Page 27 of Toxic Obsession

Chapter14

Quinn

The grass turf squished beneath my practice cleats as I tucked the football under my arm and hauled ass across the field. I had barely slept the night before, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of proof the case file had on Wynter. Despite my exhaustion, a potent mix of adrenaline and fury drove me to investigate even more on my own. So far, everything Adam had given me matched what I’d found online. Every detail uncovered about Bell’s passing fucking sliced me deeper, and I swore to avenge Bell’s death one way or another.

I stepped into the end zone and looked over my shoulder, grinning like I’d just won the game for the team.

“Dude, that was a sick play,” said our running back, Jagger Whitlock, as he slapped me on the back. “Do that on Saturday and there’s no way we can lose.”

Coach blew the whistle, gaining everyone’s attention. “Save the show-off shit for the game, Astor!”

“Fuck. Man, he’s been on my jock worse than a fucking itch.” I removed my helmet, pissed that Coach hadn’t acknowledged that I was on point.

“What does he say? He rides us hard because he sees our potential and knows several team members are hoping to go pro. Shrug it off.” Jagger punched me in the arm and nodded before he jogged toward the rest of the players and Coach in the middle of the field.

I hurried to join them, not wanting Coach to have another reason to give me shit.

My thoughts wandered back to Wynter’s file. Even though I had proof on paper, I had to hear her confess her part in my sister’s death. I wanted to watch her cry and beg for forgiveness—beg for mercy. I would bring her to her knees, wrecking her the way she had me and my family. Then, I would destroy her. A twisted excitement bloomed in my chest. I would enjoy every second of watching it all unfold. After everything she’d done, I deserved to take pleasure in her pain.

You’re a sick fuck just like Adam.

The thought punched me in the gut, leaving me breathless. I gritted my teeth. I was nothing like that son of a bitch. I didn’t hurt innocent people, only the ones who deserved it.

“Get your mind on the game, men. It’s early in the season, so just because we’re undefeated doesn’t mean we can afford to get cocky. Get some rest, and I’ll see you bright and early in the morning,” Coach said.

“Yes, sir!” we all answered in unison before dispersing.

Kane strolled over to me and took off his helmet. “You seem to be holding up pretty well after we talked last night.”

“Yeah, I wish I could say I got some sleep, but I looked at more of the file.” I ran my hand over my short hair, flinging sweat in every direction.

“Q, man, don’t get pissed, but I have to ask.” The muscle in Kane’s jaw twitched.

I braced myself, unsure of what he had to say.

“You said Adam put the folder together, right?” He glanced over at me, then continued to stare straight ahead as we walked toward the locker room.

“Yeah. He gave it to me with all the information in it.”

Kane looked at me dead in the eye. “And you trust him?”

My pulse stuttered against my wrist. “Hell no. He’s a piece of shit, but he wants to avenge Bell. That I’m sure of.”

“I get why you want to think that, but Adam isn’t on the up and up. I just wonder if there’s more to it than what is in the file. And how do you know some of it’s not fabricated in order to make you hate Wynter?”

Anger rushed through me, and I stopped walking. “Yo, man. I didn’t share with you to bust my balls. I wanted you to understand why my head wasn’t in the game. I didn’t realize you’d turn on me.”

Kane shot me a hard frown. “You’ve got it all wrong, Q. I’m not turning on you. I just have this feeling that there’s more to it. I don’t trust Adam and neither do you, so why would you swallow everything he fed you? Think about it, Q. You’re smart as hell, and I’d hate to see you get played and shit go south. We’ve got to stay focused on the draft.”

I rubbed the sweat from my face and looked at Kane. Somewhere inside myself, I wondered if he was right. “I get it. It’s why I’ve been doing my own research too. Everything that Adam gave me is straight up legit.”

“Q, I’m not saying there’s false information. What I am saying is that there’s a lot more to it than the shit I saw. You can read people and situations pretty well, but this one seems to be really catching you off guard. So just think about what I’m saying. That’s all.”

I hung my head, overwhelmed by memories of my twin. “It’s everything with Bell,” I admitted while I started walking again. “I want so badly to understand what happened. Maybe it makes me a gullible target.” I glanced at Kane then back at the ground, tears pricking my eyes.

“I get it, but I’ve gotta call bullshit on Adam. I don’t have any proof, and it’s just a gut feeling, but Quinn, keep digging and don’t take Adam’s word for anything. Talk to Wynter and see what she has to say.”

There were only a few people that I trusted with my life and one of them was Kane. He’d never steered me wrong and last year when he was going through hell, I was there for him and I would be again, whenever he needed it. Remembering that, my overzealous emotions chilled out, and I was able to calm down.

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