Page 31

Thirty One

Hailey

Ever since our trip home for Thanksgiving, Colt had been different. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something had changed. It had taken me a few days to notice it because it was subtle, but it was there. And now it was like a scab that shouldn’t be picked at but was so annoyingly itchy it was impossible to ignore.

Maybe he needed time to think it over before sharing it with me. That seemed very Colt-like to me. But I was curious, and something told me he was trying to keep whatever it was away from me by any means necessary. I wanted to give him some time to have the opportunity to tell me on his own, but once that was over, I would dig into it.

We were in an adult, committed relationship where you talked about the things bothering you. There had been enough miscommunication between us over the years, and I wouldn’t let it happen again .

A loud moan interrupted my concentration. I had briefly forgotten where I was as I went over the situation in my head for the umpteenth time. Damn, tennis players were loud . I’d never had any contact with the sport before, but I did my best to be supportive of Ella, and I was slowly gaining an understanding of the rules of the game.

Her opponent today was a moaner. She had explained that tennis had certain parallels to sex — there were moaners, screamers, and those who were just silent. I didn’t know which I found most disturbing, but the first few times I heard it, I had to stifle a juvenile giggle.

Her opponent today was a moaner, and she only seemed to get louder the more Ella kicked her ass. You didn’t have to know too much about tennis to realize my roomie was an absolute ace.

She dominated the court and her opponents with a poise and focus I hadn’t seen from her outside of it. It was fascinating to watch the boisterous, outgoing girl transform into a calculating, almost cold player.

I clapped when Ella won the point, which she only celebrated with a quick pump of her fist, and couldn’t help but return to the dilemma in my head.

I would give him until the end of this weekend. That would be more than enough time. If he hadn’t pulled his head out of his ass by then, I would confront him.

A shadowy movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. A tall, broad figure lurked in the tunnel leading to the locker rooms and bathrooms. For a moment, I thought it was Colt, but the proportions weren’t right. Whoever it was, I couldn’t see his face, and when I tried to look closer, he was gone. Huh .

Ella won the match in straight sets, then came shuffling toward me with her oversized racket bag, water bottle to her lips, sipping repeatedly. She had told me once that she never drank much during a match because she didn’t like the water sloshing around in her stomach. To each their own, I guess. All I knew was, if I was sprinting around that much, I’d be gulping down water like crazy.

As soon as she was within reach, I pulled her into a hug. “Congratulations, you were amazing!”

“Thank you!” She gave me a smile, then a twinkle crept into her eyes that I’d come to associate with trouble.

“Oh God,” I groaned playfully. “What are you up to, woman?”

“To celebrate my victory, I’ve decided we’re going to get tattoos.” She said it as if it was no big deal at all.

“Excuse me?” I asked, choking on my spit, eyes wide, and my voice came out way too high.

She patted my back as I sputtered and waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t pretend, I know you want one too. I’ve seen all the shit you’ve pinned on Pinterest.”

I glared at her with pursed lips. She wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t sure I could handle the spur-of-the-moment nature of the situation.

“You only live once,” she said with a wicked smile.

I snorted. “Really, Ella? You’re yolo-ing me?”

“If you prefer, I also have Live, Laugh, Love on offer?”

“Oh my God, please shut up.” I put my hand to my forehead, thinking, but maddeningly, I couldn’t come up with any real reason not to do it.

“So, are you in?” She sipped her water again and looked at me, lips parted in anticipation.

“Yeah, I guess.” I relented, perhaps not quite as reluctantly as I might have pretended.

She rolled her eyes. “I know deep down you want to. You just need a little push, and I love being the one to do the pushing. Adds a nice thrill to my life when I can force someone into their own happiness.”

“You’re horrible,” I grumbled.

“You love me.” She waved me off.

“Unfortunately.” Then I pointed at her. “You’re buying me a white Monster for springing this on me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, I want to celebrate my victory with some ink. I think it’ll elevate me to an eight out of ten, don’t you think?”

I snorted, trying to keep up with her long strides as she suddenly seemed charged with new energy. “Ella, you’re smoking hot as is. Legit a ten out of ten.”

“Ten out of ten, my ass. Tens don’t get ditched constantly.” Deep creases lined her forehead, and her mouth turned downward. The forlorn expression was gone in an instant, though, replaced by a thoughtful wrinkle of her nose and her puckered lips pulled to one side. “Well, maybe a little body decor will finally get me laid.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” I deadpanned. “So, what are you getting inked?”

***

I wanted so much to stroke the area covered by the foil that the tattoo artist had called second skin, but the skin underneath was sore and sensitive.

The talent and skill that went into creating this work of art on my body was truly incredible. I was tempted to praise Ella for her great idea and impeccable choice of tattoo shop, but that would probably go to her head.

It felt like an act of rebellion, even if that was bullshit. I was old enough to make my own decisions, after all. I sipped the white Monster as I drove the now familiar route to Colt’s house.

I was dying to see the look on his face when he got his first glimpse of my new ink. The possibility of him thinking it was too much made me a little anxious, though. I’d had my motive in mind for quite some time, but the last few weeks with Colt had only cemented it.

I parked in front of the house, walked along the path to the door, and was not surprised to find it unlocked. For some fucking reason, they had a problem with locking the door; I always found it open.

Shaking my head, I stepped through. Those idiots. Even two football players over six and a half feet tall could be victims of a home invasion.

The downstairs seemed empty, and normally, I would have announced my presence by calling out loudly, but deep, raised voices from upstairs, as well as my name being mentioned more than once, deterred me. What was going on here?

The anxiety from before turned into a sinking feeling, growing from a small knot to a huge lump deep in my gut. I paused, trying to figure out what was going on from here, but I couldn’t make out enough.

I tiptoed up the stairs, my heart pounding so hard in my chest I thought I might hear it crashing against my ribs. My insides felt like they were covered in a thin layer of ice that was getting thicker and thicker while my face burned and brought a cold sweat to my forehead. I knew deep in my soul that something was wrong.

A loud bang sounded from above, as if someone had hit something, and I froze, not daring to move a muscle. I definitely wouldn’t make a good spy, my nerves almost paralyzed me, but my curiosity kept pushing me on. Like so many times before, my curiosity was my weakness and might yet be this cat’s undoing. I wondered how many metaphorical lives I had left before I met my end.

Creeping to the landing, I stopped. Voices were ringing out of Hunter’s room.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it — I’m an idiot for making a sex tape.” That was Colt’s voice. He sounded frustrated, but as his words registered, I stiffened. He seriously told Hunter about this?

“Nah, you’re an idiot for not asking me how to secure it better.” Hunter sounded unemotional as always.

“Oh, you mean like with the folder he somehow got into?” Colt snapped. What folder is he talking about?

“I told you to keep that shit out of your cloud,” Hunter said matter-of-factly.

“That’s not really helping right now. We still have no idea how the hell he got access to that.”

“I told you, the only way this could’ve happened is if someone got into your phone first. Once they cracked your phone, the cloud’s just an open door. They probably guessed your passcode.”

“Fuck!” Another dull thud made me jump, but the pieces slowly fell into place in my mind. Someone had gained access to Colt’s phone, and he wouldn’t have mentioned our little tape if it hadn’t been compromised. The real question was, who had gained access to his phone? My mind was working overtime, but I needed more information to get to the bottom of this.

“Now, if you would be so kind as to stop trashing my room, I kinda like it the way it is.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Colt growled.

Hunter sighed. “Think about it, man. How could someone have gotten hold of your phone?”

Colt paused, his voice low. “There’s really only two ways — during practice or after, when I’m in the shower. Other than that, it’s always on me.”

“Please don’t tell me your passcode is something completely predictable?” Hunter asked in an exasperated tone.

A short silence was followed by a soft “Hailey’s birthday.”

“Dude …” Hunter groaned. “You couldn’t have made this any easier.”

“Why don’t you rub salt in the wound, huh?”

“At least it narrows down the pool of suspects. They’d have to be someone who not only had access to your phone but knew the passcode. That means it’s almost definitely someone on the team.”

“I suppose. At least, I can’t think of any other way it could have happened,” Colt grunted.

“Okay, I know you don’t want to consider the possibility, but what if it was Hailey herself?”

“Careful.” Colt’s voice turned dangerous. “That’s my girl you’re talking about. Besides, she has absolutely zero motive. She has no idea that her father was planning to use her like a fucking poker chip to enrich himself. There’s no way she’d have gone along with it.”

I beg your fucking pardon? My dad wanted to use me? How?! My pulse quickened as I processed Colt’s words. I needed to hear more, but this was getting way too personal. That must be what had been on Colt’s mind.

“So who has a motive?” Hunter’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Yes, indeed. Who? My fingers plucked incessantly at the waistband of my top.

“I have no idea.” I could just picture him running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

It was time to make myself known — having three minds on this was better than two, and I was desperate to know what this whole thing was about. My curiosity got the best of me.

I pushed the door open, not bothering to announce myself and just stood there, arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at the scene in front of me.

Hunter was totally unfazed, like my appearance was no big deal. But Colt — he looked like he was seeing a ghost. His lips parted, and he made a strangled sound before whispering hoarsely, “How much did you hear?”

“Enough.” I kept my voice steady, even though my pulse was racing. Colt nodded slowly, his face pale.

“Good thing you’re here,” Hunter said bluntly, breaking the silence.

“You mean that?” You could hardly blame me for being skeptical, considering Hunter’s voice portrayed as much emotion as a wooden stump.

“I don’t usually say things I don’t mean.”

“Right.” Shaking my head, I turned to my boyfriend, who was still standing there silent and rigid as a statue. “Sooo … my father has our sex tape?”

Colt swallowed hard, a sound that was audible in the room, before nodding curtly, clearly struggling with the weight of the situation .

“And what’s this folder you mentioned?”

Hunter pursed his lips, making it obvious he wasn’t going to comment. It didn’t matter anyway. Colt was my priority — I needed answers from him. He was the one caught up in this situation with me.

Colt’s mouth opened, closed, and reopened, but no sound came out. The silence was deafening.

With a sudden jerk, Hunter rose from the chair in front of his desk and walked past me to the door. He left the room without saying a single word, and I stared after him in astonishment.

“Did he really just walk out of here like that?”

Colt took a deep breath, his hands shaking slightly. “He’ll be back. He probably just wanted us to … sort out some shit first.”

“What the hell is going on, Colt?” I asked with a furrowed brow. This was all beginning to feel rather ominous. How much worse could it be, given that our sex tape had already been leaked?

“Hailey, I …” He ran his hands through his hair, his eyes wild, desperate. “Fuck. I didn’t want you to find out about any of this.”

“Yeah, well, we’re going to talk about that.” Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I pinned him with my gaze.

Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back against the wall with a dull thud. “God, you’re going to hate me after this.”

“Bullshit.” I snorted.

He laughed incredulously. “Yeah, right. Well, what the hell, here goes nothing. As you already know, I didn’t develop an infatuation with you out of the blue, and over the years, I’ve built up a little … collection. Pictures that you posted, pictures th at I secretly took or paid others to take.” He raked his fingers through his hair, tugging on the ends, before dropping them to his side again.

“While we’re at it, I might as well confess that I followed you when you went out on dates. I was practically stalking you, and if I’m being completely honest—” He laughed darkly again, rolling his head from side to side on the wall, his eyes still closed. “I’m not the least bit sorry about it, and I’d do it all over again.”

I was at a complete loss for words.

I blinked at him, my mouth hanging open, while his face was contorted almost painfully, as if he was bracing himself for something. I was well aware of the fact I was supposed to feel disturbed, that this was not the most normal of behaviors, but after everything I had done, I was in no position to throw stones, considering I was sitting in the fucking proverbial glass house. In fact, when it came down to it, I was probably worse than he was. At the very least, we were relatively evenly matched, and for some reason, that made me feel good.

In my mind, we had always been a good match, but knowing he was just as crazy about me as I was about him only solidified things.

“Colt.” He still refused to look at me as I stepped up to him so close my chest was almost brushing his front.

“Look, Hailey, I know I didn’t deserve you in the first place, much less with all this stuff on top of it. You’re probably disgusted with me right now, and that’s totally understandable. But I promise you that I will do everything in my power to fix this shit.”

I pursed my lips and crossed my arms over my chest. Isn’t it just great to have a man tell you how you’re supposed to feel about something? I knew it was his insecurities talking, but we were caught up in yet another miscommunication. If he would have had a conversation with me instead of making assumptions and keeping secrets, he’d know exactly how I felt.

Scoffing, I said, “Let’s get a few things straight before we continue. Before we clear up all that talk of ‘deserving’ and ‘disgusting,’ you should know that I’m in no way better than you. As a matter of fact, I’m probably even worse. If it makes you feel any better, I could tell you about the time I snuck into your room during our vacation together and touched your dick while you were asleep.”

His eyes flew open, almost popping out of his skull.

I met his gaze with a raised eyebrow. “I’d say that’s a little more serious than a few pictures, wouldn’t you? Considering most of them were meant for you anyway, since you were the only person added to my private story.”

“W-what? You touched … What?! ”

“Your dick. Until you came all over my hand. In my defense, you were moaning my name in the dream, so I figured you wouldn’t really mind.”

He spluttered. “Holy shit. The dream I … that wasn’t a dream? ”

“Well, part of it was, I guess, but I was definitely there for the grand finale.” I tilted my head to the side. “Are you disgusted with me now?”

“No way. If anything, I’m more intrigued by you.” Colt shook his head, his eyes still as wide as saucers, and he had the look of a man reconsidering everything he had thought to be true. “Hold on — what do you mean the pictures were meant for me?”

“I mean, you’re the one I posted them for. You’re literally the sole owner of those pictures, and they were only meant for your eyes, anyway.” I shrugged and looked up at him, one corner of my mouth pulled up in an embarrassed smile. “So I’m not exactly upset that you got them, since their whole purpose was to catch your eye.”

“Catch my eye.” He snorted. “Couldn’t fucking think straight half the time whenever your notifications went off.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You had the notifications turned on?”

“Fuck yeah, I did. No way was I going to miss a single one.”

“So, can we put all this behind us? I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for me, I adore everything about you, and I don’t want anyone else.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and pushed himself away from the wall, pressing our bodies tightly together. I tilted my head back and gazed into the depths of his blue eyes.

My heart pounded like crazy as his large hands framed my face and his head bowed down to mine. Our lips met in a kiss bursting with tenderness so affectionate and intimate it felt like everything inside me was melting into a puddle.

Colt pulled away and our eyes met. His thumbs stroked my face, and in a husky voice, he said softly, reverently, “Hailey, I love you.”

A volcano of emotions exploded within me. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, my eyes prickled with tears, and I choked back a sob. “I love you too.”

He blinked a couple of times really fast, then squeezed me so tight it almost hurt, pressing his face into my hair. I could hear and feel his heavy breathing, and enveloped so tightly in the cocoon of his huge arms, I felt untouchable.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs, breaking the emotionally charged silence that had settled over us. I was almost certain Hunter was intentionally making noise to give us a heads-up, because I usually never heard him wandering through the house.

When Hunter entered the room, he did so just as wordlessly as when he’d left. He sat back down on the chair in front of his desk, then turned around to face us.

We disentangled our limbs, and Colt spun me in his arms so my backside was pressed against his front, his arms still clamped around me.

Hunter looked at us expectantly, so I assumed it was time to get back to business.

“Well, let’s get into it, then. My dad somehow got his hands on your folder and our, um, tape and is blackmailing you with it?” I shot a sideways glance at Colt, who nodded.

“Uh, yeah. That pretty much sums it up.”

He grimaced when I asked, “That’s not all, is it?”

“Not quite. Your dad, he, um, had …” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Your father apparently wanted to forge some sort of union with a business associate by having you marry his son. And it looks like I kind of blew up those plans.” He sneered. “Not that I regret that part.”

Shocked, I blinked at him. “He was going to do what?”

The shock that my father would sell me like cattle lasted only a second. Then it faded, giving way to grim understanding. It was perfectly in line with what my father had become — manipulative, ruthless, and willing to use anyone, even his daughter, to secure what he wanted. I didn’t know why I’d momentarily doubted he’d stoop so low.

“Sounded like it was pretty much a done deal too. He was less than amused. I got the impression that the money was the main thing on his mind. He was grasping.” Colt shook his head. “He’s been careful to keep my parents out of his little blackmail scheme, though. Otherwise, he’d definitely have tried going after my trust too. Guess he knew my parents wouldn’t give him what he wants. Apparently, my dad’s refused to do business with him before, and now he’s determined to not alert them.”

I frowned, disgust swirling in my gut, making me nauseous. “I don’t understand. Is he just that greedy, or is there something else going on?”

Hunter cleared his throat. “I’ve been doing some digging the last few days. It seems that the last few deals Mr. Brentwood has made have completely bombed. Not only has he blown most of his fortune but also that of several other investors, and from what I’ve been able to find out, they aren’t happy.”

My eyebrows shot up. “So, what are you saying? He’s bankrupt?”

Lips pursed, Hunter braced his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. “More than that, I’m afraid. It seems that your father has been having trouble persuading partners to invest for some time now, and as a result, has found other ways to raise the funds. Some of the people he’s been dealing with and borrowing money from are far from innocent.”

I closed my eyes for a second, shaking my head before opening them again. “That bastard.”

They looked at me a little taken aback, perhaps expecting disbelief or assurances that my father would never do such a thing. Deep down, I knew he was capable of this, knew how much he’d changed over the years. It had taken being removed from his daily influence to show me how truly corrupt and controlling he had become over the years. And now his impossible behavior toward my dating life began to make sense.

He’d been constantly throwing me at the candidates with the most money because he was in deep shit, and I was the bargaining chip he could use to pull himself out of the slurry pit.

“So this is why he’s been trying to set me up for months,” I muttered, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “Even though I’ve been dating you, Colt. He didn’t care. He just kept pushing, like my relationship didn’t matter.”

Colt’s expression darkened, and his fists clenched at his sides. “That’s why he’s so pissed. He thought he could control you, and me being in the picture ruined his plans.”

The nausea in my stomach turned into a cold, hard knot of fury. “I’m not some pawn he can trade for his own benefit.”

Colt softened, holding me close. “I know, Princess. And he’s not going to get away with this. We’ll figure it out.”

“What exactly does he want you to do?” It felt as though a big rock was sitting in the pit of my stomach, heavy and crushing.

“For me to give him a share of all my future business. That way he can bypass my parents and have a steady income. As long as he has this video, he has the upper hand because no one will draft me if this gets out. The bad PR and reputation alone will basically blacklist me. If the video doesn’t do it, the stalking charges he’s threatening will.”

“What the fuck?” I gaped at him. “You mean press charges on my behalf?”

“Yup. It’s apparently possible, even though you’re considered an adult now, since the alleged crime happened when you were a minor. Since he’s friends with the district attorney, I’m pretty sure he could even push it up the chain to avoid even having to call you as a witness — considering he’s got plenty of evidence.” He sighed. “I could threaten not going to the NFL, but I’d rather get to the root of the problem and take that leverage out of his hands.”

I nodded firmly. “Absolutely. I don’t want you to be my dad’s golden goose. He can rot in hell for all this shit as far as I’m concerned.”

“Before you showed up, we were in the middle of trying to figure out who might have leaked this material to him.”

“Yeah, I caught all that. You really think it’s someone on the team?”

Colt’s jaw hardened, a muscle in it twitching. “It has to be. No other way.”

“Umm … Nico seems like the most obvious choice. He’s the only one you’ve clashed with lately that I know of,” I said, chewing on my lower lip. My fingers were tangled in the hem of my top, twisting and tugging at the fabric. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

“My point exactly,” Hunter added.

“Well, I think Hailey might have some insight into that.”

I frowned, uncomfortable. “What do you mean?”

Hunter’s eyes flicked to me. “Your dad set you up with Nico, didn’t he?”

Colt’s jaw twitched. “Yeah, we already know that.”

Hunter nodded. “Right, and Nico wanted a second date. But you stood him up.”

I glanced at Colt, guilt weighing heavily on my chest. “I did.”

“And then you started dating Colt,” Hunter said, his voice calm but sharp .

Colt’s hands clenched into fists, resting on his thighs. “So Nico’s pissed,” he muttered.

“Pissed and looking for revenge,” Hunter agreed. There was an edge to his tone, but he was holding something back, his expression unreadable.

Colt exhaled harshly. “Even if that’s true, how’d he get to my phone? He’d need an opening.”

Hunter shrugged, his smile fading. “Locker room, practice, after the game. Plenty of opportunities if he was determined enough.”

Colt heaved a sigh of frustration. “The only problem is, how are we going to prove it? I can’t just accuse him of something. There must have been something in the whole thing that made it worth his while, more than just screwing with me.”

Hunter leaned back in his chair again, a sinister smile curling his lips. “You know what … I think I know what was in it for him.”