Playing Dirty (A Bad Boy Sports Romance) (8 page)

“Hello, operator?” I said into the phone a moment later, my voice quavering slightly. “I need the police.”

As I told the operator the address, I texted Lizzy about what had happened, and then I texted Jay. ‘
Someone broke into Lizzy’s apartment. Can you come back? If it’s not too much trouble.’

I knew he wasn’t my boyfriend, and I had no right to expect him to do anything for me. And really, I didn’t expect him to do anything at all—I just thought it was worth asking, because he was the only person I could think of who might make me feel safe in this moment. That was crazy, right?  We barely knew each other. But deep down, I could feel it; a warmth inside whenever I pictured him by my side, a warmth that told me I’d be safe.

My phone buzzed a second later, and I breathed a grateful sigh of relief as I scanned Jay’s reply text.

Of course. I’ll be there.

Chapter Nine

Jay

As soon as Kate texted, I turned my car around and raced back to her apartment. The idea that someone had broken in was crazy, yet I didn’t doubt her. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to invent a crisis just for attention. I knew she had to be feeling on edge from Hannah’s article, and I hated that I’d left her alone.
Stupid prick, you should have walked her inside
, I told myself angrily.
But no, you just had to drive off.

I shook my head. I wasn’t used to being a total gentleman, and that was definitely something I was going to have to work on for Kate’s sake.

The police arrived at the same time I got back, and we climbed the stairs together. One of the younger lieutenants kept looking up at me and then wildly gazing around whenever I caught his stare.

“Is it really you?” He stepped closer and looked at my face. “Jay Walsh?”

I grinned. “The one and only,” I said. I reached out my hand for a shake and he eagerly accepted. “I take it you’re a fan?”

“The way you kicked those Liverpool scumbags out of the park was amazing,” he said with a grin. “Way to go, mate.”

I felt a trace of self-consciousness wash over me, and Lizzy opened the door at that exact second. When she saw me again, she gaped.

“You came back fast,” she said admirably. “And thanks for coming,” she added for the cops. “My sister is inside. She’s pretty scared. I have no idea who would have done this!”

Kate was sitting on the couch. She was wrapped up in a blanket but I could tell that she was trembling even from a few feet away, and as the cops started to question her in a brusque tone, her voice broke and she buried her face in the blanket.

“Hey, leave her alone,” I said harshly. “It isn’t her fault. She doesn’t know who could have broken in.”

“This is standard policy, Jay,” the younger cop replied, but I noticed he was nicer to Kate after that.

“Ma’am, can you tell us what happened?”

Kate looked at Lizzy and me for encouragement. I nodded, and she swallowed, then began to speak. “Well, I just got home a little while ago,” she said softly. “And I noticed the door was unlocked when I got back. I figured Lizzy had left it undone on purpose.”

“When did you notice that someone had been inside?”

“Almost immediately,” she replied. She pointed towards the corner of the room. “That’s my stuff, over there.” I noted three black suitcases overflowing with loose clothing, and several items scattered over the floor.

“And are you sure you just didn’t leave things in disarray?” One of the cops asked, frowning at Kate. “The other rooms in the apartment seem impeccable.”

“That’s why she knew someone was here!” Lizzy interjected. “My sister is a Type A neat freak! She never would’ve left her belongings like this!”

“I’m just trying to ascertain whether or not someone actually broke in,” the cop replied in an icy voice. “You know, your sister has had a very busy couple of days. And she’s not used to being in this country. It’s very possible that she left everything like that herself.”

“I’m telling you, she didn’t, and besides, I didn’t leave the apartment unlocked,” Lizzy said, narrowing her eyes.

“Kate wouldn’t do that. Look at that stuff,” I added. I pointed to the suitcases and the mess all over the floor. “It’s a bloody mess, can’t you tell? Does this look like the kind of girl who would’ve left her things like that?”

Kate nodded defiantly. “I swear, I left everything in order,” she said. “And the door was definitely unlocked.”

The police nodded. The younger one took out a notepad and made a couple of scribbles on it. “I suppose that type of lock is quite easy to pick….you might want to look into getting a new one,” he said, looking at Lizzy. Then he turned back to Kate. “Do you have any idea who could have done this? Anyone who would be looking for information on you, and might want to go through your stuff to get it?”

Kate blinked. I could tell she wanted to say something, but she shook her head. “I don’t really know anyone here,” she replied. “Except for Jay and some of his teammates, I haven’t met any other British people.”

The cops nodded. “All right,” the younger one said. He turned to Lizzy and fixed her with a stare. “What about you, ma’am? Anyone you know who would have broken in?”

Lizzy shook her head. “Definitely not,” she said. “The only people I know at university were in the library studying with me when all of this was happening.”

There was something bothering me in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t put my finger on it, and as Lizzy and Kate spoke to the police, I wandered around the apartment, searching for any trace of a break-in. Kate’s things were truly in disarray; her suitcases were wide open and clothes were tossed everywhere. I grinned when I saw some lacy lingerie peeking out of the bottom of the bag.
So she does have a wild side
, I thought to myself. Then, looking around, I felt a tiny bit of guilt.
Now isn’t the time, mate. Now is definitely not the right time
.

“Are you sure there’s no one else you can think of?”

Kate shook her head firmly. “Could it just be random?” she asked. “Is it possible someone broke in looking for money? Maybe they thought the most valuable stuff would be in the suitcases.”

The cop shrugged. “Everything’s possible,” he said politely, but I could tell he didn’t believe a word Kate was saying. “But I urge you and your sister to seek additional measures of security while you’re staying here. Like I said earlier, you’ll want to change the locks, maybe think about getting a plate on the doorframe. See, these old buildings are easy to jam. It wouldn’t be hard for someone to break in, spend a few minutes inside, then come out.”

Kate looked bewildered. “But who would do that?” she asked. “The thing is, they didn’t seem to actually take anything.”

The cop sighed. “Ma’am, that’s exactly what we’ve been trying to ask
you
,” he said. “So, do you think you’ll be able to help us or not?”

Kate finally shook her head. “I can’t think of anyone,” she said. “And I don’t just want to accuse random people.”

“Is there anyone who could be upset with you? Are you hiding from someone?”

Again, Kate had that same panicked expression. “I went through a breakup recently,” she said slowly. “But that was in New York, and I don’t think he’d follow me here.”

My insides clenched, and I wondered if her ex was actually the kind of guy who’d stalk her here to England and terrify her. If so, I wanted to punch his lights out, and my body filled with adrenaline as the primal need to protect Kate rushed through me.

“Could be our fellow,” the cop said, obviously pleased that Kate had finally come up with someone. “Can you tell me more about him?”

Kate licked her lips, and she was just about to start talking when I sniffed and then cleared my throat.

“What is it?” The young cop whipped his head towards me and stared. 

“That smell,” I said. “That perfume in the air.”

Everyone took a moment and sniffed. “Smells like a woman,” one of the cops said. “And we’ve got two of them right here. Happy now?”

I shook my head. “No, that’s not it,” I said. “It’s not from one of them. It’s from Hannah Joyce, my ex-girlfriend.”

The younger cop laughed. “Mate, what would your ex-girlfriend be doing up here?”

I grimaced. “Trying to ruin my life,” I replied. “She’s already put out an article about me and Kate, trying to hurt our reputations. She’s seriously got issues; I’ve honestly seen less baggage at an airport. I wouldn’t put it past her to track down where Kate is staying and break in to try and get some sort of dirt on her.”

The older cop sighed. “Look, sir, that may be it,” he said. “But I can tell you right now—there’s no way we can book anyone just because of a familiar perfume. How do you even know for sure that your ex wears the same kind?”

Because I’m not an idiot
, I thought angrily. I thought of all the times Hannah had paraded past me, leaving a cloud of sickly-sweet floral musk in her wake. That perfume was her signature scent. It was a blend of two different varieties and she took pride in being the only one in the world who wore the same blend. I’d never wanted to hurt her feelings, but in my opinion, it smelled like a nightmare of a funeral home.

“Because I do,” I snapped. “Look, I was around Hannah for ages.”

The cop sighed. “That may be true,” he replied. “But even if you’re right, it doesn’t matter. Arresting someone because of perfume would make us a laughing stock.”

Kate stepped forward and put her hand on my arm. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “I don’t think anything was taken.”

The cops nodded. “Anything else, ma’am?”

Kate shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said. “Mostly embarrassed for freaking out the way I did. Thank you for coming, officers.”

As Kate and Lizzy showed the cops to the door, I flopped down on their couch with a big sigh.

When Kate returned, she sat next to me, and Lizzy plopped into a chair opposite from us.

“I don’t care what those cops say…I know who was here,” I said, my hands involuntarily clenching into fists. “And let’s just say I’m not happy about it.”

“Your ex-girlfriend,” Kate said. “How do you know? Was it really just her perfume?”

I laughed drily. “Hannah was really proud of that scent,” I said. “She makes it from two different other perfumes. I’d recognize it anywhere. She practically bathes in it before she leaves the house.”

Lizzy wrinkled her nose. “It smells….kinda like a retirement home,” she said.

I laughed, and Kate looked visibly relaxed when she saw that I wasn’t hung up on Hannah.

“She’s an odd one,” I said.

Kate shifted uncomfortably. “What are you going to do?” she asked.

When I saw that she was still scared, some of the anger came roaring back. I could barely believe that Hannah—that
bitch
—would do something so low. It was bad enough she had to drag Kate into her devious plans to ruin my life, but breaking into her sister’s apartment? That was a new low, even for someone as awful as her.

“We’re going to pay her a little visit,” I snapped. “Come on.”

Kate shrank back. “I’d rather not,” she said. “I mean, do you think she’s dangerous?”

“No, just a nasty person,” I said. “But she’s going to get a very stern talking to. And I want her to see you. I want her to feel shame for what she did. She
should
feel shame. She should be too fucking embarrassed to speak.”

Lizzy grinned. “I knew you’d know how to deal with this,” she said. She stood up and socked one fist into her other waiting hand. “Kate, you gotta go with him. I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side, Jay.”

Kate still looked reluctant. “I don’t know. What if she tries something else? What if she writes another article?” She pressed her lips firmly together for a second, and I could tell she was thinking about the conversation she’d had with her producer. “I mean, I can’t let her ruin my career, Jay.”

I shook my head. “Rubbish. She’s been trying to ruin mine for years now, and has she succeeded yet?”

Lizzy and Kate both stared at me. “Holy shit,” Lizzy said. “That’s one vindictive little woman.”

“It’s a bloody mess,” I said, raking a hand through my close-cropped hair. “Come on, Kate. Better get on the road.”

Kate stood up, and I saw that she was shaking. “Are we going to her apartment?”

I shook my head. When Kate stepped closer, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “No,” I said. “We’re going to where she works. Don’t be afraid, Kate. I promise nothing else bad will happen.”

“Okay,” she finally replied. She and Lizzy hugged and then we were on our way.

I realized that the last time I’d been alone with Kate, we’d been plastered to each other, kissing deeply. I still felt the same animalistic, lustful pull towards her body, but I could tell this whole situation was distracting her, and I didn’t want to make her even more uncomfortable than she already felt. Still, when she walked in front of me, her ass swinging from side to side, it was hard to restrain the powerful desire.

“Are you okay?” I asked as we stood outside Lizzy’s apartment, waiting for a cab to pass so that we could cross the street to my car. “You’re being very quiet.”

She let out a long sigh. “It’s silly,” she said. “It’s just…well, when I came over here, I was hoping to
avoid
drama, you know?” She looked up at me and tried to smile. “I was trying to get away from a weird situation. I should have known better than to run from my problems.”

I gave her a gentle smile. “I doubt Hannah was stalking you before you came to Manchester,” I said lightly. “After all, she’s only bothering you because we’re spending time together. She’s jealous.”

Kate didn’t say anything. She sat quietly and tried to digest the information as we got in the car, and as I drove towards the offices of the Manchester Evening News, I kept waiting for her to say something. But she stayed silent the whole time, deep in thought. I wondered what she’d meant when she said she was trying to get away from drama. Was it all about that ex-boyfriend she’d mentioned, or was there something else? With a girl as beautiful and well-known as Kate, I imagined she’d probably had to deal with some pretty shady shit over time.