Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
They trailed inside and settled down in the lounge. Dan, Renee, and Allison handed out drinks. Wymack had filled a plastic bag with snack foods, everything from powdered doughnuts to chips, and he upended it on the table for everyone to dig through. Nicky pulled a protein bar from the mix and passed it to Neil. Neil tried pulling the foil wrapper open and hissed through clenched teeth at the burn in his knuckles. Andrew took the bar from him, ripped it open in one easy swipe, and dumped it in Neil's waiting hands.
Kevin leaned forward to look past Andrew at Neil. He spoke in low but urgent French and said, "We need to talk about this."
"We're going to," Neil said.
"This," Kevin said, with emphasis, and touched his tattoo.
"Not now," Neil said. "Later."
"Neil."
"I said no."
Andrew couldn't understand them, but he understood the edge in Neil's voice. He put a hand on Kevin's shoulder and shoved him back. Kevin opened his mouth to argue but caught himself. He pressed a careful hand to his mottled throat and looked away. Wymack was the last to sit down, and suddenly Neil was the center of attention again.
He looked around the room at them and said uncertainly, "I don't know where to start."
"The beginning?" Dan suggested.
They were less interested in his father than they were in Neil himself, and they didn't yet need or want the level of details he'd given the FBI. Kevin had shared some of the truth on the drive from New York to Maryland, but Neil didn't know what all he'd told them. Chances were Neil was repeating a detail or two, but no one stopped him.
He told them who his parents were both officially and in reality. He admitted that he'd played little league Exy for a couple years under a different name and in a different position. He told them about his mother's abrupt decision to run away, the terrible eight years on the run, and the confrontation that ended with his mother's death. He told them how he ended up in Millport and why he tried out for the Exy team there.
He told them why he'd risked everything to come here, what it'd meant when he found out who the Moriyamas were, and how many times he'd thought about running away before he cut things too close. He swore he hadn't known until the fall banquet who his father really was to the Moriyamas and that even now he only dimly understood the intricate hierarchy between the Moriyama branches and the Wesninski circle. He knew less how his uncle was supposed to fit in there.
He told them how he'd intended to end the year, how he'd hoped to at least make it through championships and a rematch with Riko but how he'd realized months ago he wasn't going to be back the following year. It was the answer they probably deserved the most, because that fatalistic decision had colored every other interaction with them and fueled his determination to not let them get too close to him.
They listened to it all without interruption and sat in silence for a long time afterward. The eventual questions were inevitable, and Neil answered everything they asked him. They seemed startled at first by the honesty, no matter the story that had come before it, and were emboldened by his unhesitating responses. Renee said nothing until everyone else's curiosity had been temporarily assuaged, then somehow made a dire what-if sound almost kind.
"You said your uncle is negotiating a truce with Kengo. What if he can't?"
Neil didn't waste their time softening his response. "They will get rid of me."
"You're not serious," Matt said, alarmed.
"I am a loose end," Neil said, "dangerous enough on a good day and unforgivable when Kengo is dying. The Moriyamas can't afford leaks in their empire when they're about to shift that much power around."
"When will you know?" Dan asked.
"Uncle Stuart said he would get in touch with me when he was done sorting things out."
"Don't worry," Nicky said, with a failed attempt at cheer. "Andrew will protect you."
Kevin flicked him a horrified look. "These are the Moriyamas, Nicky. This is not Riko and the master; this is not Neil's father. Andrew can't—"
"I know," Nicky cut in, irritated. "Just shut up."
They fell to uncomfortable silence. Wymack looked between them, then said, "One more thing: if the press hasn't caught on yet, it's inevitable that they will. Browning told me the steps they were taking to hide your name, but if anyone followed them from the hospital to the hotel they'll put it together. It doesn't matter that the bus wasn't on-site; if they saw any of us changing rooms they'll follow us to you.
"You looking like this," he motioned up at his own face, "will be all the answer they need. The FBI can ask them to take your safety into consideration before they start running articles, but since you revoked their protection I don't know how much weight their word carries. Figure out as soon as you can how far you'll let them push and where you want us to draw the line."
"It's generally best to give them the answers they want," Allison said. "If you satisfy their curiosity they won't have to resort to more forceful methods. Besides, the press serves the fickle mind of public interest. They can't focus on you for long. Something else will distract them."
"General public, maybe," Dan said, "but Exy fans'll remember long after everyone else has moved on. They're going to drag the other teams into this and let them say whatever they like about you. It's going to be our freshman year all over again, but worse."
"Unless we find something they want more than a piece of me," Neil said.
"Like what?" Matt asked. "It's kind of a hard story to top."
Neil leaned forward and slanted a look at Kevin. He answered in French, "They won't care half as much about my father when they find out who yours is. You'll always be bigger news than I am to them."