City of Champions

by Barlow, Chloe T.

  "Dammit. That's not what I wanted. None of this is what I wanted."

  Claudia finally gave up Trey's information, and he headed straight to him. Trouble or not, there was no turning back. A lot of memories tormented Wyatt, but nothing came close to the torture he felt at his recollection of the look on Jenna's face when she'd left him the day before in that hospital parking lot. Her big blue eyes reflecting how much torment and disappointment he'd caused her.

  It had been as though he could hear her heart breaking, could feel her blaming herself, and taste the bitterness in her mouth from his betrayal. Wyatt experienced every brutal sensation right along with her, but his had the added pain of knowing he'd caused it.

  Wyatt had forced her to open herself up to him, and he'd gone ahead and broken her.

  For the first time, he believed he might be worse than his father. At least his dad had broadcasted to those who loved him just how shitty he was. Wyatt, instead, had hidden his ability to harm behind the love for his family, whether they'd demanded that sacrifice or not.

  He knocked on the door. Asking for help wasn't Wyatt's strong suit, but he had no choice. It opened and Wyatt fought the urge to curl his hands into fists.

  "If it isn't Shithead McCoy," Trey sneered at him, leaning against the doorjamb. "How's the jaw?"

  Wyatt resisted the urge to rub his still-aching face and instead straightened up to his full height. He didn't enjoy eating crow, and he really didn't like Trey, but he was getting frantic.

  "Jaw feels awesome. How's the eye?" Wyatt felt a moment of glee when he saw the dark, bruised ring around Trey's left eye.

  "Never better. I'm kind of busy, dude. If you need me to kick the shit out of you again, I'll find the time, but otherwise, I'm really not in the mood to deal with your spoiled ass."

  "I'm not here to fight. I need your help so we can make things better for Jenna."

  "I'm listening."

  "You were with her today. Is she okay? How's she feeling?"

  "It's none of your business…but she's doing all right. Griffen is watching after her today. It's not easy, Jenna's being followed everywhere she goes, people are always trying to take her picture, yelling at her. That's not even counting the shit being said about her in the press and online."

  Wyatt felt his fury surge and slammed the wall by Trey's door hard.

  "Easy dude. Listen, there's a reason why guys like us aren't meant to be with nice girls like her. We will always destroy them, so word of advice from one asshole to another — I wouldn't try to see her if I were you. She's still upset and Griffen may kill you. He's pissed. Wants to fuck you up worse than I did. Hmm, on second thought, let's go over together. I'd like to see that."

  "Shut up. I…look, I don't know what your feelings are for Jenna, but I know you like her."

  "Jenna's my friend."

  "Right, your friend. I thought guys like you don't have female friends?" Wyatt couldn't help but ask with a snort.

  "Hey, fuck you, man. You're gonna tell me how to treat women? And yes, she's just my friend. She reminds me of…someone I used to know. And she deserves better than the shit you've done to her."

  "We can agree on that. I think you know how little I want to ask for your help, but I hear you're good at using computers in a lot of ways."

  "That's one way to put it. I'm going to guess that what you have in mind is not completely legal. Am I right?"

  "You’d be correct. That's why Jenna can't know anything about it. I'd do it myself if I had any idea how. What's the problem? Are you afraid, punk ass?"

  "Of course not, fucker. Just wanted to make sure we're on the same page. I'm already in hot water after using my special skills to help Griffen with his investigation. I might as well push my luck even more."

  "Thanks, man."

  "Don't thank me, asshole. I'll try to take care of all this bullshit. But I'm doing it for Jenna, not for you, got it?"

  "Got it. Trust me, I'd be happy never to see you again after all this."

  "I'm with you there. You might as well come in so we can get started. I've poked around some — trying to figure out why your little friend did this to her."

  "Olivia Hayes is not my friend."

  "Whatever. You know you started this whole mess. We each need to accept the harm we cause."

  "That's why I want to fix it, even if she doesn't want me after all this."

  "Good. So I need you to tell me what you know and what you're willing to do."

  "I'm willing to do anything to protect her. Anything."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Jenna gazed out the window in her living room, breathing slowly through the throbbing soreness in her breasts. It had been several days since her surgery and she had a lot to do to prepare for the next phase of her treatment. She could hear the instructions as though she were objectively providing them to a patient herself: take medicine when you are in pain, rest as much as possible, and try to relax because you've been through an extreme physical event.

  Yet, the words were still hollow to her. She couldn't follow any of the advice, because the pain in her body was a welcome distraction from her much more agonizing heartache. Wyatt had stopped trying to reach her. It was what she'd told him she wanted. Yet, with the loss of his constant calls, she knew it was time to accept that the love bubble they'd lived in for the holidays had truly burst.

  She heard the doorbell ring and Aubrey greeting Trey. Jenna gave him a weak smile, before returning her eyes to the window.

  "Hi, Trey," Aubrey said, "you've got a lot of stuff there. What did you bring us?"

  "I met with Wyatt and got the things she'd left at his place," Jenna was able to hear Trey say quietly to Brey. Her right hand moved unconsciously to the earrings Wyatt had given her. She still hadn't been able to stop wearing them and didn't want to try.

  Jenna turned to see her suitcase and the box of the ice skates Wyatt had also given her. She turned so quickly away from the sight she had to breathe in sharply through a responding shot of pain in her chest.

  "Dammit, Jenna. I heard that," Brey shouted at her.

  "Griffen's worried about her, too. I guess she's not doing so great?" Trey asked.

  "No. She's been over at that window seat all day. She's refusing to take her pain pills, she's not eating, plus she's testy as hell."

  "She can hear you," Jenna said loudly, from across the room.

  "I told you. She's very cranky," Aubrey grumbled out.

  Everyone was worried about her, but they had to understand she just needed enough time and quiet to get over him. Her plan had to work, because if she spent the rest of her life feeling this way, what kind of existence would she have?

  "How are you, Trey?" she asked him, turning carefully to face the middle of the room.

  "Good. I brought you something else."

  "Oh, yeah? What?"

  "Tea’s mac and cheese. She said it’s what heals a broken Southern heart. She made me promise I would say that. I feel like I need to man up now, maybe I should spit or grill something?"

  "Your manhood is threatened, huh?" Aubrey asked with a laugh.

  "Never threatened — it just likes to be coddled is all."

  "Well, we’re short on coddling here, though we do have bourbon. I could use a shot if you’re pouring," Jenna said, never budging from her perch at the window.

  "I’ll get the bourbon," Aubrey offered.

  "Is she allowed to drink, you know, after…"

  "Aubrey told you I didn’t take any pain meds, so yes."

  Jenna could see Aubrey look at Trey and roll her eyes.

  "I saw that, you know," Jenna sniped.

  "I know. That’s because I wasn’t hiding it. Good luck, Trey, she’s the best doctor, so that means she's the worst patient ever. If I didn’t love her so much, I’d strangle her."

  "Humph," Jenna grunted out loudly. "I hope you heard that."

  "I did, my darling. She’s all yours Trey. And you can give me that cheesy noodle goodness. I’
ll put it in the kitchen and serve it up for our cranky patient over there. I was worried you’d say you brought a gossip magazine. I’ve been trying to keep this place clear of them. Though I might want to get a copy of the National Enquirer for my own amusement. That one says Jenna and I are lesbians and she was using Wyatt to advance her career," Aubrey informed them.

  "I saw that one, too. That was my favorite article for sure," Trey said, with a smirk.

  "Oh, brother. We're lesbians, huh?" Jenna asked.

  "Hey, you could do worse," Aubrey huffed out defensively.

  "Very true, Aubrey. Though you’d love me and leave me. I’ve seen how you are with men. I’ll pass."

  "What’s that? Was that a joke from your room at the Depressed Days Inn over there? I am shocked."

  "Go get me some mac and cheese woman and let me talk to my friend, Trey," Jenna teased.

  "Friend, huh? Trey, are you really just being a big brother type here? You aren’t swooping in with your tattoos and piercings, hoping to guard more than just her body, are ya?"

  "Jenna, why is it that no one understands us?" Trey asked her, acting deeply wounded.

  "Easy, Aubrey. He's just helping me. We’re buds now. Sorry, Trey, Aubrey likes to jump to conclusions."

  "It's true, jumping to conclusions is my favorite form of cardio," Aubrey added.

  "It’s all right. I can take it. All this ink toughened my skin. Besides, I wouldn’t take advantage of a woman under my care, and I don’t think about Jenna that way."

  "Hey!"

  "What? I don’t get it," Trey said, honestly confused.

  "I don’t think of you that way either, but my ego’s been bruised enough lately. Lie and tell me I’m irresistible, at least until I get my head back on straight."

  "So I guess that means Trey still needs to find the right woman. One that's not under his care, but just under him."

  "Get in that kitchen, you busybody," Jenna said, finally letting herself feel a twinge of humor.

  "But I can make you feel better, I promise. Do you know Joe Stevenson thinks you’re beautiful?" Aubrey interjected playfully as she headed to the kitchen with the macaroni and cheese. "They had a whole segment about you on By The Way and he was all about what a catch you are. You love that show on ESPN."

  "Oh yeah, a dream come true. Which picture did they use?"

  "They said the pictures disappeared from the Internet. Every time they appear anywhere, they're gone again right away. So they had to use your UPMC official photo. Man, that one is so bad."

  "Thanks, Brey, you really know how to keep things in perspective," Jenna grumbled at her.

  "You’re welcome," Aubrey responded, eliciting a withering glance back from Jenna.

  "That is so weird about the pictures. Don't you think, Trey? Nice, but weird," Jenna wondered.

  "Those things happen," Trey responded quickly. "Um, I think I want mac and cheese, too, Brey. If you don’t mind."

  "So polite. Sure."

  "What do you expect to see through that window, Jenna?" Trey asked her gently, as he sat on the sofa.

  "Nothing, I just like the view of the hills from here. Plus, I don't think the press can get a shot at this angle, and I don’t really have anywhere else to be."

  "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Come here and sit with me."

  "Okay." She hauled herself up and made her way over to the sofa. "I don’t think I do misery very well. I tried it on these last few days but I'm not good at it."

  Sitting down, she leaned back on the cushions and let loose a sigh.

  "Everyone has the right to wallow once in a while, Jenna. But not right now for you. I’m here, so you have to pretend to be happy to see me."

  "Fine," she said, smiling slightly, then looking questioningly at the computer Trey was starting up on his lap. "You brought your laptop with you to be my bodyguard?"

  "Yep. I'm working on something."

  "Always so secretive. Let me see."

  "Now you're feeling frisky again? How about you go back to pining away and give me some privacy?"

  "Pining? Me? No way. I’m not pining."

  "Sure looks like it to me. Have you been sleeping?"

  "No."

  "Why not?"

  "I’m not tired."

  "Are you thinking about him?"

  "Who?"

  Trey simply raised an eyebrow at her skeptically.

  "Fine. Maybe I’ve thought about him — a little."

  "Dreaming about him?"

  "That’s none of your business."

  "So the answer is yes."

  "For your information, since I haven't been sleeping, I can't dream about him."

  "Great comeback," he teased.

  "Why do you care? You hate him, right? Besides, how do you know so much about this?"

  "I'm just smart, I guess. Fine, if you want me to leave you alone about him, then relax. I'll start doing something boring that I can let you eavesdrop on."

  He tapped away quickly on his keyboard, when, just like that, his screen was full of kittens and puppies playing with each other on YouTube.

  Jenna couldn't help but giggle as she watched them frolic and paw at each other. She curled her legs underneath her and leaned her head on Trey's shoulder to get a better view.

  "You like kitten and puppy videos?" Jenna asked Trey incredulously.

  "They’re good medicine for almost any ailment. Now stop chattering, I like the music on this one."

  Jenna made a gesture of zipping her lips shut and went back to watching the fuzzy cuteness, until her eyelids started to feel incredibly heavy and she let everything go dark. Her dreams were scattered images of Wyatt's half-smile and his arms around her on a shimmering Mexican beach. They were healthy and together. It was perfect and Jenna dreaded the time when she would wake up again.

  Okay, I hesitated too long before passing toward the wide receiver. Jenna was right. I do drop my shoulder before throwing. That hesitation and tic made me a sitting duck. I got the ball off, but the pass was rushed and inaccurate. Incomplete.

  Wyatt paused the digital playback from week four's game against Carolina to jot down some notes on the mistakes he'd just noticed. He leaned back heavily in his desk chair and rubbed around his eyes, which were dry and painful after watching hours of his game films from that season.

  The last two weeks had been a blur. He'd divided his time between meetings with his team, attempting to improve his future performance, and trying to find some way to eliminate the media's interest in Jenna. Trey chasing after the pictures and taking them down as fast as they went up had just been a Band-Aid. It was also impossible to catch all of them — like trying to bail out a sinking cruise ship with a Dixie cup.

  The story about his attempt to take advantage of Jenna's position was sexy and scandalous, but he'd really believed interest in it would eventually wane — especially with the NFL playoffs there to distract the media. Yet, every time their story left the news, Olivia produced some other juicy tidbit about locker room strife, or another new feature of his relationship with Jenna. That would then stir up a whole new round of interest in them.

  He and Trey needed something to discredit Olivia and make her leave the story alone, so it could die the quiet, eventual death of every other pop culture phenomenon. Thus far, they'd hit one dead end after another. Olivia was ruthless in the pursuit of bettering her career, and they'd found nothing that would silence her.

  With each new buzz of attention, Wyatt lost more hope he'd ever show Jenna he could protect her and make things right. These follow-up stories also consistently derailed any progress he'd made with the Roughnecks to negotiate a compromise contract extension.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging a bit before letting go. Wyatt was worried he was possibly only making things worse. His mere existence was too enticing for the press. Now that Jenna was in his orbit, he worried the press would never let her out of their telescopic lenses.

  His fingers itched to call her an
d see how she was — to tell her how much he missed her. He fought back the urge. Part of his plan was to show her he could actually listen to her wishes. If she wanted him to stay away, then that's what he would try to do. But it was starting to get almost impossible, especially after Trey begrudgingly admitted to him she was sad.

  Having Trey take the ice skates to her apartment had been a bit of a low blow. His own sneaky attempt to get her to think about him. He was attempting to be mature enough to honor her wishes and give her space, but he couldn't bear the idea she might have evicted him from all her thoughts. Maybe he was still a stubborn, selfish son of a bitch after all.

  Wyatt sighed deeply and sat back up, leaning his elbows on his desk. Sick of watching himself on video, he brought up one of Chase's games as a starter. The Roughnecks GM was still hot to acquire that piece of shit. This left him no choice but to watch film of Chase, too — see what he was up against.

  He hadn't made it through five minutes of the video before he slammed a fist down on his desk. His heart was racing in his chest, but he tried to think clearly.

  "What in the hell?" he said out loud, grabbing his phone to call Trey.

  "Hello."

  "Hi, it's Wyatt. Remember how I told you about that asshole Chase?"

  "Yeah."

  "I've got a video of Olivia at his game in Atlanta during Pittsburgh's bye week. She's on the sidelines talking to him. I can't tell for sure, but I think he handed her something. She doesn't cover Atlanta. She's spent the last three years kissing ass to be assigned to Pittsburgh's division. What the hell was she doing in Atlanta?"

  "That might explain some of her emails. She has a lot of message exchanges with someone she only referred to as 'C.' I've tried to get his emails, but he's not as careless as she is."

  "How do you have Olivia's emails?"

  "When will people learn not to ask me questions they shouldn't know the answers to?"