Bri … fuck.
“Your father is a dirty man, Tanner, and I’m not surprised that his son has followed right in his footsteps. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if those images got into the wrong hands,” he says, glancing down at the scattered images at my feet, images I can’t stomach to look at. “Your poor mother, such a fragile little thing. She’d never be able to look at you again.”
I clench my jaw, unease rocking through me like never before, my whole future flashing before my eyes. “What do you want?” I whisper, stumbling back in my cell, lead sinking into my gut and weighing me down.
Channing just smiles. “I’ve already laid out my terms, Tanner, and as a sign of good faith, I’m not even going to have you charged with assault. But in return, you are to continue on as such, attend the wedding of the year as Brianna’s date, and distract her enough so that her mother doesn’t notice just how much her daughter despises her. Take her out, show her the world, and become Bradford’s hero out on the field. You’re to turn her into the perfect, doting girlfriend, teach her how to please a man, and when the time comes, you will willingly hand her over. No questions asked. Is that understood?”
Bile rises in my throat, and I struggle to swallow. “Oh, and one other thing,” Channing adds, glancing at the photos again. “Forget about Colby. You go after him even once, and those images will become the next viral sensation. I will end you, Tanner, and I’ll barely have to lift a finger to do it. You will lose everything, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself … oh,” he adds. “And your father.”
The fuck? My father? How the hell does he have anything to do with this? As far as I’m aware, no one knew about this, only those directly involved. Not even the boys know what happened that night.
No, he can’t know. That’s not possible.
I shake my head, feeling my world caving in on me, knowing just how much I’m going to lose if this shit gets out. “You’re not going to get away with this,” I warn him, moving back toward the bars and gripping them tight. “No matter what I have to do. You’ll never get your hands on Bri, and I’m sure as fuck those photos will never see the light of day. You underestimate me, Channing. You might be a dirty lawyer with bullshit tricks up your sleeve, but you forget, I’m not the only one who’s got something to lose.”
Channing pushes off the desk, fastening his briefcase before settling his heavy stare back on me. “Isn’t it fun to hold all the power?” he questions, his lips pulling into a twisted smirk. “Watch your back, Morgan. Who knows when it could all come crumbling down.”
And with that, Orlando Channing strides out the door, leaving me gasping for air.
I fall back to my seat before glancing down at the images again. That night changed my life in the worst ways. I was a monster, a fucking stranger. I couldn’t even recognize myself, and I sure as fuck have barely been able to live with myself since. If it weren’t for football or the guys … fuck, I don’t know where I’d be right now. They saved my life, and they have no fucking idea.
Hearing someone outside the door, panic tears at me and I fall to my knees, scooping up the images and frantically tearing them into tiny pieces, destroying any evidence of the horrific things I’ve done. But I know Channing. This isn’t the only evidence. He’ll have copies, and they’ll be stored in a place where only he can get to them.
Fuck. What have I done?
Hours pass before another officer graces my cell with his presence and walks toward me. He meets my haunted stare and nods, shoving a key into the lock. “You’re free to go, kid,” he says. “Follow me and we’ll get you sorted out.”
The officer turns on his heels and I follow behind, too conflicted with what I need to do to even be aware of what I’m supposed to be doing. It takes twenty minutes to sign all the papers they throw at me, then I’m walking out past security into the afternoon sun. Riley leans against his car on the curb in front of the police station, hands deep in his pockets as he stares down at the sidewalk.
My small breath of relief fades when the thoughts of those images flood my mind again. If my past gets out, Riley won’t want anything to do with me. But what the fuck am I supposed to do? There’s no way in hell I’m about to let Colby walk away from this, and I’m sure as fuck not about to let Channing lay a damn finger on Bri. If I have to give myself up to save them, then that’s what I’ll do.