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

by Alice Ward

The woman lingered, glaring at me with a fake smile, and fawning all over Kane as she asked him what else he needed. Not you sweetie, move along.

  “Yes, we’re still friends. Is that bad?”

  I watched him sip on the drink, pushing the umbrella to the side. “Not at all, but why didn’t you stay together?” I asked.

  “She went to school in Boston. I stayed in California to play in the minors. She wanted kids, I wanted a baseball career.”

  His answer was so levelheaded. I couldn’t believe he was still only twenty-four. He oozed maturity. Especially for a major league baseball player.

  “So, no girlfriends since…?” I pushed a little deeper.

  His laugh was so deep it vibrated my soul. I shoved a bite of the crab cake into my mouth to avoid jumping from the topic. I wanted to hear this answer.

  “Yes, there have been women,” he said with a slyness that intrigued me.

  “I said girlfriends, not women.”

  That laugh again. I didn’t understand why I hadn’t felt any sexual attraction toward him, and still didn’t. He was one of the sexiest men I’d ever laid eyes on, almost as sexy as Todd.

  “I’m not ready for that,” he said quickly, too quickly.

  Not ready for a girlfriend, at twenty-four? I hadn't asked him about a wife, a family…

  “Okay, fair enough.” I decided not to push.

  Women walked by, all ogling in his direction, but he didn’t seem to notice. His attention stayed on me, even when the big-busted waitress returned with our second drinks.

  “I get the feeling there aren’t any skeletons in your closet,” I teased.

  His eyes narrowed, his chin tightened, and a small, faint smile appeared on his face. I watched as his eyes sized me up as if he was ready to spill something juicy. “We all have skeletons,” he said softly.

  “Todd will come around,” he said, resting his hand on my bare knee.

  Goosebumps spread across my skin, not from his touch, but his words. I’d done well to not think of Todd during our interview, but now it was unavoidable. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to fight them away. “I think my skeletons were too much for him to bear.”

  “I don’t think it was the skeletons, just the fact you didn’t tell him,” Kane stated sternly.

  “I couldn’t,” my voice choked as I spoke.

  There was no use fighting the tears, they were already rushing down my cheeks. Kane leaned in, wrapped his strong arms around me, and pulled me close. My sobs grew quickly in his comforting arms, my body vibrating with pain as the hurt from losing Todd surfaced once again.

  “Do you love him?” he asked.

  His hand brushed my hair flat against my back, then moved to pull the stragglers away from my wet face. “Yes,” I gasped, admitting it even to myself for the first time.

  His squeeze tightened as he pulled me closer to his chest. I could feel the compassion, the empathy in his embrace. “I didn’t realize it was serious,” he whispered.

  I guess I hadn’t either. It was fun, but serious? It was Todd Morris, adrenaline junkie. I guess I'd assumed he would tire of me once the thrill of sneaking around was gone, and it was best not to get too close. But I did. I let my guard down, and my heart now bled for him.

  “After seeing him drown in alcohol last night, I wondered if it was more than just a hookup.” Kane’s deep voice vibrated through his chest against my cheek. “I’ll talk to him for you,” Kane promised, caressing my back gently with his large hand. I didn’t want to let go. He was comforting, warm, and it felt good to have someone understand my side. I didn’t lie, not really. It was just a huge misunderstanding.

  Kane’s body tensed, and his grip around me loosened. My heart raced as I slowly pulled away, turning to see Todd standing behind my chair. Not again! I was practically in Kane’s lap as I sucked up the sympathy he offered. It wasn’t what it looked like, but I knew what it looked like.

  Todd’s eyes were dark and empty, and a strange smirk spread across his face. He shook his head, chuckled, and turned to walk away. I knew better than to chase after him. I let him go. This was a mess. One I continued to make bigger and bigger. There was nothing I could do, except watch him walk away from me, out of my life for good.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Todd

  What the fuck did I do?

  My head was killing me as I stepped into the elevator. Thank God we didn’t have practice or a game today. As the lights passed Kat’s floor, my heart sunk a little deeper into my chest. Those strings she’d tied to it were tugging hard this morning.

  Why did I let her leave?

  Orange juice, maybe a splash of vodka to ease the pain, and a couple aspirin, then I’d hunt her down. We needed to talk. After last night, her display of selflessness in front of the guys, that meant something. I knew it. I was just too angry to deal with it last night. In the light of day, things were a little clearer.

  “Good morning,” a little blonde behind the bar spouted with a perkiness that made my head pound harder.

  “You have any aspirin back there?” I asked.

  “Sure. Hair of the dog?” she asked, still far too perky for my tolerance level this morning.

  “Please. Orange juice, just a splash of vodka,” I ordered.

  I watched her pour the vodka into my glass. It was more than I'd ordered, more than I wanted. But, maybe I needed it. I left a twenty on the bar, took my glass, and headed outside. Vitamin D from the sunshine always helped soothe a hangover, and this one was a doozy.

  My eyes squinted at the bright sun as I walked out by the pool. Several women were lounging in chairs, tanning even though it was still considered cool in Florida. I looked for a table, something with an umbrella to block the sun from directly blasting into my eyes when I saw her, them.

  Kane Steele, that smooth son of a bitch had Kat nearly in his lap while he embraced her, caressed her, and comforted her. What the fuck?

  I popped the aspirin in my mouth, downed my drink, and walked toward them. I wasn’t sure what I was gonna say or do. The closer I got, the more my mind raced with doubts about Kat.

  “Go with your first instinct, kid.” Words from my first coach rang in my head. What was my first instinct about Kat? Was it when we first met, when I trusted her? Or was it yesterday, when I overheard her lies unfolding? It certainly wasn’t earlier, when I was on my way to find her, to listen to her, to apologize for being a dick.

  Watching her cuddled up in Kane’s arms, sniffling like a wounded kitten made my stomach flop. I guess fear of heights worked for me, but now she had to pull out the helpless little girl routine to win over Kane. Good luck, buddy!

  When Kane’s eyes met with mine, it was obvious he was uncomfortable. When Kat’s eyes finally turned to me, she was obviously mortified. Good. Good riddance.

  There was nothing to say. I shook my head and walked away. Don’t be played a fool twice, Morris.

  I didn’t want to go back to my room, and I certainly wasn’t going back out to the pool. I needed something to take this edge off, to mask the pain. I pulled my phone from my pocket and began scrolling through nearby activities. Richard Petty’s Driving Experience looked good. I dialed the number and spoke to a woman on the other end who informed me it was booked for the day. Fuck!

  My heart raced and sweat formed around my brow. Skydiving? That was risky, but I didn’t care. Fuck baseball, fuck everything!

  Out of season bastards were either closed or booked. The closest place I could find was over a hundred miles away. While scrolling through the tourist pages, a Harley rental ad popped up. A bike ride always managed to calm me down, and Volusia County provided a variety of fun roads to travel. My thumb hit the call button. A man answered, he was helpful, agreeable, and told me to come on in. I’d already returned the Corvette so a cab would have to do.

  I wondered if Kat was still out there with Kane, in his arms, crying even harder about how bad she felt. Yeah right! All part of the game, kitten. I’m on to you
.

  Finally, my cab arrived. A dark-skinned man with a turban wrapped tightly on his head greeted me with a thick accent. “Ahhha, I know who you are,” he said, his smile displaying the yellow teeth in his mouth. I nodded, not in the mood for small talk. “You’re the big baseball star. Morris, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s me,” I said, sliding into the back seat.

  The man rattled off stats the entire drive, telling me how big a fan he was of mine. Usually, I was friendlier to my fans, but today I just didn’t give a shit. I scratched my autograph on a brochure I found in his backseat and handed it to him. “Thanks,” I said, handing him a twenty and climbing from his musty backseat.

  I wasn’t exactly dressed for a bike ride, jeans, t-shirt, and yeah, fuckin’ sandals. I had my credit card, so that was an easy fix. “You the one I spoke to earlier about the Super Glide?” I asked the large man behind the counter.

  “Sure am.” He perked up when he looked up and saw me. It was obvious he recognized me.

  “Shit, you’re not gonna get me in trouble are ya?” he asked with a chuckle.

  I reached for my wallet, pulled out my card, and handed it to him. “I’m gonna need some socks, boots, a jacket, and charge me for whatever it will take to change my name to Dave Peters or Marty Perkins.” I laughed.

  I knew this game, I’d played it plenty. They all loved to point out that what I was doing could earn them some cash. It wasn’t about trouble, it was about money. It was always about money. Just like Kat.

  “You need any pointers?” the man asked as I slid onto the bike.

  “No.”

  I started the bike, feeling the rumble beneath me, the vibrations between my fingers made the hair on my neck stand tall. A rush of adrenaline shot through me as I pulled out of the parking lot, leaving a bit of tar behind and plenty of smoke. On the road, I started to calm, and I wondered if my brother felt like this when doing his drug of choice. Maybe we weren’t so different after all.

  I crossed the Intracoastal Waterway, the High Bridge, and ran along the Halifax River. I made my way to Ormond Beach, which seemed pretty dead, even for this time of year. The sand dune environment was calming, but I still had that edge grinding against my skin. I revved my engine, took off toward A1A North to Flagler Beach. The cool ocean breeze nipped at my face, and the vibrations from the grips tickled my fingers. My body was relaxing, finally releasing the tension of the last twenty-four hours as I entered the old beach town.

  Finn’s Oceanside Pub looked interesting with bright red and blue umbrellas opened on the rooftop bar. Only a couple cars were in the parking lot, and as I walked in, I realized they both must’ve belonged to staff.

  “Howdy.” A cute brunette greeted me with a thick southern accent. “Just one?”

  I nodded. “I’ll just sit at the bar if ya don’t mind.”

  A greasy burger, a couple beers, and the little brunette’s number, and I was ready to roll. I had no intention of using the number, but it felt good to flirt. To live. Who needed Kat? This chick had no idea who I was. To her, I was just some guy on a Harley who'd come in for a burger and a beer. Maybe that’s what I needed, a woman with no idea who I was, or how much money I had.

  “Thanks, darlin’.”

  I slapped a hundred dollar bill on the bar to cover my twenty dollar tab and left. I owed her something. Hell, her not knowing who the fuck I was made me realize I didn’t need Kat or any woman like her. They couldn’t be trusted. Gold diggers.

  My body was at ease as I passed through the large oak canopies, the sweeping grass savannahs, and rode along the blue ocean until I reached the Harley shop. A cab picked me up, this time not the chatterbox from before, and the entire ride back I continued to tell myself that Kat was yesterday’s news.

  I was over it.

  I was done.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  Katrina

  I dangled my feet into the condo’s pool while sipping on a fruity cocktail. The players were all heading out for the night, enjoying another victory celebration from their earlier scrimmage. Todd wasn’t even looking at me, and when I tried to approach him, he just walked away. He wasn’t mean, but his cold actions told me he’d made up his mind. It was over.

  At least he hadn’t spread my secret, none of the guys had. For that, I was grateful.

  “You sure you don’t want me to stay?” Kane asked.

  “No. Did you talk to Todd?”

  “I did. He’s not exactly my biggest fan right now.”

  I sighed and leaned back with my hands flattened on the rough concrete. I could use some company, but I knew it was best to steer clear of Kane, even if it was only a friendship blooming between us. Todd and Calvin were finally working well together, the last thing they needed was another conflict on the team.

  “Go have fun. I’m fine.”

  Kane’s eyes squinted as his head tilted like a puppy. “You sure?”

  “I promise. Go!”

  My phone rang, my mother’s face displayed across the screen. I wasn’t in the mood to listen to how my dad was so sorry and how everything was going to be okay. It wasn’t okay.

  The ringing finally stopped but immediately started again without time for a voicemail. It was unlike her. I picked up the phone, slid to answer as I hoped and prayed nothing had happened.

  “Hello?”

  “Katrina, oh my God!” Her voice was frantic as she shouted into my ear.

  “Mom, what is it?”

  “Your dad, Katrina. They broke all his fingers.” She was sobbing so hard I barely understood the words.

  “W-who?”

  I listened as my mother explained between sobs that the loan sharks had come to collect on Dad’s debt. One million dollars. Who incurs that kind of debt, and how?

  “Mom, what are you going to do?” I asked, feeling sick at the thought of what they would do next if they didn’t get paid.

  “They gave him a week,” she said, sniffing hard now, but sounding much stronger.

  I didn’t even ask what would happen after the week was up. I had a good idea. Thugs who were willing to break a baseball legend's fingers weren’t playing around.

  “Katrina, they took what little we had left.”

  I couldn’t imagine that they got off with much from their small condo. Almost everything they had was sold before the move. All that was left was whatever jewelry my mother'd managed to stash away, my dad’s trophies, and my…

  “I have my ring.” I stood, heading toward the elevator.

  There was a long pause before she whispered, “Can you send it?”

  My heart squeezed at the loss of my last treasure, but as I punched the “up” button, I said, “It may buy him some time.”

  It was a beautiful ring. Ten carats, but not worth a million dollars. I wasn’t sure how much time it would buy him, but any was worth it.

  I was frantic as I disconnected the call. Too worried to even cry as I thought about the possibility of losing my dad. My last words to him were angry. What would I have done if I'd lost him without telling him I forgave him, that I loved him?

  The small safe in my room was stashed high in the closet’s top shelf. I had to use my step stool to reach it as I carefully entered the combination for it to pop open. My ring, my beautiful ring. It seemed so meaningless now, so small and insignificant as I held it in my hand. Nothing was more important than my father’s life, especially not this material item I’d probably never feel comfortable enough to wear again anyway.

  I quickly dressed, shoved the ring deep into my purse, and headed to the front desk. “I need to send something to Georgia right away,” I told the man behind the counter.

  “We can do money transfers here at the desk,” he said politely.

  “It’s a small package.”

  “I’m sorry. There’s a shipping store up the street about a half mile. They can send it overnight for you,” he suggested.

  I got the directions and headed out the front doors. The air was
cooling off as the sun started to sink into the ocean. I pulled my jacket tight around my body to protect me from the breeze blasting from the water as I walked toward the shipping store.

  The neighborhood was rough, houses unmaintained, yards made mostly of sand and dog shit, and rusted chain-link fences. I could see the lights from several stores just a few blocks up. I continued walking, hoping the shipping store was tucked somewhere in the plaza just ahead. It was already getting dark and the air cooler. I just wanted to go back to the condo.

  When a van pulled down the alley, stopping to block me from crossing, terror filled my veins. The side door opened, and a large man exited, grabbing me before I could muster up a scream, and tossed me inside.

  The door slammed shut as my screams ripped through the vehicle. A hard smack to the side of my head knocked me over, my head landing in a man’s lap. He smelled like peppermint candies, and as I looked up to see who’d cushioned my fall, I noticed he was much smaller than the man who’d grabbed me.

  “What do you want?” I asked, struggling to sit back up.

  “Katrina Delaney. You’re all grown up into a nice, fine woman,” the small man spoke. His left eye didn’t move as he eyed me. His tongue slid across his lips as if I were one of the candies he enjoyed so much.

  “Who are you? What do you want with me?” I asked, kicking at the man to push myself away.

  The large one grabbed me, his hands tightened hard around my arms as he pulled them behind my back. I screamed in agony from the pain as my muscles were stretched in ways not meant for muscles.

  “Your daddy owes quite a bit,” the small man said calmly.

  These were loan sharks. I scrambled my brain to figure out what to say.

  “He’s going to pay you. He said he had a week.” I kicked again, trying to free myself without any luck.

  “Well, we just want to make sure he knows we’re serious,” the smaller man said, “a little incentive usually helps people to find cash they might have forgotten.”

  I stopped struggling, trying a different tactic — calm. “You broke his fingers. Isn’t that incentive enough?”