Page 57

Despite being lost in thought, I immediately spot Kyle, casually leaning against a sleek, all-black SUV beside mine. He’sengrossed in his phone, the sunlight catching the sheen of his thinning hair.
I scan the parking lot, assessing my surroundings. There doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious, and he appears to be alone. Considering his desperate attempt at controlling his son, though, I’m leery.
“Can I help you?”
I approach my silver Porsche Cayenne, a new purchase rated safe for Aurora and the baby. I rarely drive, but I can’t picture putting a car seat in an Uber. Jackson has plenty of vehicles, but I’d like to providesomethingother than DNA.
Kyle glances up, silently observing me until I face him from the other side of my vehicle.
He slides his phone into his pocket. “What do you want with my son?”
“I want the same thing you should: for him to be healthy and successful.”
“Jackson is unwell, delusional. He thinks he’s in love. He’s being taken advantage of, and she’s affecting his game.” His tone is placating and fake as hell.
Does this asshole think I’m an idiot? Is this some divide-and-conquer method of manipulation? Has he forgotten the times I kicked him out of my locker room? I know who’s affecting Jackson’s game, and it’s not Aurora.
“Who’s the one taking advantage of him, Kyle?”
He stands straight and balls his fists. “You know very well who!”
I remain relaxed. He wouldn’t dare come at me—not in public, particularly considering the fifty-pound muscle difference. I’d have him asleep on the concrete with one hit.
“The only person I see taking advantage of him is you.”
He scoffs. “I see you’re as whipped as he is. The two of you are going to bleed him dry.”
How long did he expect to keep control of Jackson’s money? Did he think if he kept fueling his son’s addiction, he’d always be the trustee? That no one would send Jax to rehab? Not him? Or the team? Or a judge? Boy, did I disrupt his plans.
Dread flutters in my chest. What if he never intended for Jax to get clean? What if he wants him in a grave next to his mother? Disgusted, I push the thought away.
“I’m guessing since you know which car is mine and you had me followed, you likely ran a background on me, so you know I don’t need orwant Jackson’s money. That’s you.”
“He’s petitioned for you to take ownership of the house he attempted to purchase?—”
“There is noattempted to purchase. The sale was completed. Whether you have legal control of the house is to be determined. I have lawyers as well. You’re not playing with an amateur, Kyle. Your best option is to walk away.”
A deranged grin takes over his features, crinkling his dead eyes. “You’d know about properties in trust, wouldn’t you?” He cocks his head. “Or is it a shell company?” Given the smirk on his face and the glimmer in his eye, he assumes he’s uncovered some deep, dark secret.
And he’d be correct, but he’s wrong if he thinks I give a fuck.
I roll my neck and shoulders. “You got something to say?”
“Everyone thought your father turned FBI informant to save his wife, but he really flipped to save your mother, didn’t he? The FBI discovered his mistress and threatened to use her at trial, right? She would’ve been thrown to the wolves, and the FBI would’ve appropriated the properties he was hiding in her name. Your father took a deal in exchange for life in prison. Who does that?”
A man in love, apparently. I wouldn’t know—I’ve never met him. His imprisonment destroyed my mother. The only thing he saved was his empire, which I want no part of.
“If that were true, I wouldn’t need Jackson’s money, would I? And you’d be smart to leave me the fuck alone.”
His face contorts, and his eyes fix on me with a hateful gaze. “I will—when you prove the baby is yours.”
“The baby is none of your fucking business, and you’d do well to remember that.”
“It is my business. I have control of my son’s assets. She was his six-figure call girl. You can’t tell me she doesn’t want money. If it’s his, I’d be willing to negotiate. He’s not ready for a child, and it’ll ruin both their careers. I’m sure you don’t want someone else’s kid.”
No. He better not be suggesting… “What are you implying?”
“There areotheroptions. We can work together.”