Hard to Catch: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (The Beasts of Baseball Book 3)

by Alice Ward

  “Okay. I’ll be out there tomorrow. We’ll move Mom, then I’ll deal with Marcus.”

  I hung up the phone, pushed it into my pocket, and walked over to Rhett. He was finishing up a photo with the kids’ teachers as I approached. I nodded in his direction, pulling him away from any further marketing bullshit.

  “I need to fly out to New York immediately,” I said.

  Don’t ask. Tell. That’s what my eleventh-grade teacher, Mr. Simms, taught me. “Be assertive, boy,” he would say. “You won’t get anything by asking. Tell them what you’re taking.”

  Rhett didn’t flinch. “Okay. Can I ask why?”

  I explained as quickly as I could that my mother was being moved, and why. His eyes lit up, his lips curving into a smile that seemed pretty inappropriate given the topic of our discussion. “That’s a great idea,” he said, motioning toward Katrina.

  She stepped over, standing next to Rhett and glancing nervously from him to me. I abstained from laughing at the idea that she thought Rhett had found out about our fling and was calling her over to reprimand us.

  “Todd is flying out to New York this evening. I want you to go with him,” he said sternly.

  Her eyes filled with as much surprise as mine. “I don’t need a babysitter,” I insisted.

  “Of course not. Your mother going into the Alzheimer’s unit is a dreadful thing, and for that, I’m truly sorry. But we need to find a charity to make a large donation to, and since a Beast is tied to the disease, it would be a wonderful choice. I hear they are making great progress in their research, so the funds would be very helpful,” Rhett said, professional as always.

  I hated the thought of having my mother pulled into the media in any way, but I knew the donation would go to a great cause. I’d given quite a bit myself already, and my sister was in for just as much. “Okay, but why does Katrina need to go?”

  “She will be delivering the check while you’re there. I need her to take a few pictures of you and your mother.”

  The thought of being alone with Kat was thrilling. Even though she wasn’t given a choice by Rhett on the matter, the fact that she couldn’t look me in the eye without blushing told me she was excited as well.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Katrina

  I barely had time to pack my bags before a private car whisked Todd and me to the airport. Todd was quieter than I’d expected, but I didn’t push him. Even with all that was on his mind, he still managed to comfort me throughout the flight. He closed the window shade, held my hand at takeoff, and rested his hand on my knee throughout most of the flight.

  “Is your mother still at home?” I asked as we climbed into the backseat of a black SUV outside the airport.

  “No. She’s in an independent living facility, or she was. I guess she’s in rehab now after the fall.”

  “Will she go back to her place after she heals?”

  I wasn’t exactly clear on all the details. I knew his mother had Alzheimer’s and that she had fallen, but that was it. Was she hurt badly? Why the sudden rush to New York to see her?

  “The facility said she’s fallen too many times. They want to put her in the nursing home section. That’s why I’m here, to stop them.”

  Todd to the rescue. My heart fluttered thinking about how sweet and loyal a son he was. I settled back into the leather seat of the SUV and tried imagining Todd Morris as a child. His beautiful blue eyes must have melted his mother’s heart when he was small.

  “We’re here,” Todd announced, opening the backseat door. He extended his hand, helped me from the back of the car, and turned to stare at the entrance of the white brick building.

  I reached out, slipped my hand into his. He squeezed my fingers together, pulled me close to him, and headed to the doors. A keypad on the entrance required him to enter a few digits before we were able to open the heavy wooden door. Inside, a cozy area was situated like a home living room, complete with a television and fireplace. It was nice here, nicer than I'd imagined. A woman greeted us with a smile at the small window near another set of large glass doors. “Can I help you?”

  “Tamara Morris,” Todd said to the woman. Tamara, that’s Todd’s mother’s name. Pretty.

  “Of course. I should’ve recognized you, Mr. Morris.” The woman stammered over her words as she pushed a button that opened the large doors.

  “Down the hall, last door on the right.”

  He gripped my hand tightly as we walked down the long hallway. The coziness of the entrance was replaced with cold, hard tiled floors, white walls lined with gray doors, and small plaques that offered each residents’ name beside a room number. We stopped at the last door on the right. There was no plaque with her name, just a sign that said "rehab" on the door.

  Todd pushed open the door to a large room with one bed, a wide window that overlooked the parking lot, and a small elderly woman sitting in a wooden rocking chair.

  “Mom,” Todd said, rushing to her side. The slip of his hand from mine was quick, leaving me standing alone at the doorway.

  “Marcus?” she asked, her voice shaky and soft. “Where have you been?” Tears formed in her eyes as her arms opened wide to hug her son, the wrong son.

  Todd didn’t flinch. He wrapped his arms around his mother’s frail body and smiled toward me. “No, Mom. It’s me, Todd.”

  Her eyes moved in my direction, filled with confusion. “Who’s this?” she asked.

  “This is Katrina Delaney. She’s going to take some pictures,” Todd explained to his mother.

  She welcomed me into the room, allowed me to take the pictures I needed for the social media pages, and still continued to call Todd by his brother’s name even though he explained who he was to her several times.

  It felt invasive taking the photos of Todd and his mother. His hand was clasped over hers gently, his eyes locked onto her as if he were afraid she’d disappear if he looked away.

  “Todd!” A pretty woman with long, dark hair and the same eyes as Todd rushed into the room. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, squeezing like she hadn’t seen him in years.

  “Katrina, this is my big sister, Teresa,” Todd introduced us with a proud smile I’d never seen before.

  It was obvious he and his sister were close, but as she answered Todd’s questions about their younger brother, it was obvious neither was close to him.

  Teresa spoke to the director of the home and secured their mother’s spot in a private room. “She’ll be moved back today,” she said proudly as Todd pulled her in for another tight squeeze.

  “I guess it pays to have a big shot chief of surgery in the family,” he boasted.

  “Let’s get some dinner,” Teresa suggested, kissing her mother on the forehead to say her goodbyes.

  Todd leaned in, whispered something in his mother’s ear that made her smile before giving her the same gentle kiss on her head.

  “I hear the team is donating quite a pretty penny to Alzheimer’s research,” Teresa said as we walked out the doors.

  I wasn’t sure where she’d heard that, but her excitement took away the guilty feeling I had from taking pictures and exploiting their mother’s illness for the good of the team’s image.

  It was impressive, listening to Teresa talk about her job at dinner. She was so young, so beautiful, and so successful. It was no wonder Todd was so proud. “She was asking about Marcus,” Todd said, skipping over the part of her mistaken identity.

  “I tried to find him. I just hope he’s okay this time,” Teresa said, slowly pushing her food around the plate with her fork.

  “I’ll find him,” Todd offered.

  The offer made Teresa’s eyes light up. It was obvious that Marcus meant the world to them. I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d turned out the way he did, especially being raised in the same family, and with two very successful siblings.

  Todd paid the bill, even though Teresa protested over and over. She was very friendly, making me comfortable and included throughout the en
tire meal. Her eyes glanced over at me several times, catching me looking at Todd as he talked. I watched her lean in, whisper something in his ear before she wrapped her arms around me for a hug goodbye. It took me off guard to have someone I’d only just met be so welcoming.

  “Careful with this one’s heart,” she whispered in my ear, then pulled away with a smile and a wink.

  Her words shook me up a bit. How did she know? Was it written all over my face? Did other people know?

  “I’ll take you back to your apartment,” Todd said as the driver opened the back door of the SUV.

  I stopped and gave him my toughest glare. “No, I’ll go with you.”

  He rolled his eyes, and his dimple reappeared. “That’s cute, but where I’m going, it isn’t exactly a great place.”

  “I’m aware of that,” I argued. “I don’t want you going alone. If something happens to you, Rhett will have my head.”

  I squeezed into the backseat, sliding over to give Todd room. He instructed the driver to deliver us to his penthouse, ignoring my arguments. He talked about his sister, his mother, but nothing about Marcus as we made the short drive to his large condominium building.

  He stepped out of the SUV, reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He pushed the button, and a beep alerted my attention to the silver Porsche parked in the garage next to us. “That your car?” I asked.

  He smiled and headed toward the sports car. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take you home.”

  He held the passenger door open for me as I followed. That smile was more than I could handle. Shit. That man turned me on. “I’m going with you,” I insisted.

  “It’s not safe,” he said, closing me into the car.

  “Then I can’t let you go,” I said with a smirk when he slid behind the wheel.

  “Let me?”

  The chuckle that escaped his lips was deep and delicious. I wanted to slide down his throat and feel those vibrations wrapping around my body. “I’m in charge,” I stated with a wide smile. I was still thinking about Todd’s mouth, those beautiful lips, that skillful tongue, and…

  “I believe we discovered that I’m in charge on our first date,” he teased, his voice low and sensual, stirring my insides.

  “Date?” As far as I was concerned, we hadn’t been on any dates. Not real dates anyway.

  “At the toy store.” That delicious smile appeared again, this time more wicked than ever.

  I blushed, my cheeks warmed, not just the ones on my face. I leaned back in the seat, took a deep breath, and worked to calm my body from the sensations that memory gave me. “You’ll keep me safe then. I’m going.”

  He smiled, put the car in reverse, and whipped it out of the garage and onto the road with ease. “Okay, but you need to stick with me. Marcus never hangs out anywhere good. It’s basically crack town where we’re headed.”

  I’d never been in the bad parts of town, at least no longer than to drive through. Growing up privileged kept me away from poor areas and certainly places that’d be considered crack town. My skin tingled with a bit of fear as we drove through the city. I watched out the window as the streets became darker, the people less civilized, and the buildings less maintained. Todd pulled the car over onto the side of the road. He gave me a look filled with concern before getting out and walking to my side of the car. When the door opened, I could hear the chaos surrounding us. Metal garbage cans being knocked over, hopefully by alley cats. People screaming at one another from a distance, a far one I hoped. I reached out, took his hand, and stepped out of the car.

  “There’s a few places nearby he usually hangs out. I don’t want to leave you in the car here,” he said.

  I moved closer to him, clenching onto his strong arm. I was nervous, actually scared, but Todd helped me to feel safe.

  Our first stop was a convenience store slash tobacco shop. The man behind the counter was on the other side of a large metal cage. Just being there frightened me. “I’m looking for Marcus Morris,” Todd said.

  The man lifted his eyes from the magazine he read, rolled them up and then down Todd’s body before he even attempted to answer. “Who the fuck are you?”

  “His brother.”

  “Well, you need to get your little lady outta here,” he said, smirking in my direction.

  That sounded like a great idea. Get me out of here. You too, Todd.

  “Have you seen him or not?” Todd asked, pushing a twenty across the counter.

  “He might’ve been around yesterday. He was in pretty bad shape though. I suspect he’s sleeping it off somewhere,” the man said, sliding the money into his pocket before giving Todd another look. “You really Todd Morris, the Mets player?”

  “Yeah, but I’m a Beast now,” Todd answered.

  The man’s lips puckered into a circle, and a faint whistle escaped. “Try the green house on the corner. It’s been vacant a while now. Most of the smackheads end up there when they score,” the man said cheerfully, as if this was good news.

  “What’s a smackhead?” I whispered to Todd as we exited the store.

  “Just a junkie,” Todd said, his hand on the small of my back to rush me from the store and out onto the sidewalk.

  He took my hand, pulled me close and stared down the street toward the green house on the corner. “You think he’s in there?” I asked.

  “Maybe,” he murmured.

  Instead of walking in the direction of the house, he walked the opposite way toward the car. He opened my door, “Get in,” he said, giving me a little smile. I did. He walked to the driver’s side, opened the door, and slid inside.

  “I need to take you home. This isn’t safe.”

  “No. I’m not leaving you,” I insisted and crossed my arms over my chest.

  He scowled at me, opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. Cursing, he started the car, whipped it around, and parked in front of the green house. “Stay here. Promise me. Stay here and keep the doors locked. Call me if anyone bothers you,” he insisted with such intensity it made me nervous.

  “I promise,” I agreed.

  I watched him walk toward the house. It was dark, the front door and most of the windows were boarded up, and my skin crawled at the thought of what might be inside. I reached into my purse, pulled out my small can of mace, and clenched my phone in my hand. Todd walked up the stairs, onto the porch and then squeezed through what must have been loose boards in the front door. My heart raced once he was out of sight, my mind fearful of what might happen to him. I should’ve insisted on going with him.

  A group of men walked past the car, stopping to peer inside as I gripped the tiny mace keychain in my hand. One split his middle fingers and pressed them to his face, licking in between them as he stared at me with cold dark eyes. The other laughed, pulled him away, and they entered the green house the same way Todd had.

  Minutes that seemed like hours passed as I sat there, a myriad of scenarios playing out through my mind. I jumped when someone screamed, then voices echoed outside my window. I couldn’t tell from where. I opened the door, called out for Todd, but heard only yelling in return. I couldn’t make out what was being said at first, but then one word came through clear. “Morris.”

  My heart slammed in my chest. Todd!

  I ran toward the noise, gripping my phone and my mace. The alley beside the house had a dim street light shining down on the group of men that had stopped to peer in the car at me. Todd was in the middle of them. They were pushing him, taunting him, calling him a pussy, not a Beast. “I’m just looking for my brother, guys,” Todd said, his voice still calm.

  “You’re lookin’ in all the wrong places, pussy,” one said while the other laughed.

  Todd pushed past them, noticed me, and then stopped. The look on his face terrified me. “Todd!” I screamed his name, pointing to the man behind him.

  Todd whirled, but before he could get out of the way, a fist connected with his head. He fell to the ground, landing on his knees, his eyes locked o
nto mine.

  I gripped my phone, searching for the emergency call button. Todd rose, turned and swung at the man who'd hit him, knocking him to his back. Todd pounced on top of him, swinging his fists in a fury as I struggled to make the call for help. One of the men ran toward me, then dove, taking me to the ground like a tackled football player. The wind was knocked out of me. I couldn’t breathe.

  “Todd!” The word was barely audible as I tried to scream another warning. He must have heard me, though, because he turned just in time to see the man with the knife. The guy lunged and Todd sidestepped him, knocking the knife to the ground. The first man staggered to his feet and jumped on Todd’s back. I watched in horror as Todd was taken down.

  “Isn’t that cute?”

  My attention snapped back to the man straddling me, his knees holding my arms down at my sides. He yanked the mace from my hand, laughing at my feeble attempt at self-defense, and tossed the can toward the building.

  He leaned closer and I gagged. He smelled of cigarettes, tar, and gasoline, with an undercurrent of body odor beneath it all. I screamed and fought, but he was too heavy and had all the leverage. I soon tired and was breathing hard. When his fingers went to the button on my pants, a fresh surge of adrenaline shot through me, and I kicked violently, trying to buck him off.

  Another man joined in the fun and soon my pants were being ripped from my body, my ass cheeks grinding into the gravel below me.

  “Hold the bitch still,” he yelled out to his friend.

  I was rolled onto my stomach, my face pressed into the ground, my arms wrenched painfully behind my back. I screamed out in pain and a hand clapped over my mouth.

  “No need for that. I’m gonna treat you real good,” the guy on top of me said, pushing my legs farther apart. “I’m gonna show you what a real man feels like.” His words were a hiss as he lowered himself onto me.

  I kicked, screamed, but nothing I did mattered. His breath was hot on my neck and he hummed something I couldn’t comprehend as he positioned himself.

  Then he was gone, removed so quickly that I didn’t realize he was off me until Todd said, “Let her go.”