Page 54 of The Publicity Stunt

"I think you should watch this," Nia says and holds out her phone.

Chapter Eighteen

Bri

Seeing Bobby and the rest of her security team pull Kace away from her has her stomach in knots. There must be a mistake. Something to explain what they think the man may have done. The man Bri's in love with.

"What is it?" Bri asks, not taking the outstretched phone from Nia. Something inside her tells her she doesn't want to see whatever it is.

"Hit play, sweetie," Nia says and glares at Kace.

Bri's hands shake as she takes the phone from Nia and glances back at Kace. He struggles against her team, but the way he looks at her tells her he has no idea what she's about to play. It gives her a little bit of hope it won't be as bad as it seems.

Hitting play, her stomach drops as she watches an interview with a sportscaster and Rudy.

Interviewer: So, your team has a solid chance of making it to the Stanley Cup this year. Is the team pretty excited?

Rudy: Yeah, we all are. It's been a hell of a year.

Interviewer: Does it bother you that most of the attention centers around Kace Lyons and his relationship with superstar Bri Waters?

Rudy: No, not at all. He needs to feel like the star, so I'm not really that bothered. It's all fake anyway.

Her stomach drops, the knots forming one solid pit at the bottom. She glances up at Kace, who stopped fighting and stares intensely at the phone, too.

Interviewer: What do you mean when you say it's fake? The hype?

Rudy: The entire relationship.

Interviewer: I'm sorry, I don't follow. We've seen them show up for each other, and the kisses between them definitely look real. Hot. She even thanked him in her acceptance speech after winning one of many awards.

Rudy: They put on a great show, but none of it's real.

Interviewer: Why would they fake it?

Rudy: She'd just gotten humiliated by the douche Easton Duffy right before going on tour. Our team has a solid shot to make it to the Cup, and this would bring the attention and audience in the right direction for both. The relationship is nothing more than a fabrication pitched by their PR.

Bri feels the earth beneath her crack, and she wants it to just open up and swallow her whole. This isn't something he made up. No, Rudy was told about the arrangement, and the only people outside their reps who know are them and Tessa.

Interviewer: You know this for a fact?

Rudy: I mean, yeah. Besides the fact that something seemed really off and suspicious about the whole thing. When would they have met? And why would Bri Waters have any interest in a hockey player? She's the world's biggest star and could have anyone she wants. Hey, Bri, let me know if you're ever interested in the real star of a hockey team.

Interviewer: Those are valid questions, and a weird response to hit on a woman who may or may not be dating a teammate, but that's not proof.

Rudy: It's no secret Kace and I have fallen out of grace. You can see it on the ice, and it's not a secret in the league. But I'm still good friends with his best friend, Brett Browning, with the Twisters. Brett told me this is exactly what Kace told him.

Bri feels like she can't breathe. Kace told Brett who told Rudy? Brett's Kace's best friend, so it's not that shocking. But if he's such good friends with him, wouldn't he have told Brett things changed between them? Unless they hadn't really changed. Not for him.

Interviewer: It all looks so real. They look like they're falling in love.

Rudy: I'd say I agree except for the fact that every game Bri doesn't attend, Kace hooks up with whatever puck bunny wants to go home with him. I felt bad for Bri, knowing what he was doing until I heard it was fake. It's probably part of their arrangement.

Interviewer: And this is common knowledge?

Rudy: As common knowledge as the fact he planned to propose to my girlfriend, Sasha. I wouldn't be surprised if he still had the engagement ring somewhere just waiting because of some delusional idea that Sasha will come back to him. He can pine for my girl all he wants, but it's never going to happen. And I think the publicity was used as a way to get back at her for leaving him for me.

Turning the phone off, Bri hands it back to Nia. Her head spins, and she feels like she might pass out.

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