Chapter 23

23

Cutter

Igrab a glass and throw it across the kitchen.

It shatters against the wall.

I grab a second glass.

Tony sits at the kitchen island and folds his hands.

"Don't give me that fucking look," I growl at him. "Fix this!"

"Fix this?" Tony asks. "Cutter, if you need a punching bag, I'm here. I've always been here."

"I don't need a punching bag. I need a solution. I need to know who the fuck did this! Right now. Someone was following me? Following Piper?"

"Piper," Tony says with a nod.

I point at him. "Don't give me that look either. You don't know a thing."

"You're right, I don't. Imagine my surprise to wake up and see all these pictures of you and a woman."

"I don't have to tell you about my personal life."

"No shit. But look where we are now. This is…"

"I have an idea," I say. I put the glass down. "I have to make this right. Piper has a son. He can't be caught up in this. Piper either. This isn't right. Or fair."

I run a hand through my hair.

This is why I don't get involved. This is why…

"What's your idea?" Tony asks.

"We hire a model."

"What?"

"That's right. We hire someone that looks like Piper. She says it was her. I've been seeing a model. On the side. For fun. I don't know. It's just casual. Then she says it's not serious and that's it. The story gets buried."

"Do you hear yourself right now?"

"Do you understand how bad this is?" I yell at Tony. "This person posted the story too. The story, Tony. The story we've been burying for how long? This asshole wanted fifty million dollars."

"I don't know what to say, Cutter. I don't know who is doing this. It's not like before. Someone got wind of it and ran with it. And I am damn sorry about that. I'm here for you. As your agent and as your friend. I've been dealing with the PR fallout from this all morning. Not to mention the barrage of reporters wanting to talk to me. Wanting to get to you. Outlets wanting to get an exclusive jump at this. Throwing money and promises around for your story. For the interview."

"Fuck all of that," I say. "I'll retire. I'll quit. I'm done. It's over. I'm hurt. I've played the game, had fun, did my thing. It's over."

"Cutter, you can't say stuff like that."

"I just did, Tony. You couldn't fix this. You were supposed to handle all of this. What did you actually do?"

"Attack me all you want," Tony says. "I came here to figure out an approach. And to ask you about this woman. What she means to you, but it's obvious she means a lot to you."

"Fuck off, Tony," I snap. "I'm not in the mood to talk about my feelings over this. This is about Piper and her son. And finding who did this."

"I can tell you there are a lot of people working on that part of it," Tony says. "Hate to say this to you, Cutter, but once something is out there…"

"Yeah. It's out there forever. That's why I said to get a model. Hire someone. Make her look like Piper. I have to protect her."

"Cutter, be logical here," Tony says. "That's a dirty move. That creates more issues. What happens when someone finds out and that gets out? Think about it. You can't cover up a controversy with another one."

"Why not? I'll do something crazy. I swear on my life, Tony, I will retire. I'll hold a press conference today."

"The hell you will," Tony barks back at me.

It takes a lot for him to raise his voice to me.

I've never attacked Tony before. We've had arguments many of times.

This time?

I'll break his neck if I have to.

This isn't about me anymore. This isn't about my career anymore.

This is about Piper and Saxon. They have no reason being swallowed up in the mess I've created.

"I'm going to go outside and take a few breaths," Tony says. "Do the same."

Tony takes out his phone and goes right back to work.

He goes outside.

I look back and see the glass I never threw.

"Screw it," I whisper.

I grab the glass and throw it against the wall as hard as I can.

Trey, Ranger, and PJ show up.

Tony called them on his way over.

"You look like shit," Trey calls out to me.

"Why is there glass on the floor?" PJ asks.

"Why didn't you tell us about the kid?" Ranger asks.

Tony comes back inside. He tucks his phone into his suit jacket. "Hey, guys. Thanks for showing up." Tony looks at me. "I've got security watching Piper's house, okay? Nobody will know they're there. It's not some zoo over there either. It's a quiet street. I'll keep them there as long as you want, Cutter. Okay?"

"That's the best you've got for me?" I ask.

"The best I've got for now, Cutter," Tony says. "We have to agree on how to address this whole thing."

"It's not about fucking baseball anymore," I yell.

"No shit," PJ says. "It's about that woman. The one that was here."

"You met her?" Tony asks.

"Long story," Trey says.

Ranger walks up to me and gets in my face. He knows the risk of that. He doesn't care.

"Quit messing around with this, Cutter," Ranger says. "You want to take care of her? Go take care of her. You love her? Go tell her that. Go figure this all out."

"I'm going to take relationship advice from you?" I ask.

"No. Don't. Stand here and throw cups at the wall and yell at your agent. This is your shit, Cutter. You're right. This isn't about baseball anymore."

"Someone's been blackmailing me," I say. "Okay? With this story. It's been happening for a while. Last time we paid the person off and they went away."

"What the hell, Cutter," Trey says.

"It was a business move at the time," Tony says. "Contract year. Had to keep things quiet and clean."

"Of course," PJ says. "Fucking agents. Always lining their pockets."

"Yeah, I was the only one who made money on the deal," Tony says.

"Just everyone shut up," I growl. I shut my eyes for a second. "I didn't come to this town for this. It was supposed to be quiet. I swim for a little bit. Heal up. The story of me pushing the old woman in front of the car goes away. Then I come back to the game."

"It's not like life to mess up your plans, huh?" Ranger asks, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Just go to her, man," PJ says. "Why act like a pussy right now?"

I lunge for PJ.

Ranger and Trey hold me back.

All of us start shouting.

Tony shuts us up when he grabs a glass from the cabinet and throws it against the wall.

"Since I'm going to have to pay for this anyway, might as well enjoy it too," he says. "Right?"

"I'll pay for the glasses," I say. "And the rental. Whatever. Charge me for it, Tony."

"Cutter, you knew the risks of burying that story for so long. You knew it was about your contract. Your time to cash in on the sport and make something to retire on. I'm sorry it crept back up and I'm sorry we couldn't stop it in time. Whoever did this was going to release the story no matter what. They wanted fifty million to-"

"Fifty million dollars?" PJ yells. "For a story about having a baby with some woman?" PJ looks at me. "Who the hell did you knock up? The owner's daughter?"

I lunge for PJ again.

Ranger grabs me and forces me out of the kitchen.

He blocks the way.

"Go," he says.

"You're kicking me out of my own house?"

"It's not your house. It's a rental. Go."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't tell me," Ranger says. "Go tell Piper. She's the one you need to speak with. You're acting this way because you finally found someone you want to be with. This is you being afraid of losing her. Of getting hurt. It's you being afraid to be vulnerable to someone who can actually break your heart."

It requires a lot of control on my part not to punch Ranger.

Only because he's right.

I step back.

Ranger nods.

Like I'm being coaxed into going to talk to a pretty girl.

Except this is much deeper.

It was just last night when Piper told me not to fuck this up.

Then again, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's fucking things up.

I park out front and before I can get to the door, Maryanne is outside on the porch, jumping the railing like a track star hurdler.

"Cutter, what are you doing here?" Maryanne asks.

"I have to talk to her," I say. "I have to tell her everything."

"She read it all. I did too."

"Maryanne, please let me knock on the door. Let Piper slam the door in my face. Okay?"

Maryanne takes the binoculars off from around her neck. "I knew it, Cutter. I saw someone around here. I had this feeling in my gut."

I nod. "I'm sorry if you felt unsafe in your own home. If it helps, there's security here now."

"Security?"

"Yeah. My agent called them in. Watching the street to make sure nobody bothers Piper. Or you. Until this all blows over."

"This is just too much," Maryanne says.

The door opens behind her and Piper is there. "Way too much."

She looks devastated. Sad. Hurt.

How can she not be?

She's a single mom, fooling around with me, and she just read how I got someone pregnant and abandoned them. How I have a son that I never see and don't care about.

"Piper," I say.

I don't even know where to start.

I'm frozen up.

Flustered and mad and…

Part of me just wants to blurt out that I've fallen in love with her.

Just to say it. Just to get it off my chest.

"You should leave, Cutter," she says. "That's the smart thing. For everyone. We owe each other nothing, okay? You have your own life to live. I have mine."

"It's not that simple for me," I say.

Maryanne stands between Piper and me.

She's holding her binoculars like she's going to use them as a weapon against me.

"Goodbye, Cutter," Piper says.

I watch her start to turn.

I know this is it.

If Piper Maple fully turns away and shuts the front door, then it's over for good.

"It's a lie!" I call out.

She pauses. "What is?"

"Piper… I don't have a son…"