I was already shaking my head. “I’m not?—”
“We’re prepared to offer you ten million up front, plus royalties. All in exchange for a few simple tips.”
I froze. That amount of money short-circuited my brain for a minute.
“It’s a lot of money, Matthew.” He leaned back, smiling at my reaction. “And pro players do this all the time. It’s not betrayal—it’s business. Think what you could do with the money. Your father’s debt wiped, your future secured.”
“You motherfucker!” I lunged before I thought, fist flying, all the hot, ugly panic and fury that had been roiling in my chest since I’d seen my father in that hospital room roaring to the surface. Kenton stepped back, moving like he’d done this a hundred times before, calm and practiced, and the punch missed him by inches. The glass of water trembled where it sat, untouched.
He didn’t flinch. He just gave me an oily smile. “Easy, Matthew,” he said smoothly. “I had nothing to do with your father’s unfortunate incident. I promise you that.”
“Funny that you expect me to believe that,” I spat.
“Believe what you want.” He pushed the laptop away a little, palms up in the most casual surrender I’d ever seen. “But I do my homework before I work with anyone. I research people. I look at partners, associates, liabilities. Your father’s name came up. His debt was one of the reasons I chose not to work with him.” He shrugged, as if that explained everything. “Too many entanglements, too much risk. I don’t like surprises.”
“You didn’t work with him,” I said slowly, tasting the words. “Because he was already dangerous for you?”
“No,” Kenton said. “Because he was a risk. Because if I’m going to move money, I need to know the ledger is clean. RonnieAdler’s book was…messy.” He leaned forward, voice almost friendly. “That’s business, Matthew. Not vengeance.”
My laugh was a choke.
“I’m not here to talk about your father, though. Although, I do give you my condolences and I’m glad to hear he’s on the road to recovery. What I’m here for is a way to get him out and help you. This deal gives you the money for both.”
My thoughts flicked from my dad, who although down for the count right now, would no doubt be up to all his old tricks in a few months…and the money.
Ten million dollars.
For a second, I let the numbers eat me.
I saw it all in a flash: my dad’s hospital bills paid without me having to stretch myself thin, a house for my mom that my father couldn’t gamble away, a college fund for my siblings, and a pile of cash so tall it could give me time to bury the last of Ronnie Adler’s mistakes while I worked on my football career.
I imagined buying time to fix things without looking over my shoulder.
The fantasy was stupidly clean, like a glossy ad: problems solved, futures secured. It made my chest ache.
Kenton watched me with that practiced patience. “Think about it,” he said softly, as if he were offering advice instead of a mirror.
I felt the pull, vicious and stupid.
Then I let it go, because whatever the money could buy, it didn’t buy whatever line I drew inside me.
“I’m not interested,” I finally said. “I’m fucking not interested.”
I slid back from the table and stood up.
Kenton sighed, a quiet, disappointed sound, and smoothed an invisible wrinkle from his cuff. “That’s a shame,” he said lightly, though his eyes were anything but casual now. “Youknow, Matthew, that reporter the other day, the one asking about that little rumor…that was just the start.”
My stomach went cold.
He smiled. “People like stories. Tragic ones. Scandals. A boy with too much pressure, a family with debt…. You’d be surprised how fast whispers spread once the right people start them.”
My pulse kicked hard in my throat.
“I’m giving you options,” he said smoothly. “We can be friends, or we can be…adversaries. And I don’t think either of us wants that.” He leaned back in his chair, utterly relaxed, like we were just talking game stats. “Friends, Matthew, get protection. They get silence. They get freedom.”
I shook my head and huffed out a dark laugh. I knew these weren’t idle threats, but it had hit me sitting there. I could lose football. I could lose my reputation.
But I wouldn’t lose Ophelia.
