Page 50 of Quarterback Keeper

Despite the car’s cleanliness, the scent of tobacco and mint permeated the interior. His scent. My stomach clenched. I hated it.

He got in the driver’s seat, the smell growing stronger with his presence, and started the car. As we drove, I systematically locked everything that mattered to me in a mental box. The only way to survive Dayton’s moods and appetites was to become an emotionless shell.

When we stopped at a red light, his fingers cruelly fisted the hair at my nape. Like a rag doll, I went where he pulled me. His efforts to keep me present intensified the more I drew into myself. The feel of his nose along my neck sent a volley of unwanted goose bumps across my flesh. Sharp pain exploded along the sensitive skin by my pulse as his teeth nipped hard enough to bruise. It would be one of many.

He wanted to mark and own me. To punish me. And while he might control my body for the foreseeable future, I’d won. Kylian was safe. Dayton’s focus was solely on me. That fact was what kept a tiny spark of satisfaction and hope alive. It would have to be enough. Without it, I didn’t know if I could mentally survive what was coming.

When the light turned green, he released me, and I shifted against the door. It was temporary. I wasn’t out of his reach, and based on his anger, he would keep me close.

In the distance, thunder rumbled. I wanted to will the storm closer, for lightning to strike the car. Piece by piece, I hid more of myself, huddling in a corner of my mind, just like I did against the passenger door. The pain he inflicted when it amused him dulled my thoughts elsewhere. I spun a web of fantasy, retreating to a moment when Kylian had touched me.

I had the time, and what better way to transport my mind than to go back to the beginning. Kylian had exhibited kindness toward a stranger. Looking past the invasion of his property to the person, not the crime. He saw someone in need and reacted. Sure, our arrangement was mutually beneficial, but he didn’t have to help me. He’d given me a way to accept his handout with pride.

I basked in how safe he’d made me feel—how my ability to smile and laugh had returned. The longer we were together, the faster I’d fallen for him. Though I’d tried to bow out of his life so I didn’t complicate things further, I’d never wanted to.

I recalled the first brush of his lips, the way he’d slanted his over mine, deepening the kiss, my body lighting on fire for his. I escaped into what it was like to be in Kylian’s embrace for as long as I could until Dayton pulled me back to the present during our drive. But I had practice escaping reality—my small rebellion—and used every ounce of my strength to transport myself elsewhere.

The door wrenched open, violently tearing me from the past, and I fell backward with a shriek. Dayton grabbed my upper arm. Fingers bit into my bicep, stopping me from crashing to the cement. He dragged me from the car, and I stood on shaky legs, orienting myself as quickly as possible.

The harbor?Shock momentarily stole my words until the pieces fell into place. It wasn’t over. I’d thought I was saving Kylian, but I’d condemned us both.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

KYLIAN

The storm worsened as I sat in Dad’s Chicago office. Lightning pierced the sky in a backdrop behind his thirty-something administrative assistant, who kept flashing me apologetic smiles. My father had kept me waiting for an hour. Each minute that ticked by only served to harden my determination and add another log to the banked fire inside me. I was ready to kick his self-righteous ass.

I was about to jump out of my skin, my foot tapping to expel some of the excess energy. He was going down. The days of him controlling Mom and me like puppets were almost at an end. I was armed with information and proof that he couldn’t slither out from under. And I didn’t feel bad about throwing him to the wolves.

Hours before arriving, I’d shared the data from Mom with Melanie. Immediately after, I’d contacted the FBI and the Illinois Attorney General. The number I was to call was already preprogrammed into my phone. A buzz sounded, and every nerve ending in my body zapped with the need to move.

“You can go in now,” the secretary said with relief as she gathered her belongings, signaling the end of her workday.

I slid my hand into my pocket and pressed the button to connect the preprogrammed number as I grasped the brass doorknob. A turn and push of the door revealed Dad, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with a white button-down and red tie, sitting behind an ornate desk. A bookcase behind him displayed tomes and pictures of him posing with various members of Congress and other high-powered businessmen, the perfect backdrop for meetings.

He leaned back in his chair, not bothering to stand, and waved for me to sit across from him, like a goddammed king. I shouldn’t have been surprised. There was no love lost between us. And soon, our relationship would dissolve to irreparable levels.

“Kylian, what a nice surprise.” Dad flashed a practiced smile. “I just wish you would have called. I could have had my administrative assistant pencil you in to avoid waiting.”

“And give you an opportunity to be in Springfield instead? No thanks, I’ve played that game before.”

I knew how he liked encounters with Mom and me—on his terms. And though I was on his turf, he didn’t like surprise visits containing issues he wasn’t optimally prepared for. Not that a snake in the grass like himself couldn’t outmaneuver his opponents, even in a surprise face-to-face.

Anger flashed in his eyes, but he never let the emotion color other aspects of his practiced persona. “What’s this about? Did you get some bad news from the docs? Don’t tell me your NFL career is compromised.”

For that, I let some of the irritation slip. “No. I’m good. Nothing to worry about there. You still have bragging rights.”For now.

“Then, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

“I came across some rather disturbing information about you and a land deal where you cheated people out of their hard-earned money. Since you’ve used every tactic to control Mom and me, this tidbit flips the tables in our favor.” And it was about goddamned time.

He leaned forward, and I mimicked his pose, careful not to compromise my phone’s speaker.

“Your mother finally told you all the details?” He pensively rubbed his fingers over his top lip. “I wondered why she hadn’t done it sooner. After all I did for her when we were married and just starting out, and now, with the free rent and covering her astronomical medical bills.”

I wouldn’t go there. He used me anytime Mom or I needed help. “Good thing you already paid up for the next two months with the news coming out.”

He huffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kylian. I have nothing to worry about. All the paperwork you’re referencing is public knowledge. I have nothing to hide.”

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