Not good enough. “Hector Rayes is better, and you already have him.”
“He could be traded to a different team.”
“Is that what’s happening?” I ask, lifting one brow.
His lips twitch with the hint of a smile. “No.”
Didn’t think so.
“From where I sit, it doesn’t look like you need another QB for your team.”
“Perhaps.” His eyes bore into mine when he says “But I want you. You won’t start. Most first years don’t, but you have the potential to get there if you leave your ego off my field.”
Not a problem, but I keep my words to myself. “Appreciate it, but like I said, I’m only a junior. I have a year left of school and a different path I intend to follow.”
“What if I told you that I can’t be bought by your father nor can I be bribed?”
I lean back in my seat. This just got interesting. “I’m listening.”
“I went to school with your father. We both graduated from All Souls Academy when we were kids. Did he ever tell you?”
I shake my head. My father doesn’t talk to me about his life, he just tries to control mine.
“We were rivals as children, even more so when we went to college. Over the years, our paths have crossed a number of times and when they do, we tend to give one another a wide berth. It’s been an unspoken rule between us for longer than I can remember. He has his empire and I have mine.”
A sinking clarity washes over me. “What did he do?”
Andres' grin is feral. “He stuck his nose where it didn't belong. And I’d like to return the favor.”
“By offering his son an easy path to the big leagues?” I scoff. “I doubt that.”
“There are two things Richard Price considers so far beneath him that no child of his can ever pursue them Music and Sports. He’d want you to work as a bag boy in a supermarket before you ever got a career in either field. Am I right?”
He’s not wrong.
“All my years growing up with your father gave me a look into that twisted yet brilliant mind of his. He refuses to see his name associated with African American stereotypes of success and he is vehemently determined to see his legacy thrive. If you play for me, I cut both of his legs out from under him. So you see, my offer makes perfect sense.”
“And admitting all of this should convince me to take you up on your offer? You expect me to drop out of college and risk my father’s wrath, quite possibly getting disowned, to satisfy your need for revenge for an offense my father made that I don’t even know the details of?”
“Yes.”
I bark out a laugh. Guess we made that clear.
“You’re insane.”
“And you want a career in football. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Jaw clenched, I grind my molars together. “I know the way his mind works. He can buy off anyone else. You will never play professional football.”
I grunt. “I’m aware.”
“Unless you come and play for me.”
EIGHTEEN
KASEY
The next three days suck.
