No Turning Back (Breaking the Rules #4) - A.M. Madden Page 0,76
a frozen margarita, I waved a hand, ready to beeline out of there. “See ya later.”
“Ryder,” he called out. “Can we talk?”
Oh my God… kill me. “Yeah, sure.” I waited through the blender’s whir until he had his drink in hand.
His gaze swept over the crowded room, and he flicked a thumb toward the front door. “Let’s go outside.”
The heat slapping me across the face instigated my annoyance. I really wasn’t in the mood to get into it with him again. I could count on one hand how many times I’d been in Cooper’s company, and most of them involved a lecture.
We had yet to speak since the night he’d upset Riana regarding our engagement. She’d paid him a visit the next day and then assured me that he agreed he was out of line. Based on the holier-than-thou attitude now, something told me he’d lied to her.
Without beating around the bush, I said, “Look. Riana told me about your little chat. All’s good. No hard feelings.”
“I regret what I said to her that night. But I won’t apologize for caring about her.”
“I’m not getting into this with you again. You care for her. I love her. We’re on the same side, Cooper. You just need to tone it down a bit. She may be carrying your babies, but your meddling is still out of line.”
“I can’t do that.” It wasn’t the condensation on the bottle that forced my grip to tighten. My response was to turn on my heel and head back toward the house. “Can you let me finish?”
“Why?” I asked tersely. “When Ree and I got back together, you claimed you just wanted her to be happy. Then we get engaged, and you pulled the same shit. I respect my fiancée’s relationship with you, and I’ll be civil for Ree’s sake. But let’s get one thing straight… I don’t owe you a damn thing.”
“Fair enough. I’ll back off… provided you answer one question.”
I had to stop myself from telling him to fuck off, and I instead raised a palm. “Ask.”
“Do you bribe young athletes to sign with you?”
My jaw hit the black paver stones beneath my feet. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Chris Walker. Does that name ring a bell?”
“Yeah. Sophomore. Tight end, huge prospect. Why?”
“I’m his adviser at Miami U.” He studied my face for a reaction.
“So?”
“He’s dangerously close to being kicked off the team unless he brings his GPA up. Cocky arrogant prick. Thinks he’s invincible because of his talent. He’s taking courses during the summer to make up for the credits he lost last semester. When I called him to check in this past Monday, he not so brightly admitted he had it all planned out. All he had to do was sign with you, and that would be his ticket to the pros.”
I began to lose my patience. “What is the point to this?”
“I did a little research on campus. Your name came up a few times… something along the lines that you paid students to pose as athletes who were failing. I’m not one to form an opinion on speculation, and since it’s all I have right now, I decided to ask you directly.”
What the fuck? “Who told you that?”
“Other students I counsel.” This had Doug written all over it. Motherfucker. I’d underestimated the lengths he’d go through to ruin me. There was no proof, but that meant nothing. If enough heard this fucking rumor, it would take years to recover. The only way I could clear my name would be to sue him for defamation. Wes and I had hired a lawyer when we left Morton, but I lacked confidence he could take on Doug… and that bastard knew that I couldn’t compete with the barracuda he’d have representing him. So I was either fucked in the business or fucked financially. And Doug knew that.
I guess I owed Cooper for telling me. Who knew when I’d get wind of it otherwise? Planting that toxic seed in the ears of undergraduates would cause just enough damage without it imploding into the real sports world. It would also serve as a warning that it could get so much worse.
“That’s absolutely not true.”
“If you say it’s not true, then I believe you,” Cooper said a bit disingenuously. “I just thought you needed to know.” The suspicion in his eyes was undeniable. So when he stretched out his hand as a peace offering, I accepted it with a grain of salt.