Page 38 of Triple Power Play 3
Coach rests his head back and scrubs his fingers through his thick, wavy hair. “I fucked up, okay? I’m far from perfect.”
“Glad you’re finally realizing that.” Reece shoots a glare in my direction. “About time someone told the truth.”
I’m not about to spend the rest of my life thwarting his attitude. He doesn’t even know me. “You want some truth? I don’t trust you. Your presence sends me into a dark place—not because you’re in love withmy wife, but because you talk like a cop, dress like a cop, and treat me like shit. After our meeting at the hotel, I could taste the craving to get fucking obliterated, and I almost did. Every single day, I’m fighting a battle you have no fucking clue about.” My chest heaves and my heart races. “There’s my truth for today.”
Reece glances helplessly at Ethan, who stares at me with a pained expression, his eyes glassy.
“Last night?” His Adam’s apple bobs. “After we argued?”
I give a half-assed shrug. “Yeah.”
“Fuck, Jax.” He reaches over the arm of the chair and pulls me into a headlock, his cheek pressed to my hair. “Don’t you dare relapse or harm yourself. Tell me. Scream at me. Punch me. We’ll brawl if we need to. Understand?”
“Yes, asshole.” I chuckle and elbow him in the chest. “Let me go.”
“I’m proud of you.” He releases me and drops back into his chair.
He might be the only person besides Aurora who has ever told me those four words. How can I not be attached to him? If he doesn’t want me to love him, he needs to stop caring for me.
The atmosphere feels awkward, so I do what I do best: keep running my mouth. “While I was up on the roof, I realized, no matter what, we’ll work through it.” I shift my attention to Reece. “Aurora will get over the videos eventually. You’re not holding them over me.”
His brows furrow, and he cocks his head. “I’m not. I wouldn’t say anything or use them. Fuck, I removed evidence from a federal crime scene for you.”
“But that’s what you’re pissy about, right? The videos?”
“You recorded her without her knowledge. That’s fucked up.”
Ethan glances between us. “Someone fill me in.”
“When Aurora and I started dating, I had cameras installed throughout my downtown penthouse. I kept track of her while I was away, kept videos of us together. I watched her pack and leave me before…I went into the hospital. After we separated, I couldn’t stand to be there, and Kyle used the place. I have those videos too. I kept everything.”
Reece misinterprets my disgusted expression and rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry, I didn’t watch the videos of you two together. I’d rather not see your dick.”
I arch a brow. “You sure? You seem awfully interested in my dick.”
“Positive,” he grumbles.
If he wants to bust my balls, he’d better bring it. I can do this all day. “Let me know if you change your mind.” I mimic his wink.
Ethan clasps the back of my neck and clears his throat. “That’s not gonna happen.”
The corner of Reece’s lip twitches, begging to smile. “Anyhow, the only other person who knows about the phone is my partner. He’s a hacker, and he agrees: there’s no way to surrender Kyle’s videos without leading investigators to the website, where they can subpoena the rest, even if deleted. They’ll want to know why you withheld evidence. You’ll be questioned, and Aurora will find out her husband is a stalker.”
It’s no different from every other controlling, insane thing I’ve done. “Why do you think I held on to them?” Not that it matters. I didn’t watch Kyle’s videos—Ican’twatch Kyle’s videos.
“You’d watch her while traveling for games?” Ethan asks. “That’s actually brilliant. For safety purposes, of course.”
“I thought so too. Thanks.” I smile.
“Just don’t put cameras in the Santa Monica house.”
I give him a blank stare.
“Jackson, no.”
“There’s an entire surveillance system.”
He releases an aggravated sigh. “Which, let me guess: you’ll have access to?”
