“You’re not a nice man, are you?” I asked him quietly.
He fixed the cuffs of his jacket as he looked at me. “No, I’m not.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“Are you sure about that?” He was almost teasing.
“You’re a businessman. Sports agent?” I recalled. “Successful, rich, handsome, you can be charming when you want, but you don’t usually want to. I think you’re right; you usually are bored.”
His smile was wide, but his eyes were dead. “Go on.”
Wetting my lips, I looked at him. “You play with people. You like to get in their heads. You resent your brothers for pursuing a career that holds no financial long-term stability, so you became a sports agent to ensure your brothers, and cousin, would get the best deals. You don’t do it for money or the love of the sport; you’re making sure your family are looked after.”
“Am I? I get a significant percentage of clients’ contracts,” he said conversationally.
“You would. You’re the best, aren’t you?” I was almost mocking him, and he knew it. “And everyone knows you pay well for the best.”
He chuckled. “You do indeed. So, Mia, you have me all figured out?”
“No.” I shook my head as I watched him. “You being involved with them, with this thing and Quinn, makes no sense. You encourage them to look into it, and that’s not safeguarding them.” Leaning forward, I thought about it. “But you need to be kept in the loop. That’s why you’re here, taking things from Ash.” I sat back. “They don’t trust you.”
His smile wavered, but he remained silent.
“No, that’s not it,” I mused as I thought about it. “Of course they do, they know you.” I stood, and he sat back down in the chair as he watched me. Although completely aware of how surreal this was, my mind was on the problem. And then I realized what it was. I turned to him cautiously.
He looked pleased that I figured it out.
“How could you not tell them?”
“They have a very important football game coming on Saturday. If they win, they play in the conference championships. If they win that, they may be one of the colleges to go forward to the playoffs.”
“Bullshit.” I shocked myself more than Onyx when I cursed.
He tipped his head back and laughed out loud. He had such a pleasant laugh. He should do it more often.
“For once, it isnotbullshit.” Onyx stood and crossed the room to look out the window. “They need to focus. This weekend is huge for them, especially without Gray.”
“You need to tell them.” I looked at him in exasperation. “They’re jumping at shadows, and they don’t know!”
“I will when I’m ready.” He leveled me with a hard glare. “That meansIwill.”
I nodded. “You need to be nicer to Quinn.”
He smirked at me. “Never been very good at fake.”
“Your brother loves her completely.”
“He was dropped on his head as a child.”
I snort-laughed, and he gave me that small smile again. “Why try to bamboozle me with knowing all about me?” I asked him seriously.
Onyx’s smile faded slightly. “I think I have all I need from here.”
“Your subtlety is poor.”
“The only thing about me that is.” He winked.
“Do I tell them that you were here?” I asked as I took a step forward.
