Will slumped down on the floor, his back resting against the chair so that he faced away from her. Obviously, he didn’t want her to see his eyes as he revealed his tale. An involuntary shiver raced through her body. She wanted to touch him, but that could derail them, too, so she reached for the wine instead.
He was silent for a few minutes, and she began to wonder if he’d ever get the story out when he finally spoke.
“Gavin and the rest of the McAlisters were big athletes. Donald, their dad, played minor league baseball once. I did whatever they did. When we were in high school, Gavin was the one everybody thought would be a pro football player. Our team won the state championship twice. We both dreamed of playing together at NC State, but it turned out I was too small.”
Julianne nearly choked on her wine, and Will chuckled.
“I was a late bloomer. I didn’t grow until I got to college. Anyway, I was cool with taking out loans to go with my scholarships and heading to State with Gavin, but my high school guidance counselor had other ideas. He had a friend at Yale who was able to get me a tryout with their football team. They liked me, and my GPA, and suddenly there was a lot of merit scholarship money thrown at me. I wouldn’t have any debt when I got out of college if I went there. It was really the best choice. And I loved it in New Haven. The professors, the secret societies, a college coach who was my mentor. Everything that makes up life on campus was so different than I imagined. Best of all, no one there knew I was the bastard from the Seaside Vista Trailer Park.”
Of its own accord, Julianne’s hand found Will’s head, her fingers gently massaging his scalp.
“Gavin ended up blowing out his knee after one season. He’d never play in the pros. So the torch was passed to me. Only I didn’t get drafted. But Coach Z was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Generals and he managed to work me onto the practice squad. The money wasn’t great, five grand a month. I took a second job working nights as a security guard so I could send money to my mother. She needed to move out of that damn trailer park. It just wasn’t safe for a woman to live there alone. Times were starting to get tough for everyone, and there were a lot of men in town with way too much time on their hands.”
An ominous rumble of thunder shook the house.
“The final preseason game, there were a lot of starters hurt, so Coach Z put me in the lineup. I played my heart out because I didn’t want to let Coach Z down, but mostly because I knew it was my last shot.” Will hesitated. “It was a clean hit. The quarterback fumbled the ball, I landed on it, and we won the game. The next day, I found out the quarterback was out for the season. I’d separated his shoulder. He ended up never playing again.”
He leaned his head onto her lap.
“Even worse, I found an envelope with twenty thousand dollars in cash in my locker that afternoon. When I asked Coach about it, he said it was a bonus for my play. I had no idea they did that in the pros, so I asked a few other players about it. They just slapped me on the back and said it was my reward for delivering a punishing lick to the Broncos’ quarterback. I was sick.” He let out an explosive sigh. “I’d taken a man out of the game and I was getting paid extra for it. I tried to give the money back, but Coach told me to keep my mouth shut and enjoy the cash. The next day, I was cut from the team. I’d like to believe Coach was doing me a favor by cutting me, you know, looking out for me. But now . . . I don’t know.”
Julianne didn’t know what to say, so she just stroked his cheek.
“The Blaze called a few days later. Apparently, they liked the hit, too. I wasn’t sure what to think when I got to Baltimore. I’ve never gotten any more cash in envelopes, though, thank God.”
“What did you do with the money?” she asked.
“You’re living in it. A college friend of mine invested it in a hedge fund and I made a killing in six months.”
She looked around the cozy house, the only thing standing between her and the raging storm outside.
“I feel guilty every time I walk in here,” he whispered.
“No, Will!” She crawled onto the floor beside him, taking his face between her hands. “You shouldn’t feel guilty. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was your job to hit the quarterback. You didn’t know about the bonus. If you did, you wouldn’t have hit him. Will, you would never intentionally hurt someone. I know you wouldn’t!”
“I almost strangled that reporter today.”
“Almost! And that’s different. The jerk lied and misrepresented himself to get in the house.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “But he does have a point. If you tell your story, people will know you’re innocent. That you didn’t do anything wrong. And then they’ll leave you alone.”
Lightning cracked outside and Will jumped to his feet.
“I can’t, Julianne! Don’t you see? I’m the one who can bring it all down. I’m the missing puzzle piece. The players who willingly took the money aren’t going to talk.”
Julianne stood, too. “But, Will, what they’re doing is wrong. They have to be stopped, and you’re the only one who can stop them.”
“It’s too late. I’ve already condoned the practice with my silence these past eight years. Besides, the man they’re trying to name as the ringleader, Coach Z, is dying. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for him. No matter how I feel about his practices, I don’t want his last days to be a witch hunt.” He sat on the edge of the bed, his hands hanging between his knees. “If they dig deep enough, they’ll probably dredge up something minor that happened while he was coaching at Yale that could inadvertently damage the program. There are a lot of good kids with backgrounds like mine who are getting a shot at a better life through that football program. Whether or not they turn pro, doors will be opened for them. I can’t sabotage that, Julianne, I can’t.”
She sat down beside him on the bed and laid her cheek on his shoulder. The thunder boomed again and he wrapped his arm around her.
“Now do you see why I can’t talk about it?” he whispered.
Julianne nodded. His dilemma was real, but he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. The demons in the scenario were his former coach and the players who took money to injure their opponents. Hopefully, all the talk about a bounty scheme would deter other players from instituting one in their own locker rooms. For now, though, she just wanted to reassure Will.
She reached up a finger to trace his jaw. “Whatever you decide to do, Will, I’ll still love you.”
The words were out there and she couldn’t take them back. Wide-eyed, he answered her by pushing her back on the bed and claiming her mouth in a deep, soulful kiss. She reached under his sweatshirt to touch his warm skin as she wrapped a leg around his hips. Lightning cracked above them and they both jumped. Will listened for a moment to hear if Owen had woken, before pulling her off the bed.
“Come on.” He grabbed the monitor and towed her toward the door.
“Where are we going?” Panic gripped her at the thought of going out in the storm.
“We’re going to exorcise your fear of storms, Princess.”
Her feet were rooted to the floor and she shook her head from side to side. No way was she moving from the safety of this room. And she’d prefer Will stay with her, thank you very much.
He pulled her in closer, leaning his forehead against hers. The heat of his body began to relax her tense limbs.
“I just trusted you with a secret only my agent knows. Trust me on this, will you, Julianne? I promise you’ll enjoy it. Every. Single. Moment,” he breathed.
Like a lamb to slaughter, she followed him out of the relative safety of her bedroom toward the front of the house, where the surf bombarded the coast and the storm waged war over their heads. His bedroom door was ajar and she dragged her feet as the sounds outside became louder.