Page 11 of Bourbon Truths
I disconnected the call and stared at nothing for a second as my mind raced. What could be so bad that Dale didn’t want anyone in my house when he told me?
It took about five minutes and ten apologies to get her dressed and out of my house. Surprisingly, she was pretty cool about leaving and not getting off. Maybe she was more easygoing than I’d thought.
I dialed Dale back while I started pacing the length of my house. There was no way he was going to be delivering good news. It wasn’t possible from the tone of his voice.
He answered on the second ring. “Is she gone?”
“Yes. Now tell me what the hell is going on.” I started to visibly shake.
“You might want to sit down,” Dale warned.
“Just tell me what the fuck is going on,” I shot back, my patience wearing thin.
“Kace, I got a call from the federation today. Your drug test was positive.”
“What?” I practically shouted. “It’s a mistake. What did I test positive for?”
“Human growth hormone. It’s a banned substance, Kace.”
“I know it’s a fucking banned substance!” I yelled, running a hand down my face. “This can’t be happening. Dale, I’ve never taken any kind of growth hormone. Someone switched the samples. There is no way I could test positive for HGH.”
“The Anti-Doping Agency wouldn’t switch. They take their jobs very seriously.”
“So you think I took steroids, then?” I asked, shocked my agent didn’t believe me.
“Do you take supplements?” Dale asked, his voice wavering.
“The only supplements I take are vitamins. I’ve never once done any kind of steroid. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am. Why would I chance it by taking steroids?”
“I don’t know,” Dale said. “Has Jono changed anything since you’ve been training with him?”
“No, we’ve been doing the same….” I paused as it hit me. “Holy fuck.”
“What?” Dale asked.
Ignoring him, I ran to my kitchen, set the phone down, and rummaged through a cupboard until I pulled down a bottle of supplements Jono had recently given me. He’d told me it was a combination of natural products to help me wake up in the morning and get the best workout I could. He’d claimed the pills were cayenne pepper, green tea, and some kind of other holistic supplements.
I searched for the ingredients, but the label was blank.What the fuck?
Dale screamed into the phone, asking me what was going on. I picked up the cell and said, “I’m so fucked.”
“What is going on?” Dale asked breathlessly.
“Jono gave me some supplements to wake me up in the morning. I’ve only used them a couple of times, but fuck, Dale. They have to be laced with HGH. It’s the only explanation.”
“You can’t be fucking serious,” Dale practically growled in the phone. “I knew he was a bad idea. His reputation was tainted for a reason. He couldn’t be trusted. Fuck!”
“Dale, what does this mean?” I asked, panicking now, not knowing what my future was going to look like, what my future held for me.
“It’s over,” Dale said flatly.
“Wait, what?” I asked as I slid down the cabinets of my kitchen and sat on the cold tile floor.
“You’re banned from competing, Kace. They don’t take substance abuse lightly. It’s over.”
This could not be happening. Dale was pulling some kind of joke on me; that’s what it had to be. There was no way everything I’d worked toward in my life was coming to an end just when I was getting started, just when I was making a name for myself. This couldn’t be happening.
“Dale, please tell me you’re kidding.”
