Chapter 62
Alicia
The moment the door clicked open, I felt Damon’s hand tighten around mine. He had been awake for barely an hour, still pale from the painkillers, still breathing a little too shallowly, still pretending he was fine even though the doctor had warned him not to move too much. I turned toward the door expecting maybe a nurse or Marcus or even Evan calling again. But it wasn’t any of them. It was Nathan, leaning against the doorway with a smile that made my pulse stumble. It wasn’t loud or dramatic or cruel. It was soft, polite, friendly even, but it carried something cold underneath, something that curled around the room like smoke.
Damon didn’t say anything at first. He just stared at him with a stillness that made my throat tighten. Nathan didn’t blink. He stepped inside as if this were normal, as if he hadn’t been the one Damon had been talking about nonstop, as if he hadn’t switched teams last minute in a move that looked way too much like revenge. He looked at me first, not Damon, and the way his eyes softened almost made me step back. He said my name slowly, like tasting it. “Alicia. I was hoping I’d run into you.”
I felt Damon shift, fighting against his IV line just to sit taller. “Get out,” he said quietly. Nathan only smiled wider, like he was amused by a child. “Relax. I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m just checking in on a teammate.” Damon scoffed under his breath. “You’re not my teammate.” Nathan raised an eyebrow. “True. Rival now. But still someone who cares about the well-being of the sport, right?” He shot me a quick glance, as if expecting me to jump in and agree. I didn’t.
I stepped slightly in front of Damon without even thinking about it. Nathan noticed. He liked that. “Protective. Interesting,” he murmured. Damon’s jaw flexed. “I’m serious. Leave.” Nathan walked toward the foot of the bed, hands in his pockets, stroll easy, confident, unbothered by Damon’s anger. “You know, Alicia,” he said lightly, “Damon didn’t tell you everything. He rarely does.” “Nathan,” I warned, surprising myself with how steady my voice came out. “This isn’t the time.” “Oh, I think it is.” He tilted his head, as if studying me. “You should know who you’re standing beside.”
Damon’s voice snapped sharp. “She knows enough.” Nathan chuckled softly. “Does she? Does she know you were the one who pushed for that contract? The contract that ruined her father’s company?” My breath caught. Damon tensed, eyes darting to me like he wanted to explain but couldn’t yet. Nathan kept going. “Does she know you signed it even after Evans begged you not to? After he told you it would bury their finances?” I swallowed hard, feeling my heartbeat rise in my chest. Damon said tightly, “Alicia, don’t listen to him. He’s twisting it.” Nathan lifted a shoulder, pretending innocence. “Am I? You seemed so loyal to her now. Strange, considering what you cost her family.”
I stepped forward. “What do you want?” Nathan gave me that calm, chilling smile again. “Nothing dramatic. I just wanted you to see something clearly.” Damon’s voice cut through the air. “If you touch her, if you even breathe wrong around her, I swear...” Nathan held up a hand. “Relax. I’m not here for that. I’m here to…let you both know that the game is changing.” He walked a little closer, just close enough that Damon’s shoulders coiled like wire. “You think the injury was random?” Damon didn’t answer. Nathan leaned in slightly. “You’re not ready for what’s coming.”
I stepped back, suddenly aware of how quiet the hallway outside seemed. “Nathan, leave. Now.” He exhaled like I had disappointed him. “You’ll understand soon.” He turned to Damon, expression flattening. “Enjoy your recovery. You’ll need it.” He slipped out just as quietly as he arrived, not bothering to look back. The door clicked shut behind him, and I felt like the entire room collapsed inward.
Damon sagged against the pillows with a breath that sounded more like a growl. “I didn’t want you to hear it like that.” My voice felt tight. “Is it true?” “Parts of it,” Damon admitted, rubbing his face. “But not the way he made it sound.”
“Then tell me,” I whispered. Damon hesitated, and for a moment I saw something I rarely saw in him: fear. “Your father’s company handled sponsorship contracts. The one they offered me back then was risky. My agent told me it was fine. I signed. Then things fell apart on their end. It wasn’t supposed to touch them. They weren’t supposed to lose anything.” “But they did,” I said quietly. Damon nodded once. “I didn’t know until much later.”
A heavy silence fell. Damon reached for my hand again, slow, careful. “Alicia… if I could take it back, I would.” I didn’t pull away, but I didn’t move closer either. My mind was spinning too fast.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” “Because I wanted you to see me without all the mess attached,” he said. His voice cracked just slightly. “I didn’t want to lose you over something I can’t fix.” I let out a shaky breath. “I’m not leaving you.” Relief softened his shoulders, but I wasn’t finished. “But you should have told me.”
He nodded quietly. “I know.” I looked at the door Nathan had walked through. “Why is he doing this? Why tell me now?” Damon stared at the ceiling. “Because he wants to break me. And you’re the one thing he knows he can use.” I swallowed again.
“Why does he hate you so much?” Damon’s eyes closed. “Because I was supposed to be the one who went down for that deal. Not him. He was the rookie under me. He didn’t get the spotlight because I took it. And he never forgot.” The weight of it settled across the room.
I touched his shoulder gently. “We’ll figure it out.” He opened his eyes and looked at me like I was the only stable thing in the world. “Stay with me?” I nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.” For a while we sat in quiet. The monitors beeped softly. Nurses walked past outside. But my chest still felt tight, like Nathan’s words hadn’t fully left the room. I leaned closer to Damon. “He isn’t done.” Damon’s grip tightened around my fingers. “I know.”
A knock interrupted us. A nurse stepped in to check his vitals, unaware of the tension she walked into. Damon let go of my hand reluctantly. While she worked, Damon watched me with an expression that said he was trying to memorize every part of me, just in case. The thought made me shiver.
When she left, I asked softly, “What now?” Damon exhaled slowly. “Now… we prepare.” “For what?” He held my gaze with a look that sent a cold ripple down my spine. “For the fact that Nathan didn’t come here to warn us. He came here to start something.”
“Start what?” Damon’s voice dropped to a whisper. “A war.”