Page 31 of Unleashed

“Knock it off, Rodwell.” Wilder glowers with his arms crossed. His pout is not as cute as women claim.

Pitching again, it’s straight over the plate, but Crick swings late. Simone grabs the ball and asks, “Can we get a real pitcher out here?” Simone knows my baseball past, so her insult strikes me hard.

She throws the ball back to me, and after catching it, I walk off the mound and head for home plate. Crick steps away, which is comical since he’s the one with the bat. Simone stands up, and I stop inches from her. “Why do you have to say shit like that?”

Her eyes widen behind her mask cage, but then she shrugs and peers over at her tagalong douchebag of the day. “Can we please get this over with? I have a date.”

Feeling the prick’s eyes on me, I glare at him before snapping, “Can’t you be an adult for once?”

Simone grimaces, and I feel bad for hitting low, but she hurdled first. “Oh, I’m the child in this scenario?”

“If the pacifier fits.”

Tearing off her helmet, she goes for my balls. “I guess that makes you an old geezer. It’s time to take your meds, Gramps.” Son of a fuck.

“I’d tell you to shut your mouth, but we all know that’s impossible.”

“Right. Because I always have a dick in it, as you accused.”

“I didn’t say that, but I guess if you’re confessing your sins...”

Crick clears his throat and mutters, “Incoming.” Shit. I forgot he was nearby. I see Wilder marching over to us from the corner of my eye. Fuck this. I turn to head back to the mound, but he snags my arm and whips me around to face him.

“What the hell, Wilder?”

His dark eyes fly over my face. “What’s going on here?”

Simone pokes her brother’s chest. “I told you this wouldn’t work, Finn.”

“Ditto.” I can’t believe we agree on something.

Wilder grabs his sister’s hand and pushes it off him. “And I told you to make it work, Simone. No more excuses.”

I look out over the field and see all eyes on us. In the past, Simone and I had a semi-acrimonious/semi-flirtatious relationship. But our arguing has kicked up more than a notch since returning from Durham. They surmise we fucked, and now my bleeding heart can’t handle her fucking another man. Complete bullshit.

Val’s furrowed brow, Hadley’s stern glare, Betsy’s scathing remarks, Sylvie’s lustful gaze, Ferrara’s smug grin, Audrey’s innocent curiosity, Brandon’s bewildered expression, Patrice’s obliviousness, Crick’s pained presence, and Rhonda’s comforting empathy bombard us like a meteor shower. Thank God and Pat Sajak Amos is MIA. His sanctimonious ass would send me over the edge.

Wilder grits his teeth, and I hear his roster flipping in the breeze on the clipboard. “Everybody’s watching you right now. Do you want them knowing your shit?”

Simone lifts her chin and tries to look elsewhere, but Wilder yanks it to force her attention to him. She squeals and swats her brother’s hand, but he brings his face closer to hers. “Pay attention, Simone. You two need to get along. I won’t put up with this.” He glares at me. “Get your acts together and stop being whiny assholes.”

I sneer, “Oh, my. Richmond’s own Finn Wilder just scolded me. News at eleven.”

Wilder laughs, but it’s forced and cold. He then steps closer to me. “Keep it up, Rodwell. Your mouth will get you into trouble, and it’ll bite you in the ass.”

I scowl. “Then stop thinking about my ass.”

Wilder spins me around and shoves me toward the mound. As I stumble, I hear him tell Simone, “Stop antagonizing. I mean itg.”

Walking away, I glance over my shoulder to see Wilder clutch Crick’s shoulder and say something that makes Scanlon smile. At least Wilder’s not a jackass every second.

After I return to the mound, Betsy bitches, “Do you have a problem with Simone now?”

“Many.”

When Simone and Crick are ready, I pitch the ball, and Crick hits it toward Patrice, who scrambles after the ball with as much urgency as the return of disco. Upon picking it up, she sees where to throw it, and I swear to Oprah, she takes a pit stop in the meantime. So she’s way out in left field in the game and life.

I hold up my glove and shout, “Throw it here!” At least I’ll get it somewhere. Fuck this shit. But she throws it to Val on second base, which is no help since Crick passes Hadley at shortstop.

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