Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Leia

The next few days pass in a blur. I spend my mornings daydreaming about Colter and my nights in his bed. We don’t hear anything from Gavin, but Elysa tells me he got called out of town on Saturday, so I’m not surprised.

It allows me to focus on looking into the players I know he’s been in contact with. I spend most of Monday digging into Bruce Gordon and Jimmy Brinks, trying to rule out any other possible explanation, like gambling addictions. There are rumors about Bruce Gordon, but nothing I can substantiate. There’s nothing on Jimmy Brinks, though. The man hasn’t even been to a casino that I can find.

I leave work early on Tuesday with a headache after scouring the internet all day. Dillon calls me on the way home.

"I called your office, but Elysa said you’d already left," he says.

"Yeah, I just left a few minutes ago. What’s up?"

"I’ve got some information on Gavin Cochran."

"What did you find?" I ask, gripping the steering wheel as a bolt of excitement shoots through me. I try shoving it back into a little box, knowing it could be nothing, but we’re due for a break here.

"Have you ever heard of Dominic Grigori?"

"No?"

"Me either," Dillon mutters. "He and Gavin were partners back in NYC. Dominic was busted for insider trading a few years ago. You’ll never guess why."

"Um, because he sucks?"

"Smart ass," Dillon says, making me smile. "His cousin was clerking for the Supreme Court and put a little bug in his ear on Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association before the opinion was made public. He bought up a bunch of stock in companies poised to enter the sportsbook arena if a favorable decision came down from the court. Had he not bragged to the wrong person, he would have stood to make millions when their sportsbooks went live."

"Wow," I whisper. "Was Gavin involved?"

"He was never charged." Dillon hesitates. "But I looked into his fortune. He invested heavily in casinos and sportsbooks. He’s taken a big hit over the last few years."

"How big?"

"One of the companies he sank a lot of money into in Jersey was raided by the government."

"So really big then," I mutter, slowing at a stop sign on Broadway.

"Yep."

"Do you think he’s working with anyone?"

"He may have his buddies tied up in this, but if he does, I’m guessing he’s the one pulling the strings," Dillon says. "If you ask me, I think he’s looking for a surefire way to gain a foothold on sports betting. Once he irons out the kinks, he’ll take it to his buddies, and they’ll front the capital when he launches his own sportsbook. He’ll be able to offer something his competitors can’t and will sweep the board. Either that, or he’ll sell the scheme to someone to recoup what he lost. Either way, he comes up smelling like roses."

"Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of," I sigh. Either way, it’s not good. And as of now, we have no proof that he’s even committed a crime. All we have are pictures of him giving Bruce Gordon money. That’s not illegal. Unless he confesses or one of the players he approaches does, we’ve got nothing.

"Keep me in the loop on this," Dillon says. "And don’t do anything foolish, Leia. Your parents have been through enough already with Adalynn and Charlie. Don’t give them another reason to worry."

"I won’t, I promise."

Dillon snorts like he doesn’t believe me and then disconnects.

I drop my phone in the passenger seat and head toward home, my mind racing a million miles a minute. Colter has a game tonight, and Gavin still hasn’t taken our bait. At this point, I don’t think he’s going to take it at all. Has he already found someone on the other team to pay off?

Maybe I should be heading for the arena instead of the house. At least if he meets someone who tries to knock one of the Falcons out, we’ll know that he’s absolutely guilty. From there, it’ll just be a matter of getting one of the guys to talk. Which one? Bruce Gordon? Jimmy Brinks? Whoever he picks tonight?

I pull up outside of the house and park, still thinking over everything. I’m halfway to the front door when my phone rings. Despite my mood, seeing Colter’s name on the display brings a smile to my face.

"Hey, Bossy. You miss me already?" I ask, trying to juggle the phone and my back while unlocking the door.

"Always, Trouble." He sounds tired. Probably because he isn’t getting much sleep. We’re up late making love every night, and then he’s up before the sun every morning to train. I don’t know how he does it. "I got an interesting phone call."

"Really? So did I. You tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine." I close the front door and drop my bag by the credenza before kicking off my shoes. I’m going to get a hot shower, change, and then head to the arena. I’ll camp out until the game starts and then head inside to watch Colter play.

"Gavin called," he says, his voice quiet.

I stop walking mid-step. "What? Seriously? When?"

"Ten minutes ago."

"Why?"

"Said he had a proposition for me."

"Holy crap. You think it’s…?"

"I don’t know, but he’s coming to the arena," Colter growls. "Told me he’d be here around four. You think you can make it here by then?"

I pull the phone away from my ear to look at the time. It’s not even two. "I can definitely be there by then. I just got home."

"What? Why?"

"My head hurts," I complain. "I spent all morning reading the internet."

"The whole internet, huh?"

"Shut up."

He chuckles. "I’m sorry you don’t feel well, pretty baby. You need me to come over there and take care of you?"

"It’s just a headache. I’ll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes!" I smile, shaking my head. He’s kind of adorable when he worries. "Go play with your stick or something. I’ll be there to spy on you and Gavin in about an hour. I’m going to hop in the shower first."

"Fuck," he groans. "You’re getting naked and soapy without me?"

"Yep. Bye."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Bossy. Go play with your stick."

"I prefer when you do it."

"I’m hanging up now," I sing song, smiling like a crazy person. His laughter floats down the line as I end the call. Lord. He’s a menace. I hope he never changes.

I send Dillon a quick text to let him know the latest, and then remember I didn’t even tell Colter about my call with Dillon. It’s entirely his fault for distracting me. Now, he’ll just have to wait until later to hear what Dillon discovered.

Half an hour later, I’ve showered, changed into team colors, and am rooting around in my bag for my favorite lipstick when the front door opens.

"Colter, you crazy man," I say, not even looking up. "I told you that it’s just a little headache."

He doesn’t say anything.

I glance up into Gavin’s gray eyes.

My heart slams against my breastbone in a jarring thud.

"G-Gavin." I lick my lips, trying to work moisture back into my mouth. "What are you doing here?"

He pushes the front door closed before stepping deeper into the living room. The fact that he isn’t speaking sends chills up and down my spine. I pat around in my bag, feeling for anything I can use for a weapon. There’s nothing in there that might actually hurt him, but maybe there’s something that’ll give me a fighting chance. Just enough of one to get away.

My phone is still in the bathroom.

My hand closes around my audio recorder.

I fumble with the buttons and hit record.

"Elysa’s still at work. Did you come to pick something up for her?" I ask, playing dumb. Maybe if I act clueless, he’ll think I know nothing and leave.

He flicks his gaze toward the hall.

I quickly slip my hand from the bag, dropping the audio recorder behind it on the couch.

"You’ve been following me," he says, his gaze drifting back to me.

"I…"

"First in your car and then in your boyfriend’s truck. I knew it was you when I saw his truck out front the other night." He speaks quietly, his voice eerily calm. "Why have you been following me, Leia?"

"I…" My mind is a complete blank, panic coursing through me. "Elysa thinks you’re seeing other women," I blurt the first thing that comes to mind. "She asked me to follow you to see if I caught you with anyone."

"And your boyfriend? Why was he following me?"

"He didn’t know. I…I didn’t want to tell him what I was doing because it sounded crazy, so he refused to leave unless I let him tag along." I shrug helplessly. "He’s kind of relentless. After the grocery store, he told me that we were done following you and that you and Elysa needed to figure out your own stuff."

"Mm," Gavin says. "There’s just one problem with your little story, Leia. Elysa wouldn’t send you to spy on me if she thought I was seeing another woman. She’d do it herself."

Crap. He knows her better than I thought.

"You’re writing a story about me, aren’t you?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I lie. "Why would I be writing a story about you?"

A sardonic smile slides across his handsome face. It’s a shame he’s not a very good person because he’s not a bad-looking guy. He just kind of sucks as a human. "I think we both know the answer to that, don’t we?"

"I wouldn’t ask if I knew, Gavin." I roll my eyes. "Obviously."

"You were at the arena the night I met Bruce Gordon. Did you see me? Were you already following me, or is that what tipped you off?"

"What are you talking about?" I huff, trying to keep him talking. The more he reveals and the longer he talks, the longer I have to figure out how I’m getting out of this one. Colter is going to be pissed when he finds out Gavin came here. The sheriff isn’t going to be thrilled, either. I promised I’d be careful. I should have been careful enough to lock the freaking door.

"Don’t play dumb," he snaps. "It doesn’t suit you."

"And doting boyfriend doesn’t suit you," I mutter. "Elysa deserves so much better than you. You suck as a boyfriend, in case you didn’t already know that. Your head is so far up your own butt, you need a freaking surgeon to remove it!"

"Puck bunny suits you just fine." His smile is full of venom. "You play the part of Bayliss’s little whor—"

"Don’t you dare," I growl, stepping toward him with my hands clenched at my sides. "Who I sleep with is none of your business, you disgusting creep. Why don’t you stick to illegal gambling and taking out bounties on players like a good little criminal and stay out of my business?"

Triumph overtakes his expression. "Sounds like you are writing that story after all," he practically purrs. "Funny how quickly you remember details when you get angry."

Crap.I played right into his hands. He’s a manipulative jerk, and I fell for the bait, exactly like he wanted. Now he knows for sure that I know. There’s nothing stopping him from hurting me or, worse, killing me.

"You’re going to risk their safety to line your pockets," I say, disgusted. "Do you even comprehend how vile that is, Gavin? You already have more money than you can spend in this lifetime. Do you really need more that badly?"

"It’s not about money, Leia. It’s about power. Others have it. I want it." He shrugs like it’s simple math. "Professional sports is a billion-dollar industry. If I control the books, I control the industry."

"It still won’t get you on the starting line," I point out. "That’s what you really want, isn’t it? To be the one wearing the jersey? To be the one idolized?" Something flickers in his eyes, and I know that’s part of it. "What sport did you play, Gavin? What dream did someone crush for you?"

"Hockey," he snaps.

"So you’re going to do it to others in exchange. You didn’t get what you wanted, so everyone else has to pay, right? Who cares if you get some of these guys hurt or destroy their careers and futures, just so long as you get to feel like you control what happens on the ice, right?" I don’t think I’m disgusted with him. I think I’m just…sad for him. That he’s such a spoiled brat that he can’t even see how screwed up he is. "You’re like the sad little boy on the beach. The ocean knocked over your sandcastle, so now you’re stomping through everyone else’s. I’m not afraid of you, Gavin. I pity you."

He lunges for me like a wild animal pushed too far. I dodge him, trying to reach the front door, but he’s faster than I am. He tackles me from behind, dragging us both to the floor. I land on my stomach. He falls on top of me, knocking the air out of me.

Pure terror pumps through my veins instead of blood. I don’t freeze or flee. I fight. Like hell. That’s who I am. That’s what I do. I fight. I scratch, claw, and bite as he tries to flip me over onto my back, refusing to die easily.

A loud roar rips through the room, and then Gavin goes flying.

I stare in shock as Colter rushes past me, running right at Gavin. He falls on top of him, striking him squarely in the face.

"You sorry motherfucker!" he roars, hitting him again and then again.

"Leia." Dillon leans down over me. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Get Colter. He’s going to kill him."

Dillon nods and strides across the room. "Colter, stop. Leia needs you."

As soon as he says my name, Colter freezes with his fist raised to strike Gavin again. He whips around to face me, his face contorted with rage, his fist dotted with Gavin’s blood. His eyes meet mine. He bellows like a wounded bear, throwing Gavin down.

He’s across the room to me in two seconds, lifting me into his arms.

"Leia," he breathes, burying his face in my hair. "Ah, God. Leia. I’m here. I’m right here."

I cling to him, sobbing.