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“Honestly, I have no idea. We’re not exactly on speaking terms.”
“Really? Why not?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Complicated is what kept our friendship alive,” he says with a small smile. “Tell me.”
I hesitate, but tell him the truth.
“Isabella has worked miracles with Dawnbreak. I always knew she had it in her, and I should be proud, but all I feel is anger and jealousy. She gets to have it all while I’m losing everything.”
“What about Lexa?”
“As far as I can tell, she’s happy with the Breakers. She’s got a girlfriend now. They’re the league’s power couple.”
“I know,” he says. “My niece has the picture of them on the field as the background on her phone.”
“Valentina Reyes, the sister of their coach,” I say. “And Alycia is pregnant with his baby. Can you believe it? She never even bothered to tell me herself. She stood in my office last week, seven months along, and never said whose it was. I found out from a maintenance worker who’d heard it from somebody at Dawnbreak.”
“Wow,” he says, shaking his head. “That’s… something.”
“Yeah, and to top it all off, they’ve both cut me out of their lives. They don’t want anything to do with me. They’re happy without me and it hurts.”
That isn’t entirely true. They both called me in June and I stood in a hallway and watched the phone ring.
He looks at me with sympathy, but also with some concern.
“Ewan, are you okay?”
“What do you think? I’m sorry. I just… I know I made mistakes, but I don’t think they were that bad. They act like I’m the worst person in the world.”
“Maybe they’re just angry,” he says. “Maybe they need time to cool off.”
“Maybe,” I say, unconvinced.
“And what about you?” he asks. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit. I hate my job. I hate what it’s turned me into. I feel useless. Irrelevant, even. I don’t even know why I’m still at the club, putting up with this. I should just walk away.”
“I’m afraid I’ll be the bearer of more bad news then.” Jared reaches into his suit pocket and pulls out an envelope. “I found the mole.”
My eyes widen as I take the envelope from his hand. It’s several email summaries of every conversation Jared, Alycia, and I had about the consortium.
There are also some of my personal notes and documents that were never supposed to leave my office. I don’t know how they got them, but there’s a name of the sender on every email that confirms who gave them away.
I’ve suspected it since April. Suspecting it and holding the proof in my hands are two different things.
“Fucking bastard,” I mutter. “He sold us out.”
“It seems so. I’m sorry, Ewan. I know he was like a son to you.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not anymore,” I say, my voice cold. “Do you know he cheated on Alycia? And I chose him over her because I wanted the trophy more than my own daughter. I should’ve known better.”
I want to yell, to throw things, but I’m too tired and numb to do anything. All I can do is stare at the evidence of Declan’s treachery with a bitter taste in my mouth.
“What are you going to do?” Jared asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “What can I do? He’s their coach now. They’ll protect him.”
