RUNNING GAME (A SECOND CHANCE SPORTS ROMANCE) (28 page)

Lex stood there, silent.

“How long can you kick a fucking ball around on the field, Lex? How long will
your
career last? I checked the statistics. The usual professional athlete career lasts eight, maybe ten years even at the highest level. You’ve already been on the field professionally for years now. What are you going to do when the sun sets on your glory days, huh?”

Lex lowered his face down to mine, and I realized in that second just how far I’d pushed him… I didn’t know if he was going to kiss me or hit me, and I wasn’t sure which of those two things I was more afraid of… If he put his lips on mine, would I be able to stop him? Would I want to?

“Fuck you, Riley,” he growled in a deep, dark voice, baritones lower than I’d ever heard from him. “You’ve crossed the line.”

He pulled back to look at me quietly. One palm came down from the wall, and then the other. He stood there, regarding me quietly for a moment, and finally took a step backwards.

I summoned up every ounce of strength I kept down in my core. “I really need you to leave.”

Lex looked pained, as if I’d just stabbed him straight in the heart. He took another stumbling step backwards, glancing down at his open palms, and searched my eyes with a glance.

“
Now
, Lex.”

“No,” he murmured. “We can fix this. I know you have feelings for me.”

“Lex.”

I let my face darken as I took a step towards him. “You’ve betrayed my trust. I just want you
out
of my apartment and
out
of my life.”

“Please, Riley,” he whispered.

I’d had enough of his bullshit.

“You haven’t listened to a fucking word I’ve said, have you, Alexander Lambert?” I jeered. “You’re
trespassing
now. Get out.”

He realized then that I wasn’t backing down, and his eyes narrowed at me. He didn’t even bother to cast out one last, pathetic
please.

All I knew was that I wanted him gone. He could come back later, maybe, after I’d cooled down and had some time to take in all of this new information – about his past, about his reputation, about everything.

But for right now? He had to go. I needed some space and some time.

With one last, withered look – a look that boiled into relentless anger – Lex Lambert slammed the front door behind him, disappearing into the night.

W
hen I stormed
out of her apartment, I wasn’t thinking straight. All that I knew was that I needed to get out of that place and away from her.

The painful, vicious things she’d said.

The buried memories she’d drudged up.

I needed to blow some steam, and fast.

While wandering along the French Quarter, surrounded by bar upon bar, I gave some serious consideration to popping into any one of them and drinking myself into a blinding stupor.

Luckily, I was thinking clearly enough to recognize how fucking awful an idea that would be. I could imagine Jess’s furious face, screaming obscenities at me:

What if you’re caught on camera?

What if they drag you out to the street?

What if you
hurt
somebody?

Grow the fuck up, Lex!

With a low growl and an absent-minded wave of my wrist, I banished the apparition from my thoughts. Sure, Jess was going to be pissed – both as my best friend
and
my publicist – but I couldn’t help but require some time to simmer down.

That was, even if I
did
keep her fears in mind. After all, if she knew where I was and what I was doing at the time… I was aware that her perceived thoughts on the matter weren’t exactly incorrect.

My eyes scanned the windows of another bar as I passed by. This one, however, caught my eye. Two words:
billiards tables.

I allowed myself a sliver of a smile.

Now…
there’s
a thought.

My heel turned, and I found myself strolling into the bar. The bouncer at the front, some fat fuck picking his teeth, let his jaw slacken as he spotted me.

“Whoa, partner,” he shook his head. “Not sure this is exactly your kind of place… whatcha want from in here?”

“Pool table,” I grunted.

“Lots of places in town with a pool table,” he observed, lifting his chin to stare me down his fat, pudgy nose. “Places more suited to a man of yer, uh, refined tastes…”

“Where’s the closest one?”

“Dunno.”

“Well, then,” I smiled, “that’s just too far.”

He shook his head lightly. “Suit yerself.”

I gave him a slight nod of acknowledgement as I passed into the bar. I could see why he had tried to steer me elsewhere. This was a bit of a rougher place: darker, grittier, and with an obvious change in clientele. Black leather and cut, plaid jackets dominated the scene… a scene in which I stood out like a sore thumb.

But I was already committed to the course.

A few pairs of eyes wound up on me as I passed through the entrance, and those eyes belonged to men who elbowed those to their side. Within moments, like a great wave of attention, half the bar was staring at me.

None of them seemed to be making trouble. No one stepped into my way or brushed against my shoulder; nobody called me out or shouted for me.

See?
I thought to myself.
These gentlemen know how to be civilized.

I stepped towards the bar, pushing a bar stool aside and falling into place near a great, slovenly man and his equally fat wife. Dressed in comically undersized cowboy/girl attire, they studied me carefully and gnawed on what was either gum or, more likely, chewing tobacco.

“Bourbon, neat,” I requested.

“Well?” The bartender tried to clarify.

“Yeah. Sure.”

A bigger, grizzlier guy himself, the bartender nodded once. He dropped a few cubes into a tumbler and poured some whiskey over it, and I handed him some cash.

“Yer change, sir.”

“Eh,” I closed an eye at him, quickly gritting my teeth in thought. “Keep it.”

He looked dumbfounded for a moment. I might have accidentally handed him a twenty instead of a ten, not that it was particularly any skin off of my back. After all, I was still getting used to American currency, even with the big numbers in the corners.

I downed the drink and requested another, being certain to tip him a little more appropriately. This one, I carried over to the only free pool table around.

Digging around in the pockets, I withdrew the lost pool balls and racked them all up. Buffing the tip of a cuestick with the chalk, I dusted my hands, then broke the pyramid and began to play myself.

My residual frustration with the events of the night was throwing me off my game, but I managed to keep the cue ball from flying off the table. Still, my playing was substantially less than ideal, and I was starting to think that I was embarrassing myself.

I lost a game or two with other players before I really started to finally hit my stride. Guiding my anger into careful precision strikes, I began dominating the corner. My resolve strengthening with each turn, I continued proving to myself that I was the reigning alpha on more green fields than one.

An hour passed as I downed another two, maybe three drinks. My playing continued improving, surprisingly enough. I was starting to draw some attention from the other tables, and players began watching me instead of their opponents during their games.

I was keeping an eye on some of them, too, and this particular kid caught my focus. He was a really sloppy player, scattering the balls poorly and accidentally ricocheting the cue ball off the table on more than one occasion. Some of us started to chuckle at his ineptitude, although I noticed the passion in his eyes for the sport.

Give it a few years, kid,
I thought to myself.
With dedication like yours, you’ll get good at this…

The cue ball sailed off the table again.

…
Eventually.

It was after that game finished that I noticed him handing bills to the other player, a look of dejection and defeat across his face.
He’s gambling? Is he hoping Lady Luck will kiss his cheek?

My opponent bought me a drink after I won, and the kid crossed my path. By now, he’d played just about everyone near the pool tables, and I was the single contender left.

“Want a round?” He asked.

I studied him for a moment.

“Nah, kid. I’m good.”

“You sure?” He asked. “I’ll bet ya a hundred bucks.”

“Hundred dollars, eh?” I asked, sizing him up with different eyes. “That’s more than you’ve been giving the others…”

“Dad’s rich. I just enjoy playing with his money, even if I’m not too great at this,” he shrugged. “I think I’m starting to get a hang for it.”

“You want some pointers?” I asked.

“Much obliged… but I’m one of those ‘learn as I go’ types,” he smiled toothily and scratched the back of his head. “I’ve gotta let my body figure it all out by itself, and then I just do whatever winds up working.”

“Muscle memory,” I acknowledged, nodding to myself. “I know what you’re talking about. Friends of mine are the same way.”

“So, you want a round, or nah?”

I scoffed. “…Fine. One round.”

“Sweeten the pot?”

“Don’t need to,” I shook my head.

“Oh, come on, bro,” he chided me. “Guy in a nice suit like you? You can afford to piss away a hundred bucks, losing to me.”

Something clicked in my head. Looking back on it, it was less like an idea popping, and more like disarming the safety on a revolver.

“That’s a lot of smack, coming from a kid with your losing streak,” I grinned. A few other patrons nearby were taking interest, nodding their approval.

“Put yer money where yer mouth is.”

I dug into my front pocket and whipped out my wallet, glancing through and pushing the wad of hundreds aside, looking for some twenties. I counted out a hundred in the sheath and slipped it back into place.

“Alright, kid. Hundred bucks,” I agreed. “What about you? You’ve been bleeding dollars all night. What have you got left?”

He slipped his hand into his pocket and showed me a handful of crumpled twenties. “I’m good for it,” the kid nodded.

“What’s your name?” I asked, setting us up for a fresh game. “I like to know my opponents when I face them on the green.”

“On the green?” He asked, shaking his head. “That’s a weird way with words you’ve got yerself there… name’s Dylan. You?”

I thought for a moment. “Alex.”

“Alex,” he nodded. “Well, Alex, ready to get your butt whooped?”

An amused smile crossed my lips. “By all means, friend.” I lifted the triangle, leaving a perfectly shaped pyramid of balls in position, and set the cue ball right into place. I stepped back, waving towards the table with my wrist.

“Ladies first,” I goaded.

Dylan’s face fell. “Ain’t no lady.”

“Prove it.”

A sly smile spread across his face, and he buffed the end of his cue stick. Spectating players stepped aside as he strolled over into position, lined up his shot, and broke the triangle… knocking two solids straight into their pockets, and leaving complete disarray that put stripes at a disadvantage.

My teeth gritted as I surveyed the aftermath with a second’s glance.
That’s not luck that made that shot work…

I tried to line something useful up, but it wasn’t happening. Instead, I decided to knock some of the balls further around, and spent my turn splintering the battleground.

Dylan took advantage of this, knocking another solid into the pocket. His shot sent a second one towards the corner, but it hovered near the edge of the hole – clearly lined up for another perfect shot.

“You’ve hustled me,” I acknowledged. I couldn’t really be angry. I’d fallen hard for his little ploy. Some of the patrons chuckled in agreement; after all, they’d already made some money off of the kid, and it was all at the expense of the suited, foreign newcomer.

Dylan looked wounded. “Just a few lucky ones, man. I knew my fortunes would change, sooner or later…”

I didn’t buy it for a second, even as I sank in a striped ball per turn. With each successive move, Dylan blocked me, sent one or two balls in, or completely fucked my approach. When he got to the eight ball, he banked it off three bumpers before burying it in the corner pocket, just to be an ass.

And he was smiling wide as can be.

“You got me Dylan,” I said, tossing the twenties on the table. “Well played.”

Dylan didn’t move. He looked down at the money like I’d just insulted him.

“What the fuck is that?”

I looked back at the table, the five twenties spread across the green felt.

“That’s one hundred dollars. Don’t spend it all in one place, kid.”

He took a step toward me, then another. I stared down at the scrawny kid as he grabbed my shirt, twisting it in his fist. “We were playing for the thousand dollars you’ve got in that fucking wallet of yours.”

I almost wanted to laugh in his face. I could crush this kid. I could kick him hard enough to send him sailing across this godforsaken bar. I reached up and peeled his hand free, holding his wrist in the air.

“So you’re a hustler and a thief?” I asked, anger starting to well up inside me. The little prick thought he could jack up the bet now that the game was over?

The other players – most of who weren’t even playing anymore – shifted uncomfortably or hesitantly moved closer. In response, I released his hand, holding my hands up in restraint.

“Take your money, and get away from me.”

“Pay me what we agreed on,” the kid shouted.

“Your money is on the table. Sod off.” I replied, turning away. I was finished with this discussion. I wanted to get back to my drink and forget any of this happened.

I had no such luck.

A hand gripped my shoulder and spun me round. Before I could react, the kid’s pitiful little fist made contact with my chin. I stared at him in disbelief. I’d grown up on the streets. I’d been in my fair share of fights in and out of the bars and I’d never seen someone throw such a weak arse punch.

“You
little piece of shit!” I shouted, thrusting a quick jab into his face. I didn’t want to hurt the kid, I just wanted to bloody his nose a bit and teach him a damn lesson. What happened next was something right off the green. Dylan fell backwards and exaggeratedly flung himself across a pool table as if I’d just hit him with a goddamned truck. He was screaming and flopping on the floor. The kid was faking it!

What the hell?

Another set of arms wrapped themselves around me. I wrenched an arm free and left a glancing blow against the redneck. Two more people tackled me to the ground. I went into self defense mode, arms and legs flailing until a flash of a badge came across my vision and I realized that an officer of the law was attempting to restraining me against the ground.

“You’re coming with me,” he snarled into my ear. Every drop of adrenaline pulsing through my veins left when I felt the cold, constraining sensation of handcuffs around my wrists.

“Wait – no!” I started to growl.

“You have the right to remain silent,” the officer began, pulling me up to a stand. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…”

I looked up, catching the kid’s eyes. He was grinning wide as he strode toward the door at the back of the bar. It was only then that I noticed my wallet in his hand. The little arse had pickpocketed me, and used the “fight” to cover his tracks!

“Wait! That little shit!”

The officer pulled my arms up tighter behind me, forcing a shout of pain and cutting me off. He continued rattling off my rights as I was pulled towards the front exit. The patrons were giving me a wide berth, regarding me impartially, but a face in the crowd caused my heart to stop on the spot.

No… it can’t be.

The unmistakable grin of Alistair Pritch filled my vision, draining the life from my limbs. I staggered, almost dropping to my knees, as the officer helped keep me upright.

You see, I had realized in that very instant what had happened to me tonight.

“You…” I gasped in defeat.

My enemy simply nodded, standing directly in front of me, his wicked smile spreading wider across his lips.

“That’s right, Lex. I’ve been waiting a long time to see you in handcuffs… and now, I finally had my opportunity. You’re an easy man to follow, did you know that?”

“Stand back, sir,” the officer told him as he tugged me along.