Page 141 of Blindside Sinner

“So youdoknow him.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’re not saying anything. And what little you are saying is bullshit. I saw you talking to him, and he was looking at you like he wanted to swallow you whole.”

Her eyes flit away from mine again, like making contact hurts her. “I can’t help how anyone looks at me, Beck.”

“Goddammit, Sloan, I’m not messing around!” Out of the corner of my eye, I notice one or two of my teammates on their way out of the stadium looking over in surprise at my raised voice. I drag Sloan into the space between two cars. “How do you fucking know him? Is he your ex?”

“Ew, God, no!”

“Then how?”

She sighs, exasperated. “I’m not talking to you about this. You’re my boss. And the guy I’m sleeping with. That entitles you to absolutely nothing about my life.”

“You think so?”

“No, Beck. Iknowso.”

She tries to wriggle out of where I’m pinning her against the closed door of the car, but I cage her in with one arm.

I’m rage incarnate. “You’re lying to me.”

Lying to me about my own fucking father. My own fucking nightmare. And she’s doing it while glaring at me likeI’mthe liar, likeI’mthe one who’s tellinghershe didn’t see what she knows she saw.

Sloan grimaces. “Sleeping with me doesn’t give you a hall pass into every nook and cranny of my life. Who I talk to is mybusiness. And if I want you to know, I’ll tell you. But I don’t, so I’m not.”

The anger is bubbling inside of me, threatening to explode. “Sleeping with me makes you my business.”

She narrows her eyes so that they aren’t more than little slits. “Well, then consider yourself relieved of the duty.”

I recoil like she slapped me. My pulse is thudding painfully in my temples. This is more than just a nightmare coming back to life—this is two of them crashing together and making some sick hybrid beast. My father, back from whatever nasty ditch he lives in, swooping in to ruin the one good thing I’ve ever had.

Typical. Sofuckingtypical.

I should’ve seen it coming.

But I’m not going to beg her. Not going to plead with her. Sure as hell not going to stand here begging her to let me into her life. She wants to sleep alone from now on? That’s fine with me. I don’t give a shit.

I was sleeping alone before she got here, and I can do it again.

I drop the keys on the asphalt at her feet. “I’ll find my own way home.”

71

BECK

By morning, I’m calm, although I haven’t slept. Sloan has been holed up in her room since last night’s blow-up.

I’ve been patient. Haven’t busted the door down or even threatened to do it—mostly because I know that, one way or another, she has to come out. We’re leaving on a road trip this afternoon.

So I spend the morning packing, confident she’ll be out soon so we can get to the airport. We’re flying to St. Louis tonight for tomorrow’s game, to Dallas tomorrow night for Saturday’s game, and to Los Angeles on Saturday night for Sunday’s game.

It’s a lot to pack into three and half days, but we have two days off when we return, and if things aren’t back to normal by then, Sloan and I can use that time to inject some truth into this disaster.

It’s almost time to go when someone knocks on the door.

I’m already annoyed before I even open it. I’m even more annoyed when I see who it is.

---