Sweet Spot: Homeruns #4 (12 page)

“What the fuck, Stone!” We both jumped at the angry growl filling the room. I looked over to see Mark’s eyes narrowed on me. He knew I was gay, everyone did. And he had a huge problem with anyone who took it up the ass, as he frequently and oh-so-eloquently put it, from what I’d been told. “You do fucking realize when they say no bitches in the rooms, what they really mean is no getting your dick wet in a room paid for by the club, right? If you want to shove your dick so far up a dude’s ass that he chokes, you gotta go out to do it, just like the rest of us. Or do you think the rules don’t apply to you because of your daddy?”

Nick’s entire body tensed and his hands balled into tight fists at his sides as he spun around to face Mark. I scooted higher on the bed, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever was about to go down. Things were about to get ugly. “Believe it or not, some people in this world have two brains, and they let the big one do the thinking. Cody’s not here for sex, he’s here while I change so we can get the fuck out of here for the night. You know, the same way most of the guys are getting together and hanging out on a night off. Not everyone sneaks off to seedy bars to meet up with cheap hookers. You might be able to afford it with what’s left of the money you earned in the Bigs, but you might want to start saving because now you’re nothing but a washed-up piece of shit who thought he was too good to get caught.”

“Nick!” I yelled as Mark lunged across the room and fisted his hands in Nick’s shirt. “Just finish getting ready so we can get out of here. He’s not worth losing everything you’ve been working for.”

“Yeah, listen to your girlfriend,” Mark hissed. He still had Nick’s shirt in his hands and was trying to pull him off the ground. Fucking idiot. I debated taking my phone out of my pocket and recording this to show Sean later, but decided I’d rather not fuel Mark’s fire.

Turned out to be a good thing I wasn’t recording, because Mark released the front of Nick’s shirt and was uttering a string of threats and curses. Nick shook out his hand, scolding himself for being so stupid. Someone was pounding on the door, demanding to be let in.

“It’s all under control,” Nick yelled. He shoved Mark into the dresser, sending the lamp sliding to the floor. “You can say and think whatever the fuck you want about me, but you will not disrespect my friends. He’s done nothing to you.”

Mark snorted derisively. “Just sucking air is enough for that fucking queer to offend me. Fuckers like him are the reason this team will never do a goddamn thing. Everyone thinks it’s a great idea to have a bunch of faggots on the roster. Are you one of them? Huh, Stone? You a fucking queer, too?”

More pounding at the door. I moved toward the edge of the bed, ready to let whoever it was in because this was getting out of control. Mark lunged at Nick and I rushed to the door. Nick could be pissed at me if he wanted, but I needed help because I wasn’t about to let this asshole fuck up Nick’s whole life.

When I turned around, Mark was sitting on Nick’s chest, pummeling the sides of his head. Nick was trying to fight back, but his arms were pinned to his sides. He grunted in pain with every blow, but bit down on his lip to keep from giving Mark the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. I stood there, frozen as I tried to figure out what to do. I was no match for Mark’s size and drug-induced strength. Luckily, Devin and his roommate were much quicker and shoved me to the ground as they raced to get Mark off Nick before any more damage was done. Stunned, I did nothing while the four men struggled. The room filled with shouting and curses, but my brain seemed to have switched off and I couldn’t make out what any of them were saying.

Hotel security showed up at the door and quickly intervened. They pulled everyone apart and tried to convince Nick to let them call an ambulance to have him checked out. “I’m fine,” he insisted, even as he wiped blood away from the corner of his mouth. His steps were tentative as he tried to regain his balance. “Just get him the fuck away from me, otherwise he’s going to realize he fucked with the wrong guy.”

No one had noticed me as I was still crumpled on the ground beside the bed. That was for the best. If I’d have stayed down in the damn car like I’d wanted to, none of this would’ve happened. I pulled out my phone and texted Sean to let him know we were running behind. He’d probably be pissed when he found out why we were late, but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell him what’d just happened.

“
S
ir
, you need to sit down,” one of the hotel security guards insisted. My head was about to explode and I could taste the blood in my mouth. One eye was a bit hazy, hopefully just because it was swollen shut. I looked around, panicked when I didn’t see Cody. I hoped he’d run out of the room to get help and that’s why he wasn’t there. My steps faltered again and Devin took my arm, forcing me to sit in the chair in the corner of the room. The hotel room was a wreck. Lamps on the floor, the table from the opposite corner overturned. And then I noticed dark brown waves from the other side of the bed.

“Cody? Are you okay?” I tried to get up to check on him, but Devin shoved me back down into my seat. “I have to make sure he didn’t get hurt. If Mark fucking hurt him, I’ll kill the fucker.”

“Hey, your boy’s fine,” Devin assured me. There was a split-second freak-out at hearing him refer to Cody as mine, but my fear was tamped down by relief. Relief Cody wasn’t hurt and Devin didn’t seem upset. Maybe it was a completely innocent statement and he thought we were just close friends, but something in the soft reassurance told me he’d figured out what was going on. “If you’re going to kick anyone’s ass for him being down there, it’d be mine. When shit started hitting the floor as I walked out of my room, I grabbed Zach to help. Cody finally let us in and I might’ve shoved him harder than I’d planned on. But in my defense, I was trying to get to you before that fuckwad hurt you.”

I rubbed the side of my head. Fuck, I was going to be hurting for a while. “I think you were a bit late,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “Fuck, he’s got a mean hook on him.”

I looked around the room, trying to see where Mark had gone. The security guard stood watch over me while muffled shouts sounded from the hall. Then, another knock on the door. I seriously should’ve listened to Cody when he said no one would notice me roaming around in my Miners shirt and basketball shorts. That would’ve been so much better than wandering around with my face swollen and bruised.

Two Mesa police officers identified themselves as they entered the room. They quickly gathered information from Devin, Cody, and Zach and escorted them across the hall to Devin and Zach’s room. The officer checked out the side of my face and repeated the advice of the security guards. “If I have to, I’ll go to the after-hours clinic later. But no way in hell are we turning this into even more of a circus than it already is. Just ask your damn questions so we can get this over with.”

Voices grew louder in the hall, Mark screaming more homophobic bullshit about how the gays were going to destroy a national American pastime and how could anyone be okay with that. Something hit the wall, hard, and I assumed it was Mark’s body given the shift in his rant to how the cop couldn’t beat him up. Funny how the asshole thought it was perfectly okay to beat the shit out of me, but the moment a cop had to use the slightest bit of force, he suddenly took issue with physical violence.

“I’m sorry, please continue,” the cop instructed as he continued making notes on his little pad. He flinched as I relayed what Mark said to me. He excused himself when his cell phone rang. I wanted to scream at him that this was more important than whatever was going on with his phone call. I needed to get to Cody and make sure he was really okay. I needed to know this wasn’t going to fuck everything up between us. “I apologize. That was one of the other officers letting me know two men who’ve identified themselves as being with the team have requested access to come up here.”

“Who?” I asked, gripping the arms of my chair so tightly I thought they’d snap off. “You’re not going to let them up here, right? I mean, this is a police investigation.”

My only saving grace was the fact that Mark was a known troublemaker. But, his reputation didn’t negate the fact I had engaged in a physical altercation, which was a clear violation of the rules. Sean had told me my spot on the Miners roster was safe as long as I kept doing what I’d been doing for the past few weeks. And how did I repay him? By getting into a fight less than two hours later.

“They’ll be allowed in as soon as we’re done. Apparently, this isn’t the first time the team has had an issue with the other gentleman, and their concern grew when they heard he was involved.”

My head was spinning, but this time it wasn’t the dizziness. There was no way anyone from management could have found out what had happened already. And even if they knew, how could they have gotten here? If it wasn’t for Cody waiting for me across the hall, I’d have begged the cop to take his time. I wasn’t ready to deal with the recriminations from management about how I knew better than to agitate Mark. Fuck that, anyway. He was a first-class asshole and I was the one worried about getting in trouble? No fucking way.

“Then let’s get this over with,” I responded curtly. The cop went through every little detail of the “event,” as he referred to it. Funny, I always thought of events as being something entertaining. He seemed satisfied I’d done nothing wrong and told me he’d be in touch if there were any additional questions.

I practically ran out of the room trying to get to Cody, but was stopped by the sight of my dad standing at the end of the hall. My shoulders hunched and my gaze dropped to the floor. I could almost hear him telling me how disappointed he was in me and how I’d made a fool of him. But that’s not what happened.

“He’s my son,” he told the cop who was keeping anyone from entering this end of the hall. “If he’s not being held for anything, you need to let me talk to him.”

I glanced up as the cop shifted aside to allow him through. My dad’s pace quickened as he rushed down the hall to me. How in the hell had my dad gotten here? This was bad. He gingerly took my face in his hands so he could assess the damage. “What happened in there?”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve kept my mouth shut,” I apologized. I wasn’t sure I agreed with the words, but I figured he expected an apology.

“Tell me what happened and I’ll be the judge of that,” he responded firmly. Dad tried to lead me back into my hotel room, but I didn’t want to go in there. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but even if Mark was gone, I didn’t want to set foot in that room ever again. While I wasn’t seriously injured, there was no way I’d be able to sleep there. I’d stay up all night, thinking about how much worse it could’ve been. What would’ve happened if Cody had tried to separate us.

The door across the hall opened and Devin stepped out. “Marcus, if you’d like, you can use my room. We were just getting ready to leave for the evening.”

“Thank you, Devin.” It was going to raise questions when my dad walked into the room and found Cody sitting there after Zach and Devin left. I’d planned on telling my dad about Cody at some point, but not like this. Then again, as soon as the team got the police report, they’d all know. Fuck my life.

I should’ve known my friends had my back. Cody and Zach walked out of the room first and Devin followed. He stopped and placed a hand on my shoulder. “We’re heading to Crave,” he told me. “If you’re feeling up to it, why don’t you come out later?” With a quick wink to let me know he was covering for me, Devin took off to join the others.

I realized once we were sitting on the beds in Devin’s room that my cell phone was still across the hall, somewhere in the aftermath of the fight. I needed to get in touch with Cody and figure out where his head was at. And whether or not he still wanted me to go to his place. I’d understand if he no longer thought being together was a good idea, but the house was the only place I wanted to be. I still remembered the peace I felt when we hung out there in the past, and I wanted to try to regain some of that.

“First of all, are you really okay?” Dad asked as he continued checking my injuries. I winced when he touched the side of my face. Nothing seemed to be broken, but there was no way I was going to be able to play for a few days. Fuck. This wasn’t the regular season, when it was normal for a guy to get hurt and have to sit out for a bit. This was spring training, the ultimate yearly tryout. But the way my hand throbbed, there was no way I was going to be able to throw tomorrow. And he’d caught me in the ribs a few times. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Yeah, Dad, I’ll be okay,” I assured him. “Probably look like hell, but it’s my own damn fault.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked, dropping his hands to his lap.

“I should’ve ignored him. If I hadn’t threatened him, he wouldn’t have lunged at me and then none of this would’ve happened.” I was usually good at holding my temper. It wasn’t that I was afraid to fight, but no one liked a hothead on the team.

“If you say you shouldn’t have, why did you?” Dad asked, still reserving judgment. I told him everything. Cody inviting me to the house. Him waiting for me to get changed. Mark walking in while I was changing. Mark calling him my girlfriend. All of it. “While I’m not thrilled by the situation, I can’t say I blame you. As the GM of the team, I should probably be considering disciplinary action because you did antagonize him, but I’m going to leave the decision up to my staff.”

“I understand,” I responded sullenly.

“I don’t think you do understand, son,” he said flatly. “We’re working to build something different in Milwaukee. While we don’t want our players getting into fights, you’re not the one who messed up here. He is. And it’s not the first time. I’m just hoping that since security got involved and called the cops, we’ll be able to do something about it now. The league has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of its players, and they’ll stand behind our decision. You were the victim here, not the assailant. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” I lied, because I should’ve put a stop to the fight before things got physical. I should’ve been the bigger man and not let Mark’s taunts get to me.

“Good. Now, why don’t you go see if your friend is still here and go have some fun tonight,” he told me. He held out his hand as he stood and pulled me up from the bed. I still felt a bit woozy, like I should probably sleep rather than go out. “And while you’re there, try talking to Drew. Your situations aren’t the same, but I think he’ll be able to help you get past all the lies I know you’re telling yourself right now. The two of you are more alike than you realize.”

No, our situations weren’t anything alike. He’d been beaten in an alley and left unconscious. I just got roughed up a bit by a piece of shit teammate. I didn’t view what’d just happened in there as a hate crime because I was gay. It was the breaking point between roommates who’d never gotten along. In a strange way, I was glad it’d all come to a head, because even though I’d lost the fight, I’d gotten in a few good shots Mark would still be feeling in the morning.

Dad led me back to my room and helped me pack a bag. He offered to let me stay at his place for a few days, but I declined. I told him I’d call Clint and see if I could stay with him, because I still wasn’t comfortable spending after-hours time with Dad this late in spring training. He called me a stubborn little shit, but I told him it was because I needed to keep my head clear and he said he understood.

A few players were lingering in the hall as Dad and I walked toward the elevators. Surprisingly, they were all supportive of me, a few even congratulating me for knocking Mark on his ass. I wasn’t about to correct them or tell them Mark was the one who had me pinned to the ground. If they wanted to think I’d done exactly what many of them had dreamed of doing, so be it.

I
felt
like a heel walking into Crave with my duffel bag, but it was either that or leave it in Dad’s car when he dropped me off. The bar was still fairly empty since it was so early, but a number of my teammates were crowded around a long table near the back of the room. And it wasn’t just guys from my squad. There were younger players from the lower ranks and even a few from the majors. Right in the thick of it, Cody was laughing and having a good time. He looked like he totally fit with our group.

I caught his attention and his brow furrowed in concern when he noticed my bag. I recognized the moment fear overcame him. Cody’s entire body tensed and he shook his head, nearly imperceptibly, his wide eyes pleading with me to not leave him. His gaze shifted to my face and back to the bag in my hand and his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. He thought we were about to repeat the past. No way was that what was going to happen. I hurried to join the group and casually placed my hand against the small of his back.

“Everything okay?” he asked, glancing down at my bag for a third time. I began to wish I’d left the damn thing in Dad’s car.

I nodded, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss him so there’d be no doubt I was committed to being with him. “Yeah, it’s going to be fine. I just need to get away for a few days.”

“You can stay at our place.” Sean watched the two of us leaning into one another as we carried on a private conversation right at the table. I flinched, wondering if this was going to lead to round two. Not from Sean, obviously, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think Mark was the only asshole on the team. Realizing it was pointless to try to hide since everyone would likely hear all the sordid details before the end of the night, I stepped closer to Cody so my hip pressed into his side and allowed my hand to drift down to the top of his ass. It was nothing inappropriate, but it felt monumental to me.