Night Games (21 page)

“Suit yourself. Mind if I get comfortable before you get started?” He tosses his cigar in a crystal ashtray, leering at me over his desk.

“Do what you have to do.” I hold my breath as he uncinches his belt and lowers his fly, letting his pants fall around his ankles.

“There that’s better. I want to feel free and loose for this.” He scratches himself and I turn away, hating myself for what I’m about to do. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

Fighting back tears, I lean forward and open my mouth.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chase

I sputter awake at the hoot of an owl.

It sounds so close that for a minute I think I’m going to find its talons digging into my arm. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the wildlife surrounding Grey’s place. I’m too much of a city boy now.

I can’t believe I fell asleep in this chair. I feel so groggy. Grey must already be in bed. What time is it anyway? I blink, peering through the darkness. It seems too quiet in here. Shouldn’t I be able to hear Grey breathing or something? I know she usually sleeps with her mouth open. I remember how last night she lulled me to sleep, her breath ruffling the hair on my chest.

I reach for my crutches, hoisting myself up. As I get closer to the bed, I can’t help thinking,
She’s not that small.
There should be some bump or rise in the blanket. Why is it so flat? I can’t quite comprehend the fact that she might not be in it. That it’s empty.

Fuck.

“Grey?” Maybe she’s in the bathroom. I clamber through the strewn luggage that’s cluttering the floor, hating how my goofy grin is mocking me on the poster taped on the back of the door. But she’s not in there either.

I take a quick glance outside. Her truck is still here. Now I’m really starting to panic. Did she go for a walk? Is she out in the woods somewhere, hurt and alone? How am I going to get to her on these damn crutches?

But then a set of headlights floods the trailer, and I squint against the incessant glare. I must look like an idiot hunched over in front of the window. Whoever it is, I’m no match for them in this state.

“Chase? Is that you in there?”

Why do I recognize that voice? It’s like I’ve heard it before somewhere.

“Chaaaaaaase!”

Oh crap.

“Chase, come out here. I need your help!”

That night at Beaver Field comes rushing back, hearing that piercing scream above the crowd that threw my concentration off at the plate and in the field. The error. The strikeouts. Damn, this girl doesn’t know when to quit.

But right now I only have one thought pulsating through my mind.

Barging outside, I hobble over to where she’s parked with the engine running. She’s taken aback by the crazed look on my face. But I have to know.

“Erin, where’s Grey?”

“She got herself into a little bit of a jam.” She cowers behind the wheel like she’s afraid I’m going to hit her or something. “I’m supposed to drive you over to The Blue Room.”

“Is that where she is?” I demand, maybe a little too forcefully.

“Uh huh,” Erin responds meekly.

Yeah, she’s definitely not as brave without the alcohol. It’s like she can’t believe I’m actually talking to her after how badly she behaved the last time we saw each other. Yeah, I’m coming off like a jerk, but it’s just because I’m worried about Grey. But it seems like every time I’m around Erin I’m upset or fly into some kind of rage. And right now I need her, so I better calm the fuck down. She’s my one and only link to Grey.

“Take me to her, Erin. Please.” She bends over to open the door for me, and I do a balancing act with the crutches until I flop into the passenger’s seat, kicking them aside.

“Aren’t you bringing them with you?” she asks, bewildered.

“I’m not walking into a strip club on crutches. Just go.”

“All right. It’s your knee, not mine.”

I slam the door and she proceeds down the road, pressing her body up against the wheel.

“Why are you driving like that?”

“Because I can’t see. I never come up here at night. It’s too dark. I only came because Noah said it was an emergency.”

“Wait a minute. Grey wasn’t the one who called you?”

“No, Noah freaked when she never came out and—”

“Erin, hold up. Tell me everything you know. From the beginning.”

***

Noah is outside pacing when we arrive.

He’s skulking in the shadows beneath the flickering marquee when he should’ve manned up and stormed the barricade. God knows what those assholes are doing to Grey in there.

“I tried, man. I tried!” he cries when I get out of Erin’s car and slam him up against the brick wall. “They won’t let me in. They’re waiting for you.”

“But in the meantime, they could’ve…” I can’t even think about it, let alone say it.

“Stanley’s not stupid enough to hurt Grey. He knows what the repercussions would be,” Noah gasps as guys exiting the club keep walking and don’t get involved. Seeing people getting roughed up back here must be a common occurrence. They don’t even pick their heads up long enough to recognize me.

“I can’t believe Grey would get involved with a bunch of thugs like this,” Erin moans, scoping out the seedy atmosphere. “What was she thinking?”

“She made a mistake, but now it’s up to us to get her out of it.” I release Noah and back away. I need to go in there with a clear head. I won’t be any good to Grey if I lose my temper. I’ll play right into their hands.

“What did Stanley want from her, Noah?” Erin questions him.

“She only said that she promised him something for letting her quit. They made some kind of deal. She wasn’t able to give it to him then, but now she could.”

Noah’s words are like a kick to the stomach. There are only two things a man like that would be after—money or sex. Was Grey just scamming me the whole time? Did Stanley concoct this big, elaborate scheme to have Grey coerce the Kings for money? He’s well aware of how alluring Grey can be. Did he send her to Beaver Field to entice me? Ensnare me in some kinky trap then try to score a hefty payoff from the Kings? The public is very familiar with the tactics they’ve used to hush up Drake’s antics with prostitutes and strippers. Knowing that I was coming to Stockton, maybe Stanley couldn’t resist the opportunity to hit me up in his own backyard.

And the other possibility? I don’t even want to go there. The timing is too disheartening. To even think about her sleeping with another man makes me want to puke all over this godforsaken alley. Did Stanley want to sleep with her before she left, but she put him off because she was a virgin? Was he afraid that she’d left town and he’d missed his chance to have his way with her? Did he make Noah drag her here the minute she got back? And now he’s summoning me here to gloat that he one-upped Chase Whitfield. Rub it in my face that she’s not just mine anymore. He took care of ruining that for me.

I gotta get in there.

Shoving Noah and Erin aside, I’m not surprised when the back door flies open, granting me access. They’ve probably been watching us the whole time through some hidden camera feed, awaiting my arrival. I hear the footfalls of Noah and Erin running to catch up, but they’re too late as the heavy metal door slams shut behind me.

Man, is it loud in here. Music is blaring. Men are yelling. It’s pretty dark and my eyes take a second to adjust. But some commando-type guy wrestles me into a choke hold, dragging me down a back hallway before I even notice he’s behind me. All I can see is the camouflage pattern on his shirt as he roughly escorts me through the club. Nobody comes to my assistance. All eyes are obviously glued to the stage as men whistle and catcall whoever’s performing. I just hope to God it’s not Grey.

We reach the end of the hallway and I’m roughly thrown into a side room. Losing my balance as my knee gives out beneath me, I topple to the floor.

“Chase!”

It’s Grey. She sounds panic-stricken. But she’s momentarily blocked from view as my assailant steps on the back of my neck, forcing my head against the floor.

“Enough, Brent. C’mon, that’s a future Hall of Famer right there. Show some respect.”

Sobs are racking Grey’s body as she gasps for breath. “Please stop…please. Don’t hurt him.” It’s pitiful to hear her beg these assholes for anything, much less my safety.

Brent nestles the thick track of his boot against my jaw, digging it in for good measure before letting up. He’s chuckling to himself, enjoying what he’s doing to me just a little too much. He’s someone who likes to inflict bodily harm on other people, ensuring his footprint remains on the back of my neck for the next couple of days.

“I’ll be out here if you need me, boss.”

I sit up as he exits the room, wanting to rip his motherfucking head off, but I know when I’m outmatched. That guy is capable of doing some serious damage, and I’m not about to let him beat me bloody. I need to conserve my energy, fight the battles I can win.

“Stop crying, sweetheart. This is only a little business meeting we’re conducting here. Nothing to get so upset about.”

For the first time, I get a good look at my surroundings. Grey is standing next to an overweight, balding man with a cigar wedged between his lips. She’s trembling since his arm is holding her back from coming to my aid. How dare he place his hands on her! I scramble to try to get to my feet, but my knee gives out on me again.

“Doesn’t look like you’ll be playing any time soon, does it?” he taunts me, not making any sort of move to help me up.

“Fuck you.”

“Now is that wise to go insulting me when I have your pretty little girlfriend at my disposal?”

“Don’t you—”

“What? Lay a finger on her? What are you going to do? Sic your lawyer on me?” He laughs, flicking the ashes from his cigar. “I’m afraid my associates already heard from the Kings’ lawyer, and I gotta say, he’s not very nice.”

“Chase, don’t listen to him. Get yourself—” Grey stops talking midstream as Stanley slaps her hard across the face.

Enraged, I hold on to the edge of the desk and haul myself up, determined to wring his flabby neck.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I have cameras set up in every corner of this room. Do you really want the world to see you slugging a defenseless old man over some whore?”

“She’s not a whore.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. She’s your whore.”

I lunge at him again, unable to stop myself.

“Chase, don’t!” Grey screams. “He’s not worth it.”

“Listen to her, Chase.” My fist is an inch away from his face and he doesn’t even blink. “Like I said we have business to discuss.”

“Dream on, asshole. I’m not giving you anything.”

“Well, that’s a poor attitude to open up negotiations with, wouldn’t you say? Especially since I didn’t fuck your girlfriend six ways from Sunday.”

I want to deck him for that comment alone, but I restrain myself. He’s pushing all my buttons, jerking my chain for kicks. If I touch him, his bodyguard will come rushing in on me, and I’ll be no use to Grey after he gets through with me.

“See? That’s better. You do have some degree of self-control after all. And here I thought you were just a roid-raging addict.”

“Just get on with it.”

“All right, fine. Let’s lay it all out on the table, shall we? Your visit to Stockton interrupted a very lucrative stream of income I had going on, and until you tell me how you’re going to compensate me for that loss of revenue, Grey stays here.”

“Buddy, I don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“That’s funny because the Kings sure didn’t have too much trouble shutting it down.”

“What are you talking about? Keith?”

“Ding, ding, ding—the dumb jock does have a brain in that thick skull of his after all.”

“He was in league with you?”

“Son, I’ve been in the business of selling pussy for a helluva long time. Do you think I’d let a little prick like that set up shop in my territory without getting a cut of the profits? C’mon, smarten up.”

“But that doesn’t explain what you want from Grey.”

“Ah, so Noah filled you in on our little arrangement, did he?”

Grey whimpers quietly, turning ever so slightly away from me. What doesn’t she want me to know? Is what she agreed to do really that bad? I take a step toward her and Stanley sticks out his leg to stop me.

“Nuh uh. No contact until this is settled. You need some motivation to cooperate.”

“What did you do to her?”

“Nothing. We just talked…about quite a momentous occasion that just occurred in her life.”

This can’t be happening.

“With a body like that, I can’t believe it took that long.”

Can a person really be this depraved?

“And let me tell you, Chase. I enjoyed hearing every last detail. Grey has a way with words. She really knows how to paint a picture.”

I’m going to kill him.

“I had to, Chase. I didn’t have a choice. He’s already sent someone after me once. God knows what else he would’ve done. How far he would’ve taken things. I couldn’t play around with your life. I couldn’t take that risk.”

But I don’t even hear her. I’m in a daze. The single most glorious moment of my existence has now been sullied and degraded. Thoughts Grey hasn’t even shared with me are now fodder for this sleazeball to ponder. It’s such a violation. Tainting Grey in my eyes, making her part of the betrayal.

“You see, I’m a connoisseur of such stories. They’re like diamonds—precious, rare, unique, no two ever alike. But these tender morsels are best enjoyed as close to the actual event as possible when it’s all still fresh in their mind. Some men spend a fortune to perform the act. And sure, I could’ve put Grey on the market, sold her to the highest bidder in exchange for her freedom. I have plenty of contacts who would’ve jumped at the offer. But I’m not like that. I’m more of a romantic at heart. I only like to hear about it. It lends so much to the imagination.”

Stanley appears enraptured as he spins his tale, like he’s doing humanity a service by exploiting the most private of moments a man and a woman can share.

“And here I thought Grey would fall for the charms of a local blue-collar guy or some pathetic pencil pusher. Never in a million years did I think she would snag the biggest fish in the sea. When I first saw the photo of the two of you in that Starbucks yesterday, I nearly blew a gasket. The Stockton newspaper reported that you had dined at Buster’s Crab Shack while you were here, so it didn’t take Keith long to go through his footage and find more evidence of you two getting it on.”

I turn my back, unable to stomach listening to anymore of this.

“Now don’t go getting all hot under the collar. Grey’s story will never travel farther than this room. I’m quite possessive of my little treasures. They’re meant for no one’s enjoyment but my own. I like to go back and listen to them on occasion, perfect my Q&A technique for future use.”