Chapter 71
Damon
I parked the car a few blocks away from the address Marcus sent, my fingers drumming anxiously against the steering wheel. The place looked nothing like where he usually asked to meet. No gym. No café. Not even one of the training facilities we sometimes used off season. Instead, it was an old lot behind a row of storage units, the kind of place people only came to when they wanted privacy or when they wanted trouble.
I stepped out of the car, closing the door carefully as if the sound alone could set something off. Every instinct in me was tight and alert. My heartbeat felt too loud in my chest, and for a second I wondered if Alicia would be able to hear it from miles away. She always said I carried my stress in my breathing. Right now, my breathing was a mess.
I walked slowly toward the dimly lit corner where Marcus stood. He was leaning against one of the storage unit doors, hunched slightly, like he was preparing himself for a blow. When he looked up and saw me, his posture stiffened. His eyes darted around before meeting mine again.
“Damon,” he said, voice low.
“Marcus.”
There was a long stretch of silence, the kind that weighed heavily in the air, thick enough to choke on.
“You came alone,” he said softly.
“You asked me to,” I replied. “Now tell me why.”
He let out a long breath and rubbed his palms against his jeans like he was warming them, even though the night wasn’t cold. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“It wasn’t supposed to get this far,” he whispered.
My jaw tightened. “Then tell me how far it was supposed to get.”
He avoided my eyes for a moment. “You deserved the truth from me. I just… I didn’t know how to say it. I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“Fix what?” I asked, my voice dropping. “Marcus, just say it.”
He inhaled shakily. “Nathan approached me months ago.”
My stomach dropped, but I stayed silent.
“He knew things about my daughter,” Marcus continued, his voice breaking. “Things I didn’t even know anyone could find out. He threatened her. Told me that if I didn’t cooperate, if I didn’t give him what he wanted, he would use her to make an example out of me.”
I stared at him hard. My anger twisted, confused, not sure whether to erupt or collapse.
“And what did he want?” I asked.
“Information on you,” he whispered. “Your schedules. Your recovery routines. Your mood after games. Your MRI from last season. Your location. Anything that could give him leverage or insight.”
He lifted his hands helplessly. “I swear I never thought he’d do anything physical. I thought he wanted to beat you on the field. Beat you psychologically. I thought it was just rivalry blown out of proportion.”
“Marcus,” I said slowly, “you fed him information that nearly got me killed.”
His face broken completely at that.
“I know,” he whispered. “I know, and I swear I never meant for any of this to happen. Damon, I never wanted you hurt. I’ve been trying to find a way to cut myself out of his grip, to protect my daughter and still protect you—”
“But you didn’t,” I cut sharply. “You let him get inside my life. Inside my team. Inside my head.”
He stepped forward slightly. “And I’m here now trying to fix it.”
“By doing what?” I demanded.
He swallowed again. “Nathan isn’t done. Leaving the team was just the beginning for him. He signed with the Cyclones to work under someone who hates your guts just as much as he does. He’s planning something bigger. Something that doesn’t just affect you.”
I stayed quiet, waiting.
Marcus continued. “He’s going after the Summit League rivalry series. He wants to sabotage it. He wants to shake the entire league and pin everything on you. Your accident at the game. Your hospital stay. Everything was part of his build up. He’s trying to make you unstable enough that the team benches you permanently.”
“And you helped him,” I said through clenched teeth.
He winced like I had slapped him. “Damon, I didn’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice,” I shot back.
“I am a father,” he said suddenly, voice cracking. “And she is all I have. I couldn’t risk losing her.”
The words hit me in a way I didn’t expect. My anger cooled slightly, replaced by something heavy and hollow in my chest.
“You should have come to me,” I said quietly. “I would have helped you protect her.”
“I know that now,” Marcus whispered. “But I was scared. And he was convincing. He made it seem like any step I took outside his instruction would cost her life.”
I dragged a hand down my face. My thoughts were too loud, too scattered. I wanted to be furious. I wanted to swing at something. But I also saw the fear in his eyes. The fear of a man cornered. The fear of a father who had made the wrong call for what he believed was the right reason.
“What do you want from me now?” I asked finally.
He stepped closer, desperation etched into every line of his face.
“I want to help you stop him,” Marcus said. “But more importantly… I want you to help me get my daughter back.”
My heart slammed hard.
“Get her back?” I repeated. “What do you mean get her back?”
“She’s gone,” he whispered. “Nathan took her. Or he had someone take her. I don’t know. I just know she’s missing.”
I felt the world tilt slightly.
“And he contacted you?” I asked.
Marcus nodded. “He told me this morning that she would be returned only when he’s done. That I’m to keep playing along until he says otherwise.”
I stared at him, disbelief slowly morphing into horror.
“He endangered a child,” I whispered.
“He’s not who he was on the team,” Marcus said. “He’s something else now. Something dangerous.”
My hands curled into fists. For the first time, my fear for myself faded. My anger for him faded. And all that remained was something cold.
“Marcus,” I said quietly, “where is he?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I know how to find the first man he works with. The one who collects his information. If we get to him, we get the trail to Nathan.”
I inhaled slowly.
This wasn’t about baseball anymore. This wasn’t about rivalry or competition or ego. This was a child’s safety. This was a man pushed to desperation. This was something that transcended the field.
“Alright,” I said after a long stretch of silence. “I’ll help you.”
Marcus’s shoulders sagged in relief, and he covered his face for a moment, overwhelmed.
“But Marcus,” I added, “you tell me everything. Every detail. No more secrets.”
He nodded quickly. “I will. I swear.”
I took a step closer.
“And if you ever betray me again,” I said quietly, “I will end every ounce of trust between us permanently.”
He nodded again, eyes shining. “I deserve that.”
I took a deep breath, pulling out my phone.
“And one more thing,” I said.
“What?”
“I need to tell Alicia something before this gets any deeper.”
Marcus hesitated. “Do you think that’s safe?”
“It has to be,” I said. “I can’t let her think I’m shutting her out again.”
He nodded slowly.
“We go after Nathan tomorrow,” I said finally.
Marcus swallowed and whispered, “Then I’ll be there.”
I walked back to the car, each step heavier than the last, knowing everything was changing again.
And this time, the stakes were higher than ever.