Page 115 of The Devastation You Reap

“Where is he?” I ask lightly in the hope that she might be more willing to divulge the information now we’re here.

“He’s…” she hesitates, clearly wanting to follow the cunt’s orders of not letting anyone find him. I can see she’s torn, it twists her beautiful features. She wants to trust me, but for whatever reason she’s still got loyalty to him. In the end, she plays right into my hand, proving where her trust and loyalties really lie. “He’s in a care home.”

“Oh,” I breathe, not expecting her to say that.

“He’s kept it out of the media, as I’m sure you’re aware, but he’s got early onset dementia. Last summer he almost burned this place to the ground, so we found him a secure facility where he can be safe, both from himself and the media.

“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that he’s got plenty of enemies. Many who would love to hear that he’s now incapacitated. Weak. Something he never wanted to be.”

Yeah, baby. One of those enemies is me.

“Better to be safe than sorry, huh?”

“I guess.”

“You don’t want him safe and well looked after?” I ask.

“He’s family,” she shrugs. Happy that this room is okay, she turns to leave.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper behind her. “I’m prying. I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

“I know, Lee. I’m the one who should be sorry. I just hate talking about my family, my past. It’s painful, you know.”

More than you could possibly understand.

“Where to next?” She leads me to the formal living room, which is decorated the same as the previous room, heavy ostentatious drapes hanging around the large windows, showcasing the rolling hills in the distance. Hills that I know lead to his coaching facility. The one which holds so many traumatic memories for me.

“I’m ordering Chinese,” she tells me as I stare out of the window remembering that little boy who turned up here so excited that first year.

I was going to be training with Richard Fletcher.TheRichard Fletcher.

He may not have been his quarterback brother who Luca looked up to as a young boy, but he was still a legend in his own right. One of the best wide receivers to grace the NFL in our lifetime and he was going to teach me,me,everything he knew.

It was a dream come true. Or so I thought.

Turned out he saw more in me than just a future star because he singled me out from all of the boys attending that summer and made sure I knew just how special I was.

“Is that okay?” Macie asks, reminding me that she said something a few minutes ago as I stand there with my skin itching like a million ants are crawling all over me.

“Y-yeah, that’s fine. I’m starving,” I lie, immediately regretting it because if I still can’t stomach it when it’s delivered she’s going to know.

“Did you want to choose a dish or…”

“I’m easy, you pick your favorites. There isn’t much I don’t like.”

“Okay,” she breathes, looking back down at her cell to place the order.

I return to the window, battling with the demon inside me who wants to find a match and do what the man himself failed to do last year, burn the place to the ground.

I want to see everything he’s ever cared about crumble around his feet, and unfortunately for Macie, that includes her.

I jump a mile when she joins me and places her small hand on my upper arm.

“Shit, sorry. You scared me.”

“Leon, are you okay? You seem… Distracted. Distant. I thought you were looking forward to this, but right now you look like you want to be anywhere else in the world.”

Turning to face her, I force a smile on my face and slip my arms around her waist.