Page 48 of Hat Trick

Let us know if you need anything, Mitchy. We’re here for you.

Me

I appreciate you guys.

G-Money

That’s what friends do!

Quick. Someone make the DUN DUN sound lol.

*Sully has left the chat*

*Easy E has added Sully to the chat*

Easy E

Leaving the chat while I’m talking about Tella? The nerve.

* * *

“I’mglad to see you back in action after your self-imposed isolation from social gatherings,” Marcus says to me. “Aren’t you excited to deal with the bullshit that comes with having to communicate with people?”

“Can’t fucking wait,” I draw out, sitting across from him in the conference room of his office building.

Marcus lives in New York full time, but he has offices in DC, Orlando, and Los Angeles. He’s the busiest man in sports right now, representing players from every professional sports league in America as well as a handful of college kids, and he likes to be available when we need him.

He also hasn’t dropped my ass after dodging him for months, and when he asked for this meeting, I knew I’d be a goddamn idiot to skip it.

“I’m going to keep this quick because I know you’re headed to see Coach next, but I wanted you to know the District of Columbia set a trial date for the driver that hit you in June. It’s scheduled to start next summer, and the DA is asking if you’ll testify.”

“We have to wait that long to put that scumbag away?”

“Yup. They’re pursuing criminal charges because the fucker was driving without a license. It was also his third DUI.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” The taste of vomit climbs up my throat, and I swallow it down. “And he was still on the fucking road?”

“He won’t be after all of this is said and done.” Marcus sighs. “I’m sorry, Riley. I can’t imagine this is easy to hear, but I wanted you to know.”

“It makes me want to visit whatever jail cell he’s sitting in and beat the shit out of him. He could’ve killed someone.”

“It’s a miracle he didn’t. The universe isn’t finished with you, Mitchy.”

I rub a hand over my chest. “We’ll see about that. Thanks for telling me. Do I have to testify?”

“No. But it’ll help the case if you do.”

“I’ll think about it.” I shift in my chair, the idea of having attention on me making me uneasy. “What’s this surprise you have for me? You mentioned you’d end our meeting with something good, and I hopethatwasn’t what you consider good.”

“Oh.” Marcus grins and taps his phone. A second later, the door to the conference room opens. I spin, and I nearly fall out of my seat when I see who’s in the entryway. “It was important to me that you two reconnected, and I thought you’d feel the same.”

“Lamar?” I croak, standing on shaky legs. “Holy shit.”

“Riley.” He smiles, and I beeline it for him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a hug before I can think twice. My cheeks are wet with tears, and a laugh shakes my shoulders. “I’m so glad to see you.”

I’ve laid awake every night since the accident thinking about him. The police wouldn’t give me his last name because of the ongoing investigation, and I didn’t have a lot of information to go off of to track him down. The media reports didn’t mention any casualties from the accident, and I’ve been holding out hope he’s okay.

I pull away and look him up and down, relieved to see him put together,healthy, and without a scar in sight. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand and hug him again, really fucking overwhelmed by the swell of emotion rattling inside my head.

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