Page 52 of Who's Saving You
“Get your ass back from Houston, write your story, and let’s talk.”
I end the call and sit back, staring at my laptop.
I’ve been working since I came back from seeing my sister, chasing dead ends. After Nik barked orders, and Stone jumped on his bandwagon, I locked myself in my room. I needed to calm myself down.A weekend away with Nik. I told myself it would be a working weekend; he has a game to play, I have a story to write. He’s only bringing me to keep an eye on me.
With my VPN still in place to disguise my area, I started researching as best I could all the names that have been thrown at me. Rhett Daniels… Trevor Raines… I even searched for the owners of Club Trick. It lists Dante Shivers and a W. Priestly. Nik’s name only shows on his charity.
Then I started researching gambling, casinos, or any clubs that had been seized in the last twenty years or so. There were a couple of lowball articles from years back. I even plugged in Nik’s sister, Eva, to see if I could tie anything to her.
The computer screen light is blurring my vision, and when I close my eyes to give them a rest, all I see are words swimming around. I’ve combed through old statements, found player contracts, college performance audits, and anything that might link back to that godforsaken college game. I’ve cross-referenced years, sorted through injury reports and sudden player withdrawals, even mapped hotel stays to team travel logs, trying to find any link or crossover detail that shouts, “This is it!”
And still nothing. Just the same old black hole where sophomore year at Zeiders University went to die.
I know Trevor warned me to leave this story alone. Those two guys warned me, Rhett looking for me at the club was another sign, and hell, even Nik. I was told twice, three times, and four times, yet I still can’t give it up. I have to know what Nik is hiding. There’s something to this, a reason they told me not to dig. A reason why Nik said he can’t tell me more, yet he’s still trying to protect me.
But I want to protect him, too. Something tells me whatever happened wasn’t done just because he thought he was above the rules, or because he could get away with it.
And then that black hole opens up.
It happens just after midnight. I'm digging through archived emails from the college's compliance office. Most of it is boring, legal jargon and timestamped garbage, butthen I see a flagged email. A response chain titled “Containment: Preliminary Notes.” The original thread is mostly redacted, but buried near the footer, in the shit nobody reads, is something that stands out to me.
“Services rendered by EP INC. Crisis Consultant approved by committee vote.”
I blink, trying to focus on what I’m seeing.
EP INC.
The name means nothing at first, but something about it sticks. It’s too clean and simple. I pull up registry databases and look for the business filings with the name Papas. I find Nik's sister’s management company, Papas & Family. Sole member Eva Papas.
And then it hits me.
EP is Eva Papas.
I go back to EP INC and check the start-up date. It’s two weeksbeforethat college game.
I sit back, my heart thudding. My eyes scan the email again. Could they be the same person? I’m sure there are many Eva Papas out there.
But my gut is telling me something different.
There was someone else back then, someonebesidesRhett Daniels. From what I know, he’s just a delivery boy. There had to be someone else pulling the strings, someone who buried this scandal as well. Higher-ups were managed and either paid off or threatened. I dig further and find another document, scanned poorly, redacted with an actual black marker instead of digitally. It's a report prepared for the league’s Image Committee. I can barely make out the typing, but one phrase is still readable in the corner:
“…in coordination with (black bar)as & Family...”
My stomach drops. Is Nik lying? Was the entire family in on it? But for what?
I whisper it out loud, like testing poison on my tongue.
“Eva...”
Could she really be involved? The sister. The agent. The protector.
Or maybe she's the one who started this in the first place?
Suddenly, it’s not just about Nik anymore. It’s not just about one game, or one man's fall from grace and his rise back to the top, burying a secret. This thing is deeper. There’s been a cover-up, it’s been coordinated and funded, and I don’t believe Nik even understands it all.
Someone very close to Nik is at the center of it, intertwining our lives together, and threatening me to keep quiet.
I don’t think I can do that.
