Fourth Down and Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance (27 page)

The following morning,
I was sipping on a hot cup of coffee as I stared out my window at the foggy
morning. The morning rush to the business district had already passed and I no
longer had to look at my face plastered on the side of a bus. The streets were
now relatively quiet so I could enjoy the way the long looming warehouses
looked popping out of the fog.

Maybe later I
could walk down the block to enjoy a glass of local wine and listen to live
jazz at my favorite spot. I hadn’t been able to get out and enjoy myself ever
since Via Mace had debuted. I was starting to get cabin fever, despite living
in a big city. But when I turned around and saw an advertisement for Mind Lash
on my screen, followed by a short segment on the possibility of a movie, I knew
I didn’t have time to go out and enjoy anything. I needed to find a way to put
a stop to all this madness or else I risked losing my job and any semblance of
a normal life.

I knew what I had
to do. Benjamin was absolutely correct when he told me that I needed to stay
focused. So I got dressed, throwing on a headscarf and sunglasses, to head out
to Hayden’s office. I was sure if I showed up I would be allowed into the
building. My mind was too busy planning things to say to Hayden so the ride to
the business district felt shorter than usual.

Maybe with a
different approach, a more personal one, I could sway him. Braving the few fans
loitering outside the office building as well as the employees who had gawked
at me the last time I was there, I marched straight up to security. I pulled
off my headscarf and sunglasses. His face remained expressionless, something I
was thankful for.

“I’m here to see
Hayden.” I said as I handed him my ID.

I covered my mouth
to hide my wide grin when it worked and the guard stepped to the side, allowing
me entry into the lobby of the building. What I wasn’t prepared for was to hear
the secretary say, “I’m sorry, Mr. Dunn has already left.”

“He left?” I stood
in front of the young woman, dumbfounded.

“Yes, Ms.
McClane
, he went on a business trip. I apologize, I was
under the impression you knew about it,” the young woman said.

I smacked my hand
on my forehead “Oh, I just didn’t expect him to leave so soon. I had been
hoping to catch him for an important chat. Do you by chance know how long he
will be gone or where he has gone to?” I said it in such a casual way that it
was believable to the young lady, especially since it wasn’t my first trip to
the office.

“I apologize, I
don’t know how long he’ll be gone and I’m not allowed to disclose any
information regarding his itinerary.”

“Of course,” I
replied.

Thanking the young
woman behind the desk, I turned slowly and made my way toward the elevator. I
managed to sneak a quick glance toward his office to double check and see if it
was truly empty. I wasn’t going to schedule a follow-up appointment with
Hayden. I had a better plan than that; one that was riskier but would give me a
higher payoff. After all, I was only following the wise words of my older
brother.

I had to stay focused
and do everything in my power to solve this problem. I had moved past the phase
of whining over how unfair everything was, because it didn’t matter. I had been
thrust into this mess of a situation and it was solely on me to find a way out
of it. No matter how bad I didn’t want it to be true, I couldn’t change that
fact.

I was smart enough
to know that nobody would tell me where he had gone, so I needed to employ
other tactics to gain that information. I walked out of the office and toward
the elevator. But instead of pushing the call button, I sidestepped into the
hallway and leaned against the wall to think. I made sure I was out of the
secretary’s line of sight. I stood there for a moment, wracking my brain for a
plan, when I noticed a janitor cart in the hallway.

There was a pack
of cigarettes and a lighter resting on it, but no janitor in sight. Looking
around the hallway, a plan started to develop much more efficiently than I
could have imagined. That plan seemed a lot more like something suited to Via
Mace rather than something I was willing to do. Dressing as a janitor and
hijacking the cart didn’t exactly seem foolproof, much less for someone who had
zero knowledge in pulling off that sort of maneuver.

“You’re being
ridiculous,” I mumbled to myself.
 

I leaned my head
back against the wall and took in a deep breath. There had to be a way I could
find out where Hayden had gone. I looked forward and that was when I saw a
large poster of Via Mace mounted on the wall just outside the Mind Lash office
door. I had no clue how I had missed it before, but there it was, in plain
sight, and suddenly a new idea formed in my mind. It wasn’t foolproof, but it
wasn’t as involved as pretending to be a janitor with a borrowed cart.

I quickly wrapped
my headscarf around my hair, but opted not to wear the sunglasses. I didn’t
want to look too suspicious, I reached into the janitorial cart and grabbed the
lighter. Then I quickly ran over to the poster, digging my nails behind it to
tear off a sizeable chunk, right where Via Mace’s face was. I stood just out of
sight, clicked the lighter on, and watched as the poster and went up in flames.
Just as the poster engulfed with heat I tossed it on the floor directly in
front of the Mind Lash office door and ran back to my hiding spot.

I carefully peeked
out from behind the cart, waiting to see what would happen. On cue, the
secretary came barging out of the office in a panic.

“Oh no!” she cried
out in a panicked gulp, hands pressed into her cheeks and eyes wide. “What is
this? What is going on? What do I do?” I stifled a giggle as I watched the
young woman nearly jump up and down with panic. She awkwardly tried to stomp
out the smaller flames with her foot, but to no avail. She needed help.

I however wasn’t
going to wait around for her help to come. I only had a small window of time to
pull off my plan. As the secretary continued to panic and try to stomp out the
smaller edges of the fire, I snuck behind her into the Mind Lash office.
Luckily nobody else was in the reception area. I quickly snatched the
secretary’s ID card from her desk in order to scan myself into the main area of
the Mind Lash office.

I looked around
and saw only one person working on a computer, but I figured if I looked
confident and inconspicuous, I shouldn’t be bothered. Quickly, I made my way to
Hayden’s office. I shut the door quietly behind me and was glad the blinds were
closed. Unless somebody walked in, there was no way they would know I was
inside.

 
I made my way to his desk to scour for
answers. There had to be some information lying around in the mess of papers he
had left behind. I shuffled through a planner, but he seemed to have dedicated
it entirely to press related meetings for the release of the game. The thought
of all those press releases made my stomach churn a little more. It took all of
my self-control not to flip through it and take note of some of the meetings,
or even take pictures of the planner.

“Stay focused,” I
reminded myself out loud. I moved to the other corner of the desk and swept
away a portfolio labeled ‘In-Game Tactics’. That’s when I hit the jackpot. I
found a copy of Hayden’s flight itinerary to Machu Picchu in Peru.

“Wow,” I mumbled, grabbing
hold of the paper and holding it up to my face for a better look. I wanted to
grab it and walk out of the office, but even in my novice mind I knew that was
far too risky of a move. Instead, I took my mobile phone out of my purse and
snapped a photo of it. Once I got a clear picture I smiled and pressed the
phone into my chest, feeling triumphant.

Nobody had been
willing to give me the information I needed so I did what I had to in order to
get it—just like Via Mace. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

As I walked back
into the lobby, I heard the secretary on the phone. I froze. There was no way I
could leave without being noticed, much less drop the card on the secretary’s
desk. Hoping for the best, I feigned confidence and stepped out.

“There you are,” I
said, meeting the secretary’s gaze.

I had overheard
her calling security about the fire, but the call was over and the young woman
had hung up the phone. She looked at me in shock. “Ms.
McClane
,
I thought you had left? What were you doing back there?”

“Oh, I
had
left but I needed to use the
restroom. I mistook the janitor’s closet for the restroom and I decided to come
back here to ask but nobody was at the desk. Luckily, the door was unlocked so
I stepped in.” Spotting a basket with pens sitting at the corner of the
reception desk, I made a hand gesture and conveniently knocked it off. As the
secretary scurried to help clean up the mess, I dropped the badge where I had
found it.

I smiled
apologetically and placed my sunglasses on, “I really must get going now.”

I was out of the
building and that was the moment I knew I had really pulled it off. I knew the
bogus story I told the secretary didn’t add up, but the young woman was in such
a tizzy over the fire that I doubted she had noticed. Besides, I had been smart
enough not to leave any evidence of me searching Hayden’s office so there was
no way I would get caught for that. Now knowing he was in Peru, I knew what my
next move had to be, even if it seemed extreme.

For the first
time, I decided to use my contacts in the travel business to book an immediate
flight out to where Hayden was. I had never once used them for even one plane
ticket, something I was teased about often. “Oh, you want to cash in
all
those frequent flier miles, do you?”

“You know it,” I
replied, my patience wearing thin on the jokes. It wasn’t the fault of the
person on the other end of the call, I was just in a hurry to catch up to
Hayden. More than anything, I was in a hurry to get rid of Via Mace.

“Anyone else with
your job would have a ton of those and then some,” Maureen chuckled on the
phone as she typed away. She was looking for a deal to help me out, but nothing
turned up. “Call Luke, I think he can help you out more.”

I ended the call
and quickly called Luke. Although he was higher up in the chain of command and
could pull more strings, I didn’t want to call him right off the bat. He was
someone to call in case of an urgent matter.
 
This was definitely an urgent matter, but he was more of a last-resort
type of contact.

“What a surprise,”
his droll voice sounded in my ear moments later.

“Luke,” I said
with as charming of a chuckle as I could muster. “I’m afraid I’ve called in for
a favor this time ‘round.”

“Not a problem
Ali. What can I help you with?”

Following Hayden
to his location at Machu Picchu was a lot more than some trickery in the office
and calling in some favors. It was far from easy. The trip was over fourteen
hours and I had two layovers. Needless to say, I had a headache in full swing
and an exhausted body by the time I walked through customs.

This was not the
trip I had envisioned in my head. I imagined it would be some dramatic scene
where I would track him down immediately and confront him on some busy street.
Instead, I was absolutely exhausted. I needed to freshen up and get some rest.
When does life ever turn out how you envision it in your head?

I quickly learned
there were avid fans of Mind Lash worldwide as I made my way to the main area of
the airport. That was something I didn’t anticipate. If I had known, I would
have donned my usual disguise to make my way through the throngs of travelers
and their families. Unfortunately, it was too late now, and even in Peru people
started taking pictures of me. There were excited gasps around and as soon as I
drew attention, more and more people gravitated toward me.

“Via Mace!” I
heard someone yelp, much louder than I would have wanted. That drew an even
larger crowd. I tried to push through flashing cameras in my face.

“Please,” I
begged, but it was pointless. Nobody could hear me over the crowd as they all
scrambled to get near me for a glimpse and a photo. I heard voices distinctly
enough to know I was being addressed and asked questions, but it was all too
much. I couldn’t figure out what anybody was saying. Everything eventually
morphed into a drowning buzz with the occasional clicking sound of cell phone
cameras.

It wasn’t until I
stumbled upon a women’s restroom that I quickly escaped into it, slamming the
stall door shut and leaning against it. Even through the fabric of my shirt the
cool steel felt good against my back. I shut my eyes and drew in a deep breath.
This was the most privacy I was going to get for a while. Even if I put on my disguise
everyone would know who I was as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom. I
clutched my chest and took another deep breath, trying to think of the most
efficient way to get out of the chaotic situation I found myself in.

Meanwhile, in the
comfort of his room, Hayden’s phone dinged with a message from none other than
Gina. She told him to take a look at his main social media account, but gave no
reason why. That wasn’t a usual request from her, so he opened up his account
on his phone and checked his notices tab. He had received a ton of alerts from
various people proclaiming their excitement about Via Mace joining him for the
trip and wondering if they were planning some sort of publicity stunt while he
was there. Hayden stared at his phone. He had absolutely no idea what these
people were talking about. His heart skipped a little when he thought about me
being in Peru. He wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement of his own.
 

He scrolled down a
bit more until he saw a photo of me being mobbed at the airport
.

“What the hell,” he muttered,
leaning forward and staring hard at the picture as if he was trying to see if
it was a fake. He didn’t think it was possible for me to really be in Cusco.
There was no way for me to have known his whereabouts unless I was tracking him
and doing a damn good job of it, something he highly doubted. It just seemed so
unlike me to pull something like this. He paused as his mind started to race.
He remembered our first meeting outside the building where I had been waiting
for him. Back then, I had managed to track him down and had gone so far as to
wait around for him. That wasn’t that much different was it?

He knew I was
probably after him. There was no other explanation for me being in Cusco. Just
then, there was a knock at his hotel room door. He stood up and opened it
without bothering to check who it was. He already knew it had to be Gina. As
soon as the door swung open he turned to walk back to his seat without even
greeting her.

Gina was
disgruntled, “I assume you’ve seen who is here?”

“It’s true, then?”
Hayden finally looked up from his phone to acknowledge her. Gina scoffed but
nodded nonetheless, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. She looked like a
pouting schoolgirl.

Without a second
thought, Hayden pulled up his text messages to send one of his bodyguards an
impromptu assignment. He quickly tapped away a message telling the guard to
follow me without being seen and report back to him via text.

Gina was growing
increasingly impatient. “What are you doing, Hayden? I came over here to talk,”
she huffed. Hayden looked up from his phone and looked at her directly in to
her eyes, his gaze unwavering. She shifted uncomfortably knowing she crossed a
line and he wasn’t having it.

“First of all,
don’t you worry about what I’m doing on my phone. Second of all, I didn’t call
you over here. You came out of your own free will and there isn’t an emergency
at hand. So you need to calm down, Gina.”

She gawked at him.
She hated being dismissed, but nothing irked her as much as Hayden doing it.
From the moment they had met it had been appallingly clear she wanted all his
attention, professionally and personally. Hayden’s phone buzzed in his hand.
The bodyguard was already headed to the airport to track me down. Hayden knew I
was still stuck their because no other news of me leaving had been mentioned on
social media.

He was right. I
stayed stuck in the restroom for quite some time before finally bracing myself
to step back out into the chaotic fans who were likely still waiting for me
outside. I would have to get past them and plan on using my disguise for the
remainder of the trip. I was going to use this in my argument against Hayden,
citing my inability not to have a normal life because of Via Mace.

Whether or not Via
Mace was an intentional recreation of me, the damages caused by his game were
too real to be ignored. I would have to figure out a way to build a case
against him in a court of law if it came to that, but I was hoping this trip
would help me avoid that headache. The entire debacle had already been far too
much stress and drama to deal with. The last thing I needed was to add to that
stress with lawyers and a court. Besides, with how big the game was, I was sure
the case could easily become a media circus.

As my mind raced a
million miles an hour, my thoughts stopped on him. My stomach did a little
somersault as I thought about his touch and the way he looked at me. I hated
that he made me feel good. He was the cause of all my pain and trouble. I
wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. That was almost more frustrating than all
this Via Mace nonsense.

As I pushed my way
past the fans and tried to ignore the cameras in my face, I saw airport
security near me. I bravely reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist, eyes
pleading. I didn’t have to say a word before he pulled me forward and escorted
me out to a taxicab, even helping me with my luggage and shooing away the
onlookers so they stood back.

I was finally making
my way through Cusco to find a suitable hotel as the taxicab pulled out of the
pickup lane. But I failed to notice the sedan following behind me with Hayden’s
bodyguards. We drove around for a while until the cab finally pulled up at the
hotel. I stepped out of the car, still in disguise, and pulled my luggage into
the lobby to register.

I was too busy
trying to ignore the look on the receptionist’s face to see the bodyguard
standing near the entrance watching me. Even though she had recognized me, she
didn’t make a fuss of it and handed me the electronic keys after calling the
bell service. I turned to take a seat in the lobby and the bodyguard
immediately turned on his heel, walking back to his car to call Hayden.

“She is all
checked-in, sir,” the man said in hushed tones even though he couldn’t be
overheard.

“Excellent,”
Hayden said. “Stay there and let me know if she goes out. I doubt she will for
now, but I’d rather play it safe.” Ending the call, he stood up and
straightened out his shirt before telling Gina he was stepping out.

“Are you really
going out to meet her?” Gina wasn’t even trying to mask her indignation.

She was acting
almost entitled. That didn’t sit well with Hayden. “Are you really questioning
what I do, when I do it, and who I do it with? I didn’t realize I hired you to
be the manager of my personal life, Gina.” The two stared at each other. Gina’s
gaze turned into a glare. He made sure he had everything he needed before
motioning for her to exit first.

After Hayden
stepped out of his hotel room and made sure the door was securely locked, he
turned to look at Gina and waved goodbye. He quickly turned and walked off in
the direction of the stairwell. He knew she was pissed and she would find a way
to take it out on him later, but he didn’t care. He had to see me now and there
was no way he was taking Gina with him. Besides, he didn’t owe that woman any
explanations. It was times like this that he wondered why he kept her around,
even though he already knew the answer. She was good at her job and she’d been
working for him for years. That didn’t change the fact that she could really
grate his nerves sometimes.

Hayden greeted his
bodyguard with a simple nod when he arrived at my hotel, which was conveniently
close to his own. He stepped inside and pleasantly greeted the receptionist at
the front desk before walking straight to the stairwell. Luckily, his bodyguard
had been clever enough to eavesdrop on my conversation with the receptionist so
he knew my room number.

Without any
hesitation, Hayden knocked on my door. He made sure to place his hand over the
peephole because he didn’t want to risk me keeping the door shut if I saw him
on the other side.

“Who is it?” I
called out.

He cleared his throat
and simply said, “Welcome, Miss,” in a high-pitched voice. He could sense my
pause on the other side of the door, but I pulled it open anyway. I stared at
him, open-mouthed. It wasn’t long before my expression turned into anger.

“How did you find me?
What are you doing here?” My breath caught inside my throat the moment I saw
him. He stared at me for a moment with a half-cocked smile on his face. He was
just as handsome as I remembered him being.

“We need to talk.”

“I’ll say,” I
said, stepping back and motioning for him to step inside my room. I poked my
head into the hall and looked around before closing the door behind us. I
leaned back against it, hands behind my back, and stared him down. I had
traveled so far to see him, to confront him, and still he had managed to beat
me to the punch. “I tried coming to you about everything that has happened to
me because of Via, but not once have you actually even tried listening to me.”

Hayden stretched
his arms out to the sides and said, “Then talk. I’ll listen.”

“Your character
has affected everything in my life, right down to my job. Hayden, I am not
exaggerating. Because of Via Mace, I was forced to take time off and now my
chances at a big promotion have been jeopardized. A promotion I’ve been working
like a slave to get. Have you any idea what that feels like?”

Hayden curled his
fists and resisted every urge to let me have it. He
did
know how that felt and he knew it better than I did. And that
was all thanks to
me
. He wanted to
tell me that this was the ultimate karma; he had exacted revenge on me without
even trying. He had wanted that sweet taste of revenge for years now, but he
knew if he let the truth slip it could jeopardize Mind Lash.

“Do I?”

I began to pace up
and down before smacking my palm flat against the wall out of sheer
frustration. Hayden jumped back, caught off guard and alarmed. “Every damn time
I tell you how badly Mind Lash has impacted my life, you don’t take it
seriously. You don’t even talk with me. Dammit, Hayden, this isn’t a joke!”

“What? Is your
life falling apart, princess?” His tone was icy. I had never seen this side of
him, but it only served to get a rise out of me. Gone were the days of trying
to keep my cool.

“Princess? You
dare call me a princess when it was your little whore of a character that put
me in this predicament to begin with? This isn’t a fucking tantrum, Hayden!” I
didn’t care that I had raised my voice and maybe people in the hallway could
hear.

He was way out of
line and I knew it was only going to get worse as the conversation went on.
“Yes, it is falling apart. I can’t walk outside without being mobbed. I have
people calling and messaging me about it. I’ve been harassed. And my job is at
risk. I’ve worked so hard to build up a life. I’ve worked even harder at making
it in my career and moving toward my goal all so that you could ruin it in one
morning. Even still you have the audacity to call me a princess and never take
me seriously? You may be set, Hayden, but we aren’t all so lucky.”