Page 78 of The Arrogant One

“You always said you never wanted to be the face of our company,” Beck voiced as I held the phone to my ear. “My, my, brother, hasn’t that changed overnight?”

I flattened my hand on top of my head, staring at the tumbler of bourbon on my kitchen island. It was my second glass, and I needed about ten more. “Don’t get me started. I’d like to sue every motherfucker who owns, works, and sends in tips to Celebrity Alert.”

“Has your social media blown up?”

“Fuck no. That shit is on private. But the follow requests have flooded in by the hundreds, and every single one got denied.” I held the bourbon against my chest and put my back against the counter, staring outside at the Hills.

“Those pictures that were posted in the alert left quite the impression.”

“How? I was walking away from our table. I didn’t have my shirt off. I didn’t pose. I didn’t smile. Nor did I evenknow the pictures were being taken, so I didn’t give them a goddamn thing.”

“You didn’t have to do any of that. But what you gave them, which was your face and your clothes-covered body, was plenty for shit to start spiraling.”

“I haven’t been in hiding, Beck. It’s well known that you have siblings who are your partners. I was on the internet well before that alert went out. But I don’t understand—why now? Why are things exploding like this after only a few photos? When all you have to do is google my name and see photos of me?”

“Because that alert put a spotlight on you, and the women of the internet caught sight. I’m not saying you were invisible before, people in the hospitality industry know your name and your face, but the public? No. And that’s all it takes sometimes—one glimpse, and suddenly, everyone wants to ride you.”

The anger was bubbling in my chest. Out of all the times I had gone out with my brother—and during offseason, that was on a weekly basis—I’d never been photographed. That was his life—it came with the territory of being in the NHL—but it wasn’t part of my life, and I didn’t want it to be.

I ground my teeth together. “I don’t like this, Beck.”

“It’s too late for that. Everyone wants to know who my brother is.”

“I’m the arrogant one. That’s who the fuck I am. And that’s all they need to know.”

“Just wait. It gets worse.”

My head fell back. “Don’t tell me that …”

“You know when a golden retriever tries to kiss you, and you block your face, and all they do is wiggle their snout in between your arms, digging out a spot to get in? That’s what happens when you get outed and try to keep your life private. They dig, brother, and they’ll keep digging untilthey find you.”

I huffed. “I’m not that interesting.”

“The reel I saw on Instagram this morning disagrees. Hart, the ladies are loving you. You should see all the collages that were posted and all the comments beneath.”

“The what? Jesus.” I walked toward the sliding glass doors, hoping that getting closer to the scenery would force me to relax. Because this news? I wanted nothing to do with it. “There’s only one lady I want, and she’s on her way over.” I took a sip. “Don’t you have a workout to get to or a stretching session you need to be at? What the hell are you doing on Instagram anyway?”

He laughed. “I wanted to see if anyone was talking about our buyout rumor. Sometimes, Instagram is the best source—it’s where rumors either spread or go to die.”

“And?”

“Oh, it’s fucking spreading.”

My eyes closed. “Shit. Is there really a lot of talk out there?”

“Are you asking if there’s talk about you or Horned?”

I filled my lungs, letting the air out slowly. “Beck, you’re fucking killing me. You know I’m not asking about me.”

“I just love giving you shit.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Word is spreading fast, which is why I already contacted our attorney, Troy, to have him draft up a contract. I also reached out to Jenner Dalton, the Spades’ attorney, whom I mentioned last night. I’d like us to start identifying areas we want to open in, so that part is behind us and Jenner can find us land where we can build or existing spaces we can convert.”

“What about Walker? Eden thinks if we start anything before Toro opens, it’s going to send him over the edge.”

“Toro’s opening is already going to put him there. I don’t see how adding more to our plate is going to make him more stressed. The dude is already at capacity. Besides, he’s not doing all the lifting. The four of us have our roles, and we’regood at what we do. Not to mention, with that Celebrity Alert going out, I don’t think we can wait. It’s either we move forward or the Gordons beat us to the punch.”

“They’re not going to fucking beat us,” I growled.

“I hear you, but there’s only one way to ensure that. That’s why I got the ball rolling.”