Page 79 of Broken Player

“Can’t, but raincheck.” With a sexy as fuck wink, she turned and sauntered off on the back of my horse, taking my whole heart with her as I stood there like an idiot watching her go.

Stepping out of the car,the sun beat down on the black fabric of my t-shirt like a goddamn magnet. I slammed the door closed, already feeling the rush of adrenaline tearing through my veins. I didn’t want to tip my hand just yet, but I couldn’t let this motherfucker get away with the shit he was trying to pull.

If I didn’t have a rock-solid and loyal team surrounding me, I’d be dealing with a whole shitstorm that would distract me from what Yates is really doing. But I was focused as fuck, and nothing would divert me from my goal.

Dismantling Yates’s entire goddamn life.

I hadn’t planned to confront him so soon, but I couldn’t let what he did slide. Accusing me of hurting women? I wasn’t that kind of guy. In fact, I’d let the darker side of me come out and taken care of more than one guy who’d done that type of shit to women I knew in the past. I wasn’t just against it, I took fucking action.

I met Ryan because I couldn’t stand the little shits bullying her. I was a protector at heart, always had been. To think I’d hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it was fucking gross and that Yatestried to make me into something so far from what I actually was made me want to remove his head from his body. With my bare hands.

Yanking open the door to the bank, I strode inside straight to the first desk I saw. “Where’s Yates Rutherford’s office?” I asked through clenched teeth.

The teller looked up with wide eyes, pointing to a set of heavy wooden doors in the middle of the building. Turning, I stalked off toward them as she called out after me, but I didn’t give a shit about whatever she had to say. She wouldn’t be able to stop me.

Grabbing the handle of the door, I threw it open. Yates jerked upright from where he was leaning back in his chair, some chick kneeling between his knees. He jumped up from his seat, shoving his dick back into his pants. I rolled my eyes, holding the door open for the girl who was wiping her mouth while she scurried out of the room. She’d barely crossed the threshold when I slammed the door shut behind her.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he raged, his skin flushing as his hands bunched into fists. Blue balls were a real bitch.

Stepping closer to him, I got within punching distance before shoving the file I carried in with me into his chest with more force than necessary. He stumbled as he grabbed for the papers starting to fall out of it. “I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m warning you not to push me. Keep this shit up, and not only will I destroy you in court for slander, but I’ll start digging. And I won’t stop until I fucking destroy everything in your pathetic little life. This is your one and only warning. I suggest you heed it.” Barely-controlled fury laced my voice.

Not waiting on his response, I turned and stalked from the room and out of the bank feeling an odd sort of satisfaction wash over me. Thank fuck Ryan hadn’t married that douche. Andsoon, he was going to be out of our lives for good, even if I had to end him myself.

“Freckles?”I called out, my voice carrying throughout the Knight barn. I had to come back for Hex, and I needed to talk to my girl.

“Over here,” her answering voice sounded from the other side of the barn where my horse blocked my view of her. When I stepped into the stable, I watched as she used a curry comb to brush over his body in long strokes. Was it possible to be jealous of a horse?

“Hi,” I whispered, leaning into her body and wrapping my arm around her waist, splaying my hand across her stomach. I pressed a kiss to her neck, letting my lips linger, and tasted salt on her skin.

“Mmm, I missed you today,” she murmured, her body sinking into mine and her hand dropping from Hex’s side. He snorted impatiently, and we both laughed.

“Hex doesn’t appreciate being cheated out of his brushing,” I noted, stepping back and grabbing the brush off the ground before lifting it to the smooth black fur and running it through. I finished brushing my horse while Ryan’s gaze burned into my back, the heavy heat of it sending sparks of electricity shooting through my body.

Setting the tools down, I turned around and faced Ryan. As much as I wanted to pin her up against the stable wall and fuck her into next week, we needed to have a conversation about what went down today. There was some shit from the past I hoped would stay buried but now had a very real chance of coming out.

And I wouldn’t let her hear it from anyone but me.

“Can we go home? We need to talk about what happened today,” I stated, stepping outside the stall and waiting for her to follow.

Her eyebrows raised as she stepped past me. “What happened today?”

I captured her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I went to Dallas. To the bank.”

She inhaled sharply. “Why would you go see Yates?” she asked hesitantly.

“C’mon. We’ll sneak in the back way. The walk isn’t that long, and I could use the exercise.”

When we finally walked through the back door of my house, I could tell she’d spent the entire walk coming up with every worst-case scenario to the point where she was wound so tightly, she was on the verge of snapping. Her body was tense as I coaxed her down into the couch. I followed and sat facing her.

“This morning, I got a call from my publicist, Harrison. One of his contacts at CNT let him know someone sent in an anonymous tip about me,” I began, trying to keep my voice even.

“What kind of tip?” she asked, leaning against me.

“The kind that accused me of some fucked up shit I’d never do.”

“Okay, well, why’d you go to Dallas?”

“Because Sebastian traced the email and that asshole Yates sent it,” I explained, getting angry all over again at the motherfucker’s audacity.

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