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“It’s clear he’s in Apex’s pocket,” Jared agrees, then leans closer. “I might have a way for you to get rid of him without it getting back to you.”
“I’m listening.”
“There’s a rumor that someone’s working on bringing him down with evidence that he has a pattern of grooming and preying on young players. If you leak this envelope and several other papers that I’m sure you have to the right people, it could be the final nail in his coffin.”
I look at him, shocked. “Are you serious?”
He nods. “Very. And I know just the right person who can tell you who to send it to.”
“Who?”
“Alycia.”
I sit back, my eyes wide. “How do you know all this?”
“Because Esme Ryan rang my office twice in September asking about the consortium,” he says. “There are five people alive who could have given her my name, and two of them are lawyers who’d lose their licenses.”
“I might’ve put some space between us, but I never abandoned you, Ewan,” he adds. “You’re my oldest friend. I’ll always do whatever’s in my power to help you.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m overwhelmed with emotion. I don’t deserve a friend like him.
“Thank you, Jared,” I say. “You’re the best.”
He smiles. “I know. Now, let’s eat and after we’re done, get in touch with Alycia. Right now, she’s the only one you can trust to help you.”
“Yeah, she hates him even more than I do.”
He laughs. “Can you blame her?”
“No. And if we’re lucky, I’ll be back to being her father after this.”
“I’m sure it’s a good first step in that direction,” Jared says, raising his glass.
I clink my glass with his, hoping he’s right. I miss my family more than anything.
After our lunch, I go home and call Alycia. She answers on the second ring.
“Alycia, hi, thank you for picking up,” I say, feeling awkward.
“What do you want?”
I take a deep breath. “I know that you’re trying to take Declan down. I’ll give you everything I have to make sure he pays.”
Silence on the other end of the line. She’s going to hang up on me. But then she says, “I’ll be in touch.”
Just like that, the line goes dead, and I’m left wondering if I’ve done the right thing. I hope so. Because I have nothing else to lose.
CHAPTER 19 – Lexa
Sunday, October 26
“Breakers! Breakers! Breakers!”
The chanting of fans after a win on our home turf makes me feel high. We just beat Seattle United and bagged our fifth win this season.
Not bad for eight matches played. Of course, there was also a tie and two losses, but everyone agrees that we’re on our way to the top of the standings.
I’m still on the field with the rest of my teammates, waving at the fans, thanking them for their support. I see Valentina talking to some reporters as they write down her quotes.
