Page 64 of Power Play

Liam howled and the rest of us stepped back so we didn’t get accidentally kicked.

“You made it!” The man said. He set Liam down and Liam turned to hug the man, the two of them pounding each other’s backs hard enough to drive nails. “So good to see you!”

He stepped back and lifted an old beat-up Bruiser’s cap from his forehead. Suddenly all the blood froze in my body.

Dillon Le Coeur.

There was no mistaking him with that scar running across his face. He was older, grayer. But it was him. There was nowhere to hide. When his eyes turned my way all I could do was pray for spontaneous combustion. Or a very selective avalanche that would take me out and spare Tess.

The smile dropped from the man’s face. He blinked at me a few times as if he wasn’t sure he was seeing clearly. Hot tears burned behind my eyes.

Dillon was one of my father’s first clients. And because my dad had made sure Dillon’s investments looked successful, Dillon had recommended dozens of his teammates and friends. The two of them had been close. I’d once considered Dillon a non-related uncle.

Until it all fell apart. The damage my father had caused this man was compounded over and over again. And Dillon had been one of the witnesses called during my dad’s trial. He’d been there every day. He saw everything.

“Kit,” he breathed, like he’d just seen a ghost. “What are you doing here?”

“I…uh…I…”

“Oh shit, that’s right,” Liam said. “You guys must know…” his face fell as he realized exactly how we knew each other.

When I struggled to say something, Liam kept talking.

“She’s my nanny while I’m watching Tess over here. Tess, come here and meet my friend Dillon.”

Dillon dropped to a crouch in front of Tess. I caught the wince of pain in his face, the penance for all great athletes as they got older in life.

“Well, hello young Tess. Are you ready to have the best beach vacation ever?”

Tess nodded enthusiastically. “I already got a bunch of books and we’re going to have falafels.”

“An excellent start.” He stood up, the warm smile falling from his face. He looked at Liam and me. “So how did this happen? Kit working as your nanny?”

“I didn’t know…I didn’t know you would be here,” I said, through a thick throat. “I…uh…owed him.”

Dillon shot Liam an arched eyebrow. “Really?”

I wasn’t ready for them to talk about me like I wasn’t there or try to pretend that my father and I hadn’t done our best to destroy their lives. The guilt and shame were crushing. Ten minutes ago I’d been weightless, the future in front of me full of possibility.

Now I was in that court room all over again. Swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“I’ll wait for you in the car,” I said through numb lips, and turned on my heel for the truck.

“Wait!” Tess cried. “What about falafels?”

“Liam will get them for you,” I said, smiling at the girl as best I could over my shoulder. “I’m just going to sit in the car for a second.”

Sit in the car for a second and die.

16

Liam

What was this feeling? This half-sinking sensation like I’d scored on my own net. This was new for me. Uncharted territory. I watched Kit walk away and it almost felt like I was the bad guy.

Wait? Was I the bad guy? How in the world was that possible?

I brought everyone on an awesome beach vacation.

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