The ground beneath Brody’s feet swiftly disintegrated. He sagged forward, planting both hands on his thighs to steady himself. He sucked in a series of long breaths. Waited for his pulse to steady.
“Those are the only two Sheila knows about,” Wyatt was saying. “There could be more.”
He glanced up in anger. “You’re lying. Nicklaus maybe, but not Sam. He wouldn’t do that.”
“He did.”
No. Not Becker. Brody pictured Sam’s face, thinking back to the first day they’d met, how Sam Becker had taken Brody’s rookie self under his wing and helped him become the player he was today. Becker was his best friend on the team. He was a stand-up guy. A champion. A legend. Why would he throw his career away for some extra pocket money?
“He’s retiring at the end of the season,” Wyatt said, as if reading Brody’s mind. He shrugged. “Maybe he needed a bigger nest egg.”
Brody closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, he saw the sympathy on Wyatt’s face.
“I know you two are close,” Craig said quietly.
“You could be wrong about this. Sheila could have lied.” Brody knew he was grasping at straws, but anything was better than accepting that Becker had done this.
“It’s the truth.”
Fuck.
Fucking hell.
They stood there for a moment, neither one speaking, until Wyatt finally cleared his throat and said, “We should go back inside.”
“You go. I’ll be there in a minute.”
After Wyatt left, Brody adjusted his tie, wondering if he’d ever be able to breathe again. His head was still spinning from Craig’s revelation. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
Damn it, he needed to talk to Becker. Look his friend in the eye and demand the truth. Prove Wyatt wrong.
Then he looked up and realized he was going to be granted his wish sooner than he’d expected.
Because Sam Becker had just exited the arena.
Becker spotted him and instantly made his way over. “You done already?”
“Haven’t even gone in yet.” He tried to mask his emotions as he studied his old friend. “Are you scheduled to be interviewed today?”
“Yeah,” Becker said. “And as a reward, I get to take Mary shopping afterward.”
Brody smiled weakly.
A frown touched Becker’s lips. “You okay?”
“I’m, uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’m fine. All good.”
“You sure about that?” Sam said, rolling his eyes.
He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “All good. Just thinking about stuff.”
“Don’t tell me you’re still obsessing over Presley’s daughter. I told you, man, you shouldn’t be seeing her.”
Yeah, Sam had told him, hadn’t he? And Brody now had to wonder exactly where the advice had stemmed from. Was Becker really looking out for him, or had he wanted to keep him away from Hayden in case Presley decided to confide in his daughter? In case Brody learned the truth about Becker’s actions.
The thought made his blood run cold.
“Let’s not talk about Hayden,” he said roughly.
“Okay.” Sam’s tone turned wary. “What do you want to talk about, then?”
He released a slow breath. “How about you tell me why you let Presley bribe you?”
Becker’s jaw hardened. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
After a long beat, Becker scowled. “I already told you I wasn’t involved in that shit.”
“Someone else says otherwise.”
“Yeah, who?” Sam challenged.
Brody decided to take a gamble. He felt like a total ass, but still he said, “Presley.”
The lie stretched between them, and the myriad emotions Brody saw on his friend’s face was disconcerting as hell. Becker’s expression went from shocked to angry.
To guilty.
And finally, betrayed.
And it was all Brody needed to know.
With a stiff nod, he brushed past his former mentor. “Got it. I’m needed inside.”
“Brody, come on.” Becker trailed after him, his voice laced with misery. “Come on, it wasn’t like that.”
Brody spun around. “Then you didn’t sell out the team?”
Becker hesitated a little too long.
“That’s what I thought.”
“I did it for Mary, okay?” Sam burst out, looking so anguished that Brody almost felt sorry for him. “You don’t know what it’s like living with a woman like her. Money and power. That’s all she gives a shit about. She’s always telling me to be better, richer, more ambitious. And now that I’m retiring, she’s going nuts. She married me because of my career, because I was at the top of my game, a two-time Cup winner, a fucking champion.”
“And you could’ve retired knowing that you are a champion and a two-time Cup winner,” Brody shot back, anger coursing through him. “Now you’ll go out a criminal. How’s Mary going to like that?”
Becker said nothing. He looked beaten, weak. “I messed up, kid.”
“No fucking shit, Sam.”
Brody shook his head, unable to even look at his friend for fear he might clock him in the jaw. He gritted his teeth, pressing his fists to his sides, wondering how the hell they were even having this conversation. Sam Becker was the last person he would’ve expected to do something like this. The very last person.
“I’m sorry,” Becker whispered after several moments had passed. “I’m sorry about the games and the article and—”
Brody’s jaw tightened. “The article?”
His friend averted his eyes, as if realizing his slipup.
Brody stood there for a moment, studying Becker. The article…the one that had been blasted all over the internet last week? The one that featured a “source” who insinuated Brody had taken a bribe?
His blood began to boil, heating his veins and churning his stomach, until a red haze of fury swept over him.
“You lied to a reporter about me?” he growled.
Becker finally met his eyes, guilt written all over his face.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? Why the fuck would you do that?” He clenched his fists, knowing the answer before Becker could open his mouth. “To take the blame off yourself. You were too close to being caught, weren’t you, Sam? You thought my relationship with Hayden would get the press going, put some pressure on me instead of you.”
Jesus Christ. He wanted to hit the other man so badly his fists actually tingled. And along with the rage came a jolt of devastation that torpedoed into his gut and brought a wave of nausea to his throat.
“I’m sorry,” Becker mumbled for what seemed like the millionth time, but Brody was done listening to his friend’s apologies. No, not his friend. Because a true friend would never have done what Sam Becker did.
Without another word, he brushed past Becker and stalked into the building.
Fuck. He still felt like slamming his fist into something. His best friend had betrayed him. Becker, the most talented player in the league, had cheated. And why? For money. Goddamn money.
Money. Power. Ambition. She married me because of my career.
Brody suddenly stopped mid-stride, as the truth of his own stupidity hit him. He’d thrown away the woman he loved because of his career. Because he was scared that being associated with her would affect his image, his contract negotiations.
Who gave a shit about a contract when he had Hayden?
He loved her. He wasn’t sure exactly when it had happened, but he couldn’t deny what he felt for the woman. He’d fallen for her.
Maybe it happened when she first strolled up and proceeded to wipe the pool table with him. Or maybe it happened the first time they kissed. Or the first time they had sex. It could’ve been the night she put on a pair of skates and stumbled all over the ice, or the day she dragged him around the museum talking passionately about every painting on the walls.
He didn’t know when it happened, but it had. And instead of clinging to the woman whose intelligence amazed him, whose passion excited him, whose soft smiles made him feel more content than he’d ever felt in his life—instead of hanging on to her, he’d pushed her away.
And why? Because he’d been implicated in a crime he hadn’t committed? Because his family never had money when he was growing up? So what? His parents loved each other, and their marriage had thrived despite their financial difficulties. What did money and success really matter when you didn’t have someone to share it with? Someone you loved?
A loud laugh suddenly slipped out of his mouth, and he noticed the receptionist giving him a funny look. Releasing a breath, he crossed the lobby toward the hallway and walked back in the direction of the conference room. Fuck, he was an ass. He’d been searching for a woman who’d look at him and see past the athlete, and he’d found her. Hayden didn’t care if he was a hockey star and she didn’t care how much money he made, as long as he was there for her.
He wasn’t willing to lie to protect her father, but he should have told her he’d stand by her no matter what happened with her dad. His relationship with the team owner’s daughter might throw a negative spotlight on him, but it was worth it if it meant keeping Hayden in his life.
“Brody?”
He almost tripped when he saw Hayden standing at the end of the hall, right in front of the conference-room door.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” he asked, quickening his pace.
She stepped toward him, and he noticed her red-rimmed eyes. Had she been crying?
“I came to talk to my dad,” she answered. “And then I remembered that you were being interviewed, too, so I thought I’d find you before you had to go in…” Her voice drifted, and she cleared her throat.
The pain in her eyes tore at his insides. He hated seeing her this way, and he knew why she’d been crying.
Resting his hand on her arm, he slowly pulled her away from the conference-room door and led her to the end of the hall.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said gruffly.
Confused, she tilted her head to meet his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut in before she could.
“But I want you to know that just because I won’t lie for Pres doesn’t mean I won’t be there for you. Because I will, babe. I don’t care what the blogs write about us. I don’t care how my career is affected. I don’t care about anything but you. I’ll stay by your side. I promise I’ll be here for you, as long as you need me.”
He blew out a breath, waiting for her to reply, praying she didn’t say, Well, I don’t need you, asshole. It was just a fling.
But she didn’t say that. She didn’t say anything, in fact.
Instead, she burst out laughing.
“Seriously? You think it’s funny?” he said in annoyance, raking both hands through his hair. “Remind me never to make a romantic speech again.”
She giggled. “Sorry. I only think it’s funny because I came to tell you I’ll stay away from you until the investigation is finished. That I’m willing to do anything to keep you in my life, even if it means staying apart for a while.”
“What?”
“I respect your decision. So if you want to lie low until this blows over, I’ll do that.” She curled her fingers over his arm and looked at him imploringly. “But I don’t want it to be permanent. I don’t want us to end, Brody.”
His features softened. “Neither do I. And I also don’t want us to lie low.”
“Are you sure?”
He moved closer, bending down to plant a kiss on her mouth, right there in the hallway. He didn’t give a shit if anybody saw them. All he cared about was kissing her. Because he hadn’t kissed her in days and he was fucking hungry. They both made a noise when his tongue slid past the seam of her lips and toyed with hers. He was semi-hard in seconds, desperate to drive the kiss deeper, to touch every inch of her body.
Flushed, she broke the kiss and stepped back before he gave in to the urge to pull her into the nearest restroom and fuck her senseless.
“Come to the hotel when you’re done?” she said, her voice coming out breathy.
He grinned. “I’ll be there with bells on.”
“No bells. But naked would be good.” Her smile was so beautiful it almost knocked him off his feet. “And don’t keep me waiting too long. There are definitely a few things I still need to say to you.”
