Page 9 of Siren's Game

My dad also looks like he's about to burst into laughter. He leans over and drops a kiss to her temples. "You're ridiculous."

"Anyways," Mom hurries to change topics, rolling her eyes at the two of us. "Tell us, who else is at this charity match of yours?" She lays her chin on her hand that she has propped on the table. "Anyone interesting? Any new friends? Old friends? Girlfriends?"

My mind wanders to Luca and the woman who has turned his head. And the brown-haired woman who eyed the spectacle just as skeptically as me, arms crossed in front of her chest as she shot me a fiery glare. For some reason, I want to tell Mom about her.

If I tell her our backstory though, she’d probably rip me a new one.

Whatever. I signed an NDA, so no info for my parents for now either way.

"I can tell you in—" I demonstratively look at my wrist to check my watch. "Ten days, seven hours and fifty-two minutes, when the official announcement is out."

"Can't you give us any hints?" She leans back and crosses her arms in front of her chest. "You don't need to say it. Just point at a sign they're on. Dance us a clue. Do a pantomime act."

"I think the term 'non-disclosure agreement' includes those choices of communication, hon," Dad says with a chuckle and leans over to kiss her lips, now pursed in a childish pout.

"Okay." She lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes. "I still can't believe it, I mean, the last time you played football must have been in what? Fifth grade?"

"That sounds about right." I nod and hide a yawn behind my hand. Today’s training was really damn exhausting, and add a good portion of jetlag to that, and I'm about to fall asleep right here at this table.

Before I actually do, I order a coffee, resulting in shocked looks from everyone around when they realize I will be having coffee with my pasta.

Well, they can look all they want as long as my eyes remain open as well.

"God, I'm too old for this shit," I grunt and throw Adam the football. I didn’t stay with my parents past dessert. I know Mom was disappointed, it was written all over her face, but I really didn’t want to find pictures of me sleeping at a restaurant table in the tabloids.

Now it’s the next day and I’m, well, not completely relaxed, but at least I’m not about to fall asleep standing.

And it's tackling time. Finally? Dreadfully?

It certainlysoundedfun when they first told us, but now I'm not so sure. Teaming up with Luca would have been fun, but our trainer, Rich, just had to ruin it. I already saw the fear in Luca's eyes and the way relief washed over him when we had to change partners with a Walker sibling pair of similar statures.

"Speak for yourself," Adam replies and stretches his arms over his head, then turns his torso to either side.

He's the oldest of the Walker brothers at thirty-five, only a few years older than me. I already know him from some industry functions my dad dragged me along to, and as two of the youngest people at those boring events, we bonded quickly.

It’s the kind of friendship where we gravitate towards each other during stuck up entertainment business functions, but I wouldn’t ask him to hang out privately.

The Walker brothers are, without a doubt, one of the most influential families in the entertainment business, and Adam is the CEO of Croney, a big talent agency. Although you wouldn’t know from the way he carries himself. He has way too much swagger to be a C-suite exec. Or maybe that’s exactly what got him there.

How the fuck does this guy even have the time and motivation to stay this fit?

He's almost as tall and easily as big as me—and I usually spend like two hours a day at the gym. Does he not sleep? Or does he outsource all of his work to assistants? Maybe he’s only a CEO on paper and to lend the company his face, who knows?

I have no more time to wonder, because he gets into a wide stance and shoots me a gloating grin.

"Come on, big guy, show me what you got." He waves me closer tauntingly. I roll my shoulders and get into position myself. One leg forward, read to sprint at him. Three. Two. One.

I sprint. He tries to evade, but I see his maneuver coming from a mile away. My shoulder hits him right in his torso and I can hear the air getting pushed out of his lungs.

He tries to keep himself steady on his feet, pushing against me, but keeping his balance only barely. All I need to do is a slight turn, and the both of us land on the mat behind him, the fall pushing the air out of our lungs.

"Damnit, you're strong," Adam groans and lets the ball fall off the mat. "Maybe you're right; I might be getting too old for this shit, too."

"Told you," I chuckle and get off the mat, offering him my hand to help him up and swallowing a comment about helping elderly people in need. He takes my hand, grunting when he comes to his feet.

"Oof!" Adam and I turn around to watch Luca and his brother Tanner as they do the same thing. Luca is currently trying to get Tanner off his feet, but he’s not very successful.

"So how's he doing?" I can't help but saunter over with a wide grin on my face, arms crossed in front of my chest. "Because, I’m not going to lie, that looked pretty weak."

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