by Tijan
The crowd remained parted, and as easily as Logan had gone, Mason and I went through too. Logan was in the back row where a few other guys had sat down, but when we walked up the stairs, those guys stood up and moved down. They sat in front of us, and our entire group took the last row.
I moved past Mason and Logan to sit at the end. Everyone was openly staring, or trying to hide their staring. I had a feeling this was how it was going to be for the rest of this semester.
Then the professor came in and announced, “Welcome to Sports Psychology.”
“Hey.”
I was heading to the library after lunch when Logan came up and fell in step next with me. “Did you eat?”
“Not really.”
I went into the food court. I tried to eat. I really did, but left after staring at my food for thirty minutes. The whole confrontation with Faith was weighing on me. I’d felt a momentary break after Mason’s press conference. I didn’t have to worry about what might happen to him anymore. I wasn’t worried about Faith trying to use Nettie against us, but the whole fight with her didn’t have to happen in the first place. I regretted allowing myself to be baited, but then again, I was also sick of people trying to push us around.
Logan stopped me with a hand to my arm. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I just felt like a run.” And I winced. I ran at irregular times when something was wrong with me. Logan knew that, and I cursed softly.
“Yeah.” His tone was soft. “What’s really going on?”
“I went after her today.”
“Who?” A line marred his forehead, and he rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Shaw? She’s like an Anabitch Jr.”
“She’s come after me before, and I never backed down, but it was different today. She came to me and gave me the heads-up that our coach is going to want us to run together. She was still a bitch about it, but it was a truce. She was bringing a truce to me, and I spit on her. I told her to try and come at me.”
“No.” Logan started to shake his head.
“No offense, but I’m a little worried what you guys will do this time. I thought you were going to do something horrible to Adam last night,” I told him. “This is my fault. My problem. I’ll fix it.”
“You’re just like Mason.”
I’d started off again, but he grabbed the back of my jeans and hauled me closer. “Stop trying to storm off. Don’t do anything about Anabitch Jr. We’ll deal with her together.”
I gave him a look.
He grinned ruefully. “This chick is different than Quinn. We’ll handle it differently, but we will handle it, and everything will be fine. Okay?” His hand came back to my arm and he squeezed it gently. “Okay?”
“Okay.” My neck was stiff, but I tried to nod.
“What’s going on?” Nate had found us. “What’s up?”
Logan looked to me. It was for me to say.
I shook my head. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I just felt like a run.”
Nate’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Oh no. Now I’m really worried.”
Logan started laughing. “You need a new lie, Sam. We know you too well.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but refrained. I was irritated, but not with them. “I realized I might’ve poked a sleeping bear, that’s all.”
“Sounds ominous.” Nate looked to Logan. “Decode.”
Logan pointed to the food court. “Shaw. Sam’s worried about her.”
Nate shrugged. His response was automatic. “It’ll be fine. We’ll deal with her if we have to.”
“See?” Logan beamed at me, clapping Nate on the shoulder. “There’s the confidence you need to have in us, Sam. Anabitch Jr. will be fine. She was stuttering before. I doubt she’s going to be much of a problem.” He pulled me in for a hug. “You know everything will be fine. We’ll shut her up, somehow. Maybe we can get some dirt on her and do the whole blackmail thing.” He asked Nate, “Did you ever get in touch with her sister?”
“No. I pissed her off more than I thought.”
Logan clapped a hand to his shoulder. “I may be out to pasture, but if you ever need lessons—”
Nate laughed, but shoved Logan’s hand from his shoulder. “Stick to your la—”
Logan’s phone started ringing, interrupting Nate.
Logan pulled it out, then paused when he saw who was calling. He swore under his breath, and a second later we heard why.
“Hey, Mom.”
Nate and I shared a look. Helen calling was never good.
“Dinner? Are you sure?” Logan didn’t sound enthused. “Cut the bullshit. What are you planning?” Another second. “I’ll tell Sam and Mason, but if you’re going to fuck with Sam, this dinner will end badly. For you.” He started to hang up, then put the phone back to his ear. She wasn’t done talking. “Okay! I told you. I’ll tell Mason and Sam. Mason will let you know, and no. Taylor isn’t coming.”
He hung up, not saying anything right away. He expelled a deep breath. “Fuck.” He looked at me. “She wants to have a family dinner tonight.”
“What?”
“Who’s that include?” Nate asked.
“Mason, me, and Sam. No one else.”
“She invited Taylor too?” I frowned.
“Helen was nice to Taylor, and she kind of likes my mom, but tonight . . .” He faltered, shaking his head. “If she goes after you, all bets are off. Taylor’s not some innocent, but I still want to shield her from some of the worst moments of my family.”
“Your family?” Taylor’s voice piped in, joining us. She had her bag over her shoulder.
Logan instantly transformed. He went from scowling to smirking, and he pulled her against his side, his arm around her shoulders this time. “It’s nothing. How are you?”
She gave him a look. “Logan.”
His arm dropped. “I’ll tell you later, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. How was your first day of nursing classes?”
She sighed. “Fine, but it’s going to be a hard year. I have a lot of labs.” She said to me, “I might have to quit the team. I don’t think I’ll be able to do both. I’m so sorry.”
Faith’s words came back to me. “ . . . Your friend Taylor. You’re distracted when you worry about her.”
“No. I’m okay with that,” I said quickly.
“Are you sure?” She looked to Logan for clarification, but he didn’t react. Her mouth turned down.
“Yeah. I’m fine with it. You have to focus on your studies.”
“Yeah, but you won’t have the extra backup.”
“I have Courtney and Grace. Besides, I might ask Coach if I can do some runs alone this week.”
“Oh.” She perked back up, her frown disappearing. “Are you sure? That’d be good if he let you do that.”
I nodded. I was going to make him, if I had to. I glanced at Logan, but spoke to Taylor, “Yeah. I’m sure I can figure some way to twist his arm.”
Logan nodded, just the slightest of movements so Taylor didn’t catch it, but my message was clear. If we were finding leverage to use against Shaw, we could find some to use against Coach Langdon too. I knew there was no way I could kiss Faith’s ass or run with her, so we had to find something.
“Okay,” Nate spoke up. “I have business economics next. I think I might actually go and prep for it.” He started off, walking backward. “See you guys tonight. Or wait . . .” His eyes lingered on Taylor. “Maybe not. Never mind.” He held his hand up, rotating around to walk forward.
“Okay. What’s going on?” Taylor asked. She leveled Logan with a warning look. “And don’t try to placate me and say nothing. I can tell. I know you guys.”
I cut him off. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Sam?”
I winced at the hurt in her voice. “You’re right. It is something, but trust me. I’ll tell you later. I promise.”
It wasn’t that I wanted to keep her out of the loop, of us finding leverage against Fait
h or even Coach Langdon, but Taylor was like Courtney. She had some bad shit happen to her, but she was still good. I didn’t want to take the ‘good’ part out of her. She’d already been too involved over the summer. Logan’s eyes met mine, and I knew he understood where I was coming from. He looked relieved.
“It’s not to exclude you, Taylor,” I added, softening my voice. “It’s to protect you.”
“Isn’t that what you were pissed at your boyfriend for doing before?”
She was right.
I didn’t care.
Call me hypocritical.
“I’ll explain it, but not yet,” I said. “Not until something actually happens.”
She’d just said she was going to quit the team. If she were brought into the fold, she’d refuse. She’d keep running, and Faith was right. I would be distracted, worrying about her. She was out of the line of fire this way. Everything would work out.
She set her jaw in a determined line.
“Please?” It worked. I saw her softening when I used that word. “I’ll explain later. I promise.”
“You promise?”
I nodded, feeling some of my unease lessening.
“Okay.” She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. She leaned back against Logan. “I suppose it’s for the best anyway. I wasn’t lying when I said this year is going to be hard. I’m even worried about finding time with you.”
Logan’s arm curled around her. “You can study at the house. We’ll stop partying there as much.” His eyes flicked to mine. “Classes and all.”
She groaned. “Yeah, maybe, but I’ll be at home tonight. I want to try to get a head start on things. See?” She pointed to herself. “Me getting ahead of my studies, totally believable.” She waved in the direction Nate had gone. “Him, not so much.” She pulled away from Logan and glanced at her phone. “I have lab in twenty minutes. I should grab something to eat, then jet over there.” She pecked Logan’s cheek before walking toward the food court. “I’ll see you guys later, and I gotta talk to Coach about quitting, so maybe I’ll see you at practice. Bye!”
We watched as she turned around and picked up her pace.
Logan said quietly, even though it was just the two of us, “If this spreads to Taylor, and Shaw hurts her.” He looked at me. His eyes darkened in a dangerous glint. He didn’t say anything more, but his threat hung in the air.
“Nothing will happen. We’ll find something.” We had to. “I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
He’d been the one reassuring me not long ago. But I did what we did for our family.
“Nothing will happen.” I touched his arm. “I promise, Logan.”
Coach Langdon never got around to that meeting with Faith and me. Taylor was in his office by the time I got there, and he was distracted afterward. I didn’t know if it was because of her or something else, but it didn’t matter. Everyone finished stretching, and he lifted his whistle to his mouth.
He blew it and hollered, “Get running. Friday was a good race, but don’t start slacking now. Strattan, no holding back. You go as far as you want and as fast as you want.”
I looked to Faith, who was already scowling in my direction, and gave her a smug grin. Game on.
As soon as we started, I felt her breathing down my neck. I knew she’d gotten the memo. It wasn’t long till I pulled away, and after another half-mile, I never saw her again.
I did as Coach said.
I ran for two hours, and I ran hard. I felt my phone buzzing at one point. It was a text from Coach, asking where I was. I told him I was still running, and his only reply was that I needed to log my miles and time when I finished. Everyone else was done and had gone home.
I’d gotten a ride with Mason that morning, and he texted too, asking if I wanted a lift home with him. My reply was the same to him as Coach, but I added that I was just going to run home. I felt it in me. I hadn’t run all weekend, and it showed.
I did just under twenty miles in two hours, ten minutes, and twenty-three seconds.
I had already showered and was sitting at the kitchen table to study when Mason came home. He walked over, kissing my forehead. “How was your day?”
“Good.” I’d tell him later about Faith and my concerns. “How was your day?”
He looked tired, with bags under his eyes, but he was freshly showered. He had changed from the clothes he wore this morning into a Cain University black blazer. I pulled my attention away from the way it fit over his shoulders. My mouth watered, but I needed to eat, not engage in even more physical activity.
He grabbed a sports drink from the fridge and an apple, then sat next to me. “It was fine. I had to officially meet with all of the coaching administration, and they just gave me a warning not to pull something like that again.”
“Like the press conference?”
He nodded. “And admitting that they knew about my charges this summer and didn’t do anything about it. Telling the press that wasn’t my decision to make.”
“I thought your head coach and Taylor’s dad were okay with the press conference.”
“They were, but they didn’t know I was going to admit to that part.”
“Oh.” I snagged some of his sports drink.
He frowned at me. “How far did you run tonight?”
“Farther than normal. I didn’t run this weekend. I had energy to burn.” I shrugged.
His eyes narrowed, darkening with suspicion. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying to me. Stop.”
I pressed my lips together.
“Sam.” That one word was a warning from him. “I know you. I know you inside and out. I know you bare naked, and I know you to your soul. You’re lying through your teeth right now. What happened?”
I leaned back in my chair and told him my concerns.
He agreed with Logan, saying, “We’ll find something. Don’t worry about her or your coach. She got put on the back burner, but I can still call my dad if you want.”
“Yeah.” Maybe that was the best course of action finally. Forget my mother, just for them to go to James? But there was a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t know what it was about, why it was there. It just wouldn’t go away since this morning.
I reached for his sports drink again, and he just pushed it in front of me instead. He got up and got a new one for himself. “My mom called earlier.”
“About dinner?”
“You knew?”
I explained that part too. “I was with Logan.”
“And he doesn’t want Taylor involved?”
I nodded.
“That’s smart of him, but she wants to meet tonight.”
“Not tonight.” Thirty minutes of sleep, an adrenaline-packed day, and twenty miles later, the exhaustion was going to hit me any moment. I was just waiting for it.
He ran a hand down my back. “We could handle this without you. Are your parents still in town?”
I shook my head. Malinda had texted Sunday morning to say they were heading home, and Garrett told me at the game they were leaving last night. I knew both were gone. “Just your mom.”
“You don’t have to deal with her, you know. Logan and I can go.”
“I want to.” I needed to. Everyone else was done and dealt with. There was no one else to handle in the family. I even had closure with Analise. Helen was the last one.
“Okay.” He ran a hand down my back again before standing up again. “Have you eaten yet?”
I gave him a rueful look. He already knew the answer to that.
“I’m taking that as a no.” He grinned at me and grabbed his phone. “Let me call Helen and move dinner to tomorrow night, then I’ll make some food.”
Helen argued, but accepted the dinner date delay. We were supposed to go to her hotel suite, and she was having it catered in. As soon as I heard that, my stomach dropped. If Helen was pursuing a private venue like tha
t, it meant she wanted to talk about real business. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
After that, Mason opened the fridge and found it was almost empty. There was nothing to cook. My stomach was growling and so was his, so he suggested going to get food instead. I went with him, and fifteen minutes later, he pulled into the bar where Taylor used to work.
“They do pick-up here?”
“Nate texted when we were leaving. He said to stop in. He’s picking up a late shift.”
“I’m going to get sleepy soon.”
He took my hand in his. “I’ll carry you home.”
I gazed at him a moment.
He was dangerous at times. He was loving all the time. And he was all mine.
He was literally my other half.
“I love you,” I breathed.
His eyes grew warm, and the faintest grin back was my reward. “I love you, too.”
When we got out, he took my hand in his and we walked into the little pub. It wasn’t long before people realized Mason Kade was in their presence. More and more attention came our way. I leaned into him as he waved to Nate behind the bar.
“Hey, guys.” Nate came to our booth in the corner a moment later and slid in next to me. He leaned his elbows on the table. “Change of plans. I told you the sister wouldn’t respond to me. Well, she’s here.”
“Here?” Alarm sliced through me. I turned to look around, but only saw half the pub watching us back. “Is she in the back?”
“She’s with Matteo in the back.” He glanced to Mason. “I have that girl I’m interested in, so he took point. He’s going to flirt with her, see if she tells him anything.”
“He slept with Grace.” And as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I was wondering why I cared. Sleeping with multiple girls wasn’t rare for these guys, at least until they committed like Mason and Logan had. “Never mind. I don’t know why I said that.”
Nate laughed, standing up. “I don’t think he’s going to sleep with her. He’s just hanging out to see if the liquor loosens her tongue.” He seemed to think about that for a moment. “And not in the usual way we’d use that term. Okay. I gotta go back to work. You guys need anything?”
