Page 104 of Three Sweet Nothings (The Blindfold Club)

Only he didn’t throw a punch. He let go of me, put his forearm in Joseph’s chest, and slammed my friend against the wall with an enormous bang. Joseph let out a surprised grunt of pain.

“What the fuck is this?” Tariq shouted.

Joseph’s face was shock and confusion, but then his gaze went down to the forearm pinning him to the wall. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, but you better get your fucking hands off me.”

The amount of malice in Joseph’s tone was stunning. Tariq was a weapon of muscle and power. On the field, he was fast, strong, and ruthless. Off the field, he didn’t have to play by rules, and he could crush my friend easily.

“Tariq.”

The deep voice came from the base of the stairs where Julius’s hulking form occupied most of the space.

Tariq turned his head, but didn’t release Joseph. “He set me up!”

“No, he didn’t. Let him go.” Julius moved closer, his posture a silent threat.

Joseph was released with a shove, and he straightened his suit, eyeing the larger man with disdain.

Tariq didn’t give a fuck. His gaze bounced to me. “Yeah? What the fuck is my wife’s lawyer doing here, then?”

Joseph’s mouth dropped open, finally clued in on what had set the football player off and why he’d been throttled against the wall. Did Joseph grasp the severity of this? What Tariq was doing was illegal, and worse, if it got out, it’d be a scandal too big for the NFL to ignore. Crawford had been coming to the club long enough to be labeled a regular. Long enough to know Joseph used to run the club.

Years of cheating on his wife, and with prostitutes.

The attorney in me now had the bargaining chip I needed to get whatever I wanted on Courtney’s behalf. If my father were her lawyer, he’d be a shark and go for every last cent he could squeeze from Tariq.

But there were two very important things in play. First, the club was under FBI protection. They’d never let the scandal break because it’d jeopardize their sophisticated sting operation.

And second, I wasn’t my father’s son. I wasn’t going to put money ahead of everything else.

“I’m not here for you,” I said to Tariq, trying to keep my voice calm and professional. “I didn’t know—”

“Shut your mouth, ain’t nobody talking to you!” Abruptly Tariq began to pace in the narrow hall. He pushed his dreads back out of his face and seemed lost. Was he picturing his career unraveling?

He skidded to a stop and glared at Julius. “How’d you know he didn’t set me up?”

Julius’s expression twisted. The damage was done; there was no going back. He lifted a hand, gesturing for his friend to remain calm. “He was my lawyer.”

“Wait, what?” Tariq took off pacing again, this time just one tight, frantic circle, and then he got up into Julius’s face. His tone was laced with betrayal. “You did this?”

“I told you not to come, T.” Julius’s expression was pained.

Tariq threw his hands into Julius’s chest and attempted to shove him back, but it had barely an impact. “I thought you were my boy. What the fuck?”

“Yeah.” Julius’s deep voice was heavy with anger. “What the fuck? How could you do it to her, man? I’d kill to have a girl like that, and you don’t care. You’re here, buying pussy week after week, throwing her away. You don’t deserve her.”

Joseph sensed it at the same instant I did, the terrible shift in the air as their friendship headed toward a violent end. We both straightened and tensed, preparing to do whatever we could if these two freight trains decided to run at each other.

“Man, shut the fuck up,” Tariq barked. “You think you’re better than me? Who’ve I been buying pussy from, Julius?”

“Didn’t say I was better than you. I kept my mouth shut too long. Court deserves a man who ain’t gonna cheat on her every chance he gets.”

Tariq scoffed loudly. “Fuck you, you don’t know what it’s like. I’m getting it from all sides. Sometimes I just gotta get out and be me.”

“Yeah? Lemme help you.” Julius’s tone was as dark as his expression. “Get out of my club, and don’t fucking come back.”

Disbelief ran over Tariq’s face. “Her? You gonna pick her, over me?” He slapped his palm to his chest. “We played ball together. You and the whole D line were my brothers.”

Julius shook his head. “You and me . . . We’re not those guys no more. Go, Tariq, before I make you.”

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