Foolish Games(94)
His coughing subsided, the coach narrowed his eyes at her. “Why bring this up now? Will got his scholarship. I even hooked him up in the pros.”
She swayed slightly in shock, but Hank’s steady hand propped her up. Annabeth had long suspected that her rebuff of the coach all those years ago might have cost her son his scholarship had she not caught the man coming out of Bethany’s trailer later that day. But to hear him confirm that made her sick to her stomach.
“Except now you’re letting him take the fall for you,” she said, amazed her voice sounded so steady.
“I’m a dying man. He owes me.”
“You’re not worth him destroying his good name.”
“He took the money.”
“He didn’t know what it was for and he tried to return it!” she shot back.
He coughed again before taking another puff of oxygen. “It’s too late to erase the past.”
Annabeth stiffened her spine. “Yes, and it’s too late to erase your past.” She pulled a photo out of her purse, flipping it onto the coach’s blanketed lap.
He wheezed uncontrollably, sucking on the oxygen mask as he caught sight of the picture.
“Imagine my surprise when the Taylors moved in the dead of the night two months later. Or when I encountered Bethany in a shopping mall in Wilmington a few months after that, her belly swollen with pregnancy.”
Hank let out a hiss beside her, his fingertips curling into her back as he fought for self-restraint.
“Tell me this, Coach,” Annabeth asked. “Does your wife know about your son? I met him the other day. He’s quite a boy, as you can see by the photo.”
The coach was gasping heavily now, dragging air through the mask in deep draughts.
“Of course she doesn’t know,” Hank said from behind her. “He’d just as soon wait until he dies for her to find out. Because he’s a coward. An honest man, a real man, would own up to his sins before he goes. But this man doesn’t have the guts to deal with the mess he’s made.”
A gurgling sound came through the oxygen mask, where the coach’s tears mixed with the air his body so desperately needed.
“I didn’t know she was a child,” he croaked out. “I made amends to that family and to the boy. I never laid a hand on a woman other than my wife again.”
She snorted at his confession. Whether she believed him or not was irrelevant. The damage was already done.
“What more do you want from me?” he pleaded.
“I told you. For you to do the right thing,” she repeated.
The three were silent for several moments as the coach used the oxygen to regulate his breathing.
Coach Zevalos broke the silence. “Fine. If you’ll leave the boy out of this, I’ll call my lawyers and make a statement.”
“We conveniently have two NFL counsel here with us,” Hank told him in a matter-of-fact tone.
Another coughing fit followed. “You . . . you don’t expect me to do it today?” he gasped.
Annabeth lunged at him. “Yes! You’ll do it now! Today!”
“Annabeth!” Hank grabbed her arm, but she shook him off.
“For thirteen years, I’ve lived with the guilt of what you did. I was the reason you came to Seaside Vista in the first place. I was the reason a lecherous man had sex with an underage girl. How do you think that’s felt all these years? God! I should have spoken up sooner, but I didn’t. This isn’t going on one day longer. You’re going to tell them the truth about your stupid bounty scheme before more people get hurt.”
She felt Hank’s arm wrapped around her waist, gently pulling her back as the coach dissolved into another round of wheezing.
“Shh,” Hank whispered to her. “It’s over now.”
Annabeth gulped in a few deep breaths of her own as she pulled out of Hank’s restraint. She anxiously smoothed down her skirt and swiped at her tears. Hank patiently stood by her side, giving her space as she regained her composure.
“Okay?” he asked, his gentle voice restoring her courage.
Gnawing on her bottom lip, she gave him a quick nod. He winked at her, nearly making her come undone.
“I’ll go get our friends.” He eyed the coach directly before striding from the room.
The coach’s eyes brimmed with tears, but he sat in his chair belligerently silent.
“You know what the worst part is?” Annabeth wrapped her arms around herself. “Will worshipped you. And I let him.”
Tears streamed down her face again as the league representatives sheepishly entered the room, one of them setting up a video camera.
“Come on.” Hank quietly ushered her down the hall and out into the backyard. Annabeth took fortifying breaths of fresh air as she brushed the tears off her face. Coming up behind her, Hank wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his body.