Page 82 of My Brother's Enemy
No. I didn’t, because I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to expose the years of hatred I’d endured, but I met Tyler’s gaze and turned to look at Mal. Both had offered me their support. I needed to reciprocate, so I nodded. “I’ll tell you everything.”
“Good.” She pulled out her chair, sitting.
“You want me to stay for this?” Tyler asked.
I nodded, wishing I could hold his hand. It wouldn’t have been appropriate in these circumstances, but I’d process later everything he’d said.
“There’s potential fallout coming that doesn’t just include the Grays, but also Montreal and Boston, because Daniel and Dane Connors are my brothers,” I began. “We’re estranged, and only a handful of people are aware of my connection to them. Cybersleuthing is a real thing nowadays, and if they’re looking into me, it could come out at any time.”
Kashvi sat quietly, blinking at me. I could understand her shock and also her new alarm because while Dane tended to avoid publicity, Daniel did not. His marriages, affairs, and divorces, plus all his fights and issues with the league, were popular clickbait for hockey blogs. He wasn’t known to be a drinker, but he was often filmed going into bars and leaving with a new woman on his arm, whether he was currently married or not.
“Okay.” Kashvi cleared her throat. She leaned forward and pressed a button. A moment later the door opened and one of the women from the social media team popped her head in.
“Yes?”
“Stephanie,” Kashvi ordered, “I need you to do a deep dive on Daniel and Dane Connors. I want to know everything there is to know about them, including family members and their family life. In a separate file, update everything that comes up regarding their rivalry with Tyler Griffin. I believe it started in high school.”
Tyler’s eyes closed, and a hint of regret pulled at his mouth. His sister. This could push all of that into the public eye again. My hand began to shake. I needed to touch him, hold his hand, reassure him. But I couldn’t, so I tucked it under my leg.
“What would happen if I resigned?” I ignored Tyler’s exclamation next to me or the way Mal seemed to go rigid behind me. I only looked at Kashvi. “What could happen then?”
A flicker of something showed in Kashvi’s gaze. “If you were lucky, nothing. Maybe someone would still identify you, but it would likely stop there if you didn’t remain working with the team. That’s the best-case scenario. The more realistic possibility is that someone will still dig for your name. Tyler’s hot news, especially considering his recent bout in the publiceye. People like him. Fans want more of him, and if there’s anything to find, they’ll find it. Based on my time and experience in this business, you need to plan for everything to come out. I mean everything, and yes, you will still have to take me through it all so I can figure out the team’s best course of action moving forward.”
My heart sank.
“Jesus Christ, Rain. You’re not going anywhere. I won’t let you.” Tyler glared at me.
“I also won’t allow it, Rain.” Mal’s statement was quieter, but just as effective. “On this matter, Tyler and I are on the same page. Don’t let your brothers take this away from you too.” He leaned forward, his eyes flicking to Kashvi before returning to me. “You’re not the bad guy in this scenario. Kashvi doesn’t have all the information, but once she does, I have no doubt she’ll agree. Let’s direct blame elsewhere. None of it belongs with you or any member of the Grays organization.”
He lifted his gaze to meet Kashvi’s once again before I heard her say, quietly, “I see.”
My brothers weren’t the reason I slept with Tyler. That’s not what Mal was insinuating. He was giving her a new narrative. Blame my brothers. Distract from this story and give the media sites a different one, with different bad guys.
I stared at Mal with wide eyes, because whatdidhe know? He’d said his investigator did a thorough job, but how thorough? Did they even understand what they’d unearthed?
He stood and nodded to me. “Call me after this, please. Kashvi, keep me updated.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve got a feeling I’ll be blowing up your phone after this meeting.”
“I’ll look forward to the call.”
As he left, her phone rang. “Kashvi here,” she answered, putting it on speaker.
“Ms. Kumar, there’s a Martine deBlanc here. Says she has a meeting with you.” I recognized Morty, sounding hesitant. He was here this early to clean the ice.
“Yes, Morty. Could you escort her to my offices? The girls will get her comfortable in one of the conference rooms.”
“Will do, ma’am.”
“Thank you.” She ended the call, and Tyler reached over to take my hand. He looked defiantly back at Kashvi. “I’m holding her hand.”
Amusement moved over her face. “Get it out of your system, because we need to get ahead of this story before we decide what to give Martine. Now.” She focused on me. “Start talking. And remember, I want everything.”
49
RAIN
“I’m estranged from my family. I want to be able to tell you there’s some big scandal, but there’s not. It’s just… I think it started when my mom died. I was six when she had a brain aneurysm that burst.”
