Page 25 of Run the Play
“Fucking prick,” Reid mutters.
“Sorry for all the heavy, but there you have it. The reason I freaked out when I heard he was coming here was that I’ve been worried about him finding me. Now, he’s once again uprooted my life. I can’t stay here knowing he’s going to be around, and I might have to work with him.”
“What?” Corie asks. She stands and starts to pace. Knox watches her every step, concern filling his gaze. “You can’t leave us,” Corie demands. “We’ll go to the team, and we’ll tell them what he did.”
“It’s my word against his.”
“You have the hospital records.”
“I lied, Corie. I lied to avoid being in the press. There’s nothing I can do to stop him from doing it again if I stay.”
“Fuck that,” Landry spews. “We’ll be there.” He nods to the other guys and then points at his chest. “He won’t get near you while we’re around.”
My eyes soften, and something in my chest squeezes that these amazing humans care so much about my well-being. My head is telling me not to trust them, but my heart somehowknows that I can. My trauma still messes with my trust and my perception of others. However, I’ve spent enough time around this group to know they’re genuine.
“He’s your teammate. I won’t be the reason there’s animosity between you.”
“Too late,” Knox tells me. “We don’t want him on our team. He hurt you, Rowan. We’re not okay with that. We will never be okay with that.”
I don’t know what to say—not that I could speak even if I did. Emotion clogs my throat, and I lose my battle, fighting back my tears.
Chapter Seven
Landry
Anger like I’ve never known courses through my veins. How can any man hurt a woman, let alone one he claims to love and care for? Chaz Brown is a fucking coward of a man, beating and manipulating her.
I shift my attention to Knox and my sister. Knox is holding her extra tight if the bend of his fist is any indication, and suddenly, I’m even more relieved that he’s the one who fell in love with my little sister. I feel murderous rage for what that fuckstick Brown did to Rowan. If that had been Corie, I’d be in jail. Happily so, to defend my baby sister. Sure, Conner was a dick and cheated on her, but even that piece of shit never laid a hand on her.
“We take care of each other,” Corie says.
“Thank you, but I don’t want any of you getting in trouble or worse, on his radar because of me.”
“Too late,” I tell her. I’m still holding her hand, because, for the life of me, I can’t seem to let go. “If he gives you issues, you come to one of us,” I tell her. I hate that this douchebag is goingto be a Rampage, a part of our team, but the deal is done, so we’ll just have to keep an eye on her.
“Thank you,” Rowan whispers.
“Do you know what you need?” Sloane asks Rowan. There’s a glint of mischief in her eyes. It’s hard to tell what’s about to come out of her mouth.
“What?” Rowan replies, head tilted to the side.
“Two things, actually. The first is shots.” Sloane jumps off Reid’s lap and dashes into the house. She’s back in no time with a blackberry whiskey and a package of tiny red Solo shot cups. Sloane passes out the tiny disposable glasses and then makes her way back around to fill everyone’s cup. After placing the bottle on the table, she thrusts her cup into the air. “To good friends, to family.” She tips her cup back, and we all follow suit.
“Damn, that’s good stuff,” Foster says, holding his small shot glass up for another round. Sloane fills him up and offers more to the others. Only Reid and Baker take her up on it.
“What’s the other thing?” Baker asks, tossing back his second shot. “You said Rowan needed two things.”
“Oh.” Sloane plops down on his lap and wiggles her ass to get comfortable. “You need a decoy.”
“A what?” Rowan asks. She furrows her brow and scrunches up her nose, and fuck, it’s cute as hell. Thankfully, it also washes away the tears and sadness that were swimming in her eyes just moments ago.
“Okay, maybe decoy wasn’t the best choice of words. You need a stand-in. A pretend man to keep the sleazy one away from you. Just tell him that you’re dating someone new and to leave you alone.” Sloane smiles, proud of herself.
“Trust me, that won’t stop him. Besides, this pretend stand-in won’t ever be around. Chaz is perceptive. He went through the trouble of finding me. I’m not entirely sure how he did that, and he took a pay cut, giving up his adoring fans and popularity inLos Angeles to come to Nashville. He’s coming here for me. Not because he loves me, but he lost the control he once had over me, and that’s eating at him. He’s not going to be deterred that easily.”
Her tone is defeated, and I hate it. I want the smiling, happy Rowan back. I don’t like her being sad. I tell myself I’d feel this way if any woman or friend were sitting next to me, but if I’m being truthful with myself, I’m not so sure that’s the reason why.
“It’s worth a shot, right? Maybe he’ll back off?” Corie offers.
