Offside (20 page)

“She seems okay, but . . . I don’t know.” Landon squared his shoulders. “We’ve all got to deal with it. The whole team. And I’m not sure if that makes it worse. Silver managed without her sister for a long time, but now it’s losing her, and two of our strongest players. Silver has so much invested in the team, and all together, it’s just too much. I’m just glad she doesn’t know—”

“You’re lucky Keane isn’t a media whore like Anthony Delgado. The right Google search and you’d have a crisis on your hands.”

“Please don’t mention her father in front of her. She wants to see him, but he’ll only make things more difficult.”

Right. Becky held on to her brother’s arm, taking a deep breath as Zach slowed to keep pace with them. Zach’s hand in hers made everything so much easier. The muscle in Landon’s arm hardened. Becky glanced at him, then followed his gaze and winced as Oriana dropped her bags at Max’s feet, rushing forward, all else forgotten.

“Dominik!”

“Fuck.” Landon hissed under his breath as Silver stopped short, her hand on her throat as Oriana sobbed and threw herself into Dominik’s arms. For a moment, it looked like the man’s solid embrace was the only thing that kept Oriana from falling to her knees.

“I can’t do this, Dominik.” Oriana buried her face into Dominik’s chest, her fingers bunched in his T-shirt. “Tell me to stay.”

Becky bit her bottom lip hard as cold crept up her side where Landon had moved away to be closer to Silver. Without a word, Zach slid behind her, rubbing warmth into her bare arms as she settled back against his hard chest.

“I can’t.” Dominik kissed Oriana’s hair. “But I promised I’d come. And I brought someone else to see you off.”

Oriana lifted her head, letting out a watery laugh as she slipped away from Dominik to hug her brother, Ford. “I called, sent you texts, but you never got back to me.”

“My phone got busted.” Ford patted her back, shifting away awkwardly, staring down at his boots. The young man made Becky nervous—she’d heard some really nasty things about him—but right now, there was something sad and lonely about him. There were shadows under his eyes, as though he hadn’t been sleeping, and his voice was rough, as though he was fighting to keep it level. “My car too. It’s been a weird few weeks, but when Dominik told me you were leaving tonight, I dropped everything.”

Silver made a sharp, irate sound. “Puh-lease. I don’t know why you listen to a word this asshole says, Oriana. He’s a liar. And a user.”

Ford sucked his teeth. “Yeah, well, it runs in the family. Who called Dad all sweetly after not talking to him for months? How much did you sucker him out of this time, Silver?”

“Don’t call him ‘Dad,’ you fucking mold-infested douche bag.” Silver put her hands on her hips. “And I didn’t ask him for a cent. I told him how thing were going with the new screens I had put up outside the forum. He
offered
to contribute money we both know he doesn’t have.”

“He still wrote you a check.”

“Which I ripped up! And how do you know that anyway? Can Dad shit without you sticking your nose up there to see how bad it stinks?”

“Silver!” Oriana smothered a laugh with her hand, holding up the other toward Ford before he could voice a comeback. “Will you two stop it? Please? I need you to promise you’ll look out for each other while I’m gone.”

Ford arched a brow. Silver snorted.

Oriana sighed, then took Dominik’s hand, tugging him down the hall with her. “I need to talk to you.”

Dominik nodded, but glanced over at Max as though needing to clear it with him before going any further. Max shoved his hands in his pockets, inclining his head.

Silver rested her head on Landon’s shoulder, a sad smile touching her lips. “That went better than I thought it would. She’s going to be okay, right?”

“Of course she will,
mignonne
.” Landon’s brow furrowed as he met Dean’s eyes over Silver’s head. He gave Zach the same look, and it took a moment for Becky to figure out what it meant.

No one doubted that Oriana would get through this. She had Max and Sloan to help her. But Dominik . . . Dominik had no one. Besides his teammates, whose help he’d never ask for. There was no way any of them could tell Silver this. Not for another month anyway.

“She loves him so much.” Silver turned to Becky, speaking only to her, as though the men couldn’t possibly understand. “I wish I knew why she’s leaving him. Why he’s letting her.”

“It’s simple, sweetie.” Becky took a deep breath, swallowing against the lump in her throat as she stared out the window into the dark, starless sky. “He loves her too.”

* * * *

“I have to go, don’t I?”

No. No, you can stay.
Dominik pressed his lips together, staring out the huge, fingerprint-smeared window at the planes lining the runway. One of which would be taking Oriana away from him all too soon. His whole chest caved in a little more with each breath he took, closing down on his heart which beat so hard against his ribs he was sure Oriana could hear it. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth to keep his smile in place. He loosened it as he glanced over at Oriana, taking in her wide eyes, glistening with tears.

This wasn’t easy for her, which made what he had to do, to say, even harder. A few words and he could play her uncertainty in his favor. Have her go back to Max and force him to leave without her. But then what? Being without him might hurt, but losing Max would tear her apart.

Max would stay. Max would do anything for her. You don’t have to let either of them go.

Could he do that to them? Or himself? It would be so simple. All he had to do was pretend the relationship hadn’t truly ended months ago. Lie to himself every night as he held Oriana. Make believe she’d chosen him.

“Sloan is waiting for you.” He touched her cheek, hanging on to his smile so she would know he wasn’t trying to be cruel. All he’d ever asked from her was the truth. And he couldn’t hold it against her just because the truth wasn’t what he wanted to hear. It was time for him to make her face it. “If you’re not getting on that plane, you should call him and let him know.”

“Dominik, you know I can’t do that.” She tucked her hair behind her ears, the faint color in her cheeks vanishing completely. “I-I love him. I can’t picture my life without him.”

But you can picture it without me.
Not a question. It was all too clear. “Then you have your answer.”

She caught his hand, shaking her head. “But I still love you. You can come with us and—”

“No, Oriana. I can’t. The team needs me.” He held his breath, hating what he had to say next. But there was no other way to end this. If all they’d ever had was honesty and trust, they would have that still, even though it was over. “You don’t need me. Not anymore.”

“That’s not true—”

“Look. At. Me.” Dominik’s voice broke as tears spilled down her cheeks. His own eyes burned as he gave her the last command he would ever give her. “Go. Go build something strong between yourself, Max, and Sloan. Find the life you’ve always wanted and . . .” He swallowed hard. “Don’t look back. There’s nothing left for you here.”

“There’s my family.” She swiped her tears away and bit her bottom lip. “There’s y—”

“Just your family. And you’ll visit. But you know what you have to do now, Oriana.” He was shocked that he still managed to smile as he dried her last tears. “Go.”

“All right.” She inhaled roughly, stepping away from him. She sniffed, then squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry I made this more difficult for you. All I want—all I’ve ever wanted—was for you to be happy. But none of us have been for a while, have we?”

“No.” His smile faltered. He wanted to take all his words back as he saw her physically, and emotionally, pulling away from him. And he would have, if it would change anything. Only, there was no point in dragging this out any further. It shouldn’t have been dragged on this long. “We will be though. Door closes, window opens, and all that.”

She blinked back fresh tears and nodded. “For you too. You’re the captain of the team. And you’ll find someone—”

Spine stiffening, Dominik backed away from her. “Don’t. Please don’t. We’ve said all we have to say. I’m trying to make this easier, but I can’t hear that from you. Not that.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, Oriana’s face crumpled. “I’m sorry! Dominik, I didn’t mean to—”

Brisk footsteps came toward them. Without looking, Dominik knew it was Max. He gave a jerky nod as Max squeezed his shoulder, facing the window as the man drew Oriana away.

“If we’re going, we have to leave now,” Max said softly, speaking to her. “You know I’ll accept whatever choice you make.”

“We’re going.” Oriana never came any closer. Simply whispered, “Goodbye, Dominik.”

Dominik’s lips formed the word, but the sound couldn’t pass the locked down part of his throat. Max’s heavy footsteps, followed by the slow scrape of Oriana’s heels, faded away. And his whole body shook as he leaned his forehead against the cool glass before him. A broken sound escaped as his heart shattered into a million jagged pieces. He choked on a sob, pressing his fist against his lips.

She’s gone.
A blazing hot tear trailed down his cheek.
She’s really gone.

M
ason hadn’t come back. Oriana and Perron had said their last goodbyes at security. Their plane had disappeared over the horizon. But Mason was nowhere to be seen.

Zach knew the man wouldn’t do anything stupid, no matter how upset he was, but he shouldn’t be alone right now. Looking over at Becky, he could tell, by the way her lips parted and her hand tightened on his while she stared down the hall where Mason had disappeared, that she’d been about to say just that.

“I’ll check on him, then give you a call later.” He leaned over to brush a kiss on her cheek, then nodded to Richter and Bower, who barely acknowledged him. Silver stood between them, staring out at nothing, her face utterly still. Tears would have been reassuring, but this . . . this was a little frightening. Thankfully, her men were capable of taking good care of her. And Becky had been pregnant, so she’d know if there was anything to worry about.

Ford blocked him before he could go any farther. He rolled his eyes when Zach frowned at him. “Cam came with us. His probably with Dominik.”

“What if Dominik doesn’t want to talk to him?” Silver curved her hand around the base of her throat, lips pressed together so hard they faded into the rest of her pale skin. “What if he just needs time to . . . to deal. I think I need that. Just a short walk by myself so I can wrap my head around this.”

“Silver—” Bower reached for her, but Richter drew him back. Bower hunched his shoulders, then nodded. “Go ahead,
ma cherie
. We’ll wait for you at the car.”

Becky stepped up to Zach’s side as Silver made her way out the closest door, her throat working hard as she looked helplessly at her brother. She looked worn out. Zach had been keeping her up too late, and with the emotional rollercoaster of the last few days, she was probably completely drained.

“You should get back to Richter’s place and get some sleep.” Zach stroked her back gently, warmth filling him as she leaned against his chest, not trying to hide her exhaustion. He didn’t mind a clashing of wills once in a while, but with this, he’d have pushed the issue if she’d argued with him. “I know you’re going to spend the night worrying about Silver and your brother.”

“Come with me?” Becky tipped her head up to look at him, holding back a wince. “Ugh, that sounded pathetic, didn’t it? You have a lot to do tomorrow.”

“My bike’s still back there. I can stay for a little.” He kissed the tip of her nose, grinning at the way she wrinkled it. She was adorable when she was all sleepy. “Tuck you in and sing you a lullaby?”

“Mmm. I bet you have a really nice voice.” Straightening, Becky rubbed her eyes, letting out a light laugh. “I don’t have the energy to say no to you.”

Tempting, but no.
He wouldn’t even tease her about her words. This painfully long day needed to end.

But as he passed the automatic doors, familiar screams told him it wasn’t over yet.

“You fucking bitch! Oriana just left!” Silver stood in the middle of the parking lot, facing a woman Zach was sure he’d seen around the forum. “My father sent you for me and Ford?
Tonight?
Why don’t you tell him—”

“You’ve always been so dramatic, my dear.” The woman—Anne, Mr. Delgado’s secretary or assistant or something—clasped her hands in front of her lime green pencil skirt, her thin lips twisted in a smirk. Her tone was maddeningly calm in the face of Silver’s rage. “Please get ahold of yourself. This excitement isn’t good for the baby.”

“Why didn’t he come? She’s his daughter and all she ever wanted was for him to say he loved her!” Silver’s voice cracked. “It would have meant so much to her if he’d come.”

Richter strode ahead, with Bower following as fast as he could, but Silver waved them both back, then completely ignored Ford as he moved up to her side. Zach took Becky’s lead, sticking close to Bower in case his leg gave him trouble.

“Why would your father make that kind of effort for a child he doesn’t believe is his? And besides, her behavior reflects badly on the family. It humiliated your father that she carried his name while strutting around with all those men.” Anne sniffed, eyeing Silver’s stomach. “Though I can’t say you’re much better.”

“Listen, lady—” Ford took a step forward, grunting when Silver slapped her hand into his chest. “Fuck, Silver. She can’t talk to you like that.”

“I don’t need you defending me. I—” Silver cringed and hugged herself. She let out a pain-filled gasp as the color left her face. “No. Not again.”

“As I said. Too much excitement,” Anne said, glancing over at Ford as he wrapped his arm around Silver’s back to support her. “Your father would still like to see you at your convenience.”

“Tell my father he can go to hell.” Ford snarled, nodding when Richter came to lift Silver into his arms. Ford looked shocked when Silver latched on to his hand, towing him along with them. “I got you, sis.”