“Money? Okay, what? Ten thousand, the AC unit, and punching bags for your uncle. Then you sign and leave. Done!”
“Blake don’t insult me.”
“Okay, fuck it. Fifteen thousand and the bullshit for the gym?”
“What would I want with an industrial AC unit and punching bags? My name isn’t on that gym.” I scoff. “And fifteen thousand dollars? That’s pocket change for him, and you know it.”
“So what the fuck do you want then?”
“Three million, no NDA, and I’ll go away for good.”
He sputters out a loud, “Fuck no!”
An angry laugh bursts out of me. “You’re funny, Blake. Really, really funny. But I mean that’s all men are good for, right? A good joke.”
“And I’ll be that because we’re not giving you three million and letting you run off without signing that NDA. You’re out your rabid ass mind.”
Another warm trickle of blood glides over my lips and falls into my mouth.
“You know I don’t even have to pull this trigger to ruin him. I can just show the world what he thinks of women. His hatred is all over my face.”
“We talked about this, Lovie. If you talk, it’ll be you against the world?—”
“And I’d win.”
He guffaws. “His lawyers will bury you and your story. You don’t know how media and public perception works?—”
“No, but Rich taught me how the world works. He taught me about stupid men who have too much power and want too much control, so they manipulate women into thinking we’re not strong enough to fight back. I’ve stared death in the face more than once, and you think I’m scared of public perception and lawyers?”
“So that’s what this is about? That dude put you up to this, Lovie?—”
“Oh, shut the fuck up. You think the Knights’ front office is talking about AJ now? Wait until I go downstairs and cry to that nice lady at the front desk with my black eye and busted nose. That’s who helped me get up here. In fact, I’ll tell anybody who’ll listen what he did to me. He watched me twenty-four seven, and Istillgot away from him. Imagine what I can do now with all this newfound freedom I have. I’ll ruin him worse than he ruined me without even laying a finger on him. I ain’t got nothing but time down here in Texas, Blake.”
I stare into AJ’s hazel eyes and see Tony in them just like Uncle Kenny did that day they first met. I see Tony’s anger, his obsession with control, and his crusade for perfection.
“I want my money, Blake. Give it to me and you have my word that I’ll keep quiet. No money, no deal. I’ll walk right out of here and have Gianna at the front desk call 911.”
He chuckles bitterly. “So this is what we’ve come to? Wow…”
AJ holds his bloody mouth and glances down at his phone. “If…if she says anything, what can I expect?”
Blake sighs. “AJ, don’t let her get in your head. If she talks?—”
“Tell me!”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not gonna say or do anything. She’s just bluff?—”
“Help!” I shout. “Help me?—”
“Tell me what the fuck I can expect!” AJ yelps over my screaming.
Blake groans. “As soon as she talks, the media is gonna hit us. The headlines will be ugly and the language will be triggering, but we can always do damage control first. Then there’s likely gonna be a personal conduct policy investigation by the league, a possible suspension—look, I’m only five minutes away. We’ve gotta meet about this without her. We’re literally strategizing with the enemy?—”
“You said I’d be the face of the franchise next season. How is my dad gonna explain this to his colleagues at the hospital?”
“I don’t fucking know, AJ! I’m not Dr. Boyd. Maybe you should’ve thought about your daddy issues before you decided to start abusing your girl! I’m an agent, not a therapist!”
“You always told me if anything about our fighting gets out that I can beat the accusations, but now you’re talking about personal conduct policies and suspensions! That doesn’t sound like beating it to me!”
