Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I snatched the bag and left the bathroom without saying goodbye. But Scotty Green loomed behind me like a death wish. Each step back toward the gym sank my stomach even lower. Today’s matches were already in session. Vinny took shot after shot at his opponent. The crowd roared; the bell sounded; the others from St. Luka’s cheered for their teammate.
In the middle of the chaos were my guys. Bones, Lotto, Frankie, and River huddled together near the front of the crowd, shaking out and warming up. I could feel their confidence from here. They were going to win this match. And the next and the next if they could. Anything to bring Smiley’s to glory.
But that “anything” had to include PEDs, or Bones’ dad was going to pay the price.
Frankie saw me and lifted a hand, gesturing me to come closer.
But I couldn’t move.
After all the shit we’d been through to get here, how was I supposed to tell them we had an even bigger problem on our hands?
Chapter
Twenty-Four
RIVER
Ari set a small black shoulder bag down on the desk in front of her.
I eyed it before staring at her. Ever since our match in San Francisco, she had been acting weird. I tried to crack a few jokes on the plane ride back, but she’d brushed me off. She’d brushed all of us off. Bones, Lotto, and Frankie were just as worried as I was.
Especially because she was already trembling before she even spoke.
“It’s from Scotty,” she mumbled.
“Great. Just what I want. A gift from that guy.” I snorted, “I hope it’s a car key.”
Bones turned around in his chair to look at me. “You think he can afford a car? He could barely afford the budget seats to San Francisco. I had to pay my own luggage fee.”
“Better than driving,” Frankie said.
“And better than Ari’s road-trip playlist,” I added.
I didn’t even get a chortle. Or a smirk or a laugh or any reaction at all. Ari simply pointed to the bag.
“Open it.”
Lotto leaned over Bones to grab it. As soon as he opened it, his face paled. From out of the bag, he pulled a vial and a syringe.
“Oh, hell no,” I said immediately. “Is that fucker kidding?”
“Give it back to Scotty,” Bones demanded. “What the fuck is he thinking?”
“So, this is what that bastard wanted?” Frankie stood from his chair and snatched the vial from Lotto’s hand. “Guinea pigs for his drugs?”
Lotto’s lips thinned. “We have to tell the Circuit.”
“We can’t!” Ari blurted. Her shaking was even worse. “We… can’t. We need to keep this between us for now.”
I set my hands on my hips. “Why?”
“Because he—” She swallowed and shook her head. “There aren’t any other sponsors. If we lose Scotty, we’re out of the Circuit.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, Ari. This shit’s illegal. I’m not messing with it.”
“We don’t have to mess with it ourselves. Just—”
“Just what?” I yelled and threw up my hands. “Sell it to someone else? Help others fall into drugs?”
Ari stayed silent. The rims of her eyes shimmered with tears. Even at the sad look, the anger within me wouldn’t abate. She couldn’t be fucking serious. PEDs?
Bones held up a tattooed hand. “Scotty wants us to shill his shit?”
“He said we have a choice,” Ari answered quietly. She couldn’t meet our eyes. “Either take it ourselves or give it to someone who will.”
“That fucking rat bastard.”
“Put it back in the damn bag, Lotto,” Frankie growled. “And then we’re going to drive down to his auto shop and—”
“I think we should think about it!”
Ari’s high-pitched call echoed in the ceiling and rattled my brain. Think about it? What the hell was there to think about?
“Why?” Lotto sounded as flabbergasted as I felt.
“Ari, what the hell did he say to you?” Frankie demanded. There was a lilt in his voice that gave away his barely controlled anger. “Did he threaten you?”
“No, he…” Ari dabbed at the inside corner of her eyes with the pads of her middle fingers. “We’ve already come so far. Been through so much. If we lose Scotty now, we won’t make it to Vegas.”
“Who cares about Vegas?” I asked.
“We all do!” She pointed at Bones. “Bones has been working so hard to rehab and bring us back. Frankie pulled long nights to train him. Lotto went through hell and back to keep our spot and find us someone else. And River, you were the only reason we didn’t go 0-3 in so many of those matches. I don’t want it to be all in vain. It can’t.”
“It won’t be.” Lotto sighed and threw the bag on the desk. “The Circuit will understand if he’s up to illegal shit.”
“But Lucien was up to illegal shit.” Bones sighed, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. “And we were still almost kicked out.”