Page 82 of Truth or Tequila (Grand Slam 1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

seb

As Joe and I walk out of Sophie’s apartment building, Maisie’s getting out of a car. She sees me and slams the door so hard that it makes the car shake.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She runs up to me and points her finger right in my face.

“Maisie, it’s not what she thinks. Please let me into her apartment so I can talk to her.”

“It’s not what she thinks?” She’s glaring up at me. “You’re paying off a woman to keep quiet about what, Seb?”

“Please let me in. I can explain,” I say, grabbing her arm.

She jerks her arm away and swings her grocery bag at my chest. It lands with a hard thud.

“Jesus, Maisie. What do you have in there? Bricks?”

“Don’t touch me.” She swings the bag at me again but thankfully misses this time. “You’re not getting anywhere near her ever again.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Joe steps between us, facing Maisie. “You need to settle down.”

“Don’t tell me what I need to do!” She’s screaming. A few people are walking over—cell phones pointed at us.

Joe turns to me and nods back at the people. “We need to leave. Now.”

“Maisie.” She’s started walking toward the apartment. “Maisie, please.”

She spins around. “If you’re not out of here in ten seconds, I’m calling the cops.”

Joe blocks me as I try to grab her arm again.

“Right now, you’re trending on Twitter for at least two days,” he says. “Do you want to go for an entire week? Or maybe the lead story on the sports page? Or hell, when the cops show up, maybe you can even get some national coverage.”

I watch Maisie disappear through the door.

“We’ve got to go, Seb. You know that. Do you want to drag Sophie’s name through the press? She already lost her job with the team, but if you make this a story, she’s going to lose her whole goddamn business. Walk away—for her.”

I take a deep breath and nod as I start toward Chick’s car.

“No.” Joe grabs my shoulder. “You’re riding with me. Max and Henry took the Range Rover to your house. They’re headed over here to get Chick’s car.”

He clicks his locks and opens the door for me. I think I see him shove a few people back away from me. I’m not sure. My mind’s not working right now.

I’m staring at my phone when he gets in the car. He takes it from me and puts it on the dashboard.

“Give it a rest, Seb,” he says, starting the car. “Leave her alone. She needs space.”

“Did you say she lost her job with the team?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Gary fired her. Well, I think she quit first, but she’s gone either way.”

“Because of me?”

“Gary said he fired her because she was sleeping with you, but I think it was really because she beat up Gentry.” He shakes his head and laughs. “Apparently before we got there, she gave him an elbow to the eye and a crushing blow to the balls.”

“That’s not funny, Joe. I should have been there to protect her.”

“From Gentry?” He laughs again. “She doesn’t need any help against that weak, little bitch. My five-year-old could kick his ass.”

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