Page 71 of Good Girl’s Guide to Love (Guide to Love #4)

ainsley

Ainsley

I just need you all to know that something is going to come out today.

There was…a bit of a fight last night after the game.

Both Linc and I were involved. It’s too convoluted to explain over text, and we still don’t know when the pictures or videos are going to come out, but I just wanted to give y’all a heads up.

Quinn

You? Fought? People?

Ainsley

I did. Wasn’t my proudest moment.

Quinn

Was it the bitch?

Ainsley

Yes.

Quinn

Then worth it.

Maeve

Let’s back up here. What happened?

Ainsley

It’s really too long to text. I’m fine physically, and so is Linc. We’re just in a holding period, but I’ll message when we know exactly what we’re dealing with.

Simon

I’ll sue them. Whoever it is, I don’t give a fuck. I’ve got a guy who could ruin their lives in a week.

Stella

If you figure out who did this, I’ll stalk them until they don’t know peace. And then I’ll sic Quinn on them. They’ll regret the day that they fucked with a Banks.

Quinn

I’m locked and loaded.

Maeve

We’re here if you need us. If you can’t tell, the troops are ready to be activated.

Linc hasn’t said a lot today. Neither have I. I know he didn’t sleep, and that’s because every time I woke up from the hour I dozed off, he was squeezing me tighter than he ever has before.

When we knew we were being photographed and followed, it was one thing. We didn’t know what the pictures were going to look like, but we had an idea. We could be prepared.

But for this, we have no idea what’s coming. Or when. We know it’s going to be nothing good. Not when the three people who hate us most are involved.

As soon as we got home, Linc called his coach and the communications team, letting them know what happened.

That there was a dust up, he was trying to break it up, but that he accidentally hit someone.

He thought it was best that he owned up to it immediately, given the state of his contract.

While Coach McAvoy was glad he did, they were still going to have to investigate.

He said he’d talk to the front office and the communications team and be back in touch with us today.

So now we just wait. Wait for whatever photos or video they took to hit the internet. Wait for the Fury to decide Linc’s future. I’m convinced that the police are going to show up at my front door any minute and arrest me for assault.

Waiting is the worst.

“How the fuck did all of that happen last night?” he mutters as we sit together on the couch. It’s as far as we’ve been able to get this morning. “One minute everything was fine. Then the next it was just chaos.”

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t feel like an accident.”

Once we saw Brad videoing the entire fight, Linc grabbed my hand and we all but ran to his car two blocks away. We half-expected the photos and/or video to come out last night. The fact that nothing has come out yet is more shocking than anything.

It’s also making it worse. The longer this drags on, the more anxious we both are.

We're back to silence when a banging my apartment door makes both of us jump In our seats.

“Stay here,” he says as gets up. I don’t know who could’ve gotten through the security in my building. It’s not like we have a door man or anything, but there are three security measures to get in.

I turn from my couch to look back, nervous when the knocking keeps coming.

“Who is it?” Linc yells.

“The cavalry!” Simon says. “Now let us in!”

I stand up from the couch, simultaneously laughing and tearing up as Linc opens the door for each of my siblings, as well as their significant others, to come piling through.

“What are y’all doing here?

Maeve raises her eyebrow like my question is dumb. “You can’t send texts like the ones you did this morning and not expect us to react in this exact fashion.”

“How did you get in?”

Stella holds up a keycard. “Tracked your location. Still had my key card from when I lived here. Also conveniently ran into someone from the second floor who remembered me. Now tell us what’s going on before Simon blows a gasket.”

“I’m fine,” he says. “I just have three lawyers and a guy who I’m not sure what he actually does for a living on ready in my phone.”

Normally that joke would make me laugh, but as we all find seats in my living room, there’s nothing to laugh about. Especially when we fill them in on everything that happened.

Of course, the story takes longer to tell, because there are interjections throughout. Those included, but were not limited to:

“You’ve got to be shitting me!”

“You swore! And slapped her! I’m weirdly proud.”

“That whore!”

“Can I rip out his other ACL?”

And, my favorite, of course, from Quinn: “I hope they are together. He doesn’t like his dick sucked, and she looks like she gives terrible head. All teeth, I bet.”

That helped break up the heaviness in the room.

But it didn’t last long.

“So what are you two thinking?” Maeve asks. “Because the more you talk about this, the more I feel like this wasn’t accidental.”

“We’ve both been thinking the same thing,” Linc says.

“If it was just Rockwell? Sure. He’s a dick and likes to antagonize.

Katie’s fucking crazy. And Dipshit isn’t far behind.

If this was individual, we could chalk it up to just the coincidence of being at the same place and tempers getting heated. ”

“Side note: I love you call him Dipshit,” Stella interrupts. “Sorry. Continue.”

“Because he is,” Linc says as he and Stella exchange a head nod.

“Except last night he was more calculated. He and Katie were definitely working together. I don’t know how they joined forces, but that’s a thing.

The part about Rockwell, though—did he just see a chance and took it?

Got lucky that he was at the right place at the right time? ”

A light bulb flicks on over me. “You said that he normally never went to that bar with y’all, right?”

Linc nods. “He was never part of our crew. It’s not a secret that we go there a lot, especially since Maddox has dubbed it our place, but I don’t buy that he’s in town for a night and just got an inkling to go and check out a karaoke bar.”

“Is it normal for players to stay behind after away games?” Maeve asks.

“It’s not typical, but exceptions have been made,” Linc says. “If he told them he didn’t have time to move all of his things, and they had a bye anyway, I can see them giving him the green light.”

“It’s just all too coincidental,” Stella says as she digs her phone out of her purse. “Did Katie and Brad know each other?”

All eyes are on Linc as he thinks about it for a second.

Except Stella, who’s been activated into private investigator mode.

“Not that I know of. I was introduced to Katie through my agent, but Brad isn’t represented by him.

Then again, Katie’s an independent publicist, so she might work with a lot of sports agencies, for all I know?

And she was randomly wearing a T-shirt with his name on the back once. I don’t fucking know anymore.”

“And where does Dipshit fit in?” Quinn asks. “God, that name just feels right.”

“If Katie is as crazy as we think, she could’ve found him easily,” I say.

“I still have old pictures of him on social media. I’m sure that line isn’t hard to draw.

And now that I think about it, I bet that first blog that came out about me?

That had to all come from him. He would’ve been the only one to know those kinds of details who would’ve talked to her. ”

“And I’m convinced now that Katie is the one who was the source for all the hit pieces against me,” Linc says. “I had to tell her everything when I hired her. She used it all against me.”

We all fall silent, letting all the possibilities run through our minds, when an alert goes off on Linc’s phone.

“It’s the Fury,” he says as he answers. “Hello?”

The room is silent as we watch every reaction he has. Because if the photos and videos are as bad as we think—and if the Fury doesn’t believe him—that’s it. Season over.

And that can’t happen. I won’t let it.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you guys in an hour.” Linc says as he puts the phone down, the color draining from his face.

“Are they out?”

He nods and navigates to something on his phone. “It’s not good.”

I suck in a breath as I look over his shoulder. I’m guessing everyone else is reading along with us on their phones, judging by the gasps and cuss words floating in the room.

The Brawl on Broadway: Nashville Fury’s Linc Kincaid and girlfriend get into heated fight for all to see

The headline takes some liberties. Sure, the bar was on Broadway, but we were in an alley. And for "all to see" is also a stretch.

But that doesn’t matter when there are photos and videos of everything.

Me running toward Katie. Me slapping Katie. In my defense, Jonathan had just slipped up and told me that Katie reached out to him and said she had a way to get me back, but he needed to help her.

But the worst part of the whole video is the clip of Jonathan running into Linc, which is cropped and framed in just way that absolutely makes it look like Linc punched him.

My heart sinks when I see it. This could be it for Linc. And all because of me.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, wrapping my arms around him. “This is all my fault.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he says as he pulls me onto his lap. “A smart woman told me once that we were a team. And that’s what we are now.”

We sit in silence for a second, forgetting that my siblings are all around us, as we try our best to comfort each other. The problem is, there’s nothing we can do when we don’t know what the future holds.

“He clearly ran into you,” Maeve says. “Is he really trying to say he was punched?”

“Apparently,” Linc says. “That phone call was also to let me know that Dipshit plans on suing me for injuries and emotional damage. So I guess I need a lawyer.”

“Don’t you worry, it’ll be taken care of,” Logan says. “I have plenty at my disposal. Simon does as well. You just tell us what you need and it’s done.”

“Thanks but?—”

He shakes his head. “No buts. It’s done.”

Linc nods and tears come to my eyes, everything starting to hit me.

“What else can we do?” Quinn asks. “What else did the Fury just say?”

Linc’s face is covered in defeat. “They want to talk to me in an hour. Our head of communications. Coach McAvoy. My agent. It doesn’t look good. And if everyone is in that talk, and I’m really being sued, I have a feeling I’m about to get suspended. And that’s if I’m lucky.”

“He could lose his contract,” I quickly explain. “He could get cut.”

“Absolutely the fuck not!” Simon yells. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m winning two fantasy leagues with you.”

Linc just shakes his head. “There’s nothing we can do.

Pictures and videos are out. Even if the Fury believes me, it’s all the media is going to be talking about.

They’ll cut me because I’m a distraction.

No team will want the drama. I’ll be back to where I started, unemployed, with no hopes of ever playing again. ”

“Like hell we’re going to let that happen,” Quinn exclaims, rubbing her hands together like she’s about to stir some shit up. Which she probably is.

Linc shakes his head. “I appreciate whatever you’re thinking of doing, but I don’t know what you can do. Plus, this isn’t your fight.”

“Oh, but it is,” Maeve says. “You’re family now.”

The tears are flowing as I watch each of my family members, and in-laws, looking at us like they’re ready to go to battle. I grab hold of Linc’s hand, because I can only imagine how overwhelming this is for him.

“This is kind of what we do,” I explain. “Let them help us.”

He nods. “Thank you. All of you.”

Quinn lets out a hoot. “I knew we had one more shenanigan left in us!”

“You shouldn’t be this excited about it,” Porter says.

“Like hell I shouldn’t be,” she says. “Plus, Ainsley swore. Swore, Porter! And she hit a bitch! This is about to be the most epic takedown the Banks family has ever done!”

“Can I ask a dumb question?” Linc says. “Exactly what is going to happen?”

Stella laughs as she holds up her phone. “I’ve already been doing some digging, and I’m pretty sure I’ve just found the gold mine. So what we’re going to do is clear your name and take down those three in the process.”

Everyone’s eyes go wide, and I pray to God I’m not getting my hopes up for nothing. “Really? You found something?”

“Oh yes,” Stella says. “And if this works, Linc’s name will be cleared, we’ll prove that last night was, in fact, a setup, and the trio of trouble will never show their faces in Nashville again.”