Page 145 of Play the Game

Kane clicked back into action after I scolded him, and although there were a few other remarks here and there, and some penalties, we were able to come out with a win.

“You sure you want to do this?” Rhodes acts truly concerned for once.

I nod, and he raises an eyebrow.

“I’ve gotta see this,” he says, trying to hide a smirk.

“I’m surprised you’re not running off to get Ellie. I feel sort of special that you’re waiting around to watch me take a press conference.”

He turns away and shrugs. “She’s with the nanny.”

“The same one or another new one?”

“Same.”

“That’s a record. How long has this one lasted? A week?” I ask.

“Shut up,” he snaps, opening the door. “Don’t cuss anyone out if they ask you about Scottie.”

“If?” I glance over my shoulder. “You mean when.”

If no one brings her up, I’ll do it for them.

Silence fills the room when I enter. The only thing I hear are a few clicks of cameras, which only remind me of Scottie.

I take a seat, and strangely enough, I feel calm.

Calmer than I’ve ever felt in front of a camera—unless, of course, Scottie was the one behind it.

I nod to one reporter in the front because she looks like she’d be the one to bring up the recent drama. She speaks loud and confident, but to my surprise, she only asks about the game. I answer her question fluently and point to another woman, but the moment she opens her mouth and squeaks, I know she isn’t the one. After answering her, I scan the crowd and land on a man. He looks like he has enough balls to ask me the question everyone thinks I don’t want to answer.

“Now that we’ve gotten your side of the game, do you care to give us your side of the recent allegations over your marriage?”

Bingo.

I lean back in my seat and smirk.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

There’s a low buzz of chuckles and whispers. I glance at Rhodes, and he shakes his head. I shrug and turn back to the reporter.

“It’s true,” I start. “Scottie Monroe did try to blackmail me.” I lean forward. “I want you all to underline the wordtry.” After I’m satisfied that they’ve all done what I’ve asked, I rap my fingers on the table. “She didn’t blackmail me. She’s much too righteous for something like that. But it got me thinking.”

I pray to God Scottie is watching.

And if she isn’t, I’m just going to have to go find her.

I’ll go to the prison and wait until she visits her brother if need be.

“It was my idea.”

There are a few gasps, and my agent is probably throwing his TV across the room by now.

“I had a contract written up. She would marry me to help fix my image—since so many of you reporters wanted to spread rumors that I was just an angry, cagey goalie who put some guy in the hospital, and run with the gossip of women saying I did things that were never true—and I’d pay her when the job was done.”

“So, sheisa gold digger?” one of the men asks.

I flick my eyes to him, and he immediately shuts his mouth. “You talk like that again about my wife, and you’re going to need a new profession.”

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