“But neither of your sisters would’ve accepted him dragging you into his schemes. So he didn’t tell you about Jaxon until they were gone. Until he could guarantee you wouldn’t expose him. Which he knew you wouldn’t, no matter how vile what he asked you to do would be.” Akira wrapped her arms around her knees and leaned back against Cort. In her white nightgown, she looked so delicate, but the way her jaw hardened, the way she held his gaze, reminded him of why she managed him and Cort so well.
There wasn’t much they could say or do that would throw her off. She knew who they were. And loved them anyway.
He breathed in, then nodded slowly. “I figured…fuck, Anthony isn’t above using his kids. He’d be on board with using someone else’s. All he wanted was time so he could put a plan in place to regain ownership of the team.”
“Speak plainly, Ford.” Cort kept his voice calm, but there was an edge of anger beneath it. He was running out of patience. “What exactly did you give him?”
“Nothing at first. I told him I had an idea. But I figured if I gave him a name, and didn’t warn the other person…” Ford’s chest tightened as the color left Cort’s face. He shook his head. “Cort, this was nothing like your situation. Warning Tim wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“You don’t fucking know that.” Cort eased Akira away from him, then pushed off the sofa. He paced over to the window, then turned, arms folded over his bare chest. “But after what happened, how could you possibly think it was okay to drag someone else into another mess with your family? To put a fucking target on their back?”
“Anthony isn’t Kingsley.”
“The bullet hole in your side would suggest he’s willing to work with the same goddamn type of people.”
Ford lowered his gaze. Inclined his head. “You’re right. And I didn’t consider that. I should have.”
“You think?”
“I fucked up. And then I kept fucking up. I asked Heath to make friends with Keane’s daughters. He’s close to their age and I figured Anthony would buy him working them.” Ford hunched his shoulders. “He’s a good kid. I knew they’d be safe with him.”
But once he’d involved Heath, things had gotten completely out of control.
He thought back to when Heath had come to his bar, sitting on a stool as Ford offered him a beer and they chilled there for a bit, discussing the team. And Ford’s plan.
“So your Dad has a way to keep the team from relocating?”
“He might, but there are other people working on it.” Ford took a swig of beer, eying Heath as he picked at the label of his own. “If you don’t want me to mention you, I won’t.”
“Which means you won’t get to see your son.” Heath’s brow furrowed. “Did you really think I’d say no, mate?”
Ford polished off his beer, choosing his words carefully. “I hoped you wouldn’t, but I want shit clear, you know? Keane’s kept his daughters away from the team for a reason. I don’t want them on the front page of some rag magazine. I don’t want this destroying your career.”
“But why would it? You asked me to meet them. What’s it gonna hurt to ask how they feel about the team moving?” Heath rolled his shoulders. “Maybe they don’t want it to either.”
At the time, he’d figured Heath was right. Ford had felt better about the whole thing, it seemed so fucking harmless.
But the next time Heath came to the bar to meet with him privately, things had changed.
“I’m dating Mackenzie.”
Choking on his beer, Ford stared at the young man. “What? Dude, that was not part of the plan.”
“I didn’t plan it. She says she likes being around me…” Heath looked completely drained. “I’ve never really dated a girl.” He lowered his voice, glancing around the bar as though afraid to be heard, even though they were alone. “I like her. She’s fun to hang out with.”
“Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?” Ford raked his fingers through his hair. “Do you have feelings for her or not?”
“I…” Heath groaned and grabbed his beer, draining it in a few long gulps. He tightened his grip around the neck of the bottle as he set it down. “You told me what you’re dealing with. I have my own reasons for doing this. I have a friend I’m trying to get on the team. He’s gay. My old team in Russia, they think he ‘turned me’. It’s hard to convince them otherwise when I never go on dates.”
“Jesus, Heath. You’re not using the owner’s daughter as a fucking beard.”
“A what?”
“A chick you date to convince people you’re straight.”
“I am straight.”
“Bullshit.” Ford leaned across the table, his voice low. “Like it or not, we’re in this together. And it’s my fault you’re involved at all. You really need a chick to be seen with? I’ll find you one.”
Heath’s lips thinned. “Mackenzie’s been talking to her father about the team. She thinks he might change his mind.”
“Don’t fucking push her, Heath.”
“I didn’t have to. I was honest with her. I’m scared the team moving will ruin my fucking life. My brother and sister’s lives.” Heath braced his elbows on the table and lowered his face to his hands, rubbing his eyes. “This might work. All I have to do is stay with her. Treat her right. I can do that.”
Ford should have ended things that day. Told Heath he was clearly fucking confused. He’d never try to force the kid to come out, not when he was obviously still struggling with his identity, but he should have reminded him how young Mackenzie was. That saving the team wouldn’t matter if her father found out and traded Heath to get him away from her.
Instead he’d decided that if Heath wanted to try out a relationship with the girl, it was between them. Except for reporting in to Anthony that Heath had made progress, of course.
As he told Akira and Cort all the details, holding nothing back except his suspicions about Heath’s sexuality—that wasn’t his secret to tell—he realized he’d had many opportunities to make better choices. The biggest mistake was not figuring out why Heath had stopped reaching out to him. They’d spoken one last time, outside the forum after a game.
That night, Heath asked him for a cigarette.
“This is a bad idea, kid.” Ford felt like a hypocrite, considering he’d started smoking again after ditching the habit for months. But he had to discourage Heath from starting, at very least. “Yeah, I do it. But I’m not making money off my body.”
Heath snorted at that. “You make me sound like a whore. Fucking fitting.”
Shit. That didn’t sound good.
“I’m not a kid. And I don’t need a lecture.”
“Fine.” Ford handed him a cigarette. Maybe he’d decide it was nasty and toss it. Ford took note of the shadows under Heath’s eyes as he flicked his lighter and let Heath light his smoke. “You doing all right?”
Shrugging, Heath took a long drag. As expected, he bent over, raggedly coughing and cursing. “Shit, this is bad.”
“Yup.” Ford grinned as Heath glared at the cigarette. “Which means you should stop.”
“Maybe.” Heath inhaled slowly, then took a smaller puff. “But doesn’t mean I will.”
Finishing the whole fucked up story, Ford stared at the floor, not ready to see the anger in Cort’s eyes yet. Or the disappointment in Akira’s. He let the silence drag out, wishing he could take back everything he’d done. Everything he’d let happen.
But he couldn’t.
He finally lifted his head. Both Cort and Akira were watching him.
Still waiting.
He wet his lips with his tongue. Cleared his throat. “I was wrong. So damn wrong and I should have…I don’t know. Maybe if I’d talked to you we could have found a way to get Heath out of this whole mess sooner. But I convinced myself it wasn’t so bad. Tried to focus on my son. And screwed that up too.”
“Yeah, you did.” Cort held up a hand when Akira frowned up at him. “And in no way does this excuse anythi
ng you did, but…Heath did have a relationship with Mackenzie. One he wouldn’t have been in if not for you, but he continued it because he wanted to.”
“Because he thought it would save the team.”
“There’s more to it. More you aren’t telling us, but I respect that there are some things you can’t share because they aren’t about you.” Cort rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “I don’t like any of this, but I’m gonna be honest. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”
Ford blinked at Cort, not sure he was hearing him right. “You’re joking.”
“No. This was a stupid plan that blew up in your face. If you’re lucky, no one ever finds out. If you’re not, you’ll face the consequences.” Cort shrugged. “No one’s dead. Other than Kyle. I consider that a win.”
All right… Wasn’t expecting that. But maybe he should have. Cort had seen him through much worse.
So had Akira, but she didn’t look quite so forgiving. “Heath and Mackenzie broke up. Not many people knew they’d been dating, but there are rumors. We suspected as much when we saw the message on your phone.”
“When you…” Ford’s mouth went dry. He looked from Akira to Cort. Shook his head. “You already knew.”
“Not the details, but yeah, we knew.” Cort returned to the sofa, wrapping his arms around Akira and pulling her up into his lap. “I thought it would take you at least a month to come clean. Akira said the guilt would get to you within the first week. She wins.”
Akira smacked Cort’s knee. “This wasn’t a competition. And I don’t appreciate you making light of it.”
“I’m not. But I’m also more concerned with where we go from here.” Cort rested his cheek against Akira’s hair, holding Ford’s gaze with a hard one of his own. “Your father knew he could use you. What happens next time? Nothing’s changed.”
“Everything’s changed.” Ford moved to stand, but the wrench in his side kept him in place. He gripped the arms of the chair. “I know how close I am to losing you. How close I came to losing my son because I reacted like a fucking criminal, rather than a father who had rights. Akira showed me how hard I was making things, when I didn’t need to. But it was too late.”
“I’m happy to hear that, Ford.” Akira slid off Cort’s lap and crossed the room, standing over Ford, but not close enough for him to reach out and hold her. “And I’m willing to let this go, but…I need time. I need to see you’re really serious about doing better. It scares me when you do things like this.” Her gown brushed against her bare thighs as she stood there, looking down at him, her eyes filled with so much pain it broke his heart to know he’d put it there. “I hate that you don’t trust us enough to ask for help.”
“I won’t do it again, Akira. I swear.”
“I want to believe you, but like I said, it’s going to take time.” She gave him a sad smile, then reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand. “I love you, but I have to get some sleep. Thank you for being honest. It’s a good start.”
But it wasn’t enough and Ford knew that. He watched Cort and Akira leave the room, glad that he was staying in the guest room while he was healing. He needed to figure out a way to make things right. Needed the time alone to think.
He had a feeling he’d have plenty.
Chapter 35
The season had begun without the chaos Dominik had expected. A week in and he was feeling good about how the team was gelling on the ice. The rookies had found their rhythm, things were calm in the locker room, and even the Trouble Triplets had settled down.
Luke’s wedding being only a few weeks away might have something to do with that. He shook his head as he overheard Luke and Tyler arguing about flowers, while Scott corrected their pronunciations and pointed out it didn’t matter what kind they were, so long as they were black.
“Black and orange.” Luke dropped back into his stall dramatically. “Why did I agree to this again?”
“Because you love her. And she’s having your babies. And a Halloween wedding is fucking cool.” Tyler ticked off the reasons on his fingers, nudging Luke’s skate with his own. “Besides, you’re getting married in a freakin’ castle dressed up as a gangster. What the hell do you have to complain about?”
Still slumped over, Luke dropped an arm over his face. “My best friends refuse to wear the costumes I got for them.”
“Dude, you sent me a corset. And high heels.”
“I’m giving you the honor of being Doctor Frank-N-Furter!”
“I have no idea who that is.” Tyler glanced over at Scott, who’d snorted. “What are you laughing at. You got a pair of tight gold shorts. You said no before I did.”
Scott’s lip slanted. “Luke damn well knew I would, but I’m flattered that he chose me as Rocky.”
Tyler threw his hands up in the air. “Who the hell are these people?”
Luke groaned. “It’s like I don’t even know you. Fine. Abandon me in my time of need.”
Dominik shook his head and chuckled, crossing the room and grabbing Luke’s wrist to pull him to his feet. “All right, bridezilla, that’s enough. Get your head in the game and I’ll help you with costume ideas after.”
Grumbling, Luke finished getting ready, dropping the wedding talk until they were on their way to the ice. But he stopped Dominik before he’d taken his seat on the bench. “You’ll come as Nick Fury though, right?”
He already had the costume—an eyepatch and a trench coat was nothing compared to the request some of the other players had gotten. Dominik had to admit, he was impressed Luke had the balls to ask Sloan to come as Tarzan. The assistant coach had stared at him for a long moment, turned around, gestured to Sebastian and simply said, “deal with him.”
This wedding would be interesting, to say the least.
Resting his forearm on Luke’s shoulder, Dominik leaned down and spoke quietly to avoid distracting the other players. “I’ll make you a deal. You score the first goal and not only will I wear the costume, I’ll ask every single guest to talk about joining the Avengers’ Initiative.”
“That will be epic. You’re on!”
Patting Luke’s shoulder, Dominik grinned, then took his place on the bench. He surveyed the players, frowning when he realized Heath still wasn’t with them. He’d come in with Dominik after being cleared to play by the team doctor. Coach had asked to speak to him, but that had been almost an hour ago. Where the hell was he?
On the ice a few minutes later, Dominik forced himself to focus on the game. The puck dropped and he caught an easy pass, gliding forward and skipping the puck across the ice to Scott. When Scott snapped the puck to Luke, rather than take the shot himself, he couldn’t help but laugh.
First minute of the game and Luke had scored.
He pointed at Dominik as he slid across the ice on one knee.
Dominik inclined his head, then skated along the bench to accept congratulatory fist bumps from the men. This team might be a hot mess sometimes, but they were family. Even if this would be their last season together, here in Dartmouth, he’d never forget a single one of them.
They beat the Caps 4-1, but when the game ended and he still hadn’t seen Heath, he couldn’t get in the mood to celebrate. Something was wrong.
“Mason, could you come in here for a minute.” Sloan stood in the doorway of his office as Dominik passed, stepping aside to let him in, then closing the door behind him. “Please have a seat.”
“No, I don’t think I will.” Dominik folded his arms over his chest. “If this is about Heath I suggest you get right to the point.”
Loosening his tie, Sloan sighed and dropped heavily into his office chair. “We might not be friends anymore, but I’ve always been straight with you. If I’d known sooner, I would’ve told you.”
“Where. Is. He?”
“He was sent home. To pack.” Sloan shoved out of his chair even as Dominik started for the door. “Dominik, don’t do anything you’ll regret. You fucking knew this might happen.”
&n
bsp; Ignoring the assistant coach, Dominik stormed down the hall and caught the elevator, heading up. The fucking thing wouldn’t move fast enough. Dominik slammed his fist into the wall, rage burning his throat. He wasn’t being professional, he damn well knew that, but this was personal. This was his family the team was messing with and they hadn’t even had the courtesy to warn him?
He strode off the elevator, almost walking right into Donnell Priest.
“Mr. Mason, if you’d give me a moment of your time?”
Shaking his head, Dominik let out a bitter laugh. “Everyone wants my time now. What is it, Mr. Priest?”
Not seeming fazed by Dominik’s tone, Donnell motioned for Dominik to walk with him down the hall. “I’ve just come from a meeting with the owner, and while I can’t discuss details with you, I can say things are progressing well. I will be in a position to help you as you helped my nephew.”
“All I did was give him some advice.”
“Yes. Then let me give you some.” The older man’s expression hardened. “I understand you are mentoring one of the players. That you would be angry with the trade. That you’re here now tells me you plan to do something rash.”
Dominik held Donnell’s level gaze. “What difference does it make to you?”
“You are a strong leader and this team needs you. This team will also need young, talented players going forward.” Donnell tugged his suit jacket straight. “If you are patient certain acquisitions will be considered. Players who’ve already proven themselves here will be at an advantage.”
“You’re telling me if you buy the team, and if I stay, you might get him back.” Dominik shook his head. “That could take months. A year. And it’s not a guarantee of anything.”
“Maybe not, but I can guarantee if you continue into that office and demand a trade for yourself from the general manager, you’ll end up with nothing. You could be sent to any team in the league. You’ll uproot your whole family.”
“How the hell do you know that’s what I plan to do?”
OverTime (The Dartmouth Cobras Book 9) Page 36
