A Million Tiny Pieces (26 page)

“THAT’S
BULLSHIT AND you know it,” Phoenix snapped into the phone, pacing the floor of
his living room.

It
was Saturday morning, and the last fucking person he should’ve been on the
phone with was his lawyer, but sure as shit, as soon as he’d stepped out of the
shower after his run, his cell phone had rung, and he’d made the mistake of
answering it.

Phoenix
was just glad his mother had already come and gone. He damn sure didn’t need
her overhearing this conversation and asking more questions. Or worse, pressing
him for answers he didn’t have.

“This
is serious, Phoenix. I don’t know what he’s pulling, but Landry’s lawyer claims
he has documentation that proves your father agreed to move forward with the
sale. He’s claiming now that your father changed his mind after the papers were
signed.”

“
What?
”
Phoenix stopped pacing, his heart slamming against his ribs. “What the fuck are
you talking about? Landry claimed my father
backed out
on the deal.”

Truth
was, until now, Phoenix had thought Landry had been referring to a verbal
agreement. Although not binding, it was possible for Landry to pursue damages
from a promise. Made his case weaker, but stranger things had happened.

“Originally,
yes. According to his lawyers, they’ve found paperwork to reflect otherwise.
They claim that Sid agreed to sell the Arrows for two hundred eight million,
and they’ve got your father’s signature.”

“You
and I both know that’s impossible. My father would’ve told me. I’ve always been
a minority owner. And it wouldn’t matter anyway. My father’s dead,” Phoenix
replied, keeping his tone calm despite the temptation to throw the phone
through the plate glass window. “He can’t buy if I’m not willing to sell.”

“I
agree, Phoenix. Ownership didn’t transfer. I’m still obligated to pass on this
information. Landry wants to meet on Monday. I have yet to see any physical
proof of their claim, but I’m doing my best.”

“Fuck
him,” Phoenix retorted. “We’ll meet on my timetable. And not until they produce
something tangible. I’m not wasting my breath on that asshole.”

“I’ll
let them know Monday won’t work for you,” Phil said, sounding every bit the
professional Phoenix knew him to be. The man had been handling everything for
his father, and now him, for nearly two decades. Even before his father had
purchased the NHL team.

Phoenix
thrust his hand through his hair, turning when he heard the front door open and
close. As soon as he met Tarik’s gaze across the room, the other man knew
something was up. He moved toward him slowly, his dark eyebrows lifted in
question, his body tense as though he expected to take down a threat.

For
the first time, Phoenix wondered how much of Tarik’s protectiveness was due to
the job and how much was personal. More accurately, he wondered how long Tarik
had been personally invested in the job where Phoenix was concerned. There was
no doubt that he was, but Phoenix didn’t know how long Tarik had wanted
something more. Not that it mattered either way; Phoenix needed him, needed to
know that he was there for him. It was a relief to know that his support
surpassed anything that was business-related.

“I’ll
talk to you on Monday, Phil. Thanks for the call. And for now, tell Landry’s
lawyer we need proof.”

“Will
do,” Phil answered. “Talk to you on Monday.”

Phoenix
disconnected the call and gripped his phone hard. He contemplated throwing it
against the wall but managed to suck in a deep breath before he allowed his
anger to get the best of him.

Flopping
onto the couch, he sighed heavily, every muscle in his body strung tight.

“What’s
going on?” Tarik asked, lowering himself to the chair opposite him, his elbows
resting on his splayed knees as he stared back at Phoenix.

“Damien
Landry is a fucking psychopath.”

“That’s
not news,” Tarik said, his eyes searching Phoenix’s as though there might be
something to discern from the frustration he knew was flickering on his face.

“That
was Phil,” Phoenix said, exhaling sharply.

“I
got that part,” Tarik said. “What’d he want? Must’ve been important for him to
call on a Saturday.”

“Landry
has concocted some bullshit story claiming my father agreed to sell him the
team. Even claims there’s paperwork.”

Tarik
laughed, the sound reflecting the same disbelief Phoenix had had when he’d
heard the news. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I
wish I were. Landry wants to meet with me on Monday. I told Phil that was a
no-go.”

Tarik
pushed to his feet and moved to the window, his hands on his narrow hips.
Phoenix stared after him, admiring the way he looked after a hard workout,
sweat glistening on his skin, every muscle defined and rigid. He was a
masterpiece, and that wasn’t the first time Phoenix had admitted that to
himself.

The
guy was taller than Phoenix by an inch, six foot three inches of solid muscle.
He was bulkier, his muscles honed from weights, while Phoenix kept his routine
mostly contained to his daily run. Phoenix wasn’t interested in bulking up, and
he’d been content to maintain the well-toned muscle he had, but he certainly
admired Tarik’s hard body.

“We’ve
got another problem,” Tarik said, still facing away from him.

“What’s
that?” Phoenix asked, figuring nothing could be as bad as the news Phil had
laid on him already.

“You
made the tabloids once again.”

Phoenix
dropped his head back against the cushion and closed his eyes. “Why do they
even give a fuck what I do? I’m not a goddamn celebrity. What I do should not
be newsworthy.”

“Oh,
but you are,” Tarik explained gruffly. “And since you own a team that’s racing
toward the playoffs — their words — they want to know what you’re doing. And
how you’re doing it.”

Phoenix
heard what he said, but he still didn’t understand why they gave a shit. The
media bullshit should be reserved for world events, not entertainment.

He
would give anything to start the day over. As it was, he had been hoping they
could spend the day with Mia since he hadn’t seen her for nearly a week, since
last Sunday when the three of them had woken up in his bed. She’d slipped out
quietly after kissing them both and promising to come back. Phoenix had managed
to convince her to let his driver take her to school during the week since he’d
been out of town. They hadn’t gotten back until late last night, and he’d opted
to wait until today to see her. According to the phone conversations he’d had
with her during the week, she’d been busy with schoolwork, and since Phoenix
had been too busy to argue, he’d let it slide, giving her a little space in the
process.

“What
do they say?” he asked, not really wanting to know.

“It
makes more sense now,” Tarik said, turning to face him and then nodding his
head toward Phoenix’s cell phone sitting on the couch. “The article claims that
you sabotaged Landry’s marriage, seducing his wife when you found out your
father was selling the team without your knowledge. He claims that he met
Teresa when she came to inform him about the affair you were having with Mia.
One thing led to another, she consoled him. It’s all bullshit.”

Fuck.
Phoenix knew where this was going, but he asked anyway. “Are you fucking
kidding me?”

“I
wish I were. But it gets worse. You know how they get when they want a story.
They make up all sorts of bullshit.”

Phoenix
knew Tarik was stalling. “What. Is. It?”

“They’ve
got pictures of the three of us from last week. They claim that you’ve set your
sights on Mia and have informed Landry that you won’t back off until he drops
the lawsuit. Landry gave a sob story about how he loves Mia and how he knows
you’re using her to hide other things. Of course, that’s stirred up the rumors
of…”

Tarik
didn’t need to finish his sentence; Phoenix knew where he was going. At one
point, they’d claimed he was bisexual; another time, they’d claimed he was gay.
Both times it had caused Phoenix’s mother to ask questions, but other than
having to deal with her hope that he would one day settle down — according to
her, she’d be happy either way — it had all just been a pain in the ass.

“Motherfucker.”
Phoenix leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and dropping his head
in his hands.

He
couldn’t fucking believe this shit.

Mia
was skittish enough — as soon as she got wind of this, she was going to be
livid. She’d admitted to trust issues, and clearly Landry was playing on that.

“I
need to go talk to her,” Phoenix stated.

Tarik
nodded. “Let me shower, and we’ll go down there together. Maybe we can do
damage control before it’s too late.”

Phoenix
watched as Tarik walked across the living room and then disappeared out the
front door. Since last weekend, when the three of them had slept in his bed,
Tarik hadn’t been back. He’d been giving Phoenix space. Space Phoenix had initially
asked for but wasn’t really sure he even wanted anymore.

Getting
to his feet, he headed to the kitchen for coffee. If nothing else, maybe
caffeine would help him think a little better. He certainly had plenty to think
about
, but mainly he was worried about Mia and how she was going to react
when she read that fucking article.

»»»»»♥«««««

MIA
WAS SITTING on the couch reading when her cell phone rang. Butterflies
fluttered in her stomach as she lurched for the phone, hoping it was Phoenix or
Tarik. They’d told her they would be back yesterday, but she hadn’t heard from
them yet.

When
she checked the screen, she saw that it was Alex.

“Hey,”
she greeted happily.

“What
are you doing?” Alex asked, the lack of usual cheer in her tone causing Mia to
pause.

“Sitting
here. Reading. Why?” Mia asked, placing her Kindle on the cushion and pushing
her blanket off her legs.

“Do
you have your tablet?” Alex asked.

“I
can get it. Why, Alex? What’s going on?”

“I
take it you haven’t been watching the news?”

“No.”
Mia’s worry was building as she walked to her room and grabbed her tablet from
her nightstand, powering it on.

“Do
a search on your name.”

Mia
entered her name into the search bar and hit enter. A list came up. She began
skimming the titles of the articles and the dates. Pulling up the most recent,
Mia lowered herself onto the couch as she began to read.

“This
is bullshit,” Mia whispered as she continued reading, disbelief swamping her.

We
recently had the opportunity to talk to Damien Landry, the Austin real estate
developer who claims that Phoenix Pierce’s father, Sidney, had agreed to sell
the majority share of the Austin Arrows to him prior to his death.
According to
Landry, his life is in shambles because of the mishap. Not only did Sid Pierce pull
back on the deal, but from what we’ve learned, Phoenix Pierce has moved in on
Landry’s now ex-wife.

Landry’s
former wife, Mia Cantrell, filed for divorce after three years of marriage with
claims of irreconcilable differences around the time that Landry claims Sidney
reneged on the deal.

“I
knew something was wrong, but she wouldn’t talk to me. I tried to get her to
open up, but Mia insisted it was over. I was away on business when she moved
out,” Landry told us when asked about the reason for the divorce.

Sources
tell us that Phoenix has been courting Mia for some time now, and the pair seem
to be getting closer. Although we have to question just what he’s up to when we
look closely at some of these pictures.

Mia
looked at the images included in the article. There were some from the night
she’d gone to dinner with Phoenix, a few from their adventure date, including
one of her holding hands with both Tarik and Phoenix, and even one from when
she and Phoenix had been talking after their argument at the Mexican restaurant.

“Oh,
my God. Why is he doing this?” Mia asked.

“Because
he’s an asshole,” Alex retorted.

Mia
glanced at her phone, remembering that she was on a call.

“I
wanted to warn you, Mia. Don’t believe a damn thing you read there.”

“How
can I? He claims I moved out when he was away on business. He
cheated
on
me, Alex. He came home smelling like some other woman’s perfume.”

“I
know, honey. Don’t let this get you too worked up.”

Too
late for that. Mia was fuming with anger. She turned her attention back to the
article to finish reading.

Landry
has informed us that he’s been in communication with Pierce after offering to
settle their disagreement civilly. “I attempted to talk to Mr. Pierce. After I explained
my case, he informed me that I could speak with his lawyers. When I asked about
Mia, he told me that until I dropped the lawsuit, he wasn’t going to stop
pursuing her. I’m torn. I love her, but this entire thing has made a shambles
of my life.”