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CHAPTER 162
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My heart thudded against my chest until I thought it would burst. Then I reminded myself a broken heart couldn’t suffer additional damage. Ted was unlucky enough to be the first person I saw when I walked onto the second floor.“Cami.” He sounded surprised. His eyes slowly scrutinized my body from head to toe and returned to my chest. “We weren’t expecting you back for another week or so.” From his expression, he wanted to bury his face between my boobs.“Are you speaking to me or my breasts?” You would think his head would snap up, but he just continued looking at my chest for at least another minute.His voice went hoarse. “Cami, I missed you.”“Since you had the balls to tell everyone we were sleeping together, I’m sure you did. Since I know that’s a lie, I can truthfully admit I didn’t miss you at all.” His face went red, which only gave me additional courage. “Please refrain from retrieving my personal phone number from HR as you threatened in your email. I would hate to have som
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My assignment came on Thursday. I reported directly to Miller now and was one of three journalists working non-profit organization news. It was a huge step up, though not exactly my dream. On my own time, Miller said I could research stories that crumbled your heart and made you stand up and cheer. Through non-profit I had a greater chance of finding them. And I had a small office on the third floor.The new Cami charged forward and made friends with my two co-workers immediately. Trett and Julianne, who told me to call her JJ, were eager to get me into the fold. Saturday night I was attending a black tie dinner for the local hospital reporting on the guest speakers and fashion. Not exactly my cup of tea, but Trett was accompanying me to teach me the ropes. After work Friday, JJ accompanied me to an upscale secondhand shop for a dress.The third one I tried on was a charm. It displayed entirely too much boob, but JJ thought it was perfect.“I would give anything to have your chest. Su
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Miller called me into his office on Wednesday.“Charles Woodrow from The Colt Sentinel has requested to run your series in his local paper. We have a set price for requests like this and you’ll receive compensation too. I wanted to let you know before you left for the championship.”My plane flew out on Friday morning. I took a cab to the hotel, ordered room service, and took a nap after I ate. An hour later, I gave up the nap idea. I had a particularly boring file playing on my recorder when someone knocked at my hotel room door. I looked out the peephole and Van stood there. What the hell? I wasn’t sure I could handle Van, but I knew I needed to face him. New Cami didn’t run from her problems.He was lifting his hand to knock again when I opened the door. His bad-boy grin flashed. “I didn’t think you would answer.”He looked so good because he looked so much like Joel. Added to the effect was his tight t-shirt and mussed hair. But no scar for me to tenderly run my fingers over. I cr
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I made it through the crowd at the stadium and found my seat. Green shirts surrounded me, but a few rows back red covered a larger section. I was glad I didn’t recognize anyone. Van made coming here easier, but I knew the gossip spread about me was nothing good. The excitement today was at a higher level than the previous matches. Television crews were here. Van mentioned ESPN was televising the match on one of their many stations. For U.S. Rugby League, this was the main event.I jumped up and down at the first kick when Van caught the ball and started the attack down field. After their fifth tackle, The Slam ended up with a one-point drop goal. Seattle’s team, The Tide, came back with a try and successful conversion totaling six points.No one in the stadium stayed in their seats for long. The intensity of the match was brutal. Van didn’t get up for several minutes after a particularly nasty hit, but Joel finally helped him gain his feet and they resumed play. At the half, The Slam
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By Monday, I was pissed off. Joel hadn’t wanted to listen to me. He wasn’t worth the shit feelings I was carrying around. Lunch with my girlfriends was out of the question. I couldn’t speak about what happened over the weekend. Van was sending me text messages left and right. I didn’t read them past the first line that showed up on my phone. Delete was my friend. Stub’s message was quick and to the point.Stub: Just tell me which brother to killI didn’t reply. I couldn’t. She didn’t contact me again. I walked to a corner café on Monday and buried my face in a book. Tuesday, I wore an old uncomfortable sports bra and my loose clothes that made me look dumpy. Trett and JJ tried to get me to open up, but I politely told them I was fine.Fine, that was me. Modest, non-sexy, fine Cami. I could live with it.I was at my desk on Friday, finishing a piece on the need for donors at the local blood bank when I heard a noise behind me. I turned and Charlie stood at the door to my office.Charli
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Charlie loaned me his Jeep for the ride to Joel’s home. He also gave me directions in case I got lost. I’d been there once, but it was semi-dark and I remembered lots of winding turns while sitting on the back of Van’s bike.I found the house. There were a few lights on, so I hoped he was home. With shaking hands and legs that didn’t want to support me, I knocked on the door. Van answered wearing nothing but a low-riding pair of jeans. His chest was yummy, but not the one I most wanted to see.Van was staring at me in shock. “Is Joel here?” I asked with more confidence than I actually felt now that match time actually arrived.“Come in. Joel you have company,” he yelled over his shoulder before whispering to me, “Good for you.”Joel came out of the kitchen with a dishtowel in his hand. He stopped dead in his tracks.“I think I’ll go up to my room.” Van headed for the stairs.Here it goes, “No, Van. You need to be here.” I walked closer to Joel, who still hadn’t moved. “Charlie showed
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The next two weeks were a whirlwind. The Journal agreed I could finish my work and take my last week as vacation. Joel flew in to help me pack. I met his father, who I ended up liking more than I thought I would. The next day, we drove Carmen, my old faithful car, on a long grueling drive across the state to my parents’ house so they could meet Joel. I introduced him as my boyfriend because he hadn’t proposed yet. My mom whispered to me the following morning that Joel asked my father for my hand in marriage. So old-fashioned and so perfect for my father. They loved him. Joel slept in the guest room and never snuck into my bedroom, which drove me crazy, though I admired his respect for my parents. I left Carmen, behind at their house because Joel insisted I would be driving something reliable into town each day when I went to work. My father drove us to the airport. My mother wouldn’t come because she said she would do nothing but cry the entire way there and back. Saying goodbye was h
Completion Sports PART FIVE: CHAPTER 170
IF TRUE LOVE HAPPENS only once in a lifetime, I’m fucked. My fists hit the heavy bag, and pain lances through my ungloved knuckles. Sweat trails down my body and I still can’t let go of whatever it is that’s eating me alive. The bag might be taking a pounding, but hitting it does little to stop my restlessness. The Slam’s season ended three months ago, and my life has been completely in the dumps since. We won the damn championship and I shouldn’t feel this way. What the hell is wrong with me?It all goes back to Cami and my brother, Joel. He got the girl I had no idea I actually wanted, until it was too late. Cami is a great sister-in-law, but what if I hadn’t been such an asshole and had made a stand-up decision for once? What then?I always blamed my sad fucking life for my stupid choices, which is a joke. Yes, I lost my mom when I was sixteen and it’s something that changed me. Unfortunately, it didn’t change me into someone she’d be proud of. I’m a womanizing dick. For one night,
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I hid in Italy for three weeks. Greg came with me and kicked my ass on the court. He actually made a great practice partner. I was back to clean eating and drinking only water. It surprised me when Greg brought a bottle of wine to my room one night. “What’s this for?” I asked when he gave me one of his golly-gee smiles. Greg was cute. And, married to a lovely woman who worshipped him. “I’ve been your coach for three months now and I have no idea what makes you tick. It’s time for a come to daddy talk. Or in your case, come to coach. I figured the alcohol might make it easier.” “You’ll need more than one bottle,” I told him. He came back to my room ten minutes later with two more bottles in his hands. “Does your wife know you’re getting drunk with a slutty tennis star tonight?” I smiled to take the sting out of calling myself a slut. “She suggested it. We’ve had many long conversations about you.” “How romantic.” He poured our first glasses and tilted the edge of his glass against
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I never returned to the hospital, which was entirely unfair of me. My anger at my father carried over to Brack. I was horrible. The man I loved hadn’t fully recovered and I left him at the hospital alone. Okay, he had his parents and his team. But, bottom line—I was horrible and a coward. I ignored the calls from Brack and my father. Again… coward.I needed complete control of my life. It took me two weeks to come up with a plan. During those two weeks, I hired a new coach and trained until I could barely walk. I trained with a purpose. I’d had my own money. Not just from tennis but from my mother. I’d never used it. That was the way I punished her and myself. Now, for the first time, I paid for my own coach.I liked him. I could actually smile over the fact that my father paid for Jerry all those years while the two of them hated each other. Greg, my new coach, kicked my ass. I had no idea if I had a chance this season. But, winning the Grand Slam was in my peripheral vision and not
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Two days later, the doctors discontinued the medication that kept Brack in a coma. My father showed up the morning after surgery and made me go home, shower, and change clothes. Brack’s parents were staying in shifts. His mom promised she wouldn’t leave his side until I returned. I hadn’t really spoken to them. We stayed relatively quiet in Brack’s room. I whispered encouragement and told him I was there. They gave us privacy, too. That’s when I told him I loved him. Again and again, I whispered the words.My father and Senator Jacobs were cordial. Brack’s mother treated my dad like a family friend. Apparently she’d been friends with my mom. I tried not to think about the ramifications of our two families tied together through me and Brack. It was too much to take right now.Brack still had the ventilator. The doctor reviewed best and worst case scenarios with us. I refused to listen to brain damage, paralysis, learning to walk and talk again, and so on. My focus was full recovery. I
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Four hours later, I was passed out against Mack’s shoulder when his cell rang. My brain registered the noise and I was pulled quickly from sleep.“Yeah,” he answered quietly. He listened for several minutes before responding. “I have her here with me. We’ll be there in a minute.” He slid his phone back in his pocket and looked at me. “He’s in recovery. It was touch and go, but he pulled through. They have him in a sedated coma. He has a stent in his skull to relieve swelling. The doctor told his parents he came to before surgery and demanded to see you. His mom wants you up there if you think you can handle it.”I was up and walking out of the emergency room before he finished, my heart pounding a hundred miles an hour. “What floor? I’m not waiting for you to waddle behind me.”Snickers came from several of the guys. “I’ve got her,” Molly said.“Second floor.”The elevator took so long I almost turned to the stairs. I’d do anything to get to him. Brack asked for me and I had to see hi
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I ran toward Brack, who had fallen to the floor. There was so much blood and I tried wiping it off his face. My hands turned dark red.“You did it, baby,” he whispered before his body went completely limp.Sander and a woman who must be Molly ran into the enclosure with guns drawn. I could barely hear them. Echoed gunshots continued ringing in my ears.“Call an ambulance and please someone check on my father. He’s in the van,” I said as I held Brack’s head in my lap. Blood soaked my panties and covered my legs. Head wounds bleed, I kept saying to myself. Sander practically jumped over us and went straight to Ty’s body. He turned back when he had assured himself Ty was no longer a threat.“Where were you?” I asked softly. I didn’t want Brack to hear me yelling at his team.Sander sat down next to me and took Brack’s arm checking his pulse. “The bastard used some kind of scrambler. It took us a while to figure out the van didn’t leave the premises. We recovered the phones. Brack had a t
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Kids laughed. A mother scolded a young child for attempting to go under the bar and get closer to one of the cages. Brack and I stood in the center of the primate exhibit. My phone chirped. It didn’t startle me this time; I was too numb. “Yes.”“Walk over to the primate exhibit sign and you’ll find another cell phone behind it. Exchange it for the one you’re using. Have Mr. Jacobs leave his phone behind, too.”Brack followed me to the sign and I did exactly as told. The phone was there. I picked it up and lay mine down. “He said to leave yours, too.” Brack took his from his jeans pocket and placed it beside mine. Thankfully, no one paid attention to us. I had no idea what we needed to do next. The phone in my hand vibrated. This time I clicked the call button without saying a word.“Go to your left and keep walking on the path. Did you bring my present?” I carried a bag with the dress inside so both of Brack’s arms would be free. He carried a gun in a hidden leg holster.“Yes, it’s in
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The inside of my father’s home was a crime scene. We sat on the couch in the front room away from the forensic team that arrived a few minutes before. The media camped at the gates added to the growing chaos.Even knowing Ty would eventually call, I jumped when my cell phone chirped. The display read “Unknown.” My fingers trembled as I picked it up and answered, “Hello, Ty, or should I call you Leo?”His husky laugh sent goose bumps across my arms. “I told you not to call the police. You wouldn’t listen and you’ll pay for disobedience.”My voice remained steady. “It wasn’t me. You killed your mother, so what exactly did you expect? She worked for my dad for over thirty years. One plus one equals two, Leo.” Fuller and Brack told me not to push him too hard. I had to make him believe I hadn’t gone to the police, though.“My mother had cancer and it was eating away at her. I did her a favor. She didn’t walk in God’s light. By making her repent and then killing her God may show mercy.”He
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My heart stopped. Dread and terror filled me. Colors danced before my eyes making it hard to see. The whoosh of blood traveling into my head made it hard to hear. I had to get control of myself. I gulped in air. “You goddamn son of a bitch. If you hurt my father I’ll kill you.”“He that blasphemeth the name of the LORD shall be put to death and stoned. Remember that when you feel the pain of my hand, Olivia.”Brack startled me by gathering me close and placing his head against mine so we both listened. “Where’s my father?” I demanded.“That’s better. I have instructions for you, Olivia. You will follow them to the letter. Please bring that man with you. The one you’ve been with lately.” His voice took on an eerie quality. “If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.” He breathed heavily and then gave a sadistic laugh. “You may choose your father or lover to pay for your sins. One shall die and the other walks away.”“But…”He lau
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I don’t know what I expected love to be like. Violins playing, little cupids flying around with bow and arrows, hell maybe just cuddles in bed for hours. That wasn’t what happened the following morning. Brack paced across the carpet of my living room with his cell to his ear listening to one of his men on the other end. He cast a glance or two my way. I could tell before the call ended that he would try his non-communication shit with me again.I was right.“What’s the news?” I asked the second he lowered the phone.He came over and sat beside me. “Nothing to worry about.”I gave him my I’m-about-to-slam-you-with-a-tennis-racquet look. “Bullshit.” I was beginning to notice his tells. The fingers traveling through his hair was a sign that he didn’t want to enlighten me. I waited.He breathed out a slow and steady breath of air. “Mack didn’t see his attacker, but he heard him before he lost consciousness.”My heartbeat accelerated. “Okay. Spill it.”“Mack told Herman that most of it was
