Peaches. You wanted to prove to everyone you can hack this job. If you want them to believe we’re really together, then I can’t bail on you after making dinner plans with your family. Since it’s the first time I’m meeting them, it only seems fair to take them to a nice place.”
“I can’t afford this place!” she whisper-shrieks.
“I can.”
My offer only makes her angrier. “I hate to kick you when you’re down, but remember that little conversation we had about being supportive instead of solving everyone’s problems for them?”
I am down. She hasn’t so much as nudged me with her toe, let alone begged me to tell her why I’ve been in a funk. Tori has been nothing but quietly supportive of me for the past two weeks while I try to work out what to do with the information I’ve been given. It’s only fair to pony up to my end of the arrangement. Besides, our jobs are on the line. It’s just good business.
“If you want to pay for everyone’s dinner, then go ahead. I’ll pay you back later.”
She releases her hold on me only to rub her forehead. That’s a sure sign of trouble. “Mike. You’ve barely spoken to me for weeks. There’s no way my family is going to buy that we’re in a relationship. Let’s just cut our losses on this one.”
“You look beautiful.” I lean down to kiss her cheek. Just that barest contact makes me sigh in relief after two weeks of feeling like I can’t breathe at all.
“Thank you,” she responds automatically before literally shaking her head. “Seriously though. Just go. I’ll handle it.”
Oh. I get what this is about. “You don’t want them to think you’re sleeping your way to the top.”
Her shoulders slump. She raises her gaze to mine. “I do not. I want them to believe in me. To see I can be successful on my own. It’s bad enough my dad pulled strings to get me this internship. They’re all expecting me to fail. Even if I keep my job and get an endowment from the team to pay for my master’s, they’re going to think I basically cheated to win. For me, it’s a no-win situation.”
