The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (101 page)

“You know I did.  You asked for my help, and you got it.  What’s going on?  What happened now?” Adam asks confidently.

“And when that greedy little coed tried to bleed me dry back in Houston, you found a way to get her to back off.”  Evan has an accusatory tone that’s hard to mistake.

“I’m sorry.  Did I miss something?” Adam asks, frustrated and completely perplexed.  “Why the third degree?  Did I do something wrong?”

“Is there anything else you’ve done to ‘help’ that I should know about?” Evan challenges.

“I’ve done more things to help you and your career than you’ll ever fully know about. Let’s stop this cat and mouse shit.  What, exactly, are you accusing me of, Mac?” Adam retorts.

Emmy senses the growing tension and tries to break the mood, “Honey, I don’t think Evan is accusing you of anything.”  She’s rubbing his arm, trying to get him to calm.  “Isn’t that right, Evan?”

“Actually, Emmy, I’d like to hear from Adam about how he fixed things after my hand injury.  See, I had a prognosis that wasn’t very good.  I had a few setbacks in my recovery.  But all of a sudden, the muscles and tissue growth in my injured hand exploded.  I was released to play in half the time they predicted.  How is that possible?”

Adam leans forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.  “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”

“I’m asking questions I already know the answers to.  But I want to hear it from you.  I think it’s time to pull back the curtains and see for once how the wizard works his magic.”

“We made a deal a long time ago, Mac.  You got to screw around, behave recklessly, and live without restraint, and I cleaned up after you.  Taking off like you did with Averee is no different.  You knew she was dangerous.  You knew she was armed, and yet you left with her.  What the hell did you think was going to happen?  I did what I always do; I fixed another one of your messes.  You should be thanking me, not interrogating me.” 

“Thanking you?  Seriously?  For what?” Evan snarls.

“You’re starting quarterback for the New Jersey Sentinels, incase you forgot.  I got you back on the field better than you were before.  If it wasn’t for me constantly cleaning up after you and erasing your mistakes, you’d be teaching Physical Education at some hick high school telling teenagers pathetic stories about how you played in the NFL for a season back in ‘09.”  Adam’s face is snarling with anger.

“I didn’t realize that’s how you felt, Adam.  It’s good we’re getting everything out in the open.  So tell me, how did you do it this time?  If I’m going to thank you, I want to know what I’m thanking you for.” Evan barks back.

“You said you already know the answer, so why don’t you tell me,” Adam snaps snidely.

Evan gives my knee a supportive squeeze.  Here goes.

“During my little break from practice a few weeks ago, I had some private testing done.  Imagine my shock when it came back positive for steroids.”  Emmy gasps in shock.  “Thank you, Emmy.  That’s exactly how I felt.  But once I got over the initial surprise, I thought long and hard about how this may have happened.  Who has the kind of connections that could get a doctor to prescribe prohibited drugs to an NFL player?  Who can get the team trainer to add an extra supplement to my daily regiment?  Who seems to know when it’s safe to take a drug-screening test?  Who has the most to gain monetarily from my recovery?”

“And this is the thanks I get?  I found you the best doctors, the best therapists, and the best trainers.  With my help, you’re stronger than ever, faster than ever, and better than you were before.”  Adam stands up, takes Emmy by the hand and takes a few steps towards the door.  “Everything I did was to make you better and you damn well know it.”

“Better?” Evan howls.  “You call what I did to Juliette making me better?  I was a monster, Adam.  You fucking did that to me, my
friend
.  How could you do it?”

Adam stops and turns to look at Evan.  “When I saw what it was doing to you, I stopped it immediately.  Katz told me what to watch out for and I did.  I stuck close by your side and made sure things didn’t get too far out of control.  When you lost it with Ryker, who was there to stop you?  Me, that’s who.  When you got piss drunk and wanted to drive to see Jette, who took your keys away?  Me.”

“And that’s why I won’t be pressing charges.  Your ass belongs in jail, Adam.  You went too far, and you know it.”  Evan’s voice is calming as he speaks.  I can tell his temper is changing from angry to hurt.

Emmy grabs a hold of Adam’s arm.  “Come on, Adam, let’s go,” she begs.  “You’re both upset.  Things will be better in the morning.”

“Just a minute,” Adam tells her, gently peeling her off his arm.  “You may be able to fool these two, but don’t try to pull that crap with me, Mac.  Keeping your mouth shut isn’t for my benefit, it’s for yours.  The last thing you need is for word of this to get out.  You’ll lose your lucrative spokesperson contracts, your starting position, and your own reputation.” 

Evan is standing now, too.  He walks over to the kitchen counter, grabs Adam’s house keys and throws them at him.  “These belong to you.  I don’t want them anymore.”  He grabs the invoices off the coffee table and throws them in his face.  “Take all of your crap and get the hell out of here.  Keep you nose out of my shit for now on.  We’re done.”

Adam bends down to pick up the papers and the keys.  He furrows his eyebrows as he reads the invoices.  “These,” he waves them in the air, “where did you get them?”

Evan takes a few steps closer to Adam, nearly closing the gap between them.  “None of your fucking business.  Take them and get the hell out, Adam.  I’m serious.”

Adam is not backing down.  He takes a step closer to Evan, openly challenging him.  “These papers were in my office, my home office, Mac.  You didn’t have to break into my house to find it.  If you asked, I would have given them to you.”

Fearful of what might happen if I don’t intervene, I immediately jump to my feet.  “It wasn’t Evan, it was me.”

Emmy whispers in disbelief, “Jette?”

“I’m sorry.  When I stopped by the house today to get your glasses Emmy, I . . . found it.”  I still feel badly.

Adam swings around to face me and bites back, “Found it?  No way.  I know exactly where they were.  You broke into my office and went through my files, didn’t you?” 

I bite my lip and nod, whispering, “Yes.”

“Now I get it.  It all makes sense now,” Adam angrily replies.  “It’s not you, it’s her,” he says to Evan, rolling his eyes and sniggering.  “You’re whipped.  I never thought I would live to see the day.  Evan ‘Big Mac’ McGuire is pussy-whipped.” 

“Watch your fucking mouth.  That’s my fiancée you’re talking about,” Evan warns.  “You brought this on yourself.  I’m ending our contract immediately.  You no longer work for me.  You no longer advise me.  It’s time for you to move on.”

“You can’t fire me, you need me.  We’ve been a team since college.  Don’t let this woman come between us.  She has been in your life for exactly five minutes.  I knew the minute she showed up that she was going to complicate things.  I warned you, but you didn’t listen.  As usual, you allowed your dick to do the thinking for you.” 

That’s when the unthinkable happens.  Evan moves so quickly, I don’t think there was any way for Adam to avoid it.  Evan punches Adam square in the face.  I hear a crunch when his fist connects with Adam’s nose.  He must have broken it.  The blood pours from his nose.

Emmy and I race to the kitchen to find a rag.  I hand her one and she runs to Adam with it, holding it up against his bleeding nose.  Together, they head for the front door.

Evan calls to Adam as they are leaving.  “Keep the rag.  Consider it your severance package.  I mean it, Adam, stay the fuck away from me at work.”  They leave and I close the door behind them, locking it.  I do not want a repeat performance.

When I find Evan, he’s frantically pacing the room.  I pull out the bottle of Bourbon he opened earlier, and pour each of us a glass.  Silently, I hand it to him.  He takes it, downs it, and smashes it against the stone fireplace.  Glass flies and Maddy runs away, hiding in the bedroom.  “God damn it!” Evan growls.

Still not saying a word, he retreats upstairs to his gym while I stay behind to clean up.  He turns on the music so loudly, he cannot hear me slink upstairs to check on him.  He’s taking out his aggression on the punching bag, venting his anger towards something that cannot argue or hit back.  I tiptoe back out, leaving Evan to work this out in his own way.

E
arly the next morning, Evan’s alarm wakes us from a fitful sleep.  He tossed and turned all night, keeping me awake as well.  The restaurant is closed today, but I decide to get up early with Evan anyway.  Last night was difficult in so many ways.  My heart breaks just thinking about it.  How will they handle working together?  Everyone knows how close he and Adam were.  Suppose people start asking questions?  I imagine these are the things that kept Evan awake last night.

When he leaves, I head upstairs to the home gym for a run.  I would prefer to run on the beach, especially on a beautiful day like today, but Evan and I have agreed that given Ryker’s fondness for surf fishing, it’s probably not a good idea for me to run alone on the beach.  We will have beach runs together on the weekends.  It’s a compromise we both can live with.

Maddy joins me upstairs for my workout.  I have a lot on my mind and there’s nothing better than a long run to calm a busy brain.  I plug in my iPod and my playlist booms throughout the room.  There are some benefits to working out in a state of the art home gym, like a built-in sound system and air conditioning, not to mention privacy and security.

I decide to spend my day off with Auggie.  I haven’t seen him in a few days, and I’m anxious to show him the video and my ring.  He hasn’t seen either one.  Besides, I have a lot to get off my chest and Auggie is always a good ear.

Before getting in the shower, I grab my phone to call Auggie.  In typical fashion, it seems he and I are on the same page.  There’s a missed call from him that arrived just minutes ago.  I listen to the message and sure enough, Auggie is inviting himself over for the day.  Eagerly, I call him back to make plans.

“You know, Jepetto, we could make a day of it.  I can call Reese and we could just lounge around and get some sun.  How long has it been since the three of us spent any time together?” he asks excitedly.  “Besides, I have some news of my own to share.  What do you say?”

“News?  Sounds intriguing.  I’ll start making the drinks.  Are we in a Marguerita, Mojito, or Mai Tai kind of mood?”  I feel better just planning to see Auggie.

“Your call.  Surprise me.  I’ll call Reese.  If she can drag her ass out of bed, we’ll be there in an hour.”  Auggie knows how much Reese likes to sleep late, especially the day after she closes.

“Tell her I’ll have beach chairs and cocktails waiting for her.  I guarantee that will motivate her.”  Growing up in Michigan and going to school in Colorado didn’t give Reese much of an opportunity to spend time lying in the sand.  Even though she lives in Jersey now, she’s been working so hard, I know she hasn’t spent much time on the beach.  We need to change that.

After my shower, I head into the garage to find the beach loungers.  Evan’s got a stack of folding beach chairs piled in the corner.  I grab three and drag them onto the beach.  By the time Auggie and Reese arrive, I’m all set with a cooler filled with ice and drinks, and a private beach full of sand and sun.

When Auggie approaches, I jump from my lounger and throw my arms around him.  “Auggie, you look amazing.”  I hold him at arm’s length to get a better look.  “How do you feel?”

“Me?  I’m fine, better even.  I’m thinking that a little vitamin D and some fresh air will have me good as new.”  He takes my hand and holds it above my head, spinning me for inspection.  “But look at you, girl.  I don’t recall ever seeing you in a bikini before.  Va va voom!”  Auggie does his best catcall whistle and I no longer need the sun’s help to turn red.

The two of them make quick work of stripping off their clothing down to bathing suits and joining me for some early morning sun.  I can see the taped bandages covering Auggie’s surgical scar peeking out from the waistband of his board shorts.  It’s a reminder of an event I’d prefer to forget.

Reese is sporting a lime green bikini that contrast sharply with her long red hair.  Her gray eyes even seem to reflect some of the green, making her more stunning than ever.  She effortlessly pulls her long hair up into a loose bun, making her long neck even more pronounced.  Auggie notices, too.  “And you, Red – if you’re not careful, you’re going to kill someone with those long legs of yours.  I hope you two didn’t invite me here just to seduce me, because it’s not going to work, no matter how hard you try.”  We all get a little giggle from that.

“So Auggie, what’s the big announcement?” I ask, curious. 

“Well, I’m cleared to travel and Lucas sent me a plane ticket so I can join him on the set.  They’re filming on location in Alaska right now, shooting some big scene on top of a glacier, believe it or not.  A bunch of them are flying out some of their families, and Lucas invited me.”  Auggie is beyond excited.  Who could blame him, really?  What an adventure.