Page 95 of Pick Six

“Well that’s on your side at least.”

I take a deep breath, bracing myself for the inevitable back and forth. No matter what I say he’ll find fault, but I can try to get through to him if I stay calm.

“You’re right. I’m here because it’s bad. I don’t care what happens with my career. I’ve had a good run. If I get benched or shipped off to another team, it is what it is. But she doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her. He doesn’t even love her. It’s just a pissing contest to him and she shouldn’t be in the middle.”

“A pissing contest you started.”

“You would think that. But that’s not how it was. She was… with me first. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. So she met him, not knowing we were friends and I stayed out of the way. I tried to do the right thing.”

His eyes drift over me for a minute, assessing me.

“So how’d you end up in this situation?”

“They divorced. She was at a party. One of my teammates was getting aggressive with her, and I intervened. We fought, and he hit her—accidentally, but in the moment, it set me off. We fought more and I got the better end of it. He threatened to call the cops and Westfield told him that Harper was my girlfriend. That it would look bad if she wasn’t. So Harper, Drew, Sam, and I all got together and planned this show for the media and for management. That we were dating. Drew bought in because he wanted to try to win her back. Figured pretending to be with me would keep the other guys away and give him time.”

“But you had other plans.”

“I gave him a fair fucking shot at her. I played the best man. Showed up to their family events. He cheated on her. Treated her like trash. She was clear she was done with him.”

“She was his wife.”

“Well she should have fucking been mine,” I snap. “That’s what I get for trying to do the right thing.”

“You would have married her?” He looks at me skeptically.

“If I’d had time to fucking process, yes. I didn’t realize until it was too late.”

He sits in silence for a minute, like he’s contemplating the idea of having a daughter-in-law and deciding whether or not that’s something he could tolerate.

“What does he have on you?”

“Nothing. Not really. Most things were covered by the NDA. But he took pictures of our injuries that night in case Daniels tried to take us to court or go to the cops. So he said. Now I wonder if he was plotting all along. He wants to spin it that she was cheating on him with me, and that I beat her when I found out she was leaving me to go back to him. Then scared them both into compliance. Threatened his career. The fucking irony…”

He presses his lips together and glances at his bookshelves.

“He have anything on her? Anything that would make her turn on you?”

“His father’s on her board. The museum’s at risk already. They have that vote coming up to fund the building and the staff. He’s threatened to plant stories that would sway votes. She wouldn’t turn on me.”

“She wouldn’t choose her job over you? You’re not exactly a good bet given your track record.”

“She came to me with the information and the blackmail. She wanted to come up with a solution and she thinks she can. So she’s prepared to let it happen.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t kill Drew the moment she told you.”

“She made me promise.”

“And you listened?” He looks surprised.

“She’s smarter than me, so yes.”

“Huh,” he grunts, a little smirk playing at his lips before it disappears.

“Does that amuse you?”

“I don’t care for her. She’s got a mouth on her, and she doesn’t know how or when to use it. But if she can get you to listen to reason maybe she’s not all bad.”

“You might like her if you knew her. She’s good—that’s not even the right word. She’s whip fucking smart, compassionate, selfless, generous to a fault… Not that you’d appreciate half of those things given what you value.”