Brody shrugged. “They’ll probably ask us what we know about the allegations, try to coax confessions out of us, quiz us about whether we know if another player was involved.”

“Are they going to ask about my dad?”

He nodded.

Resting her hands against the counter, she went silent for a moment, her pretty features shadowed by worry. He could tell she was upset by all of this, especially with everything she was learning about her father, and though he had no intention of making her feel worse, he unwittingly did so with his next statement.

“It was pretty much confirmed to me today that your dad fixed those games.”

Her gaze rose to meet his, her mouth forming a startled O. “You’re saying you know for sure that he did it?”

Damn. Maybe he shouldn’t have spit it out the way he had, but the confrontation with Wyatt had been troubling him all night and he’d been hoping to talk it through with Hayden before the league’s investigator interviewed him. He knew he’d have to tell the truth if asked, but he’d wanted her advice, wanted her to tell him how to handle the time bomb in his hands without looking like he was betraying his teammates or the team owner.

But he hadn’t realized confiding in Hayden meant confirming her doubts about her father. Up until now she’d only suspected Presley had fixed those games, but with that one sentence he’d turned those suspicions into reality, and the crestfallen look on her face tugged at his insides in the most powerful way.

He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know how.

So he kept his distance, leaned against the counter and released a slow breath. “Yes, he did it. I’m ninety-nine-percent sure of it.”

“Ninety-nine percent,” she repeated. “Then there’s still a chance Dad wasn’t involved.”

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“It’s unlikely.”

“But there’s still a chance.”

“Look, Hayden, I know you want to see the best in your father, but you’re going to need to accept that he’s probably guilty.”

Her eyes widened, the color in her cheeks fading fast. “Are you going to tell the investigator that? You’re going to say my dad is guilty?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to say yet.”

He could see her legs shaking as she walked across the tiled floor toward him. Eyes wild with panic, she placed one palm on his bare arm and tilted her head to look up at him. “You can’t do it, Brody. Please, don’t turn against my father.”

HAYDEN DIDN’T KNOW where the words were coming from but she seemed to have no control over her vocal cords. In the back of her head she knew what she was asking of him was wrong, that if Presley was truly guilty he deserved to pay for his crimes. But this was her father, the only parent she had, the only constant in her life.

“You want me to lie?” Brody said flatly.

She swallowed. “No, I…maybe if you just didn’t say anything…”

“Lying by omission is still lying, Hayden. And what if they straight out ask me if Presley bribed anyone? What do I do then?”

Desperation clawed up her throat. She knew she had no right asking him to do this for her, but she couldn’t watch her father’s entire life shatter before her eyes. “He’s my only family,” she said softly. “I just want to protect him.”

Compassion flickered in Brody’s eyes, but it quickly faded into annoyance. “What about me? Don’t I deserve to be protected, too?”

“Your career isn’t at stake,” she protested.

“Like hell it isn’t!” His eyes flashed. “My integrity and reputation are on the line here, Hayden. I won’t throw away my career by lying to protect the team owner, not even for you.”

She nearly stumbled backward, assaulted by the force of his words.

She suddenly felt so very stupid. What the hell had she been thinking, asking him to lie for her dad? Her only defense was that she hadn’t been thinking. For a split second there, the fear seizing her insides was so strong it had overpowered her ability to think logically. Suddenly she’d been the lonely little girl who’d grown up without a mother, who didn’t want to see her father carted off to jail even if it meant breaking the rules to keep him out of a cell.

What was the matter with her? She wasn’t the type of woman who broke rules. And she didn’t condone lies, either.

God, she couldn’t believe she’d just asked Brody to throw away his honesty and honor.

With shaky steps, she walked over to him and pressed her face against his chest. She could feel his heart thudding against her ear like a drum. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to lie. It was unfair of me to do that. I’m…” She choked on a sob. “I can’t believe I just did that.”




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