Page 28

28

SHRIVELED PEAS

Jack

“ U m, but you don’t have an appointment.”

I slide my hands into my pockets. It’s all I can do to keep my cool when I think about all the ways this agency has tried to fuck me and my client over.

I had plans to come here today and fake it like a depressed person with a shitty lover, but when I woke up this morning, I couldn’t look myself in the mirror and do it.

I’ve been trying to get hold of Rylan Crawford ever since I kissed Emma goodbye. He’s not answering my calls. Even worse, Ozzy said his phone is dead.

The last time it pinged a tower was about an hour after we left him at the sports bar last night.

My gut tells me the guy did not get cold feet.

I stare down at the receptionist who looks like his nerves are shot. Pike goes through receptionists like dirty underwear. He promises them an in to the industry and proceeds to work them to the bone. Case in point, this guy working the desk on a weekend. “If you could let him know I’m here, that would be great. I have a feeling he’ll see me."

The guy stumbles on his words as he reaches for the phone. “I’m not sure. Let me check with his assistant. He doesn’t take walk-ins. What team are you with?”

“Yeah, I’m not that kind of athlete. I used to work here. What’s your name?”

“Easton. You worked here?”

“Unfortunately. You should rethink your employment choices too.” I put my hand on the receiver and push it back into the cradle. Barely stepping through the entrance reminded me how much I hate this place and there’s no way I can go in there and fake anything with my prior asshole boss. “You know what? No need to announce me. I think I’ll surprise him.”

Easton juts up from the sleek office chair. “No. You can’t do that.”

“Watch me.”

There’s no security or locked doors. When I walk around the corner and down the hall, it brings me back to the stressful, and quite frankly, shitiest time of my career.

Flipping off the Pike agency was the best thing I’ve ever done.

Other than chasing down Emma Hollingsworth in Vegas. Now, that is my best move yet.

“Sir. Sir. Sir! You cannot go into his office unannounced. I’ll lose my job. Wait!”

I hold my hand up but don’t look back. “The sooner you find another job, Easton, the better off you’ll be. Trust me.”

Being a sports agent isn’t for the faint of heart. I bet I log as many hours as Levi. The best deals are not brokered Monday through Friday between nine to five. Agents have to strike while the iron’s hot, and that’s often on the weekends.

Easton and I are turning heads left and right as we walk by offices and cubicles. When Gary Acosta sees me, he almost spits out his coffee. “Jack?”

I point to him, but don’t stop as I head to my target. “You’re a weak, weak man, Acosta. When this is done, your clients are going to be begging me to represent them.”

His beady eyes saucer as he sets his coffee down and moves toward me. “What are you doing here?”

I make the last turn to Fred’s office. “You know what I’m doing here.”

“Please, let me ask if he can see you,” Easton begs.

The moment I push through the door, Fred swivels in his chair. His eyes narrow when he sees me and the commotion that’s hot on my heels.

Easton is out of breath. “I’m sorry, sir. He wouldn’t let me call first.”

“I’ll get back with you.” Fred sets his cell on his desk and spears the receptionist with a what-the-fuck look. “I’ll take it from here, West.”

“It’s Easton, sir.”

“Whatever.” Fred dismisses him like last week’s trash. “Shut the door on your way out.”

Gary follows me in. The moment I hear the door click, I cut the space to his desk and slam my hand on it. “Where the hell is Rylan Crawford?”

Fred leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers like he’s a Godfather in a mafia movie from decades ago. “You have a lot of nerve barging into my office.”

I ignore that. “Where is Rylan?”

He has the nerve to shrug. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

I want to yank his ass over the desk and throw him through the window. “Let me refresh your memory. He’s the kid you hired to drug and frame my client to get back at me for being successful because your balls are the size of shriveled peas.”

“You know nothing about my balls.” Fred glances at Gary. “It seems the popular guy who everyone wanted to work with a few weeks ago is down on his luck.”

“I’m hardly down on my luck. You’ve fucked with the wrong guy, Pike. I’ve got proof, and I’m willing to share that shit far and wide.”

He tips his head and narrows his eyes. “You don’t have shit. What you do have is a superstar who’s looking at prison time. Drugs or guns on their own are swept under the rug every day. But together? He’ll go down as the quarterback who had twenty minutes of stardom until he fucked his own career. And you were the agent who let it happen.” Fred looks back to Gary. “Has that ever happened to us?”

I’m pretty sure I hear Gary audibly swallow over a lump in his throat. “I don’t think so.”

“No. The answer is no, that’s never happened at Pike. Athletes will see you’re running a one-man show and can’t protect your clients.”

When Rylan fell off the grid overnight, I realized I don’t give a shit what’s admissible in court. Rylan Crawford might’ve made some poor choices in his life, but he took a risk to help Brett.

And I’ll die trying to help him.

I pull my cell out of my pocket, pull up the illegally obtained recording, and press play.

It doesn’t matter how many times I listen to the vile shit that Fred and Gary orchestrated, it makes my stomach turn every time. The way they tried to crush all my blood, sweat, and curse words it took to build my own business over the years only makes me more determined than ever to fight harder.

Be better.

Win.

“What the—” Gary mutters in shock as he listens to himself make excuses why he can’t do more to fuck me over.

Fred reacts completely differently.

He’s not shocked.

Anger pulses through him.

Literally. The vein at his temple pulses at a rate that cannot be healthy.

If this fucker dies on me before I can prove what he’s done, it’ll ruin my week for good.

I wait … and crickets. Fred seethes and says nothing. Gary stutters and fills the silence.

The whole damn time, I have to dismiss about one hundred and fifty notifications from my father-in-law-to-be’s associates.

And my father-in-law to be.

Now I’m really on edge.

I slide the cell back into my pocket and stare eye to eye across the desk at Fred. “You’ve got thirty seconds to tell me where Rylan Crawford is. And if you’ve fucked with his mother or sister, I will make sure the world knows the kind of man you really are.”

Gary doesn’t give a shit about covering their asses. He flips out. “How did you get that recording?”

“Shut up,” Fred warns.

I look at Gary. “You want to know how? The fact I have a recording of one conversation should make you wonder what else I have and what I’m capable of. Where is Rylan?”

Gary turns on his boss and thunders, “I told you this was a bad idea. I am not going down for this. I’m especially not going down for you!”

Fred comes around the desk. But he doesn’t come for me.

He bunches Gary’s dress shirt at the neck and slams him against the wall. “I said shut up. Don’t say another fucking word, got it?”

Gary grows a pair. Finally.

And I’m not sure this could’ve worked out better.

For me. Not for Fred.

He goes flying back into the edge of his desk. Gary follows and puts a hand to his neck to keep him there. “You’ve done some bad shit in the past but nothing like this. If you did anything to that kid or his family, I’ll go to the authorities myself. I did not sign up for this shit. Where is he?”

The bulging vein at Fred’s temple earlier was nothing. His face is beet red. Since he’s the only one with answers, I wonder if I’ll be forced to step in and save him from Gary.

“I had to take matters into my own hands since you wouldn’t do your fucking job!” Fred croaks.

“Where is he?” Gary demands.

Fred pries the hands off his neck and gets enough space to stumble to the side. He puts his arm out to keep Gary away and gasps for air. “That asshole was working with Hale and his little girlfriend. That couldn’t happen. I had to put a stop to it since you wouldn’t.”

I pull my cell from my pocket and press go on one of the many missed calls I’ve had since I walked into this office.

Ozzy answers before it can ring through once. “Answer your fucking phone.”

I get right to it. “Rylan didn’t get cold feet. Pike did something to him. I’m trying to find him, but they won’t tell me where he is. Have you tracked down his mom and sister?”

“I’ve been listening to the whole thing on the wire. Jack, something has happened. I don’t know how to tell you this.”

I tense. Ozzy’s tone is grave.

“What?” I bite.

“There’s been an accident. Emma’s car was hit on her way from the station to your place.”

I forget all about Fred and Gary. I open the door and am in an all-out run. “Is she okay? Where is she?”

“Crew was talking to her when it happened. We…” His words trail off.

“Where is she, dammit?”

I’m almost to my car when I hear the words I’ll never forget.

“Jack, she wasn’t just hit. She was targeted. They took her.”