Page 49 of Quarterback Keeper

It was Ares who spoke, saying what we all thought. “She handed you a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

“Take advantage of it, and go get your girl.” Ares slapped me on the back.

They weren’t kidding. If my dad had any hold over Aurora, this was my chance to obliterate it. “Oh, trust me, I will, but afterI talk with Mom and get her the hell out from under his thumb too.” And maybe even gain access to additional evidence.

I spent the drive to Mom’s thinking about the best course of action, and what made the most sense was a turnabout—blackmail. The worst-case scenario would mean handing over everything Mel had to the Federal Trade Commission or whatever branch of government handled fraudulent businesses.

I’d called to ensure Mom was home and hurried up the stairs as soon as I found a spot to park. She let me in at the first knock, worry clouding her eyes.

“What’s this about? You sounded angry on the phone. Did you reinjure your shoulder?”

“No.” I rotated it, feeling only a tinge of tightness. “It’s about Dad.”

Mom huffed out a breath, and her shoulders dropped. “Okay, let’s talk about it.”

We sat on the worn sofa, and I filled her in about everything. From the fundraiser and threats to do what he wanted or she would suffer when it came to both her living arrangements and the money needed for treatments to the pressure to marry Melanie Honeycutt that would only further his career. I finished with the information Mel had shown me.

“I’m tired of being beholden to him. Will you please move into the condo next to mine? I have enough to put a down payment on it, and when the NFL signs me”—because dammit, I would be on a team—“I’ll pay it off.”

“Okay.”

I leaned back, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s time. I shouldn’t be here if everything comes crashing down around him. And I have a feeling it will.”

“You didn’t seem surprised about anything I told you.”

“I was about Melanie. I can’t believe he would stoop to that level to control Honeycutt. But about the business dealings,I’m not. I have copies of the paperwork and offshore bank statements. I’ve used it all these years to make your father behave.”

A feeling of determination and satisfaction spread through me because I knew exactly what to do.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

AURORA

Iknew what I was giving up and why. Defeat-infused nausea churned my stomach.I can do this.I forced myself to take each step away from Kylian’s condo and toward Dayton instead, despite the way my body rebelled at the action. Dark clouds coated the sky, obscuring the sun. The threat of rain, thick in the air, had nothing on the dampness coating my palms. Saliva pooled ominously in my mouth. I swallowed frantically to quell the urge to vomit at what was in store for me.

The need to protect Kylian from my monster was greater than fighting Blondie and staking a claim on what I thought we could have. It would have been selfish. I had to save him from the danger that waited in plain sight. That was why I left the condo and went toward my worst nightmare. I owed Kylian, and more than that, I wanted him safe—even if it cost me my freedom.

In the very beginning of my relationship with Dayton, I’d thought I loved him. He was so handsome and wealthy, and I was shocked he’d shown any interest in me. We’d gone to the finest restaurants. His home was incredible, and I’d spent the majority of my nights there until he’d asked me to move inwith him, which I’d done happily—albeit blindly. Over time, his control had eaten away at my self-confidence, and it wasn’t long before I saw him for the monster he was.

Dark spots danced along the edges of my sight as it tunneled, and I latched my vision onto the banked fury simmering in Dayton’s eyes. I was aware of his power play yet helpless to fight it. He let me come to him, and I gagged at the perverse pleasure at my expense, which curved the corners of his mouth in a sadistic smirk.

A few feet away, I stopped, unable to force myself closer. He bared his teeth, and a violent shiver rocked me onto my heels, but I refused to retreat, to let him win another battle.

“How did you survive?” He couldn’t swim. It didn’t make sense.

“Not well, bitch.” He held up his hand, and I winced at the missing pinkie finger. “This is your fault. I couldn’t go to the hospital, and it got infected. If it hadn’t, you can be damn sure I would’ve taken back what was mine much sooner.” Darkness swirled in his eyes. “You’re going to pay for making me chase you, my fallen angel.”

I cringed. The addition to his favored pet name hadn’t escaped my notice. He used to call me “angel.” The added “fallen” lent insight into my newly tainted status.

In a move too fast for me to react to or pull away from, he latched onto my wrist with a crushing, viselike grip. I swallowed a whimper at the pain radiating through my fingers and up my arm as he yanked me to his side. It was the same wrist he’d broken before, and I knew the brutal pressure he applied was a reminder to instill fear.

It wasn’t necessary. I was terrified of what he would do when we were alone. I’d lived through that nightmare before. It was the reason I’d run. Now, I feared it would be what killed me.

I kept my mouth shut while he shoved me into a nearby car. As he rounded the front of it, his eyes never left mine—daring me to make a break for it. But too much was at stake. It wasn’t just my life in the balance. It was Kylian’s too.

With his gaze locked on mine, Dayton rolled his full lower lip into his mouth, caught it with his teeth, and scraped across the flesh as he released it. He thought it made him look hot, sexy. In the beginning, it had, and I’d wondered how it would feel to have his lips pressed against mine. Until I’d found out.

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