Page 19 of Hard Pass

“Well,” I say, “this feels rather ominous.”

No one laughs.

The suits take their seats as Carter closes the door behind me. Their silence is unnerving.

“Anybody want to tell me what this is about, or are we just going to sit here until someone gets uncomfortable?” I ask.

“Cole Valor,” one of the league guys says, clearing his throat. “This is Dublin Locke.”

The name lands, but neither of us closes the space to shake each other’s hands.

“Dublin,” I repeat, letting my gaze drag over her like I’m not trying to figure out what the fuck she’s doing here. “That’s a hell of a name.”

Still nothing. Just the same assessing stare.

All right then?

“Miss Locke is with the external integrity firm the league partners with,” Carter says.

“Integrity firm?” I huff out a laugh.

“Gridiron Integrity Analytics,” one of the league reps says.

“Okay.” I draw the word out.

I know who they are. I know what they do. What the fuck do they want with me?

I lean forward, forearms braced on the table. “So we’re talking betting, gambling, someone saw something they didn’t like, and now we’re all in here chasing ghosts. What does this have to do with me?”

Dublin steps forward and the room shifts with her.

“Mr. Valor—”

“Cole,” I say. Her eyes harden as we stare at each other like no one else is in the room.

“Mr. Valor,” she says, drawing a chuckle from me. “My firm monitors betting patterns across all league games in real time.”

“And?”

“We flag irregularities. Specifically movements that suggest privileged information may have been accessed before it became public.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

Her gaze flicks briefly to the others in the room before finding mine again. “Would you prefer to have this discussion in private, Mr. Valor? Or are you okay with others being present?”

Our eyes lock.

For a second, the room disappears. The fluorescent lights. The suits. The tension.

All of it.

And I see her the way she was—hair loose, eyes wild, words confident. Bold moves and empty promises on the dare she made herself.

Then it’s gone.

Fine.

It never happened.