Page 126 of False Play
His gaze lingered around the venue, like he was looking for someone. “Where’s your sister? I was told she was going to be attending.”
“She wants nothing to do with you.”
“I’m her father.”
“She hasn’t spoken to you in seven years for a fucking reason,” I snapped, taking a step closer until he was forced to meet my eyes. “I have been stupid enough to keep you in my life, God only knows why, because we both know you don’t deserve it, but you stay away from Olivia. Do you understand?”
“How’s that anger management issue going, son?” His question was laced with sarcasm.
My chest felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. He was trying to get under my skin. That’s all he wanted out of me. To show me I was just like him. But fuck him, if he thought I wasgoing to let him trick me into something so shitty. Iwasn’tlike him. It was something I had slowly learned how to come to terms with. Yes, I had my moments when I had to work through my anger, but I would continue to fight against my demons every fucking day to find better ways to deal with them. “Better than you, that’s for sure.”
“It’s only a matter of time,” he replied with a bored tilt.
“Why are you here?”
“Like I said?—”
“No,” I hissed. “Why are you really in Chicago? Why did you go to my apartment the other day?” He went to speak, but I raised my hand to stop him. “Don’t tell me it was because you wanted to see me, because we both know that’s bullshit. You wanted to see Kennedy alone for a reason.Why?” The way blood pumped through my veins, I could hear the palpitations as clear as day in my ear, almost too painfully.
“Can we not do this here?” he asked through gritted teeth.
My hand shook as I rubbed it against my mouth. He was right. In other instances, I wouldn’t have given a single fuck, but I wasn’t about to ruin Kennedy’s night. She’d worked so hard. I looked over my shoulder to make sure she was distracted. My eyes found her, and she was animatedly speaking with a few season-ticket holders and Donovan, so I waltzed out of the venue, with my father hot on my trail.
“I’m trying to rectify your mistake,” he said as soon as we stepped outside.
“My mistake?” I let out a disbelieving laugh as I turned around. “This ismycareer. And I have already paid forsaidmistake. For the better part of the season, actually.”
He shook his head adamantly. “I’m talking about Kennedy.” He took a few steps closer to me. “Shewilldestroy your career. You need to remain focused. The last thing youneed is to lock yourself down to one woman. It willdistractyou.”
“I am a thirty-year-old man who’s at the prime of his career. I’m not some eighteen-year-old rookie who just started. And frankly, my love life hasnothingto do with the legacy I’ve been slowly building.” I pointed a finger at him. “Andyouhave no say in my life either. When are you going to get that?”
It was like he wasn’t even listening. Because that’s who my father was. Self-centered. Careless.
“You’re going to regret it. Just like I did.” His eyes held unspoken fury.
Fuck, I was frustrated. I’d reached my boiling point.
“Stop trying to blame everything on Mom!” I roared. My throat was scratchy and painful, but I couldn’t hold back any longer. “She did everything she could to support your fucking career. And what did you do to repay her?Cheaton her. Then, when your career ended, you decided to damage your fucking family all because of your own inflated ego!”
“Lower your voice?—”
“No,” I growled. Fuck, I’d never been so frustrated. “I would love nothing more than for the world to find out who you truly are. The kind of monster they adore.”
“You pull that stupid stunt, and I will tell the organization about the little contract you and Kennedy have.” My eyes widened, and his mouth curled into a cruel smile. “Oh,yeah. I saw it. I know everything.”
“You knownothing,” I barely managed to spit out.
My stomach tightened, and my heart was thrashing against my ribcage painfully.
Nooneknew. No one had a clue how irrevocably, helplessly in love I was with Kennedy. How loving Kennedy wasn’t a choice—it justhappened. It took over everything. What started as pretend turned into the most real thing I’d ever felt.She crept into every part of me until there was no part of my life untouched by her. She wasn’t just the best thing that ever happened to me. No.
She was it.
The one.
“You’re probably right. But that’s the thing about being a man with influence,” he remarked casually. “All I need is to make one phone call, and your precious Kennedy will be on every tabloid for things she didn’t even do.”
My nostrils flared. “If you touch her—if you evenbreathein her direction—so help me God, I will go to the media and tell them everything.”
