Whiplash: A Sports Romance (48 page)

“Fox…” I lean into him, lying my head on his shoulder as exhaustion tries to seduce me. My voice ripples off, leaving only light laughter on my breath.

“You still here?” he jokes.

“Yeah, I just need a minute.”

He lays a hand on my back to feel my racing heart. “You’ll be all right,” he says, kissing my shoulder. I still feel him between us, rock hard with passion for me. “Have I been too…?”

“No,” I breathe. I raise my head and settle my forehead against his with a permanent smile. “No, you’re perfect.”

“Good.”

I run my fingers along the white bandages on his back. “Aren’t you in pain?” I laugh.

“Oh yeah,” he says. “But it’s worth it.”

“I expected to feel more…” I inhale deep, “
self-conscious
.”

Fox shakes his head and his sweat-covered hair sways with it. “You don’t have to be with me,” he says. His lips curl. “It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.”

I raise an eyebrow and lean back as my jaw drops. “I knew it!” His cheeks explode red. “You filthy, lying pervert!”

He laughs against my skin. “The biggest movie star in the world was getting naked through my scope. What was I supposed to do?”

I laugh with him until my face muscles burn. “I feel so violated!”

“Not yet, but you will.” He grips me tight and forces me onto my back to take me again. My body shakes. Laughter has its way with me and he does, too.

It’s almost enough to make me forget the outside world. No Snake Eyes. No Mercer Black. No over-protective father that will surely throw a conniption fit when he finds out about this. Just me and Fox in his cabin, finally together against all odds.

I don’t want this night to end.

But every scene eventually fades to black.

Chapter 17

Fox

Dani. My beautiful Dani.

Even when she’s sleeping.

I don’t have to worry about accidentally waking her. Being stealthy has always come naturally for me. The question is whether or not I should.

She won’t be happy either way. If I wake her to say goodbye, she’ll try to stop me from leaving. I can’t guarantee I’ll go after that. It’s hard enough watching her sleep knowing it’s the last time I ever will. If she opens her eyes right now and tears fall out, I’ll lose sight of what really matters. A life with me is no life at all; it’s a death wish.

I’ll let her sleep.

I put on a suit and drop the flash drive into my pocket. It sits there, burning a hole like a lit cigarette — but I suppose a stick of dynamite is a more accurate comparison. In an hour, one of the most deadly secrets on the planet will be exposed, along with anyone who knew about it. There are some big names on that list, bigger than me or Mercer or even Ronnie Lamb. They won’t be happy.

But at least, Dani will be safe.

One last look. Her eyes twitch behind her lids. Given the last few days she’s had, I can’t be sure if it’s a good dream or a bad one. Even in darkness, her face is so bright — full of color and life. I bet I’m glowing a bit after last night, too.

One perfect night with her. At least, I got that. At least, I finally know how it feels to be inside of her and what she tastes like. At least, I know what noises she makes when I touch her just right and what it’s like to hear her moan my name. At least, I have that.

Fuck. I can’t leave her yet.

I walk over to the bed and kneel down beside it. She lies on her back with the comforter up to her shoulders. Her unnatural, black hair is a little messed up, but that’s okay. She’s still the most beautiful woman in the world, even with the stitches on her cheek. I reach out to touch her but I stop before my fingers feel her skin. I can’t risk waking her, no matter how much I want to hear her voice or look into her eyes one last time.

Dani. My beautiful Dani.

I hope you remember me the way I’ll remember you.

I step outside. The air is soft and warm; the first morning so far this year that’s felt more like spring than winter. It’s almost fitting that nice weather shows up the second I enter a concrete box but I’ve had worse luck, that’s for sure.

It’s a long drive into the city. The closer I get, the larger the rock in my gut feels. I keep her face in my mind and it shrinks a bit. I think of her smile and it gets even smaller.

The police station comes into view. I park my car on the street outside. I wonder how long it’ll take before my car is towed. They’ll comb it for evidence once they figure out it’s mine before scrapping it, but they won’t find anything in here. A few fingerprints. Some stray hairs. Maybe an unregistered gun or two in the trunk.

I inhale deep and exhale slowly. This is it. This is the moment when everything changes.

I step out of the car and walk into the police station.

A dull rumble of voices hit my ear as soon as I step inside. Uniforms jolt around the front lobby, brushing passed a desk Sergeant that looks a bit pissed off that she decided to show up to work today. Her eyes shift between a stack of paperwork and the television on the wall but linger much longer on the television.

I keep my focus and walk up to the desk. “Excuse me.”

“I’ll be right with you, sir,” she mutters without a glance in my direction.

Curiosity finally pulls my eyes to the television. It’s a national news report and something big is breaking, but I don’t have time to—

I pause and my heart collapses in my chest.

It’s my mother. Her mouth is covered with duct tape and the footage is shaky, but a son never forgets his mother’s eyes.

“Can I help you, sir?”

I don’t look away from her fearful face. I study the image. Dark room. Red light behind her. She’s on the floor, kneeling next to Bennett. Blood runs down his cheek from a cut above his eye.

“Sir—”

I look at the desk Sergeant. “What is this?”

She shrugs her thick shoulders. “No idea, but it’s taken over every news station in North America for the last hour. That missing movie star’s parents, apparently.”

A gloved hand enters the screen, holding a sign with a phone number on it.
Mercer.
Who else would it be? Who else has the power to take over the media as his own personal ransom service?

“Did you need something, sir?” She eyes me with suspicion.

“Do you have a public phone?” I ask her.

She points behind me. “Pay phone around the corner.”

“Thank you.” I walk away from the desk and search my pockets for any loose change. I don’t have any, but luckily, I find a quarter in the phone’s coin return slot.

Anger boils within me, but this isn’t the place to lose control. I dial the number and it only rings once.

“Iowa City, Fox?” Mercer chuckles.
“Really?”

“What do you want?” I ask through my teeth.

“I want that damn file back.”

“Holding our parents ransom is a bit extreme, even for you, Mercer.”

“Desperate times, Fox,” he says. “Our boss is getting a little impatient over this whole ordeal and she wants results, so you understand my desperate ways.”

“She’s
your
boss, not mine.”

“You can keep saying that all you want but it won’t change the outcome. Go right ahead and expose us if that’s what you want to do, but I will kill them myself — live and in glorious Technicolor.” He stops to laugh. “What’s your little sister going to think of you then if you let her daddy die, Fox?”

Dani
. I spent all my focus on her, I never even thought he’d go after them. She’ll never forgive me. Hell,
I’ll
never forgive me. “I guess you want a trade?”

“You and the file for them. Simple and clean.”

“Where?”

“It’ll take a few hours to get out there to corn cob country,” he mutters.

“There’s an old farm outside of town,” I say. “Look up Larry Clark, you’ll find it. Meet me at noon. Bring them with you or no deal.”

“Secluded,” he chuckles. “I taught you well. Sure, we can meet there. Both of you.
Together.
I don’t want you prone in a tower somewhere with your rifle.”

“I won’t be.”

“Good talk, Fox.”

I slam the phone down and an officer eyes me as he passes by.

My concrete box will have to wait.

***

I drive back to Mrs. Clark’s farmhouse.

Dani steps outside onto the porch as I arrive. I spot Mrs. Clark lingering behind the screen doorway behind her. Neither of them seem too happy with me. Hell hath no fury, as they say.

I walk across the driveway and Dani steps off the porch to meet me halfway. Her eyes are puffy and red, shooting a twinge of guilt down my back. She stares at me for a moment in silence before reaching out and slapping me in the face.

I wince. The pain fires up my cheek, staying only for a brief moment before disappearing completely. “I guess I deserve that,” I say.

She doesn’t disagree. I’ve left her twice now without saying goodbye but in my defense, I never thought I’d see her again both times.

Her hard eyes soften and she lunges forward to wrap her arms around me. I smile as that faint apple scent invades my nose.

She looks up at me. “They have Dad and Cora…”

I sigh. She must have seen the news already. I’d hoped to break it to her myself. “Yeah, I saw it.”

“What do we do?” She looks at me like I have all the answers, like I’m a real man of action.

I wish I could tell her I did. I wish I could look into her eyes right now and be the man she thinks I am but I’ve lied to her enough. A tear falls from her eye and I wipe it away with my thumb.

“We make a trade.”

“Fox, you can’t—”

“I have an idea,” I interrupt. “It’s a bad one.” She steps back, waiting for me to say more as I glance over her shoulder at the old barn across the field. “That training you did with the L.A.P.D., did they teach you rifles at all?”

Her eyes shift as she tries to remember. “Yeah,” she nods.

“What kind?”

“Umm…” She closes her eyes tight. “A Reming 7-something…”

“Remington Model 700?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Were you any good?”

“So-so. Why?”

“That’s good enough.” I study her face, taking in every detail of her. Scarred cheek. Red lips. Short, black hair. “We’re going to need some help, but I
really
need you to trust me, Dani.”

Her eyes shake, but she doesn’t hesitate. “I do.”

“Come on.” I gesture her towards the car.

“Where are we going, Fox?”

I ignore the voices in my head telling me to shut the fuck up. “School.”

Chapter 18

Dani

Fox reaches out and knocks on the door.

I look up and down the hallway from behind my sunglasses. This is a world entirely foreign to me. College. Dorm life. Dining halls and mid-term exams. My father put me in front of cameras before I even graduated from high school. I never went to college but I always wondered if I would someday.

The door opens and a petite, blonde girl looks at us. Her eyes fall on Fox’s face and she gasps. “Oh, god, it’s Channing Tatum!”

Her red-headed roommate spins around in her chair.
“What?”

“Never mind—” She steps forward and slams the door closed behind her, nearly knocking herself over in the process. “What are you doing here?” she asks Fox.

“We need your help.” He holds up a plastic grocery bag and she takes it from him.

Her face falls as she looks inside and spots the pair of scissors, the comb, and the box of black hair dye we picked up on the way here. “Oh, hell no.”

I study her features closely. “Fox, who is this?”

“Fox?”
she repeats. “Is that your real name?”

“Yes,” he answers her.

I pull my sunglasses off and she gasps again, recognizing me with eyes full of confusion. “Why is Roxie Roberts in my hallway?”

“Darla, we need—”

“Wait — how did you know
my
real name?” she asks quickly.