Page 102 of Play With Me
I shove his chest, making him stumble back. “I do. So what?”
My response surprises him, and he hesitates a moment before adding, “I think they may not like seeing the pictures I have. The ones Colton took of you.”
That makes my fingers flex, and I reach up to grab him, to lift him off the ground, but he moves too quickly. Before I know it, he’s on me, his hand on my neck, his fingers digging into my flesh. I could push him off, but I want this on tape. I want them to see it.
“I have them. I know everything he does. Including you.”
“I don’t fucking care. Show the fucking world. I. Don’t. Care!”
And I realize in this moment that I don’t care. That if everyone knew, it wouldn’t make a difference.
That the most important person right now is Colton.
“You should. What will your family think? What will his future teammates think?”
“What would the public think if you shared those? That’s illegal, you know?”
“They’d never know it was me. See, that’s the thing. Money can really buy you anything.”
I don’t answer, just wanting to get Colton out of here, to get him medical attention. But it does make me think, for just a second. Whatwillhis teammates think? Will they accept him, or will this be the end of his future career as a soccer star? I don’t know. I can’t know. I just have to protect him right now. That’s all I can do.
We can face tomorrow together.
“Tell me. Did you give him something?” I shout, and Erick chuckles, his hand loosening its grip on me.
“Like I said, he has a stash here.”
I don’t move, just watch as he steps to the side and pulls a drawer open, taking out three small baggies. I don’t know what’s in them, but I make a mental note of the shape and color of the pills.
“Now do you believe me?”
“Fuck no! It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m taking him,” I growl.
He tosses the bags on the bed, and I eye them.
“You can’t. We have a board meeting tomorrow. He has to be there.”
“Fuck this. Reschedule it,” I say, and when Erick blocks my way to him, I feel a rage I’ve never known pulse through me. I knock into him, like a player on the field, and he goes flying to the side. His ass hits the floor with a loud crash, and he grunts as I reach down and grab Colton’s cell phone on the bedstand before picking Colton up. I cradle him in my arms and move around Erick, who is still sitting on the ground, almost unsure of what happened.
Good. Fuck him.
I walk toward my bedroom and stuff my cell phone in my pocket with Colton’s, and toe my shoes on. He should be thinking about what I’m capable of. I may not act on it often, but I could take him down if I wanted to.
When I make my way toward the stairs, I see Erick standing in the doorway of Colton’s bedroom, his eyes dark and watchful.
I meet that evil gaze and then continue on, carrying the two of us down the stairs to the front door.
When I approach, I see Dex skidding around a corner, his hair slightly mussed, his clothes crooked.
“Heard the commotion,” he explains as he jogs outside. “You need to go, yeah?”
He glances at Colton and shakes his head. “On it.”
A minute later, the car pulls up, and I gently place Colton in the passenger seat. His head lolls forward, and I feel bile rise in my throat as I buckle him in. What the fuck did they give him? I can’t believe he’d do this to himself. Not with me right there, just across the hall.
“Does he do this often?” I can’t help but ask.
Dex worries his bottom lip, looking back at the house before meeting my stare.
